In our guests’ words

The tagliatelle al ragù is the best I have eaten outside Bologna, and I say that having eaten a lot of it in Bologna.

We came for the 70% welcome offer half-expecting a catch. There was none. The branzino, the Chianti, the tiramisù — we booked again before leaving.

A real Neapolitan pizza in North Beach. Leopard-spotted crust, proper San Marzano, and a pizzaiolo who actually is from Naples.

Our anniversary dinner: candlelight, a corner table, the Fiorentina for two, and nobody rushed us out. Exactly what we hoped for.

Took twenty colleagues into La Cantina. Family-style platters, a sommelier who knew the room, one bill. The easiest client dinner I have hosted.

I am gluten-free and usually resigned to a salad. Here: gluten-free tagliatelle with the same ragù. I nearly cried.

Sunday lunch with three generations. The lasagna della nonna silenced the table, which with my family is a miracle.

The wine list is a serious document. The sommelier steered us to a Vermentino we would never have picked and it was perfect with the clams.

Walked in on a Tuesday without a reservation, got a window table, had the cacio e pepe and a Negroni. Small, perfect evening.

The tiramisù is made that morning and you can tell. Everything else was excellent; that was the thing I thought about the next day.