The Early Word on the Month-Old Barbacco

With all due respect to January's many other newcomers, Barbacco probably takes the title of the month's most significant opening. Now that the eno-trattoria has been up and running for about a month, the city's restaurants critics should be ready to start filing into the FiDi follow-up effort from the Perbacco tandem of Umberto Gibin and Staffan Terje. But first, let's take a heat check of the early buzz from Barbacco. As always, please do share your further thoughts in the comments.

The Good News: "First of all, the space is lovely. It's hard to imagine it was ever Rado's. The exposed brick, mirrors, lighting, etc. make for an energetic but comfortable setting. They do takeout and eat in, but it definitely feels like a real restaurant, not a take-out joint with seats." [Chowhound]

More Good News: "So, @Barbacco did SF really need another salumi-curing, in-house-pasta-making Italian restaurant? Apparently the answer is YES. Great lunch." [Citysearch]

Still More Good News: "The soup is rich, porky, tomato-y and quite salty (which I like, but would be too much for some). Pasta is perfectly al dente. I see celery, carrot, parsley, but no greens. Didn't come with bread, which would have been nice. The polenta was delicious topped with a bit of olive oil, but a bit small for a $3 side." [Chowhound]

The Bad BAD News: "The place is LOUD!! We had dinner there last night. The food was a little bit overly-salty, and the service was slow. However, it tasted good and was very reasonably priced ... I would give it more stars for the food and pricing, but it is LOUD!" [Yelp]

The Big Menu News: "First off, the menu is grandé, topping out at almost 47 items. Yeowsa! And it will change frequently. I tell ya, we rolled in here like Pimps and rolled out like Porkers." [VinDivine]

On the Post-Work Crowd: "SF Happy Hour Recap: Barbacco: no happy hour: large wine list, $5 beers, busy place, good service." [@derek__lam]

The Yelp News: "We laughed and dined. which is what a makes for a great experience. More to come..." [Yelp]

Meanwhile, at Perbacco: "We also went to Perbacco last night for dinner with some friends and found that with the opening of Barbacco, the Perbacco salumi misti platter has become both more Piemontese-focused and more extensive. One one hand, it appears that some non-Piemontese selections formerly on that platter (for example the Mortadella and Finocchiona) have moved on to Barbacco, while, on the other hand, the number of products with Piemontese roots has expanded. Here is the impressive lineup we enjoyed:" [Gastronomichael]

The Bad News ... For Credo: "Barbacco is going to eat Credo alive. Much better, significantly cheaper .. I don't even know how they afford these prices. Maybe they'll raise them after their first reviews." [Eater Inbox]
· Eater Inside: Barbacco [~ESF~]
· All Coverage of Barbacco [~ESF~]