Mangiafuoco
1001 Guerrero/22nd
Tel: 415 206 9881
If you a have a favorite neighborhood restaurant, please promise you'll visit it often. Like independent bookstores, I fear for their future in this era of category-killers. The big guys have already taken over the coffeehouses (RIP Spinellis) and I just heard two former Blockbuster execs are planning to Blockbuster-ize the neighborhood floral shop with a 1,000 unit chain! Run, don't walk to your corner flower stand.
I recently rediscovered the ideal neighborhood place, Mangiafuoco, at 22nd and Guerrero. It was like bumping into an old friend and remembering they live close by. Now I'll be sure to stop by more often. With all that said, let's get to what you really need to know: the food is terrific, the room is warm and attractive. There's a bit of a Pinnochio theme running through the etched glass windows and puppet collection. It all comes together with crisp white linens on crowded tables, paintings worth a second look, open kitchen with a bar, and one of my favorite ladies' rooms. Our charming waiter only added to the scene with his Italianismo; I have no idea what the specials were, but I'd order anything on his list.
The first thing you must do when you go is order the calamari appetizer. No greasy pile of fried stuff served here. This is a composed platter of calamari wrapped around salmon mousse on a bed of wilted greens. A perfect combination of flavors. Sublime! All the entrees/pastas were brilliant as well. The papardelle seemed just hours old, very tender and perfectly paired with a cream sauce of pancetta and artichokes. The risotto with mushrooms was hearty, as to be expected, and delicious. The gnocchi were declared the lightest little potato pillows ever known. Simply presented with basil and tomatoes, it was a perfect combination of flavors; the sum of the whole well exceeded the parts. Again, all sublime. For dessert, a classic tiramisu was spot on.
As for the wine list, I can't really tell you if it's up to snuff or not. It has chianti and what else do you need in an Italian restaurant? And honestly, I can't remember the price range either. Not super cheap, but not so expensive we felt cleaned out. Our party of three ate and drank to excess for under a hundred bucks. Kitty-corner from the (hopefully) temporarily dormant Café Babar and across the street from the Lone Palm, you've got your before-and-afters right there. Mangiafuoco is sublime in a simple straight forward way. And you'll be twice rewarded: a fine meal, another strike against the blanding of our fair city.
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