Allegro Romano & Amarena

April is in full swing, which means birthday month is underway! Last weekend, I got to enjoy 2 fabulous dining experiences in Russian Hill. The first was the elusive and almost impossible to get a reservation at restaurant known as Allegro Romano. Tyler and I have been trying to go here for a few months now but you pretty much have to call a month in advance to have any chance of eating dinner at a normal time. Although I did seriously contemplate taking the original 6:00 opening when I was trying to get in a while ago. Tucked away in an off the beaten path sort of area in Russian Hill, this place is apparently the choice of celebrities and politicians when in town. Although I didn't see any myself, it was pretty cool to check out all the pictures of the Italian chef/owner with Brad Pitt, Gavin Newson, The Clintons and all the other celebs. The place is super tiny and has some good views of the city. I decided to get the Fettuccine al Tartufo Bianco, a homemade fettuccine (in season from Piedmont) with white truffle sauce which, aside from my terrible stomach ache that night, was pretty delicious. The best part of the dining experience definitely comes at the end. Once you're done eating the waiters bring out free dessert and after dinner drinks! And to top it all off, every girl leaving the restaurant gets a rose! So lovely. Would definitely recommend this place, just be sure to plan far far ahead! 

On Saturday, we did a birthday dinner with my parents. We ventured back out to Russian Hill again to dine at a restaurant called Amarena. I've been here once before, but it really is so great that I decided my parents had to try it out. The best part of Amarena, in my opinion, is getting to sit by the window and watch all the passerby's. It's about a block off polk so you see a fair amount of activity, but not too much to be completely loud and distracting. Last time we lucked out and just happened to get that table, so this time we Tyler called ahead to make sure we could request that spot. Since we were having a bday celebration later that night we decided to go a bit earlier than normal and arrived just as the sun was starting to set. Since we happened to catch a cab way faster than normal we got there a bit early so decided to have a drink at the bar. They had some amazing sangria sitting in a bowl, and since the sun was still out, it seemed appropriate. Once seated we had some delicious appetizers, the Bruschetta della Casa (Diced Organic Heirlooms Tomatoes, Fresh Red Onions in a Balsamic Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing over a Toasted Garlic Bread, pretty self-explanatory) and the Polenta con Salvia e Parmigiano (a Souffle' of Polenta served with Sage and Parmigiano Reggiano Sauce). Both delicious, although the Polenta wins in my opinion. For dinner, I stuck with my latest obsession and got the Ravioli di Zucca, a Homemade Ravioli Stuffed with Butternut squash in a butter, sage and solty ricotta cheese. This was actually the first place I ordered Butternut squash ravioli in SF and loved it, thus beginning my obsession. No dessert as we had a giant whip creme cake waiting for us back at home, but our dining neighbors looked like they had chosen some pretty divine options! Another favorite aspect of this place is that all the waitresses/waiters are all authentic Italians, sometimes so authentic that I can't quite understand what they special of the day is. But it definitely makes for a more authentic experience!

Off to New York next week to experience all the amazingness it has to offer!