Incanto

Nestled in the quaint neighborhood of Noe Valley on the south west corner of Church St, Incanto feels like homage to Italian Sunday supper. It’s a quaint restaurant led by a staff that feels like family, which in turn eludes a familiar sense of being home. The ambiance emphatically represents where San Francisco meets Italy, and the cuisine comes together at the table fresh from the farm. From the cured meats hanging from the bar window to the oversized wall prints of pigs and chickens freely roaming, you know instantly that what’s on the menu came fresh and local that day. Immediately after we were seated, I looked directly into the kitchen as I most often do. To my surprise, and much to my delight, the master of offal, Chris Cosentino was relishing in his own art. At that moment, gazing over the menu was second to what the chef recommended. So after a few suggestions from our server, we were on our way to a culinary chef-d’oeuvre. First to the table was a special, Steak Tartare. Quite simply, this raw delicate delight was an exquisite masterpiece. From the preparation to the plate, this tender dish requires no cooking. As a standalone, the texture of the meat in combination with the emulsified egg yolk, oozed perfection. If there’s one sound that could describe how gratifying that first bite was, use your imagination because it was OOH Ohh, so satisfying. After cleansing my palette with a delicate salad of chicory greens, bagna cauda & Musette pecorino, I opted for the unordinary traditional Italian staple, pasta. Perfect for a cold winter San Francisco night, the handkerchief pasta & rustic pork ragu was the obvious choice. Made to perfection with homemade pasta made in house, the ragu relished in rich decadence. The balance and freshness of the pasta was a seamless balance to the perfectly salted pork that was the highlight of the ragu. This was the melt in your mouth kind of dish that should only be accompanied by a glass of good Italian red wine, or a bottle. Shamelessly I can’t tell you what I drank but I can tell you that the recommendation by my server trumped anything I could have picked out on my own. Lastly, if I had but one regret from my visit, it would be that I did not order the Leg of Beast! After my last bight of pasta, I saw this stroke of genius pass by my table to make its way to the lucky carnivores at the other end of the restaurant. The Leg of Beast features a braised beef shank as the centerpiece of a 3-course menu, served family style, with antipasto, sides and dessert. This feast can be ordered in advance for parties of 6-8. This truly was a work of art, as the aroma filled the entire restaurant with a sizzling delight. I will be planning my next visit for this exact meal. Who will my lucky guests be?