{"id":244647,"date":"2011-10-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-10-28T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/a-bistro-that-dares-to-be-different\/"},"modified":"2011-10-28T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-10-28T07:00:00","slug":"a-bistro-that-dares-to-be-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/a-bistro-that-dares-to-be-different\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bistro that Dares to be Different"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>
A filet of cod sinks into creamy risotto encircled with sweet soy sauce (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nBy Frank Sabatini, Jr. <\/strong><\/p>\n

When Chef Mark Pelliccia opened 25 Forty Bistro in the heart of taco-rich Old Town, he recalls people warning him that the concept would never go over. Missing from the menu was anything that even faintly resembled Mexican food. Two years later, you still won\u2019t find a single tortilla or margarita in the house. Yet on almost any given night the little dwelling that he turned into an intimate bistro fills to capacity. <\/p>\n

To those who recall Pelliccia\u2019s smart Italian cooking at Solare in Liberty Station, don\u2019t assume he\u2019s carried those dishes over to 25 Forty. Yes, there is a \u201cstarches\u201d section on the menu featuring some clever pasta dishes, but the journey to Italy pretty much ends there. <\/p>\n

The chef\u2019s newfound versatility touches down on things like braised pork belly with sweet potato salad, duck and white bean casserole, steaks and a memorable grilled bratwurst served over homemade sauerkraut. Available as an appetizer it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve been fed German food made by an Italian. The cabbage, we learned, is braised in cider. And it\u2019s awfully good. <\/p>\n

Visiting with a friend who lives nearby and appreciates the culinary alternatives the bistro brings to the neighborhood, we also began our meal with vegetable croquettes served over \u201cfondue.\u201d Pelliccia purees various vegetables that include potatoes, carrots, celery, peas and spinach and then shapes them into fingers before rolling them in panko crumbs. The so-called fondue bedding over which they\u2019re served turns out to be more of a cheddar cheese sauce. Not bad, but not sensational. It was the only dish of the evening that teetered on the ordinary. <\/p>\n

Handmade gnocchi coated in butter and sage was expectedly perfect. Pelliccia keeps the gnocchi light, which contrasted beautifully with the heavy mouth feel from the butter. Since our visit, the website shows that pumpkin and poppy seeds have come into play for the gnocchi. Also dashing were ravioli stuffed with eggplant parmigiana. Their fillings were rather scant, but we got the gist given that the sheet pasta was thin and light. Surrounding the delicate pillows were bits of chewy, delicious bacon. <\/p>\n

The soup of the day was tasty and unusual in that it combined tomatoes and potatoes into a ruby-red puree that was comforting and natural tasting. I can\u2019t recall ever seeing these two organics served in such unison. Equally unique was cheese risotto kept moist by sweet soy sauce boasting the deep-rust color of beef jus. A filet of cod draped over the top and a dab of wasabi sitting at the lip of the plate qualified it as one of the first Italian- Asian fusion dishes I\u2019ve come across \u2013 and outstanding it was. <\/p>\n

Pelliccia\u2019s willingness to take chances becomes evident from the get go, beginning with shots of soju, lime and cream that guests are served when the meals gets underway. The milky mixture, which turns clear after about 15 minutes, performs as a refreshing palate cleanser between courses. It\u2019s a minor, welcoming amenity that so many restaurants don\u2019t realize carries the power of generating repeat business. <\/p>\n

Our entrees stole the show, both of them red-wine friendly land meats. My companion opted for the bistro filet, a thick cut of velvety beef made more luscious by truffle sauce that oozed into a mound of unadulterated mashed potatoes sitting underneath. The steak was cooked exactly as ordered: medium-rare. <\/p>\n

Throughout several menu changes that Pelliccia has made since opening, the boneless tenderloin pork chops with Fuji apples has remained a staple. We quickly understood why. For starters you get three thick chops per order while the braised apple slices contribute their juices to those captured from the pork. What you end up with is a nurturing, rustic dish that raises pork to its highest flavor level. A bed of wilted kale rounds out the plate. <\/p>\n

Our meal ended on yet another culinary magic act, with a house-made dessert called the raspberry meringue sphere. It\u2019s actually an orb, about the size of baseball and with a frozen exterior. Inside lies a spurt of room-temperature raspberry puree and semi-thickened cream. Pelliccia uses half-sphere molds to form the balls and then rolls them in meringue to cover up their seams. The thing melts on the tongue and goes down like a puff of air. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a new lunch spot, Pelliccia has introduced a mighty attractive deal. Visit between noon and 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and savor an all-you-can-eat meal for $8. The setup is a buffet-style spread featuring several dishes that we trust won\u2019t be generic.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Frank Sabatini, Jr. When Chef Mark Pelliccia opened 25 Forty Bistro in the heart of taco-rich Old Town, he recalls people warning him that the concept would never go over. Missing from the menu was anything that even faintly resembled Mexican food. Two years later, you still won\u2019t find a single tortilla or margarita […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":244648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"A Bistro that Dares to be Different","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}