Berkeley has tons and tons of unearthed gems when it comes to delicious food. When I first stepped foot on campus as a student, I distinctly remember strolling down College Avenue during the fall, avoiding puddles and watching the golden ginkgo leaves float in the air. I noticed that there was a plethora of restaurants close in the Elmwood district and I made it a goal to give each one of them a go. This Italian restaurant captured my fancy with its simple, yet authentic food. However, since I slurped down my first linguini four years ago, Trattoria La Siciliana has gained a lot of pub from both locals and Zagat hypebeasts alike, with very good reason.

I relish the opportunity to eat all my comfort foods when I’m back in Berkeley. And for good homestyle Sicilian food, I go straight to Trattoria La Siciliana. The fresh crab and lobster sign is always alluring (although it always seems to be posted). Today, I decided to order one of the house specials, the Granchio all’Insalata, as a starter. The crab was freshly cracked and slathered with lemon, olive oil, and garlic. Simple, but incredibly lip-smacking. It’s not cheap, even for the half, but mmmmm. And I love the fact they give you a nice steamed towel to wipe down your hands after. Great service.

Next up, main course! After the almost sweet tasting crab, I wanted to mix it up with something a little more hearty. Well, might as well go with the Linguini alla Siciliana, complete with anchovies, roasted red peppers, Sicilian olives, and sauteed eggplant. Ahhh, so good. I know that not everyone is an anchovy fan, but if you are, you will absolutely love this dish. The almost earthy kick of the anchovies coupled with the capers make the sauce a rich and very savory experience.

Like many of the storefronts and eateries on College, the space is a little tight and narrow. Makes dinner an intimate one, but it can easily get loud especially if there are parties upstairs. The decor exudes a very homey feel and the service was excellent and very attentive. Sigh, I love having the water filled with expedience. Haha, the simple things right? Trattoria La Siciliana is easily one of the best places where you can find a great plate of authentic pasta in the East Bay.

Trattoria La Siciliana
2993 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705
510-704-1474
Aw man, cash only again. Mmmm, cracked crab.

Cioppino is one of those city/region specific dishes, intricately tied into the history and culture of a city and its people. Just like Chicago’s deep-dish pizza, New England’s clam chowder, and Texas barbeque, cioppino is uniquely a San Franciscan dish. It’s origins come from the early 1900’s when Italian fishermen, working on the wharf, would ask their colleagues for scraps of fish and whatever else for a family stew to be shared among all. While doing so, they would shout, “Chip in!” which, laden with a heavy Italian accent, became “Chip-een-o!” Hence, cioppino, a hearty seafood stew with a myriad of crab, fish, herbs, and whatever else was lying around, was born. (No, I’m not some kind of food historian, this was taken from the site.) Moving to present day, Cioppino’s, located near Fisherman’s Wharf, continues serving up the same San Franciscan classic, along with various seafood inspired Italian-American staples.

The interior of Cioppino’s is surprisingly big, including a full bar with plasma TVs, and a seemingly out of place fountain-type ornament in the center. Painted murals depicting the Italian countryside adorn the walls. In other parts, the murals are actually painted to present a faux village, real life awning included. A little cheesy, but not overwhelmingly so. The sheer size of the dining area made for a slight cavernous effect, amplifying sound that carried throughout the place. It definitely gave the impression of a warm, but noisy, hustle and bustle dining spot, which can either be fun or annoying, depending on what mood you’re in.

I went with a dungeness crab meat pizza, followed by the namesake cioppino. Topped with 3 cheeses, artichoke, sun-dried tomato and crab meat, the pizza promised to be an inventive and interesting starter. Unfortunately, it was a pretty big let down. The crab meat was simply overpowered by the strong cheesiness of the pizza, so that when I bit into it…all that the crab meat brought to the table was not flavor, but texture. Like a cheese pizza with strings on top. And not even a fantastic cheese pizza at that. The cheese lacked any real punch, and just about the only thing I really tasted in the pizza was the occasional sun-dried tomato. There was no synergy, no symphony of tastes, just one taste blaring loudly and flatly. In retrospect, I feel like crab has a light flavor, easily overshadowed by stronger flavors, and therefore ought to be treated simply and delicately, especially if the crab isn’t the freshest. Overall, a sad disappointment.

On to the star, the famed cioppino. For such a simple dish, the presentation was a bit dramatic and fun. The crab legs and claw hanging off the side of the bowl was a nice touch, as was the conveniently included crab bib. I’m sometimes tempted to believe that if you throw almost anything into a pot and simmer the hell out of it for long enough, it will almost always taste amazing. Throw in fish, crab, mussels, clams, and squid…and how can you go wrong? The broth itself wasn’t a overpowering punch-you-in-the-face tomato fest like I had been expecting, and I was delighted to find that the herbs and flavors from the seafood had balanced it out well. The snapper had to be my favorite part of the stew, the milder tasting meat did a lot to round out the saltiness and acidity of the broth. Eating the dish is fun in it’s own right also. Dipping your spoon into the opaque broth, you’re never really sure what will come up. Sometimes a cut of fish, sometimes a clam…add in the hands-on (and labor intensive) crab cracking to get at that elusively precious crab meat, and you’ve got a dish that’s not just good…it’s interactive.

The crab itself wasn’t as fresh as I would’ve liked..a little dry and lacking in flavor. And the broth was balanced at first, but as you start hitting the bottom, the soup becomes overpowered by the taste of fennel. A tell-tale sign that they’re using powdered fennel, which sinks with time. Indeed, towards the bottom, the soup becomes almost too salty and too herby. Despite these setbacks, the dish was altogether hearty and delicious. And honestly, if you serve me enough seafood, I’m generally pretty happy. I left surprisingly full and mostly satisfied.

As it would seem, most Bay Area folk would tell you to avoid eating at Fisherman’s Wharf. The place is usually chock full of tourists at all times, whom, to the modern day business owner, are readily separated from their money by cheap souvenirs and overpriced food. Cioppino’s, at a glance, is no different. Most of the food doesn’t seem entirely impressive, and I definitely feel the menu is overpriced. That said, the cioppino here is definitely worth a try, if not only to give it a shot and engage in city culture, but simply because it’s pretty good.

Cioppino’s
400 Jefferson Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 775-9311
Man, it’s good to be back in the bay.
Congrats to my boy Cates, hope the meal was up to snuff.

Nestled in Lomita of all places is a pretty good steal for very different lunch. iL Chianti is a Japanese Italian restaurant. Yes, you heard it right. Japanese Italian. No, it’s not penne with natto or pasta carbonara alla tofu, but Italian for people with a Japanese palate. Since noodle making is a staple of Japanese cuisine, pasta seems like a obvious and natural extension for the Japanese.

I had a chance to check out the place with the folks and the interior was impressive; clean, open, minimal – a typical restaurant in Japan. The staff was all Japanese, which made it very handy for my parents and me. iL Chianti is actually a part of a small chain in Japan, so I guess this shouldn’t be too surprising. Gardena and Torrance have other established Japanese Italian places that I have had a chance to sample, but they mostly serve that weird fusion stuff with hot dogs, natto, etc., which I’m not a big fan of. The place and the food is nothing like Italian Tomato and its other Japanese Italian fast food brethren in first look, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

I ended up ordering the lunch special, which only cost 10.50. Great deal, and gave me the chance to sample a variety of their offerings. An Italian bento box, I suppose. I ordered the spicy tomato spaghetti with beef and was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the small dishes that came with it.

They first brought out a small fish consommé, which was perfectly light and flavorful. The small salad, which was basically mixed greens with a miso-based sauce was decent, a little salty, and nothing special. The grilled halibut coverd with a wasabi-cream sauce was overcooked, but the sauce was delicious. Sadly, the rubbery fish that could have been. The squid-ink risotto was wonderful, with a very mild and earthy flavor – you have to request this as they didn’t offer it as an option and I have a feeling they might have hooked it up only because we were Japanese. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce was spicy, but not overpowering. I enjoyed the smaller dishes – tomato risotto, spinach frittata, and some sort of puff pastry lasagna – as they were a great complement to the main dish, although they lacked one thing. Heat. Too bad they were lukewarm. The meal was finished off with a small blueberry panna cotta, which was deliciously simple and sweet. Can’t believe I just ate all of that for 10.50.

My biggest regret was not reading the menu fully. You can order a drink from the menu with your lunch special and this includes wine and beer – no cost! Sigh, next time, no tea. I definitely must try some of the other dishes such as the mentaiko pasta and the Greek pasta. The specials are listed on the wall in Japanese, so that might pose a problem for all you non speakers, but the waitstaff seems to be cordial and helpful. iL Chianti is definitely a place catered to Japanese expats, but seems to attract a relatively diverse crowd. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to try Italian food with a twist.

iL Chianti
24504 Narbonne Ave., Lomita, CA 90717
310-325-5000
Open lunch and dinner. Closed Mondays. Japanese a plus.