Portico perfects Italian on Sebastopol’s Main Street
If you had the good fortune to eat at Portico Italian Social Food in Sebastopol before the pandemic, you probably spent this past year hoping they’d survive to feed you again. Thankfully, Paolo Pedrinazzi and Kat Escamilla not only survived this tough year (offering wonderful take out meals), they are back. They offer inside dining in their safely distanced, but intimate, dining area, and an expanded alfresco seating in an outdoor alcove.
I was fortunate to travel in Italy several times as a presenter at the International Guitar Meeting in Sarzana. The festival was held in a medieval fortessa, where luthiers displayed handmade guitars in the cool, thick-walled rooms at the base of the fortified walls. At the end of each day we ate simple, but simply delicious, meals and drank glorious local wines.
Driving from Rome up to Sarzana, we found lodging and food in small fortified towns; we snacked or feasted in simple taverns, in outdoor markets, in tiny cafes, and in boisterous restaurants. It is difficult to have bad food in Italy.
Portico, my new favorite local eatery, would not be outshone by any of the terrific restaurants we visited along our way. With their small, but thoughtfully varied menu, and modest prices, Portico feels like a culinary vacation while we are waiting to travel again. It isn’t an Italian holiday, but it tastes like one, gustatorially.
An arugula salad, with lemon, olive oil, and shaved Parmesan is a delight. Fresh and light, tart greens balanced by sweet Parmesan, and accented by the lemon and excellent oil, it brought back tastes of Tuscany and Venice.
Paolo and Kat make all their pastas fresh continually through the day and evening, and it makes all the difference. The recipe for the pasta goes back to Paolo’s childhood. “I helped my mother as she rolled it out by hand as thin as we do here with our pasta machine.” Paolo explains, “it is just organic eggs and organic semolina.” I can’t remember a tagliatelle or pappardelle with better flavor or texture anywhere else in the world.
The tagliatelle with cream and butter may be the definition of a simple but perfect dish. Prosciutto and Peas with Pappardelle was every bit the delicacy, augmented but not overpowered by its namesake ingredients. Each bite bordered on obscenely sensual.
The Antipasti are great for sharing; generous portions at very reasonable prices, starting with a Tagliere di Salume, with cheeses, olives, nuts and bread. Roasted vegetables, artichoke spread, egg and bean salad; Beet and Chèvre salad; and an amazing Caprese Salad are all bountiful, interesting, and delicious. In addition to vegetarian pastas and entrees, Roasted Vegetables, Saffron mushrooms, and several other dishes can be prepared vegan.
Portico’s drinks include The Rossini, a Prosecco and strawberry puree; and the Red Rocks, Jardesca rouge, tonic, rosemary and ice. Their Italian wine list covers many regional reds and whites, well-selected, generously poured, and reasonably priced.
If you’re feeling indulgent you can round out your local Italian proxy with Tiramisu, Italian Wedding Cake, cookies, or a variety of truly extraordinary Gelati.
It’s hard to find anything to criticize; it is small, fills easily, and you may have to wait once people remember how good it is; but that just makes it intimate, and it’s worth it. This evening I enjoyed Portico’s Chicken Cacciatore, served with arborio rice; I’m looking forward to the Bolognese Ragu; with luck the Gnocchi in sage butter. What am I saying? I’m planning to eat my way through their menu, much as I ate my way across Italy. I’ll do it right here on Main Street.
