Little Italy, NY, Aj Gentry

I lived in North Beach, the Italian district of San Francisco, for many years and absolutely loved it.  I  walked to my bus stop every weekday; if I ever missed a day, the old Italian men who sat on the bench in the park would cheerfully greet me with a “hey, where you been?” After work, I’d stop by Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store for a glass of Chianti and a foccacia sandwich…it has the perfect counter seating for a single gal just wanting to enjoy a glass of wine.

I discovered the same feeling recently when I visited Napoli in San Rafael.  The wine director told me about it through Facebook; the owner, Donato waited on us; and Attila, another server backed him up. Feels like I know everyone already!  Atmosphere means a lot to me when I go out and in the case of a not-so-fancy neighborhood joint, it’s the people and the food.

Here’s my litmus test for Italian restaurants:

• Do they make a good minestrone?
• Does the Caesar have a yummy housemade anchovy dressing?
• Do they make a good veal (something I never make so it’s fun to order it)?
• Do they have a good Italian white and Chianti by the glass at a reasonable price?
• Is there authenticity, such as Italian wait staff or owner on-site?

It’s definitely authentic in terms of the staff, soup, and salad.  And the (owner-made) Cannoli is seriously the best I have ever had.  I didn’t order the veal because Hubby and I shared a pizza–a good thin crust, which is all I want.  I’m not a huge pizza connoisseur.

They don’t have a house Pinot Grigio or Chianti by the glass, however the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was smooth and held up nicely to the combo pizza.  I hope they have a good house Chianti next time I go.  If not, I’ll just order the perfectly crunchy crusted, sweet, rich, flavorful Cannoli and an expresso.

Here’s a few other thoughts I’ve had about Chianti.