When a friend is going to NYC and asks for recommendation for a really special, charming restaurant, I always suggest Il Buco.  One of the most romantic spots in the city, the space doubles as an antique store by day.  {And the basement/wine cellar space is hauntingly beautiful and is rumored to have been the inspiration behind Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado!}

Well, I’ll no longer have to go to New York for Il Buco‘s scrumptious homemade pastas and amazing wine list.  The founder, Alberto Avalle, is opening a new restaurant, 54 Mint {opens by Monday, May 18th} in the charming Mint Plaza here in San Francisco!  I am dying to try it…

{image from here}