Bar Sprezzatura brings Italian elegance and life back into Downtown SF
5The ongoing narrative of Downtown San Francisco is businesses closing their doors and moving elsewhere, depriving the area of its previous liveliness and excitement. One new Italian restaurant and bar, Bar Sprezzatura, is doing just the opposite.
ABC7 News anchor Kumasi Aaron visits one of her favorite spots in the heart of Downtown – "a bustling lunch spot by day and aperitivo and cicchetti bar at night," according to the restaurant's website.
Stepping into the restaurant, customers are "transported somewhere else," Bar Sprezzatura’s Partner and Mixologist Carlo Splendorini says.
The space exudes laid-back Italian elegance with its high lamps reminiscent of the streets of Venice, chic blue and gold seating and romantic ambiance. Besides the physical layout, staff prioritizes "hospitality and simplicity" to capture this vacation feel, Splendorini says.
This is a complete turnaround from the site’s origin as the restaurant was created from nothing. "It was complete open space," Splendorini says.
Splendorini puts his mixology skills on display teaching Aaron how to make one of her favorites – the Prosciutto & Melone Spritz.
The artfully crafted recipe consists of fresh-pressed cantaloupe juice, soda water and Prosecco, topped with a cantaloupe sphere, wrapped in Prosciutto de Parma and balsamic pearls as garnish.
Looking past the extensive drink menu, Aaron takes us to the kitchen to explore a restaurant's most important asset: the food.
Bar Sprezzatura’s Executive Chef Joseph Offner describes their food as "casual, but delicate."
"We pay attention to all the ingredients. We pay attention to the craft, putting everything together and putting it on the plate," he said. "So, every detail is very important."
Besides being detailed and precise, Offner hopes when "you take a bite of something of the food here, we really want it to be an explosion of flavor on the palette."
Offner’s own upbringing inspired Bar Sprezzatura’s cuisine.
"Growing up, my dad was always making pastas and pizzas and teach me Italian ways of simplicity," he said. "I grew up eating it."
Aaron asks both Splendorini and Offner about the restaurant's location – a decision other businesses may have shied away from.
Splendorini’s response to why Downtown? "Because it needs love," he says. "It's a hidden gem on the place there was nothing before. It will change the dynamic and how people think."
To Offner, having this restaurant "feels like a dream."
"To show people that there’s still life, you know," he said. "It's amazing."
This restaurant also feels like a "life dream" to Splendorini -- "It’s like a soccer player playing for a national team."
He extends this gratitude to all of Bar Sprezzatura’s customers.
"You can choose from a lot of places to go, so for us, it’s a luxury to have everyone here," Splendorini says. "We have a shot to make somebody’s memory for life."
To learn more, visit Bar Sprezzatura’s website.
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