By Emma Krasov. Photography by Yuri Krasov
When asked about my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, I often add, “Bay Area,” simply because so many wonderful chefs these days prefer to do business in other, smaller towns of the San Francisco Bay Area, where they can ease the constant pressure of soaring costs, a diminishing workforce that can’t afford to live in the city, and an ever-increasing workload that hardly translates into a growing revenue stream.
But hey, let’s talk about happier things in the restaurant business, like the annual Super Enoteca 100 at Donato Enoteca Restaurant in Redwood City last Saturday, where Chef Donato Scotti and his colleague and lifelong friend, Chef Gianluca Guglielmi of Donato & Co. Restaurant in Berkeley, California, introduced at least a hundred Italian wines—including Barolo, Brunello, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Barbaresco, Amarone, Barbera, and many others—from all imaginable wine regions of Italy. These wines are produced in small quantities by boutique family wineries with much love and dedication—sometimes over centuries and multiple generations.
The beloved event, usually sold out within days and popular with locals and visitors alike, takes over the entire multi-room space of Donato Enoteca, with wine stations positioned in the dining halls, banquet rooms, bar area, and outdoor patio. The food-pairing extravaganza unfolds by the open kitchen and atop a horseshoe-shaped bar, while a live jazz band plays throughout the four-hour festivity.
Salumi, prosciutto, bruschetta, risotto, anchovies, arancini—the very names of these traditional Italian foods sound like music to a gourmand’s ear. But the stars of the show are always a whole roasted pig with crispy skin and a grand dish of hot pasta served right out of a Parmesan wheel.
“Our pasta is al dente,” Chef Donato warned the eager crowd surrounding him, plates and forks in hand, waiting for Chef Gianluca to bring out a huge pot of steaming mezzi paccheri—short, wide, ridged tubes of Italian pasta—to be dumped into a half-hollowed cheese wheel.
“This is not exactly carbonara and not exactly cacio e pepe,” continued Chef Donato in his brief description of the delicious dish. “But it has both pecorino with black pepper and guanciale.”
Oh, what a delight this hot, mild, and deeply satisfying pasta is, with specks of salt-cured meat wrapped in melted cheese, served in a genuinely authentic Italian restaurant alongside a dreamy wine tasting that opens up a whole world of rare Italian wines!
Although Super Enoteca 100 was originally a once-a-year event, its popularity has prompted the organizers to add another date of the party to accommodate all the old and new friends of Donato Enoteca. So now you, too, can join in and experience this amazing celebration.
The next Super Enoteca 100 is planned for December 5, 2026. For tickets and information, visit https://www.donatoenoteca.com/.
Donato Enoteca is located at 1041 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, California. Phone: (650) 701-1000.
The restaurant serves contemporary Italian plates and wood-fired pizzas and is open for lunch Tuesday–Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; Friday–Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Happy Hour is Tuesday–Sunday, 4:00–6:30 p.m. (bar area and bar patio). Dinner is served Tuesday–Thursday, 5:00–9:30 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 5:00–10:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 5:00–9:00 p.m.
If you are looking for a private event, be it a small gathering, a business lunch, or a customized wine tasting, you and your guests will be in the care of the expert staff at Donato Enoteca, enjoying the excellent cuisine of Chef Donato Scotti paired with selections from the restaurant’s hand-selected wine list. To reach the restaurant’s Event Coordinator, email privatedinings@donatoresgroup.com or call/text (650) 454-5644. The restaurant can accommodate private parties from 10 to 120 people.
