As the holidays approach, bright spirits in the restaurant business are, unfortunately, hard to find. Although the recession has affected almost every sector of the economy, restaurants have been hit particularly hard. Every week more area eateries cut hours, lay off staff or close up altogether.In spite of all this doom and gloom, David Haydon says his business is actually up. And he's working hard to keep it that way.
Haydon opened Il Davide in downtown San Rafael in 1995 with his then-wife, Eva Tuffanelli Haydon. The restaurant has always done well--it's almost always busy and consistently wins Pacific Sun Best of Marin awards. At some point, the two decided to go their separate ways and David left the kitchen and embarked on restaurant management ventures in a couple of well-known, high-end spots. Five years later he's back in the kitchen--over the past five months since his return he's been applying the knowledge he gained running upscale restaurants to this classic, comfortable, popular place.
Haydon is not back to shake things up--why mess with a good thing? Rather, he's looking to improve and upgrade, and says that he's already instituted a number of changes.
Some of those changes are evident upon entering. Instead of going for the trendy "urban trattoria" look--open space with bright, stark walls and severe furnishings--Il Davide's chamois-colored walls are soft and warm; the back wall is painted with a typical Tuscan scene of fertile, rolling hills viewed through a brick archway. Tables are set with white tablecloths and napery. The small, cozy bar and modern track lighting throughout--kept low, but not too dark to see--adds to the intimate feel.
As we were led to our table, we heard the strains of mid-20th century Italian-American music--Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin.
I was a little put off by the dirty napkin at my place; when pointed out to our server, she told me it was just the way it looked in the light; she did replace it, though (from the nearest empty table).
The extensive list of wines, primarily Californian and Italian, has received and maintains a Wine Spectator award of excellence. Bottles range from about $25 to $250, with a lot of choices in between. Flights are offered, as well as 29 wines by the glass (and the pour is not stingy).
The menu is ambitious--with seven different salads, a dozen or so pastas and seafood, chicken, lamb, veal and steak dishes. Although Haydon is looking to improve his menu and the quality of his offerings, he doesn't want to do anything so drastic that he loses his large and loyal clientele (and on a recent Wednesday night the place was bustling). At this point, new dishes are generally daily specials. However, the menu states that the kitchen "will prepare past or traditional dishes if asked." Haydon does not want to disappoint the faithful.
That he is upgrading his offerings is a good idea. Many of the current menu items are older-style dishes served with cream sauces--although so was one of the specials we ordered. So far he's introduced about 100 new dishes, including some with Asian-fusion accents. He's reworking his sauces and raising the quality of his offerings by using fresh ingredients and more sustainable foods--wild-caught salmon, for example.
According to our server, petrale sole remains one of the most popular dishes. I'm sure it's good, but we were looking for something a little more exciting.
Before bread was put on the table, a server ceremoniously poured too much olive oil and balsamic vinegar on a small plate--testing the physics of the meniscus he formed. Not wanting to make a mess, we didn't touch the oil and vinegar, watching the plate during our meal to see if the surface tension held (it did).
We started with the insalata Davide ($7), a large serving of fresh mixed greens, toasted walnuts, feta cheese and golden raisins tossed with just the right amount of a balsamic vinaigrette. It was a good beginning; although, as a starter, this salad would easily have served two. The arugula beet salad ($11), while not as generous a portion, was delicious. Paper-thin slices of roasted (not boiled) beets, Gorgonzola cheese and glazed walnuts topped a bed of arugula, tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette; the salad perked up our palates with its combination of earthy, pungent, sweet and tart tastes.
We decided to go with one pasta dish and one special--although making a decision was tough. In talking with Haydon later, I found out that the ravioli, tortelloni, agnolotti and gnocchi are all made in-house. Had I known, I would have ordered one of those. But I was quite happy with my choice of pappardelle tre funghi ($16). The description of the beef medallions ($21) sounded appealing and less "Italianate," so the hearty meat eater went for those.
The pasta was a good choice on a cold night. The earthiness of the shiitake, porcini and portobello mushrooms and marsala wine sauce was warming and very satisfying. And there was plenty left over for another meal.
The beef--ordered medium rare and served just as he asked--was tender and covered in a truffle cream sauce (yet another earthy and appealing flavor). It was accompanied by a schmear of scalloped potatoes and a bright, colorful mélange of steamed broccoli, carrots and summer squash. As with the wine and the one salad, the portions are quite generous.
But the large portions didn't keep us from ordering dessert. And an added bonus between dinner and dessert was the complimentary glasses of moscato we were offered. The cold bubbly with just a hint of sweetness was welcome and refreshing.
Both desserts we ordered were gorgeous to look at. My fear that they would look better than they tasted was totally unfounded. It turns out that Haydon put together the special fruit pastry ($7) we ordered just that one night--lucky us. The large, warmed "turnover"--buttery and not too sweet--was filled with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, dusted with cinnamon and topped with vanilla gelato and "burnt" caramel. It was excellent. I hope that when berries are in season Haydon will put this dessert back on the menu--even if it's just a seasonal special.
I almost always insist on ordering something chocolate and this evening was no exception. The chocolate brownie ($7), served on a large square plate, consisted of a warm, crumbly brownie drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce, covered with sliced almonds and topped with vanilla gelato and whipped cream. Let's just leave it at that--any description of how good it was could never do it justice. The desserts--all housemade--are definitely worth it. Take home part of your entrée, but leave room for dessert (I know, that's not what Mom would have said.)
Although everyone on staff was personable and pleasant, the service was mediocre. It wasn't bad, but there's plenty of room for improvement--which Haydon assures me is in the works.
It will be interesting to watch what happens as Il Davide evolves. In just a few months Haydon has managed to inject some oomph without losing what works well. Menu changes haven't resulted in appreciably higher prices--which far more of us are paying attention to these days. Apparently, he's developed the recipe many fellow restaurateurs are seeking.
