Like an old friend, dependable and familiar
The most successful restaurants reflect their neighborhood. And that’s what Florio does. When you walk in, there’s no doubt you’re in Pacific Heights.
Bartenders greet diners like old regulars, and they are both older in age and repeat customers. Some staff members have been there for years, and the place has a solid, comfortable, lived- in look — like many of the surrounding homes.
You won’t find tattoos, hoodies or wildly colored hair here. It’s more buttoned up, and the menu follows the same course.
Recently, owner Doug Biederbeck hired a new chef, Colin Dewey, formerly of Zero Zero, who is taking the French food more into an Italian vein.
Diners can still get favorites such as meatballs ($ 14/$ 19) so mildly spiced that they could be served in a nursing home, spooned over pasta that has no teeth; or Florio Classico chicken ($ 26/$ 47) brined to tenderness, pan- roasted until the skin is dark and crisp and served with quick- fried smashed fingerling potatoes that repeat the pleasant texture of the meat. There are also steak frites ($ 32) and a hamburger with salad or fries ($ 18).
Dewey maintains the Florio tradition of good salads, such as the one with Little Gems ($ 11), watermelon radishes and shaved baby carrots given distinction with buttermilk and Sicilian chile vinaigrette.
It’s hard for a chef to break out when a restaurant has been around for more than 15 years, but Dewey is trying, and some of the best dishes reflect his influence. That includes the four- cheese agnolotti ($ 18) coated in lightly scented truffle butter with English peas and fava beans. I also enjoyed his take on sformato ($ 10), which tasted as if a pound of arugula and garlic had been packed into the intense, creamy custard, soothed with caciocavallo fonduta and garnished with black pepper walnuts.
His bolder side shows with cacciucco ($ 28), the Italian version of cioppino, with cod, crab, clams, mussels and shrimp, made special by the slightly spicy San Marzano tomato sauce with basil blossoms. On the other hand, seared tombo tuna ($ 29) with couscous, olives and sweet red peppers was fine but not distinctive enough to impress. The red pepper dominated and rendered the dish one- dimensional.
Desserts are also familiar. Buttermilk panna cotta ($ 10) garnished with strawberries and a balsamic reduction was a tad firm but still had a good texture. Olive oil cake ($ 10) was pleasantly gritty and also served with strawberries; it would have been improved if treated more like a shortcake liberally drizzled with juice from the fruit. The cookie plate ($ 9) — chocolate mint, shortbread and tea- scented cherry — hit all the right notes.
Service is smooth and effortless, and when you add in the classic bar- and- grill look, it feels like a restaurant that knows its crowd and caters to it.