Piatti Mill Valley has had its ups and downs over the years, but the current crew is delivering consistently fresh tasting, interesting and satisfying California-Italian food. Located overlooking Richardson Bay, the combination of good food and a good view makes Piatti worth a try.
The menu has a terrific selection of starters such as Kobe Beef Tartare with Fried Green Tomatoes ($10.50, $1 extra for an optional fresh egg) and Wood Oven Roasted Mussels with Crushed Tomato ($10.50.)
The pastas, mostly made in-house, go well beyond routine Italian restaurant fare. On a recent visit with three other people, all four of us were impressed by our pasta main courses. One stand-out was house-made pappardelle with a traditional Bolognese meat ragu sauce ($8.50 for small, $14 for full portion.) My linguine with clams had an excellent balance among the white wine, garlic, pepper and ample fresh clams ($11/$18.)
Other main courses include roasted chicken ($18.50,) veal scallopini ($24.50) and “Five-hour” pork spareribs ($19.)
Accompanied by a wine list with 30 wines by the glass, finding a good combination at Piatti proves to be fairly easy. And, the three-course dinner special gets you a small salad or soup, a small serving of pasta, and a choice of tiramisu, sorbet or gelato dessert for $20, or $22 with a glass of house wine.
For more about Piatti, check out my recent San Francisco Chronicle Bar Bites review. The bar scene heats up at this time of year. Sit on the outside deck with a cocktail and watch the birds on one side and the flirts on the other.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/27/NSU71CITG3.DTL#ixzz0s7BNrsTt
Former USA Today reporter Doug Levy lives in New York City and spends a lot of his free time searching for great food and wine. As a PR pro, he specializes in healthcare and life sciences. Doug enjoys sharing his culinary observations which you can also read on his personal blog at Food and Wine World.
