When I first visited last Fall, my date and I devoured the starters, especially the octopus, which was recommended by a friend. It had a nice char, was dressed with a light sauce, and was redolent of the oven and fresh herbs. The clear star of the show, however, was the chef’s Tortelloni alla Panna. This dish was a true eye-opener: larger than tortellini, the housemade pasta had just the right bite, and was perfectly sauced. As I cleaned that sauce off my plate with the last of my bread, I decided it was official: I had a new favorite pasta place.

Bocconcino has been open coming up on two years, and the reviews so far are excellent. The crowds have found this place–and if my meal on Saturday was any indication, the food is only getting better. Last week, I had the chance to chat with Rosario for a few minutes at his new restaurant. Lightly edited for length and clarity, our interview is below.

Joe Bonadio: So Rosario, how long have we known each other?

Rosario Priolini: I think since 2007. So 17 years?

JB: That’s not even a year after I moved here from New York City. I would see you two or three times every day in front of Pellegrini. But then you were gone for awhile…

An inviting plate of bruschetta waits at the pass at North Beach’s Bocconcino. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

RP: I was at a different restaurant, and then I finished in Napa Valley, where I built my knowledge of California wine. The restaurant was called Bistro Don Giovanni, one of the best in Napa.

JB: So you left North Beach for a number of years.

RP: Six years. I always wanted to come back, but it took time because it was difficult to find the right location.

JB: And also, things in the city were…

RP: Not too good. When I started, everybody said Hey, are you crazy? Why don’t you go to Napa? Why don’t you go to the East Bay? Why do you want to go to San Francisco?

JB: Because San Francisco was all screwed up… (Laughter)

RP: Right, I know. But here it’s the best….there is nothing better.

JB: You wanted to come back to North Beach.

RP: Si.

The dining room at Bocconcino is as stylish as they come, and it’s always hopping. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

JB: I understand that. I’ve been here for a long time, and I get it.

RP: I missed North Beach. It’s like you coming from New York–if they put you in Napa or the East Bay or in Napa, you’d die. You need the energy.

JB: So let’s back up a little bit. Where are you from originally?

RP: I come from Lucca, from Tuscany….but I’m not from Tuscany. I was born in Sicily. My mother is from Tuscany, my father was Sicilian. When my father passed away I was young, and we moved back to Tuscany. Nobody can understand where I come from. But all my family is from Tuscany.

JB: You’re half Sicilian?

RP: Yes.

JB: You’ve got all the good stuff! (Laughter)

RP: Si, si!

JB: So how old were you when you came to the United States?

RP: 34, 35 years old. But that was the second time. I was here before that, up in the Russian River.

JB: So you were here, but went back to Italy?

RP: Yeah. Then from Italy I went to London, Thailand, Barcelona, then back to Italy again. Then after that, I decided to move back here.

JB: Wow, you were all over the place.

RP: I was. And in addition to working in restaurants, I was a jewelry maker. I was one of the best ring makers. I worked for Versace, Damiani….for twenty years.

JB: So that was your line of work? The money was probably good.

RP: No, not really. There’s more money in restaurants, a lot more. So I kept my job cooking, and I worked on my knowledge of wine.

The Tortelloni alla Panna at Bocconcino is one of the best plates of pasta I’ve had recently. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

JB: Have you always wanted to have a restaurant?

RP: Yes. It was my dream.

JB: And here we are at Bocconcino, having a glass of wine in your incredibly charming dining room. For a guy opening his first restaurant, you really came up with a doozy. How long have you been open?

RP: On August 28th, it will be two years.

JB: So are you going to have a party?

RP: No, I don’t believe in parties…

JB: Every night’s a party?

RP: Right!

JB: So how would you describe what you’re doing here at the restaurant?

RP: Bocconcino….is not fancy. It’s like an idea: I wake up in the morning, and I decide the special. I try to make all the things that people don’t make anymore. Now I need to have more discretion, because before I put my specials on the board out on the street, and other restaurants copied them. I try to make the plate that nonna made, but updated for today.

JB: So you’re making things that you can’t find at other Italian restaurants.

RP: Si. My special is always something that is difficult to find.

Another thing we do here once a month, is Nonno’s lunch. You know the movie set in New York, Nonna’s? But I changed it to Nonno’s. One special lunch, 30-35 people only.

JB: So you bring in other chefs?

RP: Yes. Like in the movie, how he opens up a restaurant and brings in grandmothers to cook? But I bring in grandfathers. This was my third time, and I already have to turn people away. I can’t make this kind of food for 100 people!

JB: So it’s a very special lunch. That sounds fantastic.

R: We’ve done baccalà, and osso buco. This month we did wild boar.

JB: Wow. If I do a nice job on the article, can I get a seat at the next Nonno’s lunch?

RP: Of course, I cannot say no. (Laughter)

JB: You know, when you first opened up, I came in with my friend Rain. Sat right over there, and we had such a fine meal. I had heard good things, but I didn’t really know what to expect.

RP: When I opened, it was so scary. It was all my friends here, so that when you walked by you’d see people inside. And now I have to tell people that I don’t have room for them.

JB: Well, your reputation is very good. All you have to do is take one look at your reviews.

RP: It needs to be better.

JB: And that’s why the place is as good as it is, because you have that attitude. Everyone I’ve known that really stands out in this business has the same attitude: Make it better every day.

RP: That’s right, make it better. For me, having a restaurant is like having an aquarium. If you don’t put in a new fish every day, the aquarium will be empty. If you reach the point where you don’t care anymore, and lose the appetite for what you’re doing, the ability to give love….because working in a restaurant, you need to give love to your customers. Love goes into the food, and into your welcome.