Acquerello

(Nob Hill)
1722 Sacramento St.  
415-567-5432 Map it
www.acquerello.com

$$$$
Italian
business lunch, fine dining, lunch, notable wine list, private dining or party space, prix-fixe menu, quiet, romantic

SCENE: Housed in a former Mission-style chapel built in the 1920s, Acquerello is, not surprisingly, hushed and serene. Underneath the chapel’s wood-beamed ceiling, regulars linger for hours enjoying seasonal Italian cuisine and top-notch service.

EATS: The preparations are simple yet elegant. A starter of a fluffy, custard-like Parmesan budino is topped with strips of fried butternut squash, and wide noodles of house-made pasta are coated in a marsala-and-foie-gras cream sauce with shavings of black truffle. Entrées, from crisp-skinned sea bass with spicy eggplant to pancetta-wrapped scallops with butter beans and parsley purée, are also luxurious. The award-winning wine list from co-owner and affable host Giancarlo Paterlini is superb.