431 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 591-0900
Parking: limited street parking, pay parking lots
Hours: 11:30am to 11:30pm daily, open until 12:30am Fridays and Saturdays
http://www.pantareirestaurant.com/
Last Visited: April 8, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Brenda recommended Panta Rei. Located in the heart of Little Italy in San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown (on the corners of Columbus and Stockton), Panta Rei has a triangular shape about it. It’s typical of other restaurants in the area with its employees outside drumming up business. Tables located outside let you see the happenings along Columbus Ave. The blue and khaki awning labeled with the words Café and Cucina, shelter the patrons from the sun. Inside, the color scheme is mainly burgundy, brown, and black. The bar is made of small tiles – mostly black with some copper colored ones amongst them. The open kitchen is set in one corner and you can see typically three people working there. The waiters could all be Italian, but I would say they look European, but no confirmation of specific ethnicities. Today, all of the wait staff was male dressed in Panta Rei t-shirts and denim jeans. The tables are covered with stainless steel sheet and there is a wood trim. Tea light candles sit in a small glass on each table, but it was still early in the evening during my visit, and none of the candles were lit. Loud Italian pop plays on the stereo system.
Panta Rei would be ideal for a date or for a girls’ night out. The wait staff makes for pleasant eye candy and their accents are more than pleasant to listen to. If the staff isn’t enough, Panta Rei has lots of attractive clientele. The loud music and trendy atmosphere are especially inviting for those seeking a hip crowd. There were a number of families and some from the older crowd, so it is a place that is open to everyone.
- Calamari Fritti – Calamari is breaded and deep fried and served on top of radicchio leaves. Two wedges of lemon, three pieces of fried zucchini along with a small dish of tomato sauce accompany the calamari. The menu described the tomato sauce as spicy, but I didn’t find it very spicy at all. The calamari was lightly battered – not too heavy. The sauce was a bit thin for my taste – a thicker and spicier sauce would have been more satisfactory. I was surprised that it came with zucchini, and that was probably the best tasting item on the plate. Good. $7.95
Although I didn’t order any of the other starters, the bruschetta and the Caesar salad were both very reasonably priced and both came in large quantities, certainly enough to be shared by two or even three.
- Linguine Nere – Homemade squid ink linguine with mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp are served in a wine sauce. Since it’s made with squid ink, the noodles are completely black. Served on a dark colored square plate, the seafood is scattered around the dish. The linguine was thick and al dente with uniform color. There was unfortunately only one shrimp and the mussels had a lot of sand in them. One of mine still had a little bit of its beard. The calamari rings are tender, and the baby clams are cooked just right. Okay. Yummy noodles and a buttery, but light wine sauce, but they could definitely improve on the amount of sand in the seafood and the quantity of shrimp. $14.95
- Pappardelle Verdi All’anatra – Homemade fettucine with duck meat in pink Brandy sauce. Spinach is used to give these wide noodles their color. The pappardelle are al dente and delicious. The ground duck meat could have been mistaken for other meat, but the overall flavor of the sauce was nice. Creamy and rich, but not too heavy. Good. $11.95
- Capricciosa Pizza – Olives, artichokes, mushrooms, and prosciutto top a pizza that has been lightly topped with tomato sauce and cheese. The mushrooms are flavorful, the olives are a bit salty, and the artichokes are abundant. Four slices of prosciutto are laid on top of the pizza. Great flavor and crispy crust edges, but a little soggy in the center. The mushrooms are visually overwhelmed, but are notable once you take a bite. If you like salty flavors, this is perfect because the kalamata olives add a lot of saltiness. It’s good, but perhaps lightening the quantity of toppings, especially the olives, will make it just that much better. $9.95
Other specials were available, including buffalo mozzarella and basil pizza and a seafood soup, were listed on a specials menu.
The atmosphere is friendly with our waiter greeting us in Italian, and when we left, he thanked us in Italian too. It’s a bit of a rushed feeling from start to finish with dishes being taken away quickly and after the check comes and is paid (note that the menu states that credit cards are not accepted), the water glasses are taken away soon after. It’s not a place to sit and dine slowly, but get in, have a great meal, and get out. Some may find this type of service offensive, but if you know the business, you also know that every table occupied means money.
Overall, the prices for the food are very reasonable. The atmosphere is fun and hip. There’s room for improvement, but it’s worthy of another visit. Their handmade pasta is a treat, and the flavors are clean and delicious.
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