The Stinking Rose

A Garlic Restaurant in San Francisco

Mar 18, 2009 Amanda Drew

The Stinking Rose, located in the heart of Little Italy on Columbus Ave., is a pleasurable way to spend an evening in San Francisco.

The name of this Little Italy restaurant in San Francisco is not an overstatement. This place stinks, in fact reeks of garlic. It is certainly not a restaurant for the sensitive nose, weak taste buds or the unadventurous eater.

Atmosphere

And in case for some reason, one couldn't smell the potent tidal wave of garlic upon entering the restaurant foyer, the atmosphere reflects it. Swags of garlic swoop throughout the restaurant like Christmas garland, pictures of every variety of garlic from around the world adorn the burnt orange walls, garlic merchandise-from Got Garlic mugs to garlic hot sauce- help customers document their Stinking Rose experience, and a blond, garlic faced statuette welcomes guests with a bright red smile. The Rose seeps vintage Italian charm- with wine served from tall, glass jugs to slow, relaxed service -the atmosphere alone is an experience in itself.

Cuisine

The menu is extensive, with several options such as prime rib, fish, shellfish, lamb, meat loaf, pasta and chicken dishes. One of the Rose's signature appetizers, the Bana Calda, whole garlic cloves soaked in a tub of butter, olive oil and anchovy, spread on fresh Foccacia bread is a fantastic way to start the meal. This selection might also be a good way to break in the taste buds to the garlic-saturated cuisine they can expect for the remainder of the night.

Choose the fresh Black Linguine with Clams or go bold with the 40 Clove Roasted Garlic Chicken. The best bet may be to dine with friends so as to try as many of these mouth-watering entrees as possible. The angel hair pasta with fresh tomatoes, olives, basil and of course, roasted garlic makes for a lighter bite in between more intensely flavored dishes like the Spicy Prawns, Fettucine, Pancetta and Onions in a red pepper garlic oil. Each fish entree was excellent and expectantly so, being in San Francisco. Favorites of fellow diners included the clams, spicy shrimp, and Dungeness crab.

Garlic Ice Cream

A word of caution however to weak taste bud owners: beware of the garlic ice cream. This Stinking Rose classic dessert is reserved for the die-hard garlic lovers or just plain dare devils. Although sweet and vanilla at first, the after taste is the kicker. Even for a garlic fan, it was hard for my taste buds to make these contradicting flavors come to an agreement on my tongue.

A stroll through San Francisco's Little Italy is not really complete without a trip inside the Stinking Rose. The garlic in every dish is undoubtedly present, but not overpowering. Although guests leave the Stinking Rose full and permeated in every way with garlic, this Italian eatery is a sort of landmark tribute to that well known ingredient we know and love.

The copyright of the article The Stinking Rose in Italian Cuisine is owned by Amanda Drew. Permission to republish The Stinking Rose in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A wall of garlic merchandise at the Stinking Rose