Gaja

Osteria Coppa

Executive Chef Chanan Kamen creates beautiful pizza and pasta.

We were really lucky that Michael the manager served us at our first visit.  Best dishes and outstanding wine service!  COPPA, our Thursday restaurant.

Fritto of shrimp, calamari, fennel and meyer lemon

House cured salumi platter

Best pizza!  Thin chewy crust with beautiful flavors of pancetta, braised radicchio, parmesan fonduta, aged balsamico.

Took a lot of convincing for me to try Italian wine.  '97 Monprivato is good stuff.

Special from the chef

the cheese and wild honey enhanced the texture of fresh pasta

Agnolotti dal plin, traditional piemontese meat filled envelopes

Tajarin with black truffles

Petrale sole, savory cabbage, black trumpet mushrooms, preserved lemon

Chicken al mattone, farro and brussel sprouts

Roasted ribeye with patato puree, kale and fresh horseredish

Incanto

incanto uses every part of the animal.  many kids come here for a daring experience ;-) Boccalone salumi platter was excellent.

Boccalone salumi platter

porchetta di testa

Tripe, clams, citron & chillis

blood sausage and claims

Spaghettini, sardinian cured tuna heart, egg yolk & parsley

Duck, root vegetables & salsa verde

Pork cheeks, cippolini & polenta

Oxtail, sweetbreads, rutabaga & pickled green walnuts

Acquerello, Nov 2009

A charming church converted to the best Italian restaurant in San Francisco.  We were here for the Novemenber white truffle menu which George had it 3 times in one month.  He loves it so much and had to take us here.

Acquerello has warm and family-like service.  No wonder George kept coming back.

Blood Orange Soda

2001 Batard Montrachet Ramonet

Stated with tropical and minty basil nose and changed into rosemary, orange peel, with hint of Indian spice half an hour later.  Beautiful.

Beef Carpaccio

Black Truffle Potato Ball

high acidity, typical of 1996 vintage.  It was too cold and open up 1/2 hour later, Caramel nose showed up. After another hour, the nose turn sweet basil.  Best Paul Pernot we've tasted.

2000 Leflaive, unfortunately it was corked.  George's last bottle.

Grilled Walu over braised celery

clams and mussels in 'Acqua Pazza'

A wonderful butter fish with just the right thickness to bring out Walu's texture.  Hint of acidity went well with Ramonet.  Definitely avoid the ragu base though.

White truffle budino al parmigiano

White truffle tajarin

White truffle gnocchi

I love gnocchi and made my own special white truffle gnocchi.

Aged Carnaroli risotto with port belly and Rome Beauty apples

Best wine service in town, no limit, the way we like it.

Ponsot does not use new oak for Clos de La Roche.  Interesting citrus candy nose.

Veal loin over creamy polenta

chanterelles and veal sweetbreads

Breast of Grimaud Farms duck

with red wine pear mostarda, orange lentil and almond coated foie gras

Anise, cassis, jammy berry.  Haut-Brion is warmer than Medoc.  With 40% merlot, a smooth wine indeed.

We were adventurous and ordered a great bottle of Barolo.
Five months later, I still remember the experience.  The nose of Band-Aid got stronger.  We felt like back to high school at nurse station after a PE accident.  Very interesting.

Our first impression is 2005 Mouton is not yet closed, high alcohol with plenty of berry.  But it closed 3 hours later and turn tanin, acidity, and bitter.  An expansive lesson.
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Brasato of America Kobe beef short ribs in Barolo 

root vegetables

Grilled lamb's tongue 

celery, salsa verde and black Gaeta olive oil