Albona Ristorante - San Francisco, CA

ALBONA, the first and only Istrian restaurant on the West Coast, boasts a cozy dining room bathed in a rosy glow, accented by the mahogany woodwork and reflected in the beveled mirrors. Intimate seating and background music add to the ambience.

Albona Restaurant’s uniqueness is derived from it’s distinctive roots in the European town of Albona, Istria, built on a high hill overlooking the gateway of the Adriatic Sea, sharing cultural and political soils with Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.

The culinary infusions are mostly from the Italians, but also from the Austrians, Hungarians, Slavs, Spaniards, French, Jews, Greeks, and Turks. While cumin, pasta str udels, sauerkraut, etc. are usually not associated with Italian cuisine, in Istria they reflect the unusual dishes and recipes of that region.

The dominant Venetian cuisine excels with “Brodetto Istriano”; hearty polenta garnishes the dish of braised fish with calamari and shellfish, glazed with a velvety sauce made with fish stock, tomato, and a hint of balsamic vinegar. The Istrian appetite for lamb, rabbit and veal shanks is savored by authentic recipes. (from http://www.albonarestaurant.com)