If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, you have most probably:
1) witnessed a wide array of restaurants;
2) heard of/been to The Mission;
3) wondered why it’s called The Mission (I did); and
4) tried to walk up one its many hills (emphasis on the ‘tried’).
Putting 1 and 2 together in this particular instance, I didn’t get 3 (in the mathematical sense). Instead, I found myself introduced to barbambino at 2931 16th Street, right smack dab in the flux capacitor of The Mission (in the ‘I’m glad I went’ sense).
What was unique about this night, aside from other nights, is that I was attending a friend-of-a-friend’s ‘Top Gun themed’ birthday party. Yes, that’s right, Top Gun. What was unique about the experience I had at barbambino in San Francisco? Service with selection to back-it-up!
If you’ve been to salt tasting room in Vancouver, you’ll appreciate what I’m about to say about barbambino. Two things: cured meats and wine.
barbambino make most of their cured means in-house and let me tell you something as a proud carnivore and salt tasting room frequenter (and cheese/wine fanatic)….they were delicious!
The wine selection complements their menu perfectly. We sampled a variety of reds and whites (right broken-glass-Bibi?) and were suitably impressed!
What’s more, not only do I give barbambino points for making the wine list ‘deep’ and not overly pricey; but our server (who was able to suggest the best olive oil I’ve ever tasted!…the adjective which sold it - ‘buttery’) replaced our second bottle of a fantastic pinot grigio without a moment’s hesitation once we told her it was corked….and had drank almost 3/4 of it. Now that’s service…even though we pushed it…a bit.
Remember what I told you about New York style/decor?
In true, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure fashion:
1) If not, turn back to March 12th, 2008;
2) If yes, keep reading…
Well, take that New York minimalistic, dark wood, light coloured walls, warm (but ‘cool’) lighting (see the wine bottle chandelier photo - at our table at the front) feel, slap on a (415) area code and put it in a place called The Mission and guess what? barbambino pops out.
Long, minimalistic and narrow, barbambino stretches out into a really swank back patio that upon my next mission to The Mission, I most certainly will be checking out. Perfect for a nice summer weekend night peppered with bottle(s) of wine, cured meats and cheeses, and great company!
If Kenny Loggins would have been able to walk in to barbambino back in ‘84 and saw a large group of people eating cured meats, drinking fine wine, and congregating around a Top Gun birthday cake in the shape of an F-14 fighter jet, he may very well have found himself in the centre of a Danger Zone! which even he would have had difficulty explaining.
Stay on my wing Goose,
darren
danger-zone is right. this place should come with a warning sign. all those good wines spell danger for some people.
signed,
broken-glass-bibi
(btw, they were really nice about me breaking the glass!)
Never been there but will do. Thanks!