After getting settled into my room at the Galleria Park Hotel I decided to check the guide to see what was nearby so I could get something to eat. My trip out had been pleasant enough, due in part because I came only from Denver, rather than all the way from Columbus. I had some business to conduct in Denver so I made that leg of the trip the day before, took care of things while I was there, then made the trip to San Francisco from Denver. I didn't have much of anything interesting to eat while in Denver, partly for lack of time and partly because I was trying to hold costs down after having spent a fair bit more than I was hoping on a hotel. I needed a relaxing meal but still didn't want to spend a fortune.

Since I would be in San Francisco for a few days, I decided to check out the hotel guide to see what was nearby and to get a sense of where I could find things. With some idea of where I was, I wandered around the neighborhood for a bit to see what else was around. I headed in the general direction of Puccini & Pinetti since the description I read caught my attention. Italian and informal, moderate in pricing. Just the ticket.

A pleasant enough stroll down Market Street brought me to Ellis, where the restaurant was located. I entered and found an informal place, not at all lacking in style. I liked the location. As I was led to my seat at a round table, I observed that the restaurant is L-shaped. A bar runs along the inside of the L, with the kitchen at one end of the bar. Round tables like mine ran on the outside of the L, right next to the windows, and between the round tables and the bar was a "middle L" of booths to seat four. A tight pattern ran across the floor and the walls were adorned with old family photographs.

My overall impression that the restaurant is informal, but not lacking in style. The location is nice and the restaurant is a wine-friendly one, which scores significant points in my book. I ordered the evening's pasta special (linguine, spicy, with chicken and Parmasean cheese) and a glass of Chianti from my server Heidi.

Like all of the other servers, Heidi was in in black slacks and a black T-shirt, with a white apron. The food was just lovely; perfect temperature, wonderful in both taste and aroma, and generous in portions. After I finished the entree, I accepted Heidi's recommendation of the warm and gooey chcolate cake and got it with a bit of gelato that was exactly as she described: smooth but not as creamy as proper Italian gelato. It was very good with a cup of black coffee.

Once finished with my dessert and coffee, I headed back out and toward the hotel, well pleased with how I had spent the past ninety minutes.