Good Eats
RF and I found a gem of a restaurant in our area. It's an old-fashioned Italian Restaurant called Bertolucci's. It's situated right by the freeway off of Grand Ave. You can probably find us there a lot in the future. Here's my yelp of it:

My husband and I saw the episode of Check Please Bay Area that featured Sodini's Bertolucci's and decided this is a place to try. The old-school Italian flavor appealed to our constant quest for authentic regional foods. And now that we actually live in SSF, there's really no excuse not to give this old-school charmer a try. Last Friday we made the trip there with a friend. Without a doubt all the good things the show raved about proved to be true. From the authenticity of the food to the Godfather-like atmosphere in the middle of nowhere, this restaurant did not disappoint.

Here's list of what we had:

(1) Bruchetta ($8): This is THE MOST DELICIOUS bruchetta I've ever had. The bread initially felt a little hard as I took the first bite, but then after that it was perfectly crunchy. It's a good contrasting texture to the soft tomatoes, which were marinated with a very tasty olive oil and just the right amount of basil and garlic. The amount of garlic on it was perfect. Not too much, not too little. I've had tasty bruchetta before that had too much garlic. So much that I would have to seek the rescue of a minty gum after the meal. But not this one. This one gives you the garlicky taste but not the breath to show for it afterwards.

(2) Linguini with Clams & Mussels ($18): Very tasty pasta served with whole, shelled clams and mussels lining the perimeter of the plate along with clam meats mixed in the red sauce. They did not skim out on the seafood on this one.

(3) Spaghetti and Meatballs ($16): My husband feels this dish can really show off an Italian restaurant's authenticity. Sure enough, Bertolucci's served up a killer one. There were 2 golf ball-sized meat balls with the plateful of chewy spaghetii and meat sauce. The sauce was just perfect in flavor. Not to sweet, not too tangy. Just perfect.

All the pastas came out piping hot and portion sizes were huge. The downside to that is we had no room left for dessert. Next time we will save our stomach's for dessert.

As with the food, the service was excellent. The wait staff was smiley and attentive. Our waitress did make one mistake - she forgot to serve the Minestrone soup our friend ordered. But once we reminded her of it, she immediately apologized profusely and comped us the soup for free. We said that wasn't necessary but she insisted. This got high marks from us.

In terms of value, this restaurant gives you the bang for your buck. For $92, three of us got 1 appetizer, 3 pasta dishes, and 3 glasses of wine. While it doesn't qualify as cheap everyday eat, it doesn't break the bank either. I say this is a good place to enjoy a nice meal with close friends or family. My husband says it's also a nice place for a first date, which I have to say I agree.