a Mano

Cuisine	Italian
Price	$$$ (31-50)
Rating	7/10
Last Visit	Sept. 10, 2023
Location	SFBA: San Francisco: West

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General Notes

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Excellent all-around Italian restaurant -- great food, nice ambiance, and reasonably priced. According to the restaurant website, a Mano makes their pastas by hand each day, as the name of the restaurant suggests, and that definitely reflects in the pasta. Would definitely return.

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Positives

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> Sleek interior ambiance. The open bar/kitchen, huge windows to the street, and lighting are excellent.
> Good outdoor dining environment, with heaters and all. They take their COVID restrictions pretty seriously.

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Negatives

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> Expect a wait. This place is very popular. They don't accept reservations, but they do have a Yelp waitlist that you can put yourself on before coming, which mitigates this somewhat. If you're bored waiting, check out The Epicurean Trader across the street or one of the many other shops nearby.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★★☆ Heirloom Tomato + Watermelon Salad -- heirloom tomatoes, watermelon, red onions, arugula, ricotta salata, champagne vinaigrette. Solid dish (this is some of the best tasting watermelon I've had in a while) -- the champagne vinaigrette is a great touch.
• ★★★☆ Paccheri -- paccheri alla pescadora, manila clams, rock cod, san marzano tomatoes, capers. Pasta is nice and al-dente, nice sauce, good seafood.
• ★★★☆ Ravioli -- Brentwood corn, ricotta. A simple but delightful dish. The sauce is the star of the show -- I think it's just butter, lemon, and parsley, but the consistency is amazing and it really rounds out the dish. I was a bit skeptical about the corn, but it adds a nice touch of sweetness. Relatively large portion, too.
• ★★☆☆ Duck Liver Mousse -- Strawberry mostarda, crostini. Looks are deceiving -- the duck liver mousse is actually served underneath the strawberry mostarda. I'm usually a huge fan of duck liver mousse but this was only decent -- the texture was too hard (difficult to smear) and the flavors weren't as pronounced (perhaps it was a bit too cold).
• ★★★☆ Nutella sundae -- mascarpone, gianduia gelato, hazelnut cookie, whip cream -- I am a sucker for anything with marshmallow cream and this was no exception. The only part I didn't like so much was the nutella, which was smeared off to the side and a bit overly thick. Would have been really nice if it were mixed in with the nutella gelato. Otherwise, absolutely delicious. I love how the chocolate sauce is put in a cup on the side for you to pour over.
• ★★★☆ Orecchiette -- lamb sausage ragu, broccoli di ciccio, pecorino. Excellent texture on the pasta. The combination of the lightly spicy lamb and the broccoli rabe works really well. Could use a touch more acidity, but otherwise great!
• ★★★★ Focaccia -- olio, olive tapenade. The olive tapenade is delightful. I haven't been a bit fan of olives in the past, but the tapenade lends an incredible tartness and burst of flavor that complements the focaccia well. The focaccia itself is warm, fluffy, lightly sweet, and crisp on the exterior. Perfect!