Well, I'm back in San Francisco. I'm quite stuffed from the debauchery in Paris, so I'll do my best to take it easy for the next week. Still a couple more posts from before - I'll start France later this week. Here is a dinner at Incanto with my mom, Auntie Margie, Auntie Cathy, and the Chus. I've been wanting to try Incanto for a while. It really got a lot of praise on Chowhound a while back. It's since gotten some mixed reviews around the blogging world, but I was still interested. The design of the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. The room is clean and sleek, with modern lines and edges throughout, but still has a rustic, earthy tone to it. Look how smooth the sign is - the rest of the restaurant matches. My only complaint is the chairs are perhaps a bit too rustic, and not very comfortable. Onto the food...
amuse bouche - fennel and radish salad
Although I'm now used to getting many amuse bouches at every meal after my trip, I remember that I was pretty surprised to get one at Incanto. It's really not very common to see them at a restaurant in this price range. The salad was very fresh and light, though not too memorable.
tuna conserva & borlotti bean salad with grilled lemon - $8.5
This was, I think, the biggest appetizer I've had in a long time. The tuna was very tasty, having absorbed a good amount of flavor from the dressing. The beans were surprisingly good and not overwhelmingly cakey. Red chiles gave the dish a sudden jolt of spice every few bites or so.
handkerchief pasta with rustic pork ragu - $14
Roger and I both wanted to try some of the pasta so we ended up sharing this between our apps and mains. I've read complaints that this dish is severely underseasoned, and I personally disagree. I think just a bit of nice parmesan on top was enough to make this dish very tasty. The ragu had a nice, deep pork flavor and I thought it dressed the pasta quite adequately.
braised pork shoulder with summer squash, fiorelli & marjoram - $18
A lot of people also said the best bet at Incanto is braised pork whatever. On our night it was this pork shoulder dish, which turned out very good. The pork was extremely tender and the accompanying squash and squash blossoms were wonderful. But for some reason, this dish got slightly boring towards the end. The first bite tasted better than the last - perhaps I was getting too full.
bay leaf panna cotta with fresh black currants - $6.5
I know you guys must be getting sick of me ordering the panna cotta at every single Italian meal. What can I say; I love the dish. And supposedly it's Incanto's signature dessert. I honestly didn't detect a ton of bay leaf flavor, but this panna cotta was still thick, creamy, and delicous.
chocolate delizia with roasted hazelnuts - $6.5
Roger's parents, who had been to Incanto quite a few times fairly recently, eagerly ordered this chocolate cake. I tried a bite and it was pretty damn good - intensely chocolatey and yummy.
So I was a little worried Incanto might disappoint after the mixed reviews started coming out, but luckily our meal there was good. I think it's worth going back.
I said I'd try to eat light this week, but it may be tough; I've got a few big meals lined up already. I'll probably do my best to stick to non-French food and eat lightish lunches. I leave for Vancouver on the 10th.