I’ve been living in San Francisco for over four decades. In the last decade and a half, despite the ups and downs of the economy and that pesky Covid, the food scene here continues to grow, the city remains a Worldwide Culinary Destination. For every Michelin starred place that shutters or debuts, there are a dozen non-tweezer-palace’s serving really excellent fare from nearly every region on the planet.
Some of these smaller mom-n-pop’s have built their menu around a single food item, like grilled cheese, or a cooking technique, like shabu shabu. Some specialize in recipes from a particular location, like Calabria or Georgia or Burma. Some marry a couple of styles, like Sociale, with recipes and cooking methods from Northern Italy while taking advantage of the abundant ingredients from California.
Even though Sociale has been in The City for over seventeen years, I had never eaten there. The neighborhood’s a bit posh. I was to meet a good friend at the local theater a few blacks away, so I treated myself.
As a chef and an avid food enthusiast, this was one of the most soul-satisfying meals I’ve had a quite a while.
Located at the end of a narrow alley off the main street, I passed between buildings and rounded a corner to find a fecund little outdoor patio, strung with tiny white lights. To the left behind wood-framed windows was a lovely, well-appointed dining room with elegant tables and antiques. Straight ahead was the hostess station and another dining area. I wanted to sit outside under a warm lamp in the glow of the Christmas lights, so the hostess sat me at a small table with a delightful view of the entire patio.
By this time, I’m loving the place. Exactly the hidden gem experience I crave when I want to do something special. I hoped the food would match the aesthetics.
My server was warm, funny and personable. I felt the need to “come out” as a chef early on so he’d know he was talking to someone in the profession. That opened the floodgates, and he started talking about technique and ingredients and the fact that the chef butchers a pig on a weekly basis. More detail than I would think most customers get. I was in heaven.
I told him I led a food tour called Ten Days to Tuscany (I know, brag brag) and that the one dish I ate most often was papardelle with some kind of ragout; wild boar, pork, beef, I tried them all. They happened to have a braised duck ragout over papardelle on the menu, so I knew what I wanted to order. He said it was a dish the chef was famous for and an excellent choice.
He seemed sincere. I didn’t care. The evening was hitting all the right notes.
A few minutes later the sommelier came over and said, “Good evening, Chef.” Loved that. He asked what kind of wine I would prefer with my braised duck. I said I like big reds, something with personality. He recommended a 2013 Barberra d’Alba from Renzo Seghesio. I saw a Super Tuscan on the list (I’ve had some pretty memorable ones before) and he offered a taste of both to compare (did I mention that I really liked this place?). The Barberra won, hands down.
I enjoyed the patio all by myself for the first half hour, drinking in the atmosphere. Between the beams of the patio arbor cover, I saw the moon glowing through fog that misted around the cypress treetops. Feeling warm under the heat lamp, protected from the cool of the fog, a globe of swirling red in my hand, was a true San Francisco moment.
My server sat a wide, shallow bowl in front of me that held a tall swirl of house-made papardelle laced in a sumptuous crème of porcini, peas, truffle, and tender duck. He offered a grating of aged parm.
“By all means.”
Simple, elegant, toothsome, and in perfect harmony with the wine.
I didn’t have time for dessert and coffee, but I will return with a table of foodie friends in two weeks' time. Next, their popular appetizer of pork belly, house-made Harissa, crispy chick peas and horseradish aioli. I'll finish with a sweet that’s created quite the buzz: Chocolate Oblivion Cake, with a drizzle of luscious olive oil and a dusting of fine sea salt.
I don’t have the recipe for the pasta, but I do have this. One of my favorite online vendors for most excellent charcuterie is D’Artagnan. Here is a recipe for Duck Ragout with Porcini. This would work very well over papardelle. Not the same, but will do until I return to the magic garden of Sociale.
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