GREAT EATS HAWAII: CREDO

Sunday, December 2, 2012

CREDO - SAN FRANCISCO

CREDO

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

CREDO

360 PINE STREET (at Montgomery)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104

415-693-0360

www.credosf.com

HOURS: Lunch Monday thru Friday 11:30 AM - 2:00

Dinner Monday thru Saturday 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

We asked the Concierge at our hotel in San Francisco where we could enjoy some good Italian food for dinner. On short notice, he said the only place that could seat us was a place called Credo. He jotted down the address and gave us directions for the ten minute walk. We had no idea what to expect when we arrived at Credo around 7:00 PM. The place was pretty empty as we entered the large space filled with quotes on the walls. This is unique I thought. We were quickly seated by a very friendly and professional hostess. The first thing I noticed was the cool thick tables hand made out of old wood. The next thing was those quotes. They are everywhere. We probably spent the first fifteen minutes just reading the walls. When I looked around the restaurant I saw that it had filled to capacity in a matter of minutes. The menu is very simple and is printed on a single page of white paper. We were expecting your typical Italian menu. This was a bit unique. Very simple with only around six appetizers and pasta options. The pizzas were not your normal pepperoni type. One had figs and argula and another had beets and goat cheese. We passed on the pizza selections. After waiting a bit our waiter brought out a board filled with fresh bread and a bowl of marinated olives. The olives were delicious but beware of the pits. We started with Zuppetta di Vongole ($12). Little neck clams with baby fennel in a white wine-orange broth. Loved the clams, broth and Acme bread. We shared the Caesar Salad ($12) and there was enough for all three of us. Liked the large fresh anchovies and soft boiled egg. This was a good Caesar and I would order it again. None of the pasta dishes on the menu caught my eye and I really wanted pasta. I asked the waiter what he would recommend and he immediately led me to the Sedanini ($24). Described on the menu as house made calabrese, house cured pancetta, pecorino Romano, rich tomato surge, sage, mezzi rigatoni. I was stunned when the dish arrived. It looked like a big loaf of bread or puffed pastry. We were all smiles when the waiter cut into the pastry and peeled it back to uncover a piping hot bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and sausage. Huge slices of sausage and enough pasta for two. I did not put a dent in the dish. Liked the flavors but there was nothing in the dish that really put it over the top. The Pico Toscano ($19) was good but not a huge hit with my girls. The fresh pasta was served with broccolini, olives, capers, oregano in a spicy San Marzano tomato sauce. My daughter knocked off the Chocolate Lava Cake so it must have been pretty good. Service and food here were o.k. Probably would try another place before returning back.