Cuisine type: modern American, rustic
Atmosphere: casual, lively
Meal: late dinner
Overall score: 9.17
Nina
Incanto was truly a magical food experience. We went there with two friends visiting from the East Coast, who had watched Top Chef Masters (in which the winner, Chef Chris Cosentino, is the executive chef at Incanto) and were very excited at the opportunity to meet the chef. This place is on a quiet street in Noe Valley, and looks quite unassuming from the outside. Reservations are strongly recommended, since it may take a long time to get a table on a walk-in basis, especially on weekend nights. We fortunately did have a reservation for a late dinner time, and got seated within a couple of minutes from entering through the door.
The restaurant has a very lively, rustic atmosphere, with stone walls and large printouts of food and fields hung as decoration in the dining area. The kitchen was open to the dining area, so guests could see the magic in action, and the waiting area was adjacent to a cooler window with cured meat and salami hanging enticingly underneath a statue of a pig, honoring the beast that makes all those delicacies possible.
As soon as we sat down, we were presented with a wine menu which had a good variety, while not being overwhelming, which is something I always fear a bit in nicer restaurants. In keeping with the rustic European feel and style of the restaurant, the wines were selected mostly from European varietals, and I was surprised to not find any California wines on their list. I asked for an Italian Barbera, which we could all share at the table and hopefully pair well with our red meat dishes (I saw enough pork product by the waiting area that I knew what to expect). After the wine was served, we also got some crusty freshly baked bread, served not with butter but with an olive tapenade, which was a pleasant and delicious surprise.
The appetizer Ben and I decided to share was one of the daily specials - calf brain and lobster mushroom bruschetta with a beef consomme. This was love on a plate - the thick, crusty bread had a perfect crunch, which was mostly drowned in the savory beef broth. It was topped with perfectly cooked creamy chunks of calf brain, mixed in with large and tender pieces of lobster mushroom and topped with parsley. It was rustic, homey and exquisite at the same time, a perfect opener for a delectable meal.
I found out that his winning array of dishes were built around the ideas of letters to loved ones, how he would express himself through food. Our friends ordered the “letter” to himself, or what he would want to eat as his last meal - a blood sausage seared to a crisp, served with poached oysters and a sunny side up egg. Similarly rustic and delicious, this dish had a rich simplicity that was savory and delightful.
My entree was another one of his letters, this time his Apology Letter, what he would make for his wife to apologize for working too much (her favorite food) - sea urchin and cauliflower puree, served with seared scallops, pancetta and sea urchin and drizzled with scallion oil. Ben had a variation on pasta carbonara, with firm egg noodles and raw egg yolk, in which the bacon’s role was filled by dry cured and thinly shaved tuna heart.
For dessert, because of course there is dessert with an outstanding meal like this, it was tough to choose between the delicious sounding and creatively unique desserts on their menu. I finally settled for the pistachio macaron served with a cactus pear float with sabayon foam - the combination of flavors and textures was incredibly innovative and nothing like I’ve ever had before. If I was trying to be extremely nit-picky I could remark that the macaron was slightly dry, the tiniest bit too crunchy/sweet from the light and creamy bite that I usually prefer, but realistically it was as close to perfection as I’ve ever had.
Service at the restaurant was outstanding - everyone from the hostess to our waiter and everyone who brought us our dishes and cleared up the table were very friendly and accomodating. But to make things even better, the man himself, executive chef Chris Consentino, came out to talk to us after we were done. He chatted with our friends about his experience on Top Chef Masters and how he got along with the other contestants, talked about the restaurant and what changed for him after the competition, and even gave us a neat autograph on the evening’s menu as a souvenir. Incanto is definitely a must-visit for the adventurous foodie who is interested or curious about the more unique parts or preparations of meat.
The restaurant has a very lively, rustic atmosphere, with stone walls and large printouts of food and fields hung as decoration in the dining area. The kitchen was open to the dining area, so guests could see the magic in action, and the waiting area was adjacent to a cooler window with cured meat and salami hanging enticingly underneath a statue of a pig, honoring the beast that makes all those delicacies possible.
As soon as we sat down, we were presented with a wine menu which had a good variety, while not being overwhelming, which is something I always fear a bit in nicer restaurants. In keeping with the rustic European feel and style of the restaurant, the wines were selected mostly from European varietals, and I was surprised to not find any California wines on their list. I asked for an Italian Barbera, which we could all share at the table and hopefully pair well with our red meat dishes (I saw enough pork product by the waiting area that I knew what to expect). After the wine was served, we also got some crusty freshly baked bread, served not with butter but with an olive tapenade, which was a pleasant and delicious surprise.
The appetizer Ben and I decided to share was one of the daily specials - calf brain and lobster mushroom bruschetta with a beef consomme. This was love on a plate - the thick, crusty bread had a perfect crunch, which was mostly drowned in the savory beef broth. It was topped with perfectly cooked creamy chunks of calf brain, mixed in with large and tender pieces of lobster mushroom and topped with parsley. It was rustic, homey and exquisite at the same time, a perfect opener for a delectable meal.
I found out that his winning array of dishes were built around the ideas of letters to loved ones, how he would express himself through food. Our friends ordered the “letter” to himself, or what he would want to eat as his last meal - a blood sausage seared to a crisp, served with poached oysters and a sunny side up egg. Similarly rustic and delicious, this dish had a rich simplicity that was savory and delightful.
My entree was another one of his letters, this time his Apology Letter, what he would make for his wife to apologize for working too much (her favorite food) - sea urchin and cauliflower puree, served with seared scallops, pancetta and sea urchin and drizzled with scallion oil. Ben had a variation on pasta carbonara, with firm egg noodles and raw egg yolk, in which the bacon’s role was filled by dry cured and thinly shaved tuna heart.
For dessert, because of course there is dessert with an outstanding meal like this, it was tough to choose between the delicious sounding and creatively unique desserts on their menu. I finally settled for the pistachio macaron served with a cactus pear float with sabayon foam - the combination of flavors and textures was incredibly innovative and nothing like I’ve ever had before. If I was trying to be extremely nit-picky I could remark that the macaron was slightly dry, the tiniest bit too crunchy/sweet from the light and creamy bite that I usually prefer, but realistically it was as close to perfection as I’ve ever had.
Service at the restaurant was outstanding - everyone from the hostess to our waiter and everyone who brought us our dishes and cleared up the table were very friendly and accomodating. But to make things even better, the man himself, executive chef Chris Consentino, came out to talk to us after we were done. He chatted with our friends about his experience on Top Chef Masters and how he got along with the other contestants, talked about the restaurant and what changed for him after the competition, and even gave us a neat autograph on the evening’s menu as a souvenir. Incanto is definitely a must-visit for the adventurous foodie who is interested or curious about the more unique parts or preparations of meat.
| Food | 10 |
| Drinks | 10 |
| Atmosphere | 9 |
| Service | 9 |
| Value | 8 |
A perfect fine restaurant for the city; discreet from the outside but refined and lively on the inside. This is the crown jewel of chef Chris Consentino, the chef made famous from the show Top Chef and various appearances on Food Network. Chris is visibly involved in the kitchen - which is largely to the dining area - and is available and interactive with the patrons (he even chatted with us and posed for a picture with friends). We ordered a bottle of wine (reasonably priced at around ~40) and an appetizer: a calf brain and lobster mushroom bruschetta with beef consomme. The appetizer was one of the best dishes; the brain was creamy soft beef consomme sauce gave a great savory flavor to the dish. The lobster mushrooms were fresh and delicious, overall a perfect combination. For entrees we ordered a tuna heart noodles with egg yolk and a sea urchin puree with seared scallops. The sea urchin dish was fantastic - perfectly seasoned, creamy sea urchin with a rich, salty flavor.
The tuna heart spaghetti was decent - a warm egg yolk with shavings of smoked tuna heart over spaghetti with oil and various herbs. The tuna taste came through, though the dish was very salty and a little spaghetti heavy. Our friends ordered a delicious blood sausage with a sunny side up egg, which I was able to try and thought was fantastic. The sausage was fresh and smooth, and the juice from the sausage pooled with a basic (stock?) sauce giving a great flavored soup over the eggs. The dessert was decent; pistachio macaron served with a cactus pear float with sabayon (whipped alcoholic custard). The macaron was very sweet and a little chewy and the float was a little tart, but the combination was a pleasant overall experience. Overall the experience was great; a highly creative menu with several exotic meat selections, and a variety of preparations with masterful technique. The service was friendly and professional, and the atmosphere is cozy, tasteful, and generally very pleasant.
The tuna heart spaghetti was decent - a warm egg yolk with shavings of smoked tuna heart over spaghetti with oil and various herbs. The tuna taste came through, though the dish was very salty and a little spaghetti heavy. Our friends ordered a delicious blood sausage with a sunny side up egg, which I was able to try and thought was fantastic. The sausage was fresh and smooth, and the juice from the sausage pooled with a basic (stock?) sauce giving a great flavored soup over the eggs. The dessert was decent; pistachio macaron served with a cactus pear float with sabayon (whipped alcoholic custard). The macaron was very sweet and a little chewy and the float was a little tart, but the combination was a pleasant overall experience. Overall the experience was great; a highly creative menu with several exotic meat selections, and a variety of preparations with masterful technique. The service was friendly and professional, and the atmosphere is cozy, tasteful, and generally very pleasant.
| Food | 9 |
| Drinks | 9 |
| Atmosphere | 10 |
| Service | 9 |
| Value | 8 |
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