Palio d’Asti in San Francisco to Host Dinners Showcasing Black, White & Chocolate Truffles November 12, 2010

Palio d’Asti in San Francisco will host, on Friday and Saturday, November 12 and 13, “Noble Country Dinners” showcasing black, white and chocolate truffles. The five-course prix fixe menus will be served at 6:30 p.m. and will be priced at $75.00 exclusive of tax and gratuity, with wine pairings available for an additional $45.00. Reservations are required.

These dinners highlight Palio d’Asti’s annual fall love affair with truffles, especially white Italian truffles (prized much more than French black ones) which will be served at the restaurant in daily specials and can be added to any dish upon request. Comments Palio’s chef-owner Dan Scherotter, “Italian white truffles are the delicacy to try in the fall, an experience to be savored with a Barolo, Barbaresco or Barbera from Piemonte. They go especially well with subtle, rich, white foods such as risotto, mushroom dishes such as Pizza Quattro Fungi and Veal, and Palio’s signature Mezzelune pasta.”

By way of background, white truffles, the best of which come from the Piemonte region of Italy, are typically found by small dogs and cost $1,200.00 to $2,400.00 a pound. Pigs are used to hunt for the less fragrant black truffles, the best of which come from Perigord in the South-west of France and cost $200.00 to $500.00 a pound.

Palio d’Asti is located at 640 Sacramento Street between Kearny and Montgomery in San Francisco’s financial district. Visit Palio on the Web at www.paliodasti.com. For reservations, call (415) 395-9800, log onto the restaurant’s Web site, or go to OpenTable.com.