I have a secret and I’m not sure I want to tell. I would like to keep it all for myself. But that’s selfish, so here goes: Rulli Gran Caffé on Chestnut Street in the Marina offers so much more than pastries, cakes and coffee. Not that Gary Rulli’s pastries, cakes and coffee are anything to sneeze at — he is a nationally recognized, award-winning Italian baker. When I have guests in town, I always keep an assortment of his artisan cookies on hand, and holidays and birthdays wouldn’t be the same without his panettone and the decadent, but surprisingly light Brasiliana (chocolate sponge cake brushed with espresso liqueur, filled with chantilly cream and covered with milk chocolate shavings). I am also a huge fan of his fresh-roasted coffee and will go for days without a cappuccino at home until I have time to get a pound of the decaf espresso.

It is hard to believe that Rulli’s original shop, Emporio Rulli in Larkspur, is celebrating 26 years. Now with four locations (Larkspur, the Marina, Union Square, SFO), Rulli has managed not only to maintain the quality of his products, but also, in the case of the Marina, to enhance the experience by collaborating with long-time friend and chef Angelo Auriana on lunch and dinner menus, including a Tuesday night $50 prix fixe multicourse “chef’s surprise” that is one of the best deals in San Francisco.

Master chef Auriana is renowned for his nearly two decades heading the kitchen at the upscale Valentino in Santa Monica. In 2003, he relocated to El Dorado County in the Sierra foothills where he opened Masque Ristorante in 2004, lauded by Esquire magazine’s John Mariani as “One of the best Italian restaurants to open in the U.S. in years.”

Auriana comes up for his Tuesday night culinary excursions with a selection of fresh meat, poultry, seafood, and produce to combine with the selection of fresh, seasonal ingredients already awaiting him in the kitchen at Rulli. After laying everything out before him, Auriana decides what he will prepare for each course, and it may vary from table to table. His style reminds me a bit of an Italian David Kinch, who is famous for similar off-the-cuff coursed meals at his four-star Los Gatos restaurant, Manresa. Creating dishes as you go is not something many chefs can do, and even fewer can do it well — it takes a special talent and years of experience to pull it off with aplomb as Kinch and Auriana do.

On the first of several visits, my dining companion and I arrived on a Tuesday night not knowing what to expect. I had heard from Chestnut Street neighbors, adventurous gastronomes, other food writers, and chefs that we were in for a treat, and as soon as the first course arrived — silky sea urchin with shavings of costata di romanesco (an heirloom Italian zucchini thought to be the best tasting in the world) and a San Marzano, zucchini-mint sauce — I knew the evening was going to be better than we could have imagined. Many Italian cooks (my mother and grandfather included) consider San Marzano, a variety of plum tomatoes, to make the best sauces. Firm and meaty with very few seeds, the bright, tangy flavor played nicely against the nuttiness of the costata di romanesco, the sweetness of the sea urchin, and the coolness of the mint. On another visit he dazzled us with glistening Monterey bay sardines accompanied by citrus slices, beets and almond slivers.

One of Auriana’s greatest gifts is his willingness to allow the ingredients to shine. Monterey squid and royal trumpet mushrooms were simply grilled and placed over an onion and English pea fondue. The slightly crunchy, chewy texture of the squid juxtaposed against the loamy mushrooms created wonderful texture, while the delicate flavors remained distinct. The trumpet mushrooms, juicy and plump, were the best I’ve had. One of my favorite dishes of several visits was a mini soufflé of goat cheese and butternut squash perched delicately in a pool of bright green English pea and fava bean puree.

Inexperienced or insecure chefs often feel obligated to dazzle diners with overly complex sauces, but Auriana’s confidence and well-honed skills tell him when enough is enough, even if that means only two or three components on the plate.

Fresh-made pasta is another of Auriana’s specialties. My friend Bill delighted in veal tongue tortelli with medallions of crispy lamb tongue. Not only does Bill love to eat tongue of anything, he was thrilled that Auriana used a sheep’s milk cheese because he is allergic to cow’s milk. It was the first tortelli he’d been able to eat in years, and he raved about it. I, on the other hand, can eat tortelli anytime, but I agree with Bill — it was swoon worthy.

My agnolotti del plin di Mandriano di Zambla was a much simpler dish than the name suggests. Agnolotti (“priest hats”) are tiny ravioli. Auriana’s painstakingly hand-pinched, perfectly al dente agnolotti were filled with Mandriano di Zambla, a rustic, Alpine cow’s milk cheese from his hometown of Bergamo, and scattered with little chunks of zucchini.

Sometimes I find squid ink pasta to be too heavy and intense, but I loved Auriana’s squid-ink reginette (wide, flat ribbon pasta with rippled edges). Topped with scampi, basil leaves and yellow tomatoes, the dish was as much a delight for the eye as it was for the taste buds.

If Auriana has a signature, it is his risotto. This is not the mushy variety reminiscent of the porridge served in Oliver Twist. Like everything else in Auriana’s kitchen, it is made to order, the way risotto should be, and cooked until the rice is just al dente. He uses Vialone Nano, which is grainier and egg-shaped and creates a creamier risotto, opposed to the more common Arborio, which is long and narrow. On one visit, Auriana topped his risotto with shreds of friarelli — small, mild, thin-skinned green peppers from southern Italy — and young leaves of stinging nettles, a perennial Eurasian herb (older leaves are coarsely toothed with stinging hairs, hence the name). Another night, the risotto featured Maine lobster claw and tail meat and skate cheeks. Skate are members of the ray family, and while the wings are found occasionally in restaurants, the cheeks are a rarity. Like those of most creatures, skate cheeks are incredibly tender with a velvety texture and mild flavor. A third visit produced the creamiest version of all topped with roasted wild mushrooms and shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Auriana also excels with meat dishes, including Moscovy duck breast with golden raisins, kohlrabi (a member of the cabbage family), capers, and olives, topped with Gravenstein apples; and grilled quail wrapped in San Daniele prosciutto. Roast leg of lamb was less successful – though I loved the tender baby Brussels sprouts and flame-licked artichoke hearts, the meat itself, while cooked perfectly, was tough.

The regular dinner menu is also filled with delicious starters, pizzas, pastas, and mains. I loved the burrata, a mozzarella shell filled with creamy curd, which Rulli imports from Apulia, the southern Italian region where it originated. It is becoming somewhat common on better Italian menus and is most often served with olive oil and sea salt. Auriana’s version on one visit was a clever take on sushi, with the burrata wrapped in zucchini “nori,” and the plate scattered with Bella di Cerignola olives. Another time it was arranged with the olives along with endive and watercress.

Rulli also offers pizza for lunch and dinner — oblong pies served on logo-emblazoned wooden planks and topped with a variety of local and imported ingredients like mushrooms, prosciutto, arugula, and smoked mozzarella. The thin crust is bubbly and charred like the best of them. My favorite, as always, is the Margherita (basil, mozzarella and tomato sauce), but I couldn’t resist the “pizza of the day” during a recent lunch because it included the key to every Sicilian girl’s heart — grilled fennel sausage. As always, the pastas are terrific — from tagliatelle with three-meat ragu, to pappardelle with English peas and prosciutto, to a heaping platter of vegetable lasagna that could practically feed a family of five.

I rarely order chicken in a restaurant (I make a mean roast chicken in my Le Creuset pot and it couldn’t be easier), but I was tempted by the Milanese-style chicken breast — breaded, with almonds, and fried until crunchy. It was topped with crispy sage and served with seasonal vegetables (in my case, an underutilized favorite, roasted baby Brussels sprouts). I am not fond of white meat, which tends to be dry, but if I rated this dish using my “breastalyzer” test, it would score a solid seven: chin-dribbling succulence — the gold medal for white meat.

And let’s not forget the vino — Rulli brings in a fabulous selection of Italian wines, from my favorite everyday Sicilian red, Nero d’Avola, to hard-to-find varietals. There are many glasses reasonably priced in the $7 to $9 range, and all are chosen to complement the food.

Ambiance at Rulli Gran Caffé is light and airy during the day, with the delectable baked goods beckoning from behind glass cases, casual seating, and that gorgeous ceiling fresco by artist Carlo Marchiori featuring a fantastical world of gastronomia; at night, the lights dim and candles cast a soft glow, the glass cases go dark, the Italian craftsmen-created wine bar beckons, and white linens cover the tables. My only complaint is the size of the tables, which were created with coffee and pastry in mind, but now must accommodate entire meals. During slow periods, servers have no problem pushing two tables together, but when it’s busy, you’re stuck doing a balancing act on an Alice in Wonderland two-top. (A remodel is scheduled for May where the front door will be moved to the Scott Street side of the building and the patio relocated to the front on Chestnut Street.)

In the early days of Rulli Gran Caffé, service was lackluster at worst, strange at best. I never knew whether to order at the counter and take a seat, or wait to be seated and order from the wait staff (who seemed to be doing double-duty behind the counter). All of that has changed. Rulli and his team have worked hard, and it’s paid off with knowledgeable floor managers who greet you at the door, and friendly, motivated servers who know the menu and the wine. The bus staff is also stellar, filling water and clearing empty plates with unobtrusive precision.

Through Memorial Day weekend, Rulli will offer his version of a “stimulus plan,” with a 20 percent discount on coffee drinks and pastries from opening until 5:30 p.m.

So there, I’ve spilled my secret. With the Chestnut Street Hot Three — A16, Mamacita and Laiola — packed nearly every night, add Rulli to your rotation. Try the Tuesday night chef’s surprise when you’re feeling adventurous, order from the menu when you want a delicious meal in a laid back venue, come for breakfast or brunch when you’re craving those baked goods (or a frittata), and don’t miss the pizza for lunch. You may come home with a pound of fresh-roasted coffee, a Brasiliana, a bag of artisan cookies, and a few pastries, too. Calories aside, pastries are better than what you may come home with after too many margaritas at Mamacita, and they will still be there in the morning.

Rulli Gran Caffé : 2300 Chestnut Street (at Scott); breakfast Monday–Friday from 6:30 a.m., Saturday–Sunday from 8:30 a.m., lunch Monday–Friday from 11:30 a.m., brunch/lunch Saturday–Sunday from 9 a.m., dinner daily from 5 p.m.; 415-923-6464. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant or by visiting OpenTable.

TWO AND A HALF DIAMONDS


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AMBIANCE
Light and airy cafe by day; cozy candlelit romance by night.

SOUND LEVEL
Even during peak hours, you can hold a conversation without screaming.

LIGHT LEVEL
Leave your Mini Maglite at home for the light, airy cafe at lunch, but bring it to dinner so you can read in the romantic but dim candlelight — though you won’t need it on Tuesday night if you forgo the menu and put yourself in chef Auriana’s capable hands.

NOT TO MISS DISHES
Tuesday night chef’s surprise; chicken Milanese; pastas; risotto; pizzas; all of the pastries, cookies and cakes.

WHAT THE DIAMONDS MEAN
Yummy ratings range from zero to four diamonds and reflect food, atmosphere and service, taking price range and style of the restaurant into consideration.

OUR REVIEW POLICY
We conduct multiple visits anonymously and pay our own tab.

E-mail: susan@yummyletter.com

Dishing with... Chef Michael Mina
By Susan Dyer Reynolds

The earth shook — literally — when Michael Mina came to town. On his second day in San Francisco, the Loma Prieta earthquake hit. He went to work anyway, under the direction of renowned chef George Morrone, training the kitchen staff and refining the menu as chef de cuisine of what would become the nationally lauded seafood restaurant Aqua. Mina served as executive chef there for nearly a decade, earning James Beard Foundation awards for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 1997 and Best California Chef in 2002.

Born in Cairo, Egypt and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, Mina attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park in 1987, spending his weekends honing his natural gifts in the kitchen of Charlie Palmer’s upscale New York City eatery, Aureole. He went on to open such diverse restaurants as Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, Pisces in Burlingame and Aqua Bellagio in Las Vegas. In 2002, Mina founded the Mina Group with partner Andre Agassi and opened six restaurants, including his eponymous establishment in the Westin St. Francis Hotel on San Francisco’s Union Square in 2004. Named Bon Appétit Chef of the Year 2005 for that venture, the accolades seem endless, yet Mina remains unaffected. His latest venture with Mina Group wine director Rajat Parr, restaurant and wine bar RN74 (http://www.michaelmina.net/), opens later this month in San Francisco’s Millennium Tower (301 Mission Street, near Beale).

What’s a fun fact about you?
I love racing dirt bikes.

Favorite food from your childhood?
My mom’s falafel — she makes them from scratch and they’re the best.

How would you describe working in your kitchen?
Intense. Fortunately we’re very busy and we like to use cutting edge ingredients and style. With that comes a lot of intensity.

Something in your fridge or freezer at home that would surprise people?
I have kids, so there’s a lot of weird stuff in there [laughs]. Maybe It’s-Its? They’re for the kids, but I eat them, too.

A meal or a dish that, as a young chef, was an inspiration or a revelation?
My first meal at an upscale restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area — White Truffle Night at Chez Panisse — I had always heard about it but I didn’t understand the magic. That night I did.

The dish on your menu that will follow you wherever you go?
Definitely the lobster potpie.

Favorite offal?
Tripe. My wife and I go to A16 a lot and we love it; it’s a great restaurant anyway, but I really love the tripe.

What are your guilty pleasures?
I love burgers — from the little place near where I grew up to In-N-Out Burgers.

What would your last meal on earth be and where would you have it?
I would have to say Masa in New York City.

Have a favorite chef you’d like to see interviewed? Send your suggestions to susan@yummyletter.com.

The Penny Pincher: Kasa Indian Eatery
4001 18th Street (at Noe), San Francisco, 415-621-6940

Fab Five… Reasons to go to San Francisco’s Fishermen’s Wharf

“I NEVER eat at the Wharf,” my friend said with snobbish disdain, and then proceeded to tell me about the brilliant meal she’d had just weeks before at Gary Danko. As she finished describing the dreamy lobster risotto, I interjected, “Gary Danko is located at Fisherman’s Wharf.” She shook her head in denial. “No Susan, I don’t consider Gary Danko to be at the Wharf …” When she realized that she couldn’t stand behind her original statement, she qualified it: “I meant I never eat at THOSE restaurants at the Wharf.”

Truthfully, I knew exactly what she meant. While two of my favorite restaurants in the City, Ana Mandara and Gary Danko, are geographically located at Fisherman’s Wharf, neither typifies what most people consider “Wharf food.” My friend was thinking of the giant over-the-top seafood palaces with carpeting from 1952 and the street level shacks beckoning tourists with Styrofoam bowls of paste-thick clam chowder. Indeed there are Barnum and Bailey food hawkers at the Wharf, just as there are cookie-cutter Italian restaurants on Spaghetti Row in North Beach. But as with North Beach, there are a few dining gems that make visiting the Wharf something every local should do.

In my opinion, anyone pooh-poohing Fisherman’s Wharf isn’t a true San Franciscan. Many of the City’s economic success stories sprung from its Gold Rush days, including Levi Strauss, Ghirardelli, Boudin, Del Monte, and Wells Fargo. You won’t find sourdough bread or Dungeness crab any fresher, and the views of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and our beautiful bay are unparalleled. (If this were a Fab Six, I would have included slurping oysters with a dry vodka martini while watching the sunset at McCormick & Kuleto’s.) Here are five of my favorite reasons to head to the Wharf:

5. Whole roasted crab at The Franciscan
Pier 43 1 / 2 (at The Embarcadero), 415-362-7733

Even the Food Network has come to check out the famous roasted Dungeness crab served at the Franciscan. Don’t ask what’s in the garlic sauce because they won’t tell — suffice it to say it’s garlicky, buttery and chin-dribbling good. Each whole grab is over two pounds; half an order is a pound, and an order for two hungry people is three-plus pounds. The Crab Feast — six succulent pounds — is perfect for a group. The multimillion dollar facelift the restaurant received several years ago by the new owners also makes it one of the most beautiful dining destinations on the Wharf, with big comfy booths facing picture windows that frame picture perfect views.

4. Museum and Bakery Tour and a meal — Boudin
160 Jefferson Street on Pier 43 1 / 2, 415-928-1849

The Boudin Bakery is San Francisco’s longest continuously operating business, and the museum takes you from 1849 to the present, telling the parallel histories of San Francisco and the Boudin Bakery. One of the tour’s highlights is an exhibit featuring edibles and potables originating in the City, such as the martini, the Popsicle, the mai tai, and the fortune cookie. You’ll be treated to the aroma of the only original San Francisco sourdough as it is baked before your eyes, and watch every step of the process, from removing a piece of the mother dough to the bread being carried away to the shop and cafe along the bread rail. The famous Boudin mother dough, nurtured and used in every loaf of their sourdough since 1849, almost didn’t survive: Louise Boudin grabbed a bucketful of the starter before the bakery burned to the ground in the 1906 earthquake. These days, Boudin keeps their sourdough gold in a vault under lock and key. Once you finish the tour you can head upstairs to Bistro Boudin, where versatile James Beard-nominated chef James Chan delivers everything from the quintessential clam chowder in a bread bowl to a fabulous Sunday special of buttermilk skillet-fried chicken.

3. Crab Louie at Fishermen’s Grotto #9
Pier 45 (at The Embarcadero),
415-673-7025

When I want to take in Golden Gate views over a classic crab Louie, I always head to the upstairs dining room at the Grotto — it’s the only place I’ve found where you have to dig through the crab to find the lettuce. Over half a pound of fresh-picked native crustacean (including meaty legs) is piled on a bed of crisp iceberg lettuce and garnished with hard-boiled egg, tomato, black olives, and beets cut into little stars. My ritual begins with a squeeze of fresh lemon over the crabmeat followed by a generous drizzle of the rich and thick, sweet and tangy dressing. This was my father’s favorite restaurant — I’ve been going since I was a kid and, though my dad passed away last June, I continue to visit regularly.

2. Cioppino at Scoma’s
Pier 47 (at Al Scoma Way), 415-771-4383

Cioppino has been a San Francisco tradition since the Gold Rush, but its origin can be traced back to the Italian fishing villages that many of the fishermen came from. Cacciuco, a fish stew from the Tuscan port of Livorno, and Ligurian ciuppin, a fish soup served over crusty bread, were the most likely inspirations for our San Francisco cioppino. Fishermen on the Wharf added our native crustacean, Dungeness crab. Scoma’s, also a San Francisco original, serves a messy, satisfying bowl of rich tomato broth filled with shrimp, clams, scallops, fresh fish from their very own boat, and a half-pound of cracked-in-the-shell crab (for people who don’t like to work at their meals, there’s a Lazy Man’s version with the crab out of the shell altogether).

1. Fresh crab from Alioto-Lazio Fish Company
440 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, 1-888-673-5868

Sisters Annette Traverso and Angela Cincotta are the third generation operating the Alioto-Lazio fish company, which has been located on Fisherman's Wharf for over 50 years. They serve the freshest, most succulent Dungeness crab on the planet, sold live, whole cooked, or cleaned and cracked. They also ship their crustaceans overnight almost anywhere (in addition, they offer seasonal fresh and smoked fish for both retail and restaurant customers). Most people assume that crab on the Wharf, while fresher, is more expensive than in the supermarket — that may be the case at the crab pots, which cater primarily to tourists, but Alioto-Lazio sells them for a ridiculously reasonable $5.50 a pound live and $6 cooked. If you haven’t had a crab from the first ladies of the Wharf, you’re missing out on one of San Francisco’s greatest gastronomic pleasures as well as one of its most time-honored traditions.

Got your own Fab Five? Share it with me: susan@yummyletter.com