Incanto July 25
We had been trying to arrange a time to hang out with Sarah and Sante outside of Slow Club. Sure we love seeing them at the restaurant but they are always hard at work and it is always busy, busy, busy there! What better than to meet them at a SF Chronicle top 100 restaurant that we have never been to, and where Sante knows the chef and sous-chef!!
Incanto is an italian restaurant within walking distance to our house on Church and Duncan. The restaurant is known for curing its own meat, and an extensive wine list. I think Patricia Unterman in San Francisco Food Lover's Guide described the food as Delfina-like and the wine list as Bacar-like.
We met Sarah and Sante at 8pm; the restaurant staff was anxiously awaiting the "Sante party". Chris, the chef, was not there but the sous-chef Tracy was. She came to our table to say hello and we asked her about her favorites on the menu.
Incanto offers many wines by the glass, 1/2 liter and 2.5 ounces, as well as different wine tasting flights. We decided, with the help of our waiter, to customize our own flight opting for 3 different 1/2 liters throughout the night. We started off with a white Fiano Donnaluna - very light and non-descript - perfect while we waited for appetizers.
We ordered three appetizers for the table. It was clear that we would be tasting each other's dishes all night - Sante the curious chef needing to taste as many things as possible on the menu, and the rest of us as a reward for deciding on a main dish; the decision was easier knowing we would be able to lean over to taste our second, third and fourth choices from the menu.
We started with the Grilled Beef Heart, Grilled Peach and Tuna Confit and Tracy sent over a special Antipasto platter as well. This was my first time tasting beef heart; the meat was a little tough with a very strong almost overpowering beefy, gamey flavor. It was good and well-balanced with the potato, onion, garlic "salsa" it was served with. The Grilled Peach was incredible - warm and sweet with pickled red onion served with gorgonzola. My favorite appetizer was probably the tuna which was served with red onions, nicoise olives, cherry tomatoes and borlotti beans drizzled with olive oil. This wasn't unlike the tuna white bean salad I make though the olives, cherry tomatoes and premium tuna made this a far superior tasting dish. While I would not order cured calf liver, porchetta and mortadella myself, I did try everything on the Antipasto platter. The homemade mustard, pickled carrots and greens and roasted garlic were excellent, the calf liver much too strong for me, and the porchetta and mortadella very tasty. (Don't ask what it is made of, just eat it was my motto of the night).
Wine number 2 was our favorite of the evening a juicy and medium bodied Costera. That 1/2 liter seemed to go fast and before long we were on our third wine, much richer and full-bodied, almost too much so for me. (I can't remember which one it was right now).
Nino ordered the braised chicken with mushrooms; not surprising since his test of restaurants is often judged by how well they do chicken and panna cotta, if they have it on the menu. He was disappointed and the table agreed - the chicken itself was tasty but the sauce and mushrooms were much too salty and overpowered the entire dish. Sante ordered the king salmon baked in a fig leaf with lemon cucumbers. Nino and I agree that this was the best dish - the fish was very moist and flavorful, and I enjoyed the crisp lemon cucumbers. Sarah ordered the hankerchief pasta with pork ragu and a egg on top - which I didn't try but I think she enjoyed it. I opted for the spaghetti with local squid - homemade pasta with squid ink served with borlotti beans, cherry tomatoes and garlic. I ordered this in part because it sounded so interesting and would provide more tasting choices at the table - it was very tasty.
There had been a big debate at the table over who should order the whole roasted fish, a Thai snapper. Tracy said this was her favorite, and it sounded like Sante was very interested in trying it. No one ordered it given the other choices from the menu but Tracy sent one over anyway for the table, along with sauteed heirloom eggplants. I really enjoyed the fish - white and somewhat firm served with delicious spicy Walla Walla onions. The eggplant was outstanding.
Three desserts arrived at the table - Nino's panna cotta that was the highlight of his meal, Sante and Sarah's chocolate boudini - rich, not too sweet warm chocolate pudding and a fruit crostata that was excellent.
We rolled out of there around 11pm, happy and full. Nino was less impressed with Incanto than I was. The highlights for me were the tuna appetizer, egpplant, whole fish, walla walla onions, king salmon and the fruit crostata. I would definitely recommend this restaurant - especially for wine lovers!
Incanto is an italian restaurant within walking distance to our house on Church and Duncan. The restaurant is known for curing its own meat, and an extensive wine list. I think Patricia Unterman in San Francisco Food Lover's Guide described the food as Delfina-like and the wine list as Bacar-like.
We met Sarah and Sante at 8pm; the restaurant staff was anxiously awaiting the "Sante party". Chris, the chef, was not there but the sous-chef Tracy was. She came to our table to say hello and we asked her about her favorites on the menu.
Incanto offers many wines by the glass, 1/2 liter and 2.5 ounces, as well as different wine tasting flights. We decided, with the help of our waiter, to customize our own flight opting for 3 different 1/2 liters throughout the night. We started off with a white Fiano Donnaluna - very light and non-descript - perfect while we waited for appetizers.
We ordered three appetizers for the table. It was clear that we would be tasting each other's dishes all night - Sante the curious chef needing to taste as many things as possible on the menu, and the rest of us as a reward for deciding on a main dish; the decision was easier knowing we would be able to lean over to taste our second, third and fourth choices from the menu.
We started with the Grilled Beef Heart, Grilled Peach and Tuna Confit and Tracy sent over a special Antipasto platter as well. This was my first time tasting beef heart; the meat was a little tough with a very strong almost overpowering beefy, gamey flavor. It was good and well-balanced with the potato, onion, garlic "salsa" it was served with. The Grilled Peach was incredible - warm and sweet with pickled red onion served with gorgonzola. My favorite appetizer was probably the tuna which was served with red onions, nicoise olives, cherry tomatoes and borlotti beans drizzled with olive oil. This wasn't unlike the tuna white bean salad I make though the olives, cherry tomatoes and premium tuna made this a far superior tasting dish. While I would not order cured calf liver, porchetta and mortadella myself, I did try everything on the Antipasto platter. The homemade mustard, pickled carrots and greens and roasted garlic were excellent, the calf liver much too strong for me, and the porchetta and mortadella very tasty. (Don't ask what it is made of, just eat it was my motto of the night).
Wine number 2 was our favorite of the evening a juicy and medium bodied Costera. That 1/2 liter seemed to go fast and before long we were on our third wine, much richer and full-bodied, almost too much so for me. (I can't remember which one it was right now).
Nino ordered the braised chicken with mushrooms; not surprising since his test of restaurants is often judged by how well they do chicken and panna cotta, if they have it on the menu. He was disappointed and the table agreed - the chicken itself was tasty but the sauce and mushrooms were much too salty and overpowered the entire dish. Sante ordered the king salmon baked in a fig leaf with lemon cucumbers. Nino and I agree that this was the best dish - the fish was very moist and flavorful, and I enjoyed the crisp lemon cucumbers. Sarah ordered the hankerchief pasta with pork ragu and a egg on top - which I didn't try but I think she enjoyed it. I opted for the spaghetti with local squid - homemade pasta with squid ink served with borlotti beans, cherry tomatoes and garlic. I ordered this in part because it sounded so interesting and would provide more tasting choices at the table - it was very tasty.
There had been a big debate at the table over who should order the whole roasted fish, a Thai snapper. Tracy said this was her favorite, and it sounded like Sante was very interested in trying it. No one ordered it given the other choices from the menu but Tracy sent one over anyway for the table, along with sauteed heirloom eggplants. I really enjoyed the fish - white and somewhat firm served with delicious spicy Walla Walla onions. The eggplant was outstanding.
Three desserts arrived at the table - Nino's panna cotta that was the highlight of his meal, Sante and Sarah's chocolate boudini - rich, not too sweet warm chocolate pudding and a fruit crostata that was excellent.
We rolled out of there around 11pm, happy and full. Nino was less impressed with Incanto than I was. The highlights for me were the tuna appetizer, egpplant, whole fish, walla walla onions, king salmon and the fruit crostata. I would definitely recommend this restaurant - especially for wine lovers!
posted by Karen at 9:22 AM
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