Best Italian in SF?????

It's hard to name any one best, since there are so many different styles and different regional specialties.

If you're on an expense account, maybe Rose Pistola (Liguria) or Acquerello (nuova cucina, the Italian counterpart of nouvelle cuisine).

Among the most authentic are Ristorante Ideale (Rome), Osteria dal Forno and its spinoff Vineria (Emilia-Romagna), Ristorante Milano (pan-regional), Albona (Istria), Ristorante Umbria (Umbria), and Bacco (northern).

Someone wrote:
>
> What is the name of the Best Italian Restaurant in SF.  Money
> isn't an object but a concederation. Thanks
>
> Edgar Chen
> [email removed]
>
> Remove the nospam in the e-mail address.
> Reply to [email removed]
>
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Carlo M. wrote:
>There are many types of Italian food.  If you would like a superb,
>Italian 'neighborhood' place, then Ristorante Bacco on Diamond would be
>very authentic, with a bit of a bias to the Northern styles. The food
>reminds me of the family-style food from Milan.

Bacco is OK, but I have never had a meal there that I would call superb. The menu seems tired to me, and perhaps the kitchen feels the same way, because the cooking can be sloppy.  More seriously, the service tends toward indifference, and everything seems a few dollars too expensive (both problems are common in Noe Valley restaurants).

>Simply put, I have been deeply satisfied every time I have eaten there.

I don't suppose you're a friend of the owner?  I'm asking that seriously because I've noticed that he's quite attentive to friends and regulars. I'm sure that makes a big difference.