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Mon-Wed. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Wed. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
"SF Chronicle featured Vicoletto in their datebook section a week ago. Boy, they nailed it right. The headline read: "Vicoletto is a…" read more »
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Wonderful ambiance, very attentive servers, and delicious food. Try the fried seafood appetizer and scallop main. Portions were more generous than expected. The shrimp was so lightly breaded and just tender as could be.
A nice touch; the chef came out to greet us and ask how the food was.
A great place for a first date maybe?
My best friend treated me to a birthday dinner in September at Chiaroscuro (bad Char! completely forgot to write a review!) and it was overwhelmingly wonderful. I have to admit two things, though: I didn't have to pay for a dime (know that this place ain't cheap, folks) and my BFF knows both owners, so we were treated like princesses throughout the evening, too.
That being said, if you've got money to burn and/or just want a sophisticated night out, head to Chiaroscuro. I love the minimalist decor, dim lighting and intimate space. I appreciated that the waitstaff called me "ma'am" not because I want to feel old(er), but because it's polite. The service was not only attentive, but precise in their every movement. Call it pretentious, but I felt it was classy.
The chef is an Italian native, so he knows his stuff. If you like heaping portions, don't even bother; Chiaroscuro serves limited portions done up artistically. But, the food was amazing all the same; rich, fresh, delicious, filling, beautiful. The homemade bread and butters were inhaled by yours truly (I fear not carbs). Forgive me, but I can't remember the name of the fish I ordered; it was the special, an Australian fish I'd never heard of before. It was a thick slab, seared on the outside, fatty on the inside, if I remember correctly. TO. DIE. FOR. In fact, everything on the table was, from my BFF's lamb chops to the homemade pasta to the dark chocolate mousse for dessert. I was drowning in fantastic food and I couldn't have been happier.
For a similar glorious death, head to Chiaroscuro ;)
Food
Authentic Italian food.
Gnocchi was just the right texture and the cream sauce was not too heavy.
Pasta was cooked with the right texture and the presentation was very appealing.
Service
Very attentive and yet not suffocating.
Atmosphere
Nice and modern but does not have a welcoming atmosphere. However, it does feel like you are in the kitchen which is good and bad.
I would go back for the food and interesting that allows you to see what is going on in the kitchen.
Go there when you really feel like having pasta, that's the chef's signature and it's truly delicious. I had one lunch and one dinner there, would recommend dinner over lunch because of the decor and slightly formal atmosphere.
Salads were very fresh with a light but fully flavorful dressing. Pastas (I tried everybody's plate on the table) were all excellent, my recommendation would be Trilogia, three kinds of classic Roman pasta. For dessert, profiteroles are must-have.
A restaurant is really as only good as it's staff and Chairoscuro's staff is great! Our waitress was excellent and Chef Alessandro came out to check on us on more than one occasion.
I was there on a quiet Thursday night and we decided to start the night out with bruschetta and the squash blossom stuffed with prosciutto. Tasty!
I ordered their sea bass special and it was to die for! My friend had the trilogia which is a staple and I highly recommended it for those who want to try the pasta.
Definitely looking forward to my next visit.
My favorite item is back on the menu, the squash blossom stuffed with prosciutto. It's to die for. After dining here five times I figured Chef Alessandro and his staff deserved a write up.
Overall: A-
Authentic Roman cuisine. Really reminded me of a restaurant in the Trastavere (Rome).
Food: A
Can't go wrong with the trilogia. Another of my favorite dishes is the gnocchi with walnuts when it's available. The halibut and pork are also quite tasty. The desserts rarely last long enough for me to remember their names.
Service: B
In the beginning the service was uneven but now it's much better. Kirk, the manager, has steered the ship on the right course.
Decor: A
Trendy, spacious, and manly. Even though the restaurant is small, one never feels cramped. The lighting makes for a good date spot. I've never been here when it's been overly loud.
Value: B
This is one of the few restaurants where you can drop a lot of coin or have a wonderful 3 course for $40.
Chiaroscuro, which not only means clear and dark and is also a shading technique used by the great Da Vinci in most of his stencil drawings, has established itself as a great culinary adventure in the busy streets of San Francisco's Financial District.
Under the leadership of Executive Chef Alessandro Campitelli, whom I've had the pleasure of conversing with in Italian in my last visit, Chiaroscuro brings forth a great selection of various Italian province's staple cuisine.
For dinner I had an appetizer course which began with a well composed presentation of a caprese salad, beef carpaccio and fried calamari with shrimp and anchovies. The presentation was as amazing as the flavors that were presented. The appetizer was paired with a bottle of 2008 Gabi Vigneto Masera '08.
For my main course I had a plate of Farfalla with fresh pecorino cheese and ground pepper. This was paired with a bottle of Rosso Piceno Tenuta Pongelli which complimented the subtleties of the pasta's flavors quite nicely.
For dessert, I was lucky enough to snatch the last of Chef Alessandro's last chocolate souffles, which he prepares himself. This plate was by far my favorite. The souffle was like eating a cloud of chocolate.
This place has become one of my favorite picks. During my dinner, Chef Alessandro came to greet the table and thanked us for our patronage. I will most definitely be returning to wine and dine on one of San Francisco's Finest.
Following a work-related happy hour, it was time for food. I try to balance my excess---excess alcohol requires excess food. I figure, together, they moderate each other out. Right?
I joined a coworker and his fiance here for my dose of excess food. I figured a leisurely dinner would give me some time to sober up. Plus, pasta is an excellent cure for alcohol poisoning. [Warning: Ben P., while a doctor, is not that kind of doctor, and anyone who takes his healthcare tips seriously does so at their severe peril.]
The high point of the meal was the excellent service. The place WAS relatively empty, which probably helped. The food, I am sad to report, was only mediocre. My pasta came tangled in an interwoven nest that a robin would have been proud off. How can I properly twirl my pasta when said twirling attempts render a ball the size of small fist? The flecks of ground sausage were tasty---tasty enough to make me wish my meal contained more than an ounce of the stuff.
Bottom line here is that The City is full of great Italian joints, almost none of which are significantly more expensive than Chiaroscuro, and several of which are measurably better. I had a fine time, but for the money, there are better choices, many within walking distance.
This was my favorite dining experience EVER in San Francisco. The fresh, homemade pasta was the best outside of Italy that I have found. Everything was perfect - the food, the wine, and the service.
So, came here for dine about town. The restaurant is small and felt really cozy. Service was great and food was good.
I ordered the insalata con melone - I really like this, it was unique how they put cantaloupe in their salad. Very refreshing. For entree, I had the lombata alla griglia - sirloin steak, which was so-so.
My boyfriend had the bresaola - which was pretty good, but he said it tasted a bit like salami. and for entree, he had the sogliola which I did not even try, since I don't like eating fish.
Overall experience was good. Found parking right in front so I didn't have to walk too much =P
Came to Chiaroscuro twice, first time for lunch with my two intern and was not impress by the service. We felt rush, the wait staff keep taking our plate before we were finish. The food was OK, but very expensive for lunch.
Second time, had to take my lawyer out for dinner, she gave me some great advice for free :)
For starter we had Sangria unfortunately, it must had been the bottom of the jug, because we got more fruit then wine. We ask for more but she brought out two spoon instead and she told us that they ran out of sangria. You shouldn't serve it to us if you don't have enough.
Fortunately for us, the food was great! fried calamari, delicious. Then, I order gnocchi and my lawyer friend order taglionlini and she love it.
For dessert we share a chocolate mousse, that was ok......but the Moscato Rosa was just out of this world, even though it was really outrageously expensive $19/ per glass WOW.
The service once again.......ok. Not sure about going back again with today's economy, for unsure service and half order Sangria.
wow, what an amazing meal. but out waiter, youve got to be kidding me. The faux french loser had the balls to suggest to my dad the most expensive bottle of wine on the menu. then baggers us until we order four appetizers and his suggested choices. which included the utmost expensive item in each course of the menu. i had one meal with parents in the city and chose this place, if the waiter was gone it would have been 5 stars. His accent was all over the place, sometimes french and then italian. cheese ball it would have been fine but then he comes to our table and asks in front of the whole party whether or not the "everything was ok" in response to his more than generous tip. please chiaroscuro save yourself and lose this dude
PERFECT EXPERIENCE!!! Great service, great food, great location!
My dinner at Chiroscuro was spectacular. It was a relaxing Friday night dinner. I am a slow diner, so Chiroscura was perfect for me. We sat at the table around 7:30 and we went out almost 9:30. There were 2 of us and we had plenty of good eats. The food, the ambiance, the service were all impeccable.
It is Italian after all and we pretty much shared everything. We started with the Cheese & Salami Plate. The server introduced the cheese and the salami and recommended the order tasting it. THANK YOU for warning us that one of the salami is spicy and I took a smaller bite. There's no way such plate can be bad, but this one was divine. We enjoyed every selection.
Then we had their Beef carpaccio. Total awesomeness. The texture was right on. It was garnished with caramelized onion. It was different and the flavor it added was incredible.
Our next dish is their famous Trilogia, a tasting of three different pasta. It was probably the most expensive pasta dish out there, but it was all worth it. You can totally taste the flavor of cheeses, and cheeses don't come cheap. You can smell it the moment it came out. The pasta was cooked right. It was slightly salty probably because of all the cheese, but it didn't bother me and I loved the flavor.
The next dish we had was their Lamb served with polenta. I love polenta, and this was one of the best. The chef added an egg on top of it and it added so much flavor. What's better sauce than egg yoke? LOL. For the lamb, the portion is generous. I wanted it medium rare, and it was cooked perfectly. The texture blew me away. It was almost buttery.
We finished off with two desserts. Sliced Pears on Pastry and Chocolate Mousse. They were both fantastic. The pastry was light and flaky with the warm pears. The vanilla sauce complimented it perfectly. The chocolate mousse was very rich and creamy. Both desserts were very well-executed.
I liked the ambiance of the restaurant a lot. It clean and contemporary. Though the walls are white with concrete seats, the place is warmed up with plenty of candle lights and cushions. There are many windows and I could see outside turns dark.
Their service was outstanding. My server was attentive polite and informative. It was very memorable. The busboys were great too. Our water glasses were filled before they were half empty. The chef also came out greet us and asked about the food. It was a wonderful dinner. And without second thought, I'll come back again and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Loved it! Went for birthday dinner this week with the BF, it was a special occasion and all that, and I've wanted to try this place for a long time, as a friend recommended it, so I went early, and was a little surprised it was almost empty, which was fine for me.
We started with a scallop app special, so delicious and fresh, then had the pasta trio because I wanted to try all of the pasta dishes, they sounded so good, it was absolutely fantastic, the pesto one was truly amazing, it had some caramelized onions in there, amatriciana and carbonara were the others, all were house made, fresh and very tasty.
Finished with filet medallions, which was so delicious and tender, you didn't even need a knife to cut it. Lots of bacony goodness thrown in there too.
Wine list was great, lots of choices by the glass, ambiance was intimate, low lighting for romanticizing, I actually saw another diner using a flashlight to review the menu, and again to look at their food when it was served. When the room filled up it did get a little loud, no worries, we left soon after to see a show at the Orpheum.
The entire experience was truly enjoyable and our meal was one of the best I have had. We were also impressed with the very attentive service, and the chef came to greet us as we were leaving, such a nice place. Don't hesitate to try it.
This place was a pleasant surprise.
The Food:
Very good - I tried their "fritturina di pesce" - Roman-style fried calamari and shrimp, which was good, but not excellent. There wasn't really anything wrong with the dish...I guess the dipping sauces could have been a bit more interesting or flavorful , but it was a good appetizer. My main course was the "tagliolini alla carbonara" - a medium-thick pasta with an egg sauce with cheese and topped with pancetta and Parmesan cheese (I love cheese!), which was amazing; the pasta was al dente and the mixture of egg, cheese and pork made for a balanced and filling meal...while the portion seemed to be a bit small, it was actually pretty satisfying.
The Decor:
Chiaroscuro is an Italian term for the contrast between light and dark (yes, I know some art history) and you can see a similar contrast within the restaurant. It's not a colorful restaurant - everything is either white, dark grey or black, which puts more of the emphasis on the color of the food. Another contrast is the between hard and soft: the chairs and seating that line the wall (it looks like dark concrete/rock) are simple and stiff, yet there are pillows that soften the feel and look of the restaurant. There were also a ton of lit candles, which helped to soften the mood and add a bit of understated elegance to the place. The wine list is great with a combination of Italian and California wines.
The Service:
The staff was friendly and very attentive. They were also very knowledgeable about the menu, which helped in our decision making. The chef greeted us as we finished our meal, which was a nice touch and something I can really appreciate.
This place is a great choice for having a very good meal in an elegant setting. After dinner you can walk around the Transamerica Pyramid and/or walk through North Beach and really turn the experience into an evening. I'd recommend this place for special occasions and dates - it's a nice spot and you shouldn't really show up in torn jeans and an old t-shirt.
What a colossal disappointment. After researching where our next tasty lunch would be, I took my good friend here for lunch today. She and I take turns trying to one up each other for great food. I am so embarrassed after choosing this place.
Positives: Nice contemporary decor and feel, decent bread, cold water.
The service: We were one of the first 4 tables to order at lunch and it took over 35 minutes to get our lunch. The server wasn't rude, but he did not stop by even ONE time during out entire meal to check in. Bizarre.
The Food: tasteless bruschetta, rubbery, bland (and tiny serving) chicken, shrimp that were NOT de-veined, and to top it off..another tasteless dessert (fresh cake, but again...no flavor at all)
I'm all about giving some slack on an occasional slip, but from start to finish, this was just a horrible dining experience. This was a Mother's Day "treat" for my friend, but I told her I'd make it up to her. I really missed the target on this choice unfortunately.
I could spend a whole lot of time composing my thoughts about this place and reflecting on my experience, but waste your (and my) time when I've only got one thing I really want to say:
BEST carbonara. Go there. Order it. Eat it.
The other 99 (and counting) reviews'll explain the rest.
My friend and I were up in San Francisco for a Raiders game and we were staying in the Financial District of the city. We asked the concierge at the hotel if he had any suggestions of places to eat in the area. He recommended Chiaroscuro and thankfully when we called they had a cancellation so we were able to get in that night. The ambience was very modern yet cozy. The wait staff was so nice and friendly, but the best part was the food itself. I had the tagliolini alla carbonara and my friend had the trilogia. It was the best pasta I've ever eaten, hands down. I have already made plans to eat there upon my next trip to San Francisco. Yummmm......
Last night a bunch of us trooped over here after the Elite event to grab a bite to eat (or in my case- to soak up some of the free booze so I could at least pretend to make it home) and they were kind enough to accomodate the lot of us...pirate gear and all.
As it was late, a few of us (the cool kids) decided to share some antipasti and insalate- the selection of italian cheeses and italian salami (yum!), the bruschette of the day (double yum!), and the imported buffalo mozzarella organic grape tomatos and baby arugula (sweet mother of god cheese drool!). One of the less cool kids (I'm just joshing you- he's not a kid) got the chocolate mousse, which I stole a bit of and was in heaven.
Their wine list is good- although they were out of my first choice. It is a bit pricey, but I think it is worth every penny. The decor is soothing, not too light, not too dark- which incidentally is what "chiaroscuro" means- a term in art for a contrast between light and dark.
The staff was fantastic and didn't put up a fuss when we wanted separate checks.
I think this should definitely be a date spot in the future, one-on-one next time. Score!
To tell you the truth, I never even looked at the name of this place. Everything I remember about my experience yielded no search results, so let me add a few keywords:
Delicious oxtail gnocci (a special)
Excellent service
Nice atmosphere
Friendly staff
A little on the pricier side as the portions are small, but worth it if you want a nice dining experience. Come in a large group so you can try lots of dishes!
Nice presentation and attention to detail. Meal was perfect.
I had dinner here a few months ago and was very impressed with the food and the service.
The food was very nice, I had the 'abbacchio alla griglia'. Or in english, lamb on top of some Gorgonzola polenta. The meat was nicely cooked and the polenta had a unique flavor.
Each table is also provided with bread and three different spreads. We raved over the cinnamon butter option. It really was amazing.
The staff was also very helpful, my wife and her friend were having issues deciding which wines they wanted so our waitress happily provided some small tastings. Also, this is probably the first time I've had a chef come out from the kitchen to check on the customers, a nice touch.
While not a 'destination' restaurant, you can have a nice meal here while enjoying great service.
A group of coworkers and I went here for lunch. The resturant it self is on the smaller side, has an open and airy enviroment, clean lines and an open kitchen. A very cute and pretty feel.
For starters we shared ahi carpaccio- ehh I've had much better. Not much flavor. But the amuse bush they served us was so good! I think it was warm goat cheese wrapped in endive leafs...whatever it was it was delicious!
Almost all of us ordered from the prix fix lunch menu. I chose the option of pear salad, beef lasagna, and dessert. All for $22 bucks. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Plating and presentation was very nicely done! They used some really cool shaped plates. As for the food it self, it was good. Not amazing, but all in all yummy.
The thing I did find odd about this place was our waiter. We had left one piece of ahi carpaccio, and our waiter decided to bring us out "extra plates so we could all share the last piece". ummm what??? 7 plates to share on tiny thin piece of fish? That's a waste dude, now your kitchen has to wash all of the unused plates you brought out to our table (well I hope they would at least).
The second odd thing happened when we ordered after meal coffees. So up to this point, our waiter got all of our orders right and got the right food to the right people at our table. But once we ordered coffee, everything went array. We had to go over who wanted what coffee at least 5 times, it even involved us "raising our hands" to distinguish how many lattes and how many black coffees etc we wanted... Geeze what an ordeal. 15 minutes later, here come out 5 coffees...some how our waiter forgot 2. We told them to forget about it- I've never seen a waiter mess up an after meal coffee order for 7 people so badly.
All in all...just okay
I went here for dinner and this was the first time I had ever been here or even heard of it. It was recommended to my uncle by the concierge over at the Hyatt. I figured that it must be pretty good, at it was. The decor was really nice and modern, they had candles lit all over the restaurant; very romantic place if you want to take a date here. The place is small but with an open kitchen which I thought was very neat. When we got there, there was only one couple eating and for the rest of the night we were the only party there. It was a Tuesday and it is in the financial district.
The service was great, very polite and prompt. The appetizers were excellent, great mozzarella. I ordered the ravioli with oxtail and caramelized onions and it was fantastic. I'm not going to the lie, the portions were a bit on the small side and I could have easily eaten two plates, but nonetheless, very good. I wish I could tell you which desserts we ordered but all 3 of them were great. After we were finished the chef came out and asked how we like our meal and complemented him on a job well done.
A bit pricey and small portions but I loved it and would definitely recommend it.
A sleek, modern Italian restaurant that serves up fantastic food and service? You'll find it all here at Chiaroscuro.
We stopped into the restaurant before heading next door to Taverna Aventin to see if we could get a table for six at 9:15pm. Richard, the kind host, told us that the kitchen was going to close at 9:30, but if we got in around 9, they could definitely accommodate us. When we moved over at 9, they had a nice round table set for us next to the window. We were the only patrons there at the end of the night.
The food was delicious. I highly recommend getting the Roman style pastas. Our server suggested the tagliolini alla carbonara (homemade pasta with pancetta tossed in a romano cheese egg sauce) which I ordered, and it was amazing! The trio is a great way to go if you want to sample three different pastas (carbonara, amatriciana, and pesto alla trapanese - winter white pesto). For starters, get the fritturina di pesce - fried calamari and prawns.
Gracious Chef Alessandro Campitelli came out to greet us during dessert -- we got two orders of the chocolate mousse for the table that was pretty much ravaged by 5 hormonal women (I think Nish got 1 bite).
The staff was wonderful to us all night long, and as it can be a pain to work overtime, they did it with smiles and allowed us to take our time and enjoy ourselves. With Taverna Aventin open now, you can make a really nice night by starting off with dinner here first and lounging with a cocktail next door afterward.
I normally avoid going downtown on the weekend. Too many tourists and the weekend buzz-kill reminder of work. But my husband and I had walked by this place awhile ago and thought it looked interesting and last night I had a hankering to get out of our neighborhood and away from all of the same old places we frequent (and frequent and frequent).
We started with the meat and cheese plate and the brushetta. Both were excellent - especially the meat and cheese. 4 types of each and good sized portions that enabled both off us to get a good taste. This was probably one of the better meat and cheese plates I've had outside of Italy.
I went with the special for my entree: monkfish with artichokes and olives. The fish seemed a little bit overcooked - it was pretty tough. But the rest of the components on the plate were very yummy. My husband had the trio of pastas and found them to be a bit gummy. I tasted them all and thought 2 out 3 were delicious, but perhaps in larger quantities it was too much.
The service was very friendly and I liked the minimalist decor. Plus, being there on a Saturday night was nice - not too busy and pretty mellow.
I'm not sure we'd add Chiaroscuro to our regular rotation, but it's a good solid option in the financial district.
small and modern.
chef alessandro campitelli's vision of modern roman dining was an interesting contrast to the homey and rustic food. the long and lofty pillows stopped this place from seemingly stark and cold.
to start with, the black angus filet carpaccio was well seasoned with white truffle oil.
since i had a hard time selecting between two pasta dishes, the kitchen was flexible and let me have a bit of each. all of their pasta dishes were lovingly housemade.
the tagliolini with pancetta as well as the ravioli with prociutto and cheese were both equally delicious albeit rich. dieting can always wait till tomorrow.
it was very nice to see that the parmesan cheese was literally grated at the table.
dessert choices were varied but the profiteroles with chantilly cream and a dose of dark chocolate was a solid way to follow the heavy pasta dishes.
with such friendly service and solid food, i would be saddened to see this place fall prey to a tired economy.
I'm really excited that I stumbled upon Chiaroscuro (meaning 'light-dark', according to the website, and pronounced kee-ahr- uh - sky oo r -oh according to the business card!).
It's located right across the street from the north side of the Transamerica Pyramid, so there's no way anyone can get lost finding this place by walking... just look for the tall pyramid!
I came here because I was looking for http://Opentable.com 1,000 point restaurants to eat at that looked appealing, and I remember hearing a bit about this place.
Coming at about 6:30pm on a Monday was perfect because it was NOT busy at all (the Financial District restaurants can be pretty dead at this time!), and we were only 1 of 2 tables seated at that time.
Inside, the décor was nice yet simple. Along the wall is a concrete metal slab spanning the restaurant's length, and for cushions are white fluffy pillows, so your bottom won't get sore from sitting there! From within most of the restaurant, you can catch a glimpse of the kitchen and actually watch the Chef create the dishes! The staffing is pretty small, so it's not very loud or anything, but you do get served in a very timely manner.
When they started us off, they served us a really cute little mini teacup with pea soup in it. Delicious! I wish it was on the menu so I could order a larger helping of it! They also brought some bread with something to spread on it!
For an appetizer, we just had the calamari & prawn dish. It came with 3 different sauces - a mayonnaise aioli, a spicy citrus sauce thing (don't know what it's called!), and a tomato paste reduction of some sort (at least that's what I caught from the waitress). We both liked it all!! Yum! Oh, they also brought what we thought was a large ladle to the table... and we didn't know what it was for... so we didn't touch it, and when they took our appetizer away, they took the ladle away too... whoops? Haha!
For the entrée, I had the fish special which was a whole golden trout (with the bones removed) pan-seared and baked and stuffed with fennel and green onion and something else, over a bed of greens - pieces of asparagus, lima beans, peas, spinach, maybe something else? It was definitely juicy and tender and something I would have again! (I'll post the pictures on here too)
My friend ordered the pasta dish that came with 3 different pastas, and she loved it. Only problem is, the menu doesn't state what exactly is in each one, and there was some meat in two of them, and even though she is vegetarian, she patiently removed the meat from the pasta. I had a taste of it, and it was good!
For dessert, we shared the chocolate soufflé. I kinda wish that we saw the dessert menu earlier so that we wouldn't have had to wait the extra 18 minutes (and have the extra cappuccino too! =P) for it to be made. Aside from that, it tasted fine, but the menu mentioned a chocolate heart, and we couldn't find it. Unless it was supposed to be INSIDE the soufflé, then I can understand, haha!
I think what topped off this dining experience was that Chef Alessandro came out and was introducing himself to diners. I saw him speaking with a woman and they looked like they knew each other, so I shrugged it off... but then all of a sudden, he was at my table introducing himself to me and my friend! I liked that experience because I felt it was more personable to talk with us about what we thought of the dishes.
This started off as a three-star review, but as I sat here with writer's block (is that even possible for a Yelp review?), I had more time to think about this. I spent $60+ for dinner plus wine, and I can't find anything inspirational to say about it. Granted, it's not that much money and the experience wasn't bad, but why spend that much money for something entirely forgettable?
My friends and I went here as part of Dine About Town. As I've learned, DAT is very much hit or miss, but in my mind, I imagine a restaurateur has two ways to go with it. In the best case, you take a little hit on the bottom line to serve some really good food at manageable prices, maybe you create a little buzz and you end up driving in more business for your place. Or, in the opposite, you cobble together something to placate the unwashed masses that come to your restaurant hoping for a (relatively) cheap meal. However, if you're only going to do the latter, why bother? Mediocre food isn't going to bring people back, and you can't be happy having people here not spending top dollar.
I had the Osso Buco prix fixe menu. The salad appetizer was decent, and the candied pine nuts was about the only creative, unusual bit about the meal. The veal was... Exactly that, ellipses. It was veal. Entirely forgettable. The dessert was nothing more than some chocolate mousse and a couple of cookies, and it was the same for all of us at the table. Entirely uninspired. We split a nice bottle of wine.
The place itself looked nice, and I'm sure it's helped by it's location right at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid. One pet peeve: this place, like many other small restaurants, has absolutely no waiting area. It's basically the open host's station, and a couple seats in the windowsill all in about 6 feet of space. You open the door and if the host is not there to seat you immediately, you're doing the sardine dance. This was exacerbated by the 5 parties that arrived immediately after me. At least it's popular on a Friday night.
So to sum it up, it was a very mediocre, forgettable meal for not a reasonable price. Disappointing.
Plus one star based upon tonight's dining experience.
My dad and mom decided to dine out tonight at a good Italian restaurant. Obviously when parents feel that way it was my responsibility to book our dining experience. After a few unavailable bookings, I decided to book us at Chiaroscuro since the place is impeccably clean while serving good Roman food.
We were more than pleased to find that the service was magnificent! The food was undeniably authentic while prepared in a haute cuisine fashion. Besides the usual offerings we enjoyed tonight's special of the to-die-for sauteed mussels along with very special wild mushrooms served juxtaposed bruschetta bread as well as the home made light lasagna layered with authentic Italian cheeses and regional mushrooms. My father's Red Snapper dish was served lying in a bed frame of dense fritata while the fish was baked to tender perfection.
The wine was great, and the crowd was flowing!
My dad was not too happy with the noise, but that's just my dad who would prefer a solitary served meal as in a King. However my son, mom and I were happy that Chiaroscuro is now successful.
They finally stepped-up! A very hip Roman chef, in the heart of the FiDi!
Alessandro, you are made! A...ooo!
I have been tardy in my Yelp reviews since things like work, tend to get in the way of books,… Read more »
It's been forever since I've done this Yelp thing. Life just got away from me for awhile there, and I've been waiting for an experience that was memorable enough, one way or the other, to settle back into Yelp. I'm not sure Chiaroscuro is quite what I was waiting for, but whatevs. It was good.
It was not an auspicious start, however, I arrived for our 7 p.m. reservation and found my friend already seated at our table--in the middle of the room--with absolutely NO ONE else there. "Ah, you picked the popular place," I said and sat down, feeling a little awkward having this already sparse restaurant all to ourselves. But I was hungry. And eager to drink some wine. So awkwardness was trumped.
We started with the mozzarella salad and the carpaccio. Both very good. The carpaccio was a little blah on first blush, but after pushing the delicious caramelized onions all around the meat, it improved immensely. The bufalo mozzo on the salad was easily the best I've ever had. And the greens were perfectly dressed.
Dinner was taglioni pasta with tomato, romano, and peppered pancetta for me, and a filet mignon for my friend. Both were fabulous. The pasta was clearly fresh made, the sauce delicious, and while the portion seemed suspiciously small upon arrival to the table--all piled up on top of itself--it proved to be a generous portion that I couldn't, in the end, finish entirely. The filet was perfection. Never had I tasted such a tender filet that had such fantastic flavor.
The service was okay, if a little hovery due to the lack of folks in the place. The waiter stopped stalking us after a few more people showed up, and it was all aces from there. And the chef himself stopped by our table to see if we like everything. He was a very sweet and charming guy. And he cooked some kick-ass food.
All in all, this may not be a regular destination. But I will happily return at any time.
Been here twice now and really have been blown away all the way around both times. First time came here on a whim with really no expectations. I really liked the atmosphere and it was not too busy. I remember having a great cheese and dried meat plate. However, the real stand out was the oxtail risotta - I'm salivating right now about that. It was all complimented by outstanding, very reasonably priced wine and really attentive service. Best part - the chef came out and talked to us at the end! Who does that? We told him we just ate the best risotta ever and would be back soon.
My fiance and I went back about 2-3 weeks later. Though we could have ordered Dine about Town, neither of us was overly hungry, so we decided to split a few small appetizers and a main dish. Once again everything was delicious. We ordered one dish that give you three decent sized portions of some of their home made pasta - so soft and succulent. Oh yeah, the chef came out again to see how our meal was! At first he didn't recognize us, then we mentioned talking with him a few weeks ago regarding the risotto and he remembered. The chocolate dessert we ordered was delicious as well. Even though we did not order wine or much food the second time (total bill came to aboud $50), our waiter was very attentive and kind which is VERY hard to find in this city unless you order wine and at least 2 main dishes and an appetizer.
I've eaten at many places in the city and this is one of the rare ones that I am dying to go back to.
This is my ABSOLUTE favorite Italian restaurant in the world! I just moved here from New Orleans, and married a man from San Francisco. This was the first place he brought me when I got off the plane! He raved about it to me before I got here...and I just couldn't fathom how good the food was til I actually tasted it! My favorite is the Carbonara and the Squash Blossoms! The chef, Alessandro, is an absolute doll! He is soooooooo friendly and always makes sure to come greet us! Everything there is fresh, and the atmosphere is so romantic at night. The staff is VERY well trained and informative. They know the menu inside out. They also seem to never forget you, so it feels like home when you come in!
I LOOOOVVVEEEE this place!!!!!!
We had a birthday dinner for my bf's father's 50th birthday and we were very impressed. Jamal totally took care of us. We ordered items from the menu and asked them to be served family style for a party of 15. Everything was fresh and delicious. We had so much food that we had to take left overs home. The prices are unbeatable for the quality of the food. I will repay them a visit.
Chiaroscuro is a true dining experience. Wait staff was extremely attentive but not overbearing. Unlike so many restaurants that try to follow a money making Starbucks-ized formula, this place was authentic, personal, and well thought out. There were many delightful "extras" that made me feel like I was getting my money's worth. Even the cutlery got some oohs and aaahs.
I appreciated that Alessandro (executive chef) visited with us towards the end of our meal. You could tell he was really passionate about the food - his heart was really in it. From our appetizer to our dessert, everything felt like it had his personal touch.
Great date place - very romantic. I wish we could be in town for their Valentine's Day menu.
No exaggeration - this is the best food I have ever eaten. Ever. Their housemade pasta with pepper and romano is simply heaven. The excellent food caught me by surprise on my first visit - and the second time was just as good. This place shouldn't be missed.
ChiaroScuro is a place I discovered about a year ago. I was walking by, on my way to the former Scott Howard for dinner and saw it. I was impressed by the design and the menu.
I went back a month later to find the food impressive. It is Italian, but not the type of Italian that makes you feel too full to move, but the clean and bursting flavors that Italian should be. I am most impressed with the Black-Pepper pasta, the fish dishes, and even the potatoes. The staff is wonderful, especially the chef and the manager.
I have gone with several groups of friends and business associates, they have all found it to be impressive. It is in the Financial District (I have seen many restaurants come and go from that area), so I worry about the location. In the evening, there is plenty of parking and it is close to other spots if you want a drink after. I hope it is there to stay. Give this place a chance and you will not regret it.
Great!!!! WHY?
-Service was awesome both waiter, chef and owner. We were greeted with a personal welcoming.
-Venue was very romantic and cozy
-Design was very contemporary and pillow seats are a great touch. The random photograph that someone left is pretty comedic if you have any sense of humor.
-Food was amazing. I've never tasted fresh pasta like this. The dessert wine was freaking good too. The moscato grapes are just bursting with taste. I know they didn't make the wine but they chose to buy it.
I've been her a couple times and I really wanted to like it because it's so close to where I work and the menu sounds good...but I just don't. It's not surprising that it's always empty at lunch.
It's a small place and a group 12 of us showed up there around 12:15 and had no trouble getting a table. Here's what I had:
The calamari was rubbery. (I've never seen half a plate of calamari left over, but no one wanted to eat it)
The bruschette was okay.
The lasagna was overcooked.
The one good thing I can say is that the people have always been pleasant and provide very good service.
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