Perbacco

10/14/09

Great place for corporate private dinner

by minimorsels at Citysearch

I had to go to another boring work function the other night was going to skip it but I was really glad I didn't. We had dinner upstairs in a private room that was lined with windows on one side of it. Through those windows you can watch the kitchen work their magic while you have hand passed apps and wine.

The food was delicious!! I had one of their signature pasta that was unlike anything i've ever had. When dessert came I opted for the chocolate! It was dense chocolate cake with a gooey center.

I really hope that my work has a holiday dinner this season! It's one work function I will be sure not to miss!!

• Pros: watching the kitchen from above
• Cons: it gets a bit hot ( no air conditioner)

04/07/09

Great downtown lunch spot

by AndrewH at Citysearch

I love having business meetings here, since it is right behind my office. All the food is excellent, the portions are just the right size, and ingredients always fresh and seasonal.

• Pros: Excellent food, service & atmosphere
• Cons: Can be noisy

03/06/09

Really Wanted to Like It Here

by GeraldDouglas at Citysearch

I really wanted this review to be better and perhaps the lower rating is due to these high expectations but there were far too many things that were average at best with my experience with the meal.

I had looked through the reviews here and on other sites and many people went on and on about the grand experience here so suffice it say, I was salivating.

The decor was grand and indicative of a post work eatery in the Financial District of any big city and with its tiled floor and mahogony bar I felt like we were in store for a meal that was so good I'd be tempted to tell my mama.

Let's get down to it --

Appetizers

1) Burrata Cheese / Black Olive Condimento / Arugula / Grilled Filone

2) Roasted Octopus / Saffron Poached Potato / Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette / Salsa Verde

The Burrata was what you'd expect. Straight forward cheese with a slight bit of resistance when sliced but roasted and creamy when spread on the bread and balanced with the olive.

The Roasted Octopus however had some winning moments as it was trying to morph into a foie gras with the soft texture and taste. This was a pleasant surprise.

Dinner:

1) Two of us had Liberty Farms Duck Breast / Brussels Sprouts And Apples In Padella / Pancetta / Passato Di Sancrau

2) Coniglio Al Civet – Devil’s Gulch Rabbit / Spiced Red Wine Sauce / Otto File Polenta

3) Beef Short Rib Stracotto / Root Vegetable Purée / Roasted Golden Turnips And Cipolline

The duck breast that I and a friend had wasn't tender even though it was presented medium rare and sadly a tough duck really is a mess. The brussel sprouts were decently prepared but didn't bring a redeeming factor to the meal.

My wife had the rabbit and the saltiness was a bit overpowering and the sauce didn't compliment the meal in the least. It was as if the sauce was the star as opposed to the pasta portions.

The winner of the meal was certainly the short ribs as noted by other posts. It won far and away as the other meals certainly left us flat but also because it's just done correctly. The meat was tender and braised and matched so well with the pasta.

If I were to ever go back I'd certainly have that meal but I doubt that I will.

There were some great aspects to the restaurant -- the drinks were made very well and were replaced with an easy frequency. And the overall bill was only 200.35 for the food and with a total of 10 beverages.

I do have to say that our service was a seriously negative factor with the meal. Our server was hard to locate and hard of hearing, granted the place was full and she was scampering about trying to attend to far too many tables. One really odd part of the evening was when we were totaling up the bill -- we each were paying 60 dollars. So like any we have done in many other restaurants, we threw in a myriad of payment options. One person threw in 60 in cash and the I and another person decided to use a credit card.

When we gave the server the bill, I said please put 120 on my card, 60 on the other card and use the cash as well. When I got the bill back I had a total of 140 and the cash was gone. Apparently she was so enamored with her service of avoidance and whispers that she gave herself a sixty dollar tip. Now it's not too far off from the 40 we were leaving but I'd never heard of anything like that before.

It was a slight hassle correcting the matter but at least it was done with. Just an odd experience overall.

I would recommend this place as a great spot to meet and greet for drinks and maybe eating at the bar but as for a dinner, there are more than enough restaurants in SF to venture to.

• Pros: Great Drinks
• Cons: Ill Prepared Food and Slow Service