January 30, 2011

Noe Valley: Home to the Best Regional Italian Food in the US

The secret is out. One of the best Italian restaurants in the country is right here in the neighborhood. Mark Bittman wrote in the New York Times this Friday what many in the area have known for some time:
On my last visit to San Francisco I found myself near the once-remote corner of 30th and Church (I think this is called Upper Noe Valley, though there are disagreements) three times. One visit was to Incanto — which is good — and to Tataki, my friend Casson Trenor’s excellent “sustainable sushi” restaurant. The third was my now-regular visit to La Ciccia, the Sardinian restaurant that holds close and well to its roots. Its menu, written in the Sardinian dialect (translated, fortunately), is small and appealing.

Start with pani guttiau, a kind of carta musica, or super-thin flatbread baked with oil, rosemary and pecorino. (Sardinia is one of the world’s best places for sheep’s cheese.) It wouldn’t be amiss to order a thin-crusted pizza or two, also; the one with big fat capers, pecorino, a little mozzarella, oil and oregano is a personal favorite. There is good salumi here, too, including cooked pancetta and cured raw bacon, both of which are divine....
You can read the full love letter here.

La Ciccia, 291 30th Street; (415) 550-8114; laciccia.com


[NY Times: My Go-To Places for Regional Italian Food in San Francisco]
[Photo: NY Times]

1 comments:

Unknown said...

La Ciccia rocks! Mark Bittman rocks! What more can be said...? I am so pleased that La Ciccia gets written up. The food is stellar! The service is excellent. The interior is boring... but who cares! This place is not about an unlimited budget for interior remodeling. La Ciccia is about excellent food and honest food. Check it out. PS: I use Mark Bittman recipes all the time and I am so pleased he mentioned La Ciccia. Thank you!