That is not actually my purpose, anyway. Recently, Perbacco opened a sister restaurant, just next door: Barbacco. Italian small plate options seem to have become a dime a dozen in the city, but this one is worth taking note of and being sure to check out (if you live here) or ensuring that I help you check it out (if you come visit -- and please do). I went last week with a friend for a glass of wine, but as we are both perpetually hungry we had to do a bit of dabbling in the culinary offerings. My favorite -- the fresh sardines. Served simply, with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of lemon. The texture is tender yet firm and they had not a hint of the fishiness that I think keeps so many people away from being willing to try this poor man's fish. We also enjoyed the ribollita - which my friend describes as "baked minestrone soup. It's a very apt description. The version served here (unique as I believe that ribollita is traditionally a soup) is like a moist cake, slightly crisped golden brown on the outside. It has a creamy texture thanks to the cannellini beans and a wonderfully rich flavor owed not only to the rich mix of vegetables but also the seasoning mix, rich in garlic. And, don't forget the bruschette with lardo. Yes, essentially, they carved the white portion of your bacon out and spread it in a thick layer across a gently grilled slice of baguette (nicely oiled), and then sprinkled it gently with truffle salt. I also had two glasses of Barbera, just a hint of spice and pepper.
I returned last night for a full-fledged dinner with my girl friends. After a week of eating in, conservatively, I think I deserved the slight splurge, including the three glasses of wine that accompanied my meal. To that effect -- try the Scarbolo Friulano that they have by the glass. After drinking some dismal riesling blend that was served at an overly-warm temperature and offered slightly oaky and certainly not any bright or mineral notes as I'd requested -- recommended by the waiter that I'm fairly sure knows not much about suggesting wines (umm, and I think he knows of my sentiments as he may have overheard me running my mouth...) -- I switched to something of my own selection and then turned one of my friends onto my choice, as well. In the way of food, given that there were four of us and we were starving following our extended wait, there were many dishes that landed at our "communal table (all the tables are actually communal, meaning that if you're a six-top you'll share with a couple - no sweat). New favorites include the polpette, Silcian-style meatballs that absolutely melt in your mouth and are crammed with flavor, and the burrata, which is heaven when spread in a thick, creamy layer across a toast point. My roommate Eliz is right -- fresh mozzarella is lovely, but it can't compare to its formless sister, which in recent times has truly stolen the spotlight from her sibling. Yes, cheeses are female.
Enjoying the culinary spoils of a new restaurant is certainly one of life's great pleasures, but dining with good company might actually be more sustaining. While it may seem to you that I focus at least 70% of my time and energy on food, this is incorrect. It certainly can be no more than 50%. That leaves an entire other half to my life, and right now a large portion of that half is taken up with determining my ideal job and strategizing how to get it. It's simply not as much fun to write about what exciting postings I have discovered or the networking emails I've sent or the cover letters I've written that likely go largely unread as it is to describe what last went into my mouth. That said, the majority of comes OUT of my mouth these days IS related to such topics. And here is where I reconnect to my initial statement re: the value of outstanding company, as I owe much to my recent Barbacco dining compatriots -- both from last week and last night.
I may not have discovered my dream job out in Oakland, but I did discover a remarkable female support group that allows me to complain at length about my struggle to nail down how shall I continue sustaining myself in life (this from a financial perspective) once I move on from salad dressing. And while some of them might not embody my particular style of eating -- highly carnivorous, often calorie-laden -- they are always up for eating with me and making the experience a pleasure.
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