AcquerelloBetter than ever...Have been three times before and it has always been 1-star Michelin worthy; however, this time was even better. It seems, and our wait staff confirmed, that they have rounded the menu away from traditional Italian to a broader selection of foods which are Italian inspired. The dinner took us from carpaccio and caviar, to what are still the best pasta dishes out there (get the gnocchi), to lamb and beef and fish, all of which where equally delectable. As always, superb wine list, excellent service, and a romantic dining room to support the great food.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMMagnificent and Not to be MissedOh My Goodness! Bravo! The ambience lovely, service perfectly paced and food outstanding. Totally relaxing evening. The sommelier and service perfectly paced. Wonderful surprises from kitchen to begin. We chose four course a la carte menu and began with lamb shank ravioli (forgive me) and moved to divine swordfish with saffron sauce. Never had swordfish this tender and delightful. The cheese course (including marvelous piave, blue and unique choices) was fantastic as were desserts ... semifreddo, flourless chocolate, panna cotta (apricot) and THEN comes the cookie and chocolates etc. cart and biscotti compliments of restaurant. i will return and soon and i am sorry it took me so long to get to this amazing restaurant. What a gem. Graci5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved Acquerello. DefinitelyLoved Acquerello. Definitely a Special Occasion restaurant. Food was perfectly prepared and not ordinary. Prix Fix menu was fun with good choices. The little surprise extras were unexpected and delicious. Wait staff and Sommelier were very professional and knowledgeable. Perfect in every way.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AM5 star restaurant declineFood maintained, barely, the 5 star rating to me.
Service was 5 stars
Portion were noticeably SMALLER but price increased!!!
Main complaint: I always look forward to sampler menu. This time when I ordered
the waitress said EVERYONE at the table MUST order it. WOW.
This is totally unfair (e.g, my wife is not a big eater and some people might
have strong likes/dislikes which preclude the sampler) as well as a shocking
surprise. No where on the web site or menu does it have this restriction.
I propose a BOYCOTT until this policy is changed. At least boldly stated at their web site.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMGood Food, Good ServiceEverything that I ate was simply delicious and very well prepared. There is an excellent attention to detail when it comes to perfecting the food and Acquerello exemplifies that. The service was also excellent, not intrusive at all but available at just the right time. They made it a wonderfully pleasant evening.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMI have dined around the worldI have dined around the world and Aquarello is at the top of my list. The sommelier is friendly, enthusiastic and beautifully knowledgable. The food is creative yet simply satisfying.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMOverwhelming/intimidatingOverwhelming/intimidating at first but after the courses and wine started coming we settled in. It was an expensive night out but I got plenty of credit for the romantic night out.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMWe were visiting from Chicago,We were visiting from Chicago, met up with some friends. Overall we were really pleased with them meal. The Sommelier was very well educated, I was impressed. We went with the four course meal. I thought the price was really reasonable considering it is a Michelin Star restaurant. The service was outstanding. I think overall the food was really good, nothing really "wow'd" me, but it was just a good meal. It is pretty quiet in there. It was just the four of us and we aren't loud people, but we seemed loud in that restaurant. It's very intimate, great date place and still very affordable. If we are back in the area I will definitely check it out again.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMWell executed ; both foodWell executed ; both food and service. Like Spruce a lot more- Miss the bar scene- more lively4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMI cannot say enough aboutI cannot say enough about how fantastic this restaurant is. The staff were helpful, polite and respectful of the romantic evening that my bf and I were having (so not interrupting anymore than was absolutely necessary). The food was excellent and the menu format (multiple courses listed with the option of a three course, four course, or five course meal) was a good way to try the best looking things on the menu. The unexpected between course specialties were a great, and very tasty, surprise while the biscotti box afterwards was the perfect thing to hold onto for breakfast the next morning.4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMamazingthe best gourmet food art. The service is also over the top..4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful sommelier. CreativeWonderful sommelier. Creative presentation...knowledgeable staff...4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMBest Anniversary YetNext best thing to having dinner in Alba or Acqui Terme, Italy. Sommelier, wait staff, and chefs all outdid themselves for our anniversary dinner. And the special surprises during and after the meal were delightful. Even the floral arrangements and the room's lighting contributed to the delicious dinner. Cannot wait for our return "flight" to Acquerello.4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMThe venue is lovely, and theThe venue is lovely, and the service is stellar. We did wine pairings with our meal and the choices were excellent. We did a three course meal. The first two were very good, but the pork loin dish and the steak we had for the third course were both disappointing--underdone and tough. We were surprised because they do a lot of sous-vide cooking and that usually guarantees a perfect outcome.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMPhenomenal experience, truelyPhenomenal experience, truely a world class restaurant that does not miss anything.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMLovely experience. We wereLovely experience. We were a group looking for new and exciting experiences, and Acquarello didnt dissapoint. The service was very close and warm, made us feel like special guests in someones house. We took the tasting menu, and all courses were great, and four of them were even Wao's! If am ever again in San Francisco this is a place I wont miss.3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMWelcoming and elegantAcquerello consistently delivers the finest dining experiences we have ever enjoyed. Food is adventurous and beautifully prepared. I don't think I have ever been in a restaurant where the staff works better as a team, and where everyone seems so genuinely eager to please and at the same time, glad to be there. It is a remarkable achievement, and rare.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMone of the Best food I ever hadI visited this restaurant for our 30th anniversary. This is the second time to come to here, and every time I enjoyed foods and services. Chef understood the "umami". Adding spices as little as possible and use original "umami" of each meats and vegetables. Service is excellent.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMA Michelin starred restaurantA Michelin starred restaurant worthy of its star. Service was highly pleasant and effcient. A marvelous restaurant.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMMy wife and I had the springMy wife and I had the spring tasting menu and we shared one of the wine pairings. Everything was simply excellent. We thought the wine pairings were fantastic; we especially liked the Kerner Valle Isarco (prawns), the Barbaresco (veal), the Etna Rosso ‘Outis’ (lamb), and the Barolo Chinato with the cheese course was lots of fun. I loved the fluke and my wife thought the pasta with ‘foie gras’ was wonderful. Of course, what sold her on the tasting menu were 3 dessert courses, which did not disappoint. Having gotten married on the Ides of March (really) some number of years ago, Acquerello made this one memorable. Thanks again to everyone at the restaurant for a lovely meal.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMI'd like to see a bit moreI'd like to see a bit more variety in the menu, but what I had was good.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMMy best girlfriend's birthdayMy best girlfriend's birthday and her first visit to
Acquerello. We chose the seasonal tasting menu
and anxiously awaited each course. Every course was a surprise of uniquely wonder flavors and
beautifully created. She never eats butter or bread-
but she did at Acquerello! She wanted to taste
everything - each bite was fresh and exciting
combination of creative flavors. We will always
remember this birthday dinner! Excellent tasting food and
wonderful service3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything was outstandingEverything was outstanding abouot Acquerello. The warm, engaging staff made us feel special. The dining room was a delight: tables were not close together, the color scheme of the room puts one in a relaxed mood. The food and service were exceptional.3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMVery tasty, but a bit tooVery tasty, but a bit too salty for lamb shank and too buttery for pasta.3/9/2013 12:00:00 AMDefinitely an all-time topDefinitely an all-time top 3 restaurant, and we have been to quite a few good ones! Food was incredible, but the service was even more spectacular. Nobody that works there acted pretentious at all, and I got the impression that anyone eating there was treated like a VIP. Very good wine list as well.3/9/2013 12:00:00 AMA little stodgy but the foodA little stodgy but the food will not make you sleepy!2/5/2013 12:00:00 AMRich, delicious, heavy food.Talk about delicious, tasty, special...heavy, rich, overwhelming food. In all honesty, the food is great, but both my husband and I felt it was too much heavy food back to back to back. We are foodies, we love to go to Michelin stared restaurants but also divey whole in the wall joints. As long as it tastes good. This was not our first time at Acquerello but it was our first time there in the past couple years. We had a good time but it's questionable that we'll be back again. If there is one item you MUST get it is the Ridged pasta w/ "foie gras" and truffles. Probably some of the best few bites you'll have in your life (but keep in mind, rich hevy, tasty and a little overwhelming!)2/2/2013 12:00:00 AMAn Elegant and OutstandingAn Elegant and Outstanding Night!!The service was some of the BEST we have ever had!Even though the restaurant is small there is Plenty of room between tables and not crowded or where you over hear other conversations --or someone else hears you
A Very Special Evening !1/30/2013 12:00:00 AMI found the New Year's menuI found the New Year's menu and wine pairings to be good, but not as outstanding as I was expecting and as the price may have indicated. I didn't care for 3 of the wine pairings -- the Dino Mutti Castagnoli, the Medici Ermete Lambrusco, and the Luigi Giusti Visciola. The most innovative and tasty item on the menu was the Intermezzo Pineapple sorbet with vanilla-ginger ale.
In the last month we have dined at 1833 In Monterey, The French Laundry, Melisse in Santa Monica, Kokkari, and Cotogna here in the city. I would recommend any of them to my foodie friends, but wouldn't feel comfortable recommending Acquerello. Perhaps we need to try the restaurant when it's typical menu is available.12/31/2012 12:00:00 AM