By Tony Fazio –

It was the night before New Year’s Eve and I found myself in Union Square with my wife, my daughter and her boyfriend and his parents. They had come to San Francisco from San Diego to meet us. They wanted to eat out. The pressure was on. Where could I take them and my family where I know we could get a really great meal and I was sure they would be suitably impressed.

I went with an old standby that I have eaten at many times in the past and I wasn’t disappointed. Kuleto’s has been around for more than 20 years. Pat Kuleto is a famous restaurant designer and this is one of his signature restaurants.

For the antipasti we had perfectly cooked calamari with an outstanding coating and a dish of Monterey Sardines with sweet roasted peppers. The sardines brought back memories of my Sicilian mother’s Feast of the Seven Fishes.

For our main courses we shared several dishes. One big hit was the Tagliatelle with Dungeness crab in a lemon, garlic and scallions butter sauce. Fantastic! My two other favorite’s were the braised boneless short ribs and the lamb osso buco, both so tender they could be cut with a fork. The meal was on its way to becoming a memorable feast that would be talked about for days afterward. Kuleto’s signature dish – veal scaloppini – rounded out the night’s banquet.

Now it was time for the dessert. We went for the tiramisu, chocolate mousse torte and a raspberry tart. I would make a trip to this restaurant for the tiramisu alone. I have to say I made quite an impression on my guests.

Kuleto’s is located at 221 Powell Street in San Francisco. Phone number is (415) 397-7720. Web site is www.Kuletos.com .