Business is booming at the 50-seat Cotogna. I called a couple of weeks in advance and was offered a choice of either 5:30 or 10:00 PM for our Thursday night dinner. Our party of six ordered drinks at the bar, settled in at our table near the window and began to visit and catch up on each other’s lives, only to be gently prodded by a lovely waitress to order. I felt a hint of being moved along throughout the meal, but it is completely understandable at this popular eatery.
The menu changes daily and features the freshest local ingredients. We chose a selection of Antipasti ($13) that included creamy marinated burrata, crunchy fresh fried squash blossoms, proscuitto & melon and foie gras. The Primi course ($17) included a spicy tomato, salame & fior di latte mozzarella pizza and ravioli di ricotta. Entrées ($22-$25) included a delicately balanced Idaho trout, which was a fraction of the size of the huge and moist Heritage red wattle pork. I was pleased with my Wolfe ranch quail, which was succulent and finely balanced on a bed of slightly bitter sautéed greens.
The delectable desserts that we shared had a hint of the summer garden. I especially enjoyed the prosecco zabaglione & farmer’s market peaches. I expected the olive oil cake with Dirty Girl Farm strawberries to be more moist, but I’m not complaining. The Ariguani chocolate budino & Strauss cream came in a small glass jar, slightly bigger than a shot glass, which made it all the more precious.
Open Monday-Thursday for lunch and dinner until 11:00pm, Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, Sunday Supper from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.Cotogna | 490 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, Ca 94133 | 415.775.8508
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