"Where-To-Wednesday" Adventures: May 2011

Welcome to May – where April showers brought May…showers. Blah, what’s a girl to do but EAT! And so, up and onward to our next Where-To-Wednesday adventure! Our 7th W2W on May 11th, was chosen by Melissa, and tried as she could, it took this patient lady a month’s call in advance to get us resos at this next destination: Cotogna. “Never heard of it” you scoff? Perhaps. But you will. And maybe not just here. Maybe you’ll read about it in US Weekly with pictures of Blake Lively herself who we were told dined there a few nights before us. Or Hugh Jackman who was scheduled to lunch there on Friday. (Sorry, you can take the girl out of Hollywood, but you can’t take Hollywood out of the girl. I love this stuff). But remember, you heard it here FIRST. And the bigger question is, did WE eat dinner at the same restaurant as Ms. Blake Lively and Mr. Hugh Jackman? OR did they eat at the same restaurant as US? I suppose it's one in the same, but, for the record..it's the latter. And for good reason, Cotogna is, quite frankly, de-lic-ous. I’m still licking my fingers over here. With good food, good times and good friends celebrated by myself, Melissa, Elizabeth, Becky, Chelsea, Lindsey and Amanda…it just doesn’t get any better! As you can tell the night was a success, but check out the details below on our solid 0/10 scale to get the dirt!

Ambiance: 10 Can I live here? First of all, there is a wood-burning oven in the back, and that smoky, seductive smell is enough to make your mouth water if you weren’t already hungry walking in. The restaurant itself is on the smaller side, catering mainly to two-tops (which is why getting a table for anything more than 2 can take a little longer) and is comfortably quaint. As you know, we dined here for dinner, and they had candles set at each table that cast a warm, inviting glow across the restaurant. And as the sun sets, it gently lights the restaurant through the tall windows across two sides. Exposed brick on another side reminds you that you are indeed in San Francisco, but all in all, you may forget you’re out because you’ll feel so at home.

Wine: 8 ~~We only ordered one bottle~~. We only ordered one bottle over and over again, which we obviously liked, but it’s difficult to judge the wine in general. The bottle we chose, was one recommended by our waiter as it was from a region where his relatives resided, and it paired very well with our food: the Soave “Vigne De Mezzane,” Corte Sant’ Alda 2009. Whew, that’s a mouthful. And I wish I knew more of what it translated to other than “good.” Okay, moving on, here’s the cool part about their wine list – every bottle is $40. That’s right. I consider that pretty average for dining out, and now you don’t have to fret about spending less or more on bottles when you make your decision. The wine list is your oyster!

Food: 10 One word: Damn. And Good. Okay, make that two words. And what else could you expect from a restaurant whose chef, Michael Tusk, just won the coveted James Beard Award for Best Chef- Pacific. ‘Nuf said. Check out what we ate, which will also give you a pretty good feel for the entire menu because, well, we eat a LOT.

- Warm Ricotta: Mixed with fava beans and red onions, this dish is warm, delicious with a little kick of salty goodness. It is served with a crostini that is buttered and toasted to perfection.

- Zucchini Sformato with squash blossoms: I’ll admit it, this dish didn’t exactly turn me on when I read it on the menu. So when we ordered two dishes of it, I sighed in sadness. But alas, you got me Zucchini, you got me. It was blended to a rich, velvety creamy dish, adorned with a crispy zucchini on top – adding a new dimension to the dish. And a party to your mouth. That’s right people.

- Eggplant “alla parmigiana”: this one I thought was a little overpowered by the parmesan cheese. Very good, great consistency but a little too cheesy.

- Pizza Bianca: topped with asparagus and spring onion this dish is very refreshing. It has a zing of lemon thrown in there, and with one bite you taste how crisp, warm and light this pizza is.

- Chilled snap peas: The crisp slightly sugary snap pea paired with a tangy yogurt, was the perfect combination.

- Yellowtail Crudo: The yellowtail is also a refreshing start to the night, with espelette pepper and lime.

- Farm egg Raviolo: it’s true, I need to brush up on my Italian, but the name of this dish is teaching me slowly. Raviolo: one. Ravioli: more than one. I’m a big fan of the latter. Raviolo, on the other hand, you’re such a tease. And hardly a “dish” unless you’re an ant. But if you’re sharing plates like we were, it is one worth trying. It’s a bit heavier than most of the other dishes here (which I found to be on the lighter side yet filling), filled with parmesan and surrounding by warm, rich butter. It came with focaccia bread on the side, which was equally – maybe even moreso – amazing: salty, garlicky…focaccia: you could have been my whole meal and I’d have left a happy girl.

- Tagliolini: topped with Dungeness crab and the compliment of lemon, this pasta dish is refreshing and yet it’s creamy, warm homemade taste give you the satisfying smile on your face.

- Tagliatelle: mixed with suckling pig ragu and English peas, this dish is a little heartier than the rest but fixed similar to the Tagliolini.

- Agnolotti “dal plin”: allow me to translate – pasta. Surprise! Because we haven’t eaten quite enough pasta at this point. This dish is light yet rich and satisfying – and I realize the contradiction there, but…you just have to taste to understand. They are delicious, warm purses of pasta cooked just right – not too al dente – filled with meat.

- Wood Oven Roasted Sand Abs: We actually didn’t order these and they came as a mistake, but…come on…who are WE to turn food away. We’ve only eaten half the menu at this point. Step aside people, we’re moving in. The sand abs were light and delicate, with a hint of butter and the freshness of parsley – and were even adorned with edible flowers!

- Tai Snapper: Paired with asparagus and lemon thyme, it presented a mix of a refreshingly light taste, mixed with the indulging luxury of butter. We liked this dish better than the sand abs.

- Skirt steak: served with ramps and roasted fingerling potatoes, the steak was nestled nicely in a sea of garlic and deliciousness. It was perfectly prepared – we ordered it medium/rare – and was a nice cut of steak – much thicker than I would have imagined.

- Dessert: Question of the night: if you’ve had 13 dishes, is your “dessert side” still hungry? The answer: YES!

- Bomboloni: These are little mini-donuts filled with rich ricotta cheese, to dip in a limoncello sauce and devour!

- Milk Chocolate and almond milk Budino: this is a graham cracker-like dessert that you dip in a chocolate pudding type of consistency (which I’m guessing is the “budino”…who needs Italian classes? Not this girl!) served in a classic mini-pitcher.

- Cherry and almond crostada: this crispy, flaky, decadent crostada mixed with warm sweet cherries is the perfect end to the night

Price: 9 I won’t lie – it was a little expensive when the bill came. Okay, we alone paid the mortgage on our waiter’s apartment, but it was worth it. And as I type out all that we ate, it’s all making sense now. Eat the whole menu, pay for it.

Noise Level: 9 We had the biggest table there, and me and my Grandma-type hearing could still the girls at the other end of our table just fine. It’s a smaller restaurant, but quaint enough that everyone respects the noise level and the space around them.

Service: 8.5 Our server wasn’t overly attentive to our table – we had to ask for a few things multiple times, but it wasn’t for lack of being busy. If our waiter wasn’t at our table, he was at the next – helping and serving away! They did a great job spacing out the food so there was constantly something new coming.

All About The Area: Cotogna is nestled in the heart of Jackson Square – an area I have to admit I don’t typically frequent. The area itself is where eager antiquers meets hungry dinner goers looking for that extra something. There are a few little restaurants on this street, that I’m sure I’ll be back to check out. Being off the beaten path, the restaurants on this street aren’t the same loud, boisterous, packed restaurants you’ll see a block away on Columbus – but rather the hidden secret a select group of people have stumbled upon to enjoy. That’s right, I’m talking about you – go get ‘em tiger.

Overall Grade: 9