Remember the song from the 70s by Orleans?

“We’re still having fun and you’re still the one.”

That lyric kept going through my head as a couple of wine industry friends and I dined at A16 the other in San Francisco.

A16 changed the way Americans viewed southern Italian food and southern Italian wine when it first opened in 2004 nearly 20 years ago.

This is a restaurant — an institution! — that has weathered the financial crisis and Covid. And the best news is that the restaurant continues to perform at an extremely high level.

Shelley was swamped with fans when I ran into her a few weeks ago at TexSom near Dallas. She was there for a signing of her new book Italian Wine (Random House). By my count, that’s her fourth tome!

I don’t think anyone would disagree that Shelley is one of the greatest advocates for Italian wine and food in our generation. Her truly pioneering work has created opportunities for so many of us, including me.

And after all these years, she’s still rocking it.

One thing that really impressed me about our wonderful experience was the positive energy you felt while interacting with the servers and even the chef (we sat across from the open kitchen). You really get the sense that they love their work and they love their community at the restaurant. That’s increasingly hard to find these days. And it speaks to Shelley’s legacy as one of the top Italian-focused restaurateurs in this country.

Here’s some more of what we ate and drank. The food was so spot on. I had never tasted Tecce’s fantastic rosé. No surprise that she would have it on her list. The Quintodecimo Fiano was stunning. And as busy as she was, she found time to drop some compelling Pompeii wines at our table. The restaurant was working hard. She made it look easy.

Thank you, Shelley, for an incredible evening! And thank you for all you have done and continue to do for the world of Italian food and wine!

This was the best chickpeas and chicory I have ever had in the U.S. It was insanely good.

The caponata was another classic that really impressed.

This was just one of the three pastas we had, each excellent.