Baraonda's Double Appeal / Owners' charms

Restaurant reviews rate food, service and ambience, but how does one rank the hunk factor?
The hunks in question are Alessandro Iacobelli and Fabrizio Laudati, owners of Baraonda, a charming Italian restaurant on Larkin Street. Their appeal was part of the lure at their other restaurant, Bella, which is going strong on Geary and Third, and it seems to be working on Russian Hill.
Baraonda has a friendly, welcoming Phone Cover attitude that permeates the place, from the owners to the busboys.
In a city filled with restaurants trying to distinguish themselves, these two friends have the winning formula: Iacobelli dazzles the customers, Laudati dazzles the palate.
What further separate this restaurant from others are the windows near the top of the high ceiling. They frame the leafy trees, which add a splash of green. The wood floors and off-white color scheme with taupe accents are understated and restful. The white tablecloths dress up the place a bit, and the waiters and busboys have a casual, enthusiastic approach that's just right for neighborhood dining.
While some items on the menu are recog nizable, others are much more innovative. When was the last time, for example, you saw grilled salmon ($12.95) topped with mango, avocado and pineapple?
Generally, the best dishes are on the special nightly menu, which features about five appetizers, four pastas and half a dozen grilled main courses. Intriguing dishes such as pomegranate fettuccine with asparagus sauce, shrimp and half a lobster ($17.95) are found here. The pasta has a slightly sweet undercurrent, balanced by the creamy vegetable sauce. The knobs of chewy noodles on each side of the lobster are topped with shrimp. Whether it's the combination of ingredients or the lobsters themselves, the meat is as sweet and tender as I've had anywhere.
I will also long remember the salad of Belgian endive ($8.50) alternating with pink grapefruit sections surrounding a mound of dressed greens and sauteed shrimp. The various elements are perfectly dressed, and Laudati marinates the herb-flecked shrimp to add a robust flavor.
For main courses the special menu features wild boar tenderloin ($16.95), medallions of sweet, slightly gamy meat that are marinated to add flavor and tenderness. The chef paves them with a red wine sauce filled with thin slices of shiitake mushrooms. And the veal chop ($17.50) has an intriguing sweetness thanks to the figs in the Barolo wine sauce. All dishes are served with a mixture of vegetables that includes zucchini, broccoli and red and yellow bell peppers cooked to tenderness.
Another standout is the toothsome fettuccine ($14.95) surrounding a fork-tender veal shank Straight Line/Revolving Leather Shell and an earthy porcini sauce; it's a dish that's perfect for cool, damp winter nights when you want something comforting and vibrantly flavored.
Unfortunately, there's a big difference between the pricing on the permanent menu and the specials, which cost $16.95 to $17.95 for main courses. On the regular menu the most expensive item is the grilled jumbo prawns at $14.95, and the majority of main courses are in the $12 range.
Nothing we ate on New Quicksand Series our three visits was bad, though the menu is so long for a 42-seat restaurant that some dishes were dull. In the case of Baraonda, less would be more.
For example, we loved the description of the grilled pork tenderloin ($12.50) with roasted garlic, mint and red wine, but the meat was dry and the sauce was too intense. The grilled portobello with balsamic vinegar ($7.50) tasted a little inky because the sauce was too reduced, and the Caesar salad ($4) was a bit too acidic and needed salt.
Few Italian restaurants can deliver at dessert, and Baraonda is no exception once you get past the creamy tiramisu ($4).
The Campari cheesecake ($4.50) topped with strawberries had a slightly curdled texture and a lingering bitter edge; panna cotta ($4.95) was too sweet and a little grainy, though the bananas arranged around the perimeter are delicious. Probably the best dessert is the profiteroles ($4.50) filled with vanilla cream and topped with dark, rich chocolate.
EXCELLENT SELECTION OF ITALIAN WINES
Italian is the way to go when choosing a wine at Baraonda. The American selections are weak, but the Italian choices are excellent.
Not only do the owners know Italian wine -- there's even a wine from Lazio -- but the staff can also lead diners to the best selections.
The markup on the wine list is reasonable, too. The list is arranged by price, from the least to the most expensive.
In whites, the 1996 Contadi Costaldi Terre di Franciacorta from Lombardi is well priced at $23; the 1996 Ronco del Gnemiz Tocai Friulano, one of the most expensive whites at $32, is an elegant, crisp choice.
In red wines, the 1996 Coltibuono Chianti Cetamura is a fresh and fruity option for only $20. For more complexity, there's the Marchesi de' Frescobaldi for $22. And to accompany the wild boar and other meat dishes there's the 1994 Remo Farina Amarone Della Valpolicella, a lush, earthy wine, for $32.