Antica Trattoria

Address: 2400 Polk St., San Francisco, USA

Phone: 415/928-5797

Review

The dining room -- pale walls, dark-wood floors, a partial view of the kitchen -- reflects a strong sense of restraint. The same no-nonsense quality characterizes the food of owner-chef Ruggero Gadaldi. A small, regularly shifting menu delivers archetypal Italian dishes such as crostini with chicken liver pâté, pappardelle (wide flat noodles) with wild boar, braised duck with porcini, and tagliata di manzo (beef fillet slices) with arugula. The Italian wine list is fairly priced, the genial service is polished but not stiff, and the under $20 prix-fixe menu (before 6:30) is a boon to fatigued pocketbooks. DC, MC, V. Closed Mon. No lunch.