All,
Dinner, A16.
http://www.a16sf.com/
Cons: A little crowded and tables close together (but not too bad at all) and generally have to wait a while even w/ reservation.
Pros: Food is awesome and once you're seated service is excellent.
Had a prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) before dinner. Delicious and refreshing.
Unfortunately, had to wait about 30 minutes for our table, which was annoying. However, the hostess was quite apologetic and nice. Also, multiple very cute chicks working there.
http://www.a16sf.com/Dinner_Menu10.19.htm
Starters (for 4): Mozzarella burrata (mozz w/ creamy center, wow so great), proscuitto plate (YUM), pork liver terrine (WOW, this was really exceptional), margherita pizza w/ arugula & proscuitto.
Excellent sommelier recommended a reasonably priced Sardinian wine that was like a fruity Syrah/Zin blend w/ a nice hint of earthiness and oak.
First three apps came out, delicious. Slight mis-step then when the guy brought out the pizza. I noticed they screwed up the order and it was proscuitto + mushrooms instead of arugula, but it looked really good so decided not to bother w/ correcting them and ate it. A few minutes later guy came back and apologized for bringing us the wrong pizza. He was super apologetic but I told him it was awesome and not to worry about it.
Got two pastas and two entrees. Maccaronara - simple thick spaghetti type pasta w/ homemade tomato ragu. Simple and delicious. Ricotta gnocchi - fluffy, perfect. Braised beef short ribs - tender and tasty. Sausage and pork plate - hearty and super good. Sides of butternut squash (WOW!) and chard (yum). Basically, everything was great.
At this point we were pretty stuffed, but it was a friend's bday dinner, so we got dessert.
http://www.a16sf.com/Dessert_Menu10.19.htm
Sformatino di zucca with honeycomb candy and bitter chocolate and Chocolate budino tart with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Excellent.
So, once again (3rd time in a row) there was a little bit of a hitch up front, but nothing extreme, and once we were seated everything was excellent. The bill ($230 incl tax/tip) was a little cheaper than normal, so I think a couple of apps were comped to make up for the delay, which is always appreciated. It's a bit of a scene rather than a relaxed dinner environment, but if you're in the mood for a nice dinner in a somewhat bustling setting, I definitely recommend it. The staff and food are top notch.