Authentic Italian Dining at Valenti & Co.

Valenti Courtyard

The Details

Valenti & Co

Cuisine: Italian

Address: 337 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo, CA

Phone: 415.454.7800

Guided by legendary chef Valenti and Maitre d’ Cristiano, Valenti & Co. has been serving farm- fresh Italian cuisine to discerning downtown San Anselmo diners for over ten years. Remarkable fresh ingredients and skilled execution keep the kitchen in sharp focus here.

Sit at the sidewalk tables or at the curved marble bar and be instantly transported to Northern Italy, or for an added treat sit at the chef’s tables overlooking the kitchen to learn a culinary trick or two. In the dining room, service is gracious, attentive and expertly engaged. The wine list has numerous small label gems to be deliciously discovered and paired with the Italian inspired menu. Reservations recommended


Duilio Valenti’s Go-to Comfort Food

The chef/owner of Valenti & Co. shares how he’s been coping with this year’s challenges.

Valenti & Co

Serving farm fresh Italian cuisine and small production wines in a causal yet classy setting, everything at Valenti & Co. is house made and thoughtfully sourced. Plenty of outdoor seating with our courtyard and San Anselmo street closures during the weekend.

Being born and raised in Italy, when a comfort food craving hits there’s one thing and one thing only in my mind: PIZZA MARGHERITA! So the question is: do I get on the first flight out to Positano or… walk a few blocks from my house down to PIZZALINA? Well, you can guess the answer. Crispy on the outside and soft inside of Pizzalina’s margaritas make me feel like I’m biting into a slice of heaven — if only heaven came with organic San Marzano tomato sauce and house made mozzarella. Maybe it does, I’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, pizza heaven is just a short walk away.

But wait… don’t you famously have a wicked sweet tooth, Duilio? Funny you should ask because indeed I do. But here to take care of that comes Emporio Rulli to the rescue. I once ate a whole Rulli’s panettone in one sitting. Talk about craving it. If there was ever a panettone battle between Marin and Milan, Rulli’s would put them all in their “scusa” place. Best panettone in the world, punto e basta… ahem… period.

Comfort Food Recipe

Valenti & Co

Tortilla Surprise

Sometimes, especially when relaxing at home after a long work day, I get a classic “midnight” food craving. So I walk up to the fridge and let the tortillas roll to the rescue! There are plenty of things to add to a tortilla, but my favorite is scrambled eggs. Here is how I make it:

In a non-stick pan, I warm a couple tablespoons of olive oil on low heat, adding in a few thin onion slices. (Ok maybe a lot of thin onion slices, but you should start with a few.) I let the onions get soft and crack two eggs right into the pan. With a wooden spoon, I slowly stir back and forth very gently until the eggs are halfway done — doesn’t take more than a minute. Salt and pepper them, turn off the heat and let them finish cooking on their own… After all, I just worked all day and I am tired. I turn on the biggest stove burner and toss a tortilla right on the open flame to warm up or roast up if you like it a bit scorched like I do. But be careful, it’s a lightning quick process. I pour my scrambled eggs on it, maybe some grated cheese, hot salsa (shaved truffles? Oh my, don’t mind if I do) and roll it up… Bam, I go back to the couch for a well-deserved, quick and easy midnight snack.