Piccino, 1001 Minnesota Street, Dogpatch (BDYW)

This Tuscan Pizzeria in "Dogpatch" left Rosalie and me disappointed.  I read lots of reviews, after the fact, and maybe we just missed the plot on this one.  It appears to be a neighborhood favorite, famous for it's thin-crust Tuscany-style pizza, as well as many other small plates. ( I do mean "small"!)
Piccino is located in a large, corner building, that looks like it belongs in downtown Mountain View, not a quaint, artsy & light industrial area of San Francisco.

This structure is often referred to as "the yellow building".  The restaurant itself is fairly large and has a very modern and "spa-like" contemporary style. The "yellow building" also houses a clothing boutique, a wine shop and a separate coffee bar (owned & operated by "Piccino") where "Sightglass" coffee is featured along with various pastries, prepared daily by "Piccino's" pastry chef.

Natural and organic fare is the theme, but the portions are small (encouraging you to "taste" numerous dishes) and the food, frankly was bland.  Soft drinks are served in little jelly jars which was cute and although we didn't imbibe that day, the wine list is supposedly excellent and extensive.

I ordered the pork and beef  "polpette" (little meatballs), served with crushed tomatoes and Parmesan.  Though the portion was small, the meatballs were good and the crushed tomatoes were deliciously sweet.  Thankfully, I had requested crusty Italian bread with olive oil (delish.........), which I consumed in it's entirety.  Rosalie ordered the "prosciutto panini", mozzarella, braised radicchio and tomato chutney.  Unfortunately, it was served on an organic roll that was sooooo hard, our staff photographer was unable to eat it without losing her two front teeth!  The waitress offered to replace the sandwich, so Rosalie ordered the "asparagus salad", hard cooked egg, pickled mustard-seed vinaigrette and breadcrumbs.  The salad was mediocre and starving Rosalie was once again left hungry and disappointed.

We looked at the fully-booked tables and decided to give "Piccino" one last shot. 

Since we were far from stuffed, we decided to order a couple of "Piccino's" highly renowned pizzas "to go".  I discussed the options with our waitress and chose the "funghi pizza", roasted mushrooms, stracchino, and shaved garlic.  Rosalie, decided to go with their "margherita" pizza", tomato, mozzarella and fresh oregano, taking no chances with her 3rd "Piccino" dish of the day. 
You guessed it.  The pizzas were not good. 
My "funghi" was loaded with mushrooms, but also with tons & tons & tons of garlic and Rosalie's "margherita" was tasteless.  How ironic that the only picture of the food that came out that Wednesday afternoon was the "polpette". 
"Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry" spooky!!!!!

Well, we did try..........really tried, to the tune of $80.00, including tip (no charge for that panini).  Rosalie and I know that any place that is that packed with diners and has that many good reviews can't be as bad it seemed, but "Piccino" gets no recommendation from these famished food bloggers!
Rosalie and I have blogged 23 restaurants and over 80% of them were delicious and very reasonably priced.  Please look back at the previous posts that include some of "the best" we've found in San Francisco.

Don't worry, your "food PI's" are back on the streets next Wednesday and WE ARE HUNGRY!!!!!!
Ciao e grazie!

Plow, 1299 18th Street, Potrero Hill (BDYW)

Plow is soooooooo good on so many levels, it's hard to know where to begin....so let's start with the location. Yes, Rosalie and I are still enjoying our favorite Potrero Hill neighborhood, shaking our heads, wondering how we could have missed this "fab food mecca" for all these years.
"Plow's" architecture has a clean industrial look, but with a homey all-American feel.  It's all windows, high ceilings and glossy reclaimed woods and metals.  There is only one large painting on the far wall, of a red, weathered barn, sitting out in the fields.  Maybe that's why the "design feel" is so rustic, while still being chic and sophisticated.   That painting so reminded me of the farms I grew up with, as a kid in the Midwest. 

You can look out the windows at the city from one angle or view a gorgeous tree on Texas Street from another. The small dining space has been featured in Dwell magazine, so needless to say, it is really cool and unique.

 The heavy marble counter provides additional seating and faces the open kitchen where the food magic begins.
Famous for the hearty and wholesome American farm breakfasts, this eatery does not disappoint.  OMG!!!! Choose from the menu of eggs & homemade sausages or Nueske bacon to lemon ricotta pancakes and french toast with strawberries, mascarpone & maple syrup, just to mention a few of the many fabdelish choices.
If you want to skip breakfast and go right to lunch, Rosalie and I can tell you just what to order.
I had the famous fried chicken sandwich with cabbage jalapeno slaw and aioli on a fresh baked torpedo role.  Our staff photographer had the portobello mushroom sandwich with aioli, Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel and grilled balsamic onions.  Both lunches were, of course, served with crispy "plow potatoes", which are absolutely to die for and seriously delish!!!!!

The chef/owners (husband and wife team) of this wonderful spot also own the popular neighborhood wine shop, "Ruby Wine", located down the block, so........... you might want to choose a "glass" from "Plow's"  wine list to enjoy with with your scrumptious meal.
I could go on and on, but Rosalie and I agree, you just have to experience it for yourselves!  This place is so worth the short trip to Potrero Hill, our 4th neighborhood "fab food find", all within a few blocks of each other. (take a look at the 3 prior posts of "Chez Papa", "Chez Maman" & "Papito")
Breakfast, lunch, or week-end brunch..... do not miss this one!!!!!!!
Our staff photographer even snapped a shot of someone else's order!  Looks like they ordered "the plow" which is 2 eggs, house sausage, lemon ricotta pancakes and crispy potatoes.  Yum!  Rosalie is becoming the "Ansel Adams" of the food blog business, so we hope these pictures inspire you to discover the "deliciousness" waiting for you on Potrero Hill!