Trattoria; bistro

Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, February 13, 2014—

LUNCH TODAY AT a typical, old-fashioned North Beach trattoria, chosen because of a chance reference to it by a Facebook friend who dined there the other night. When we walked toward it, a little past noon, the host was standing out on the sidewalk in its doorway, arms folded across his chest, enjoying the sun and the moment, just as they do in Italy. We were the first to dine, and were seated of course at the window.

Of the daily lunch specials, it was porchetta romana that sang to me. Three hefty slices of pork roast, flavored pretty much with nothing but the animal's own innate succulence, in a dark jus, with a green salad on the side. The bread is particularly nice, and the olive oil served with it. Everything needed salt, but that was easily done…

Sangiovese, Tuscany, nv

• Piazza Pellegrini, 659 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco; (415) 397-7355

AND THEN A FEW HOURS later, dinner at another old standby, downtown, with a couple of friends, before an evening at the theater (Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, long, sentimental, overdone, but a brave effort). To test the joint's authenticity — or at least its reliability — I started with celery-root remoulade, then moved to steak tartare. The remoulade was fine; it could have come from any self-respecting Paris charcuterie. The tartare was pre-mixed, sweet and fresh, nicely balanced. Nothing dramatic; quite satisfying.

Côtes du Rhône in the glass

• Le Central, 453 Bush Street, San Francisco; (415) 391-2233