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Cotogna San Francisco review plus photos

Recipes, Reviews

San Francisco & Napa Valley Dining 2013 ~ Part One

August 2, 2013

SF steep hillA two week vacation in San Francisco filled with multiple meals of delightful food can easily result in a few unwanted pounds.  But there’s hope.  San Francisco is a walker’s city.  Whether it’s to your favorite restaurant or shop, up a steep San Francisco hill, walking definitely helps to alleviate that problem. It’s as if the city were designed for gourmands!

So begins our first week of dining out in San Francisco and Napa Valley.

Sanraku – Metreon & Sutter Street (Lunch)

Sanraku tempuraSanraku has two locations in downtown San Francisco, one at the newly renovated Metreon and the other on Sutter Street.  We’ve dined here many times, mostly at the Metreon location because it is located right across the street from our hotel.  Sanraku offers many selections, the prices are fair and the service is prompt.

Sanraku SushiThe sushi is fresh and tasty.  This California roll was part of a combination lunch.  All main course lunches include miso soup, rice and a salad.

Sanraku saladSanraku SaladSanraku sashimiMaguro Sashimi

Sanraku Sesame Chicken Sutter StreetSesame Chicken at Sanraku Sutter Street

Sanraku sesame chickenSesame Chicken at Metreon Location

I always order the sesame chicken plate but I have to say it wasn’t very good this past visit at the Metreon location.  The sauce tasted burnt and that ruined the dish.

I’m not sure if I will go back to Sanraku because there are so many other restaurants to try out.  And if I do go back, I will walk the longer distance to their Sutter street location where the food seems better prepared.

Seven Hills (Dinner)

Seven Hills dining roomSeven Hills is located in the Russian Hill neighborhood and is a charming restaurant with warm service. We waited 15 minutes for our table (with a reservation) and Alex who works the front of the house was extremely accommodating in getting our table ready as quickly as possible.

Seven Hills meatballsThe restaurant was dark so my photos are not the best, but hopefully they portray the delicious food we were served that evening such as the turkey meatballs and grilled bread appetizer above.

Bean & Arugula Salad with Fried ParmesanBean and arugula salad with fried parmesan.Ravioli uovoThis Raviolo Uovo is described on their menu as: Full Belly Farm egg yolk, house made ricotta cheese, spinach, brown butter and white truffle oil.  It was a rich and delicious appetizer.

Seven Hills ravioli with mushroomsTortelli with  Euvitis Wild Mushrooms – Brown butter, thyme and grated Pecorino cheese.

We enjoyed our dinner at Seven Hills.  The food was very good with reasonable prices and the service was excellent.  Reservations are highly recommended as seating is extremely limited and the bar only seats about 4 people.

Cotogna – Jackson Square (Lunch)

Cotogna FocacciaCotogna serves rustic Italian cuisine and is the sister restaurant to Michael Tusk’s Quince restaurant located next door.  It’s extremely popular and advance reservations are required if you want a table, otherwise they offer bar and a communal table seating for walk ins.

Cotogna Zuckerman Farms AsparagusZuckerman’s Farm fresh asparagus salad with walnuts and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Cotogna Artichoke SaladAsparagus salad with sunflower seeds and aioli.

Cotogna HalibutHalibut with Meyer lemon and pistachios.

Cotogna RavioliGreen pea ravioli.

Cotogna Pizza 2Sausage, Ramps and Pecorino pizza.

Lunch at Cotogna was superb.  Everything we ordered was prepared perfectly.  It’s a bit of a splurge for lunch but we felt it was worth it and would definitely go back.

Napa Valley MarriottA few days at the Napa Valley Marriott was just what we needed.  Relaxing by the pool then taking a leisurely drive to St. Helena and stopping in at Dean & DeLuca and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone made for a perfect afternoon.

Dean & DelucaDean & DeLuca, St. Helena

Culinary Institute of America at GreystoneThe Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

Redd Wood – Yountville (Lunch)

Redd Wood signWe had lunch at Redd Wood in the summer of 2012 and we were hooked.  Richard Reddington also owns Redd Restaurant in Yountville.  Redd Wood is more casual and offers fantastic pizzas, salads, pasta and terrific daily specials.  So we returned this May for two more really fine meals.

Redd Wood barRedd Wood has a snazzy bar!

Redd Wood Marinated Warm OlivesMarinated Warm OlivesRedd Wood chopped saladThis simple chopped salad was very satisfying with its tangy dressing and al dente ceci beans.  Only after I had finished it did I realize the olives mentioned in the description were no where to be found.

Redd Wood Sausage PizzaI asked about their tasty pizza sauce and was told by the chef that they use San Marzano tomatoes, process them in a food mill and reduce the sauce and season it with just salt and pepper.  Once I returned home I followed their directions and now I’m sold on this simple and fresh tasting sauce.

Redd Wood burgerJohn can’t pass up a burger, which was one of the specials of the day.  Just looking at that brioche bun reminds me of how delicious it was.  The meat was seasoned and cooked to perfection.  The frites were equally as good.

Redd Wood – Yountville (Dinner)

Redd Wood InteriorLunch was so good we returned to Redd Wood for dinner on the same weekend.  A few appetizers, pizzas and the best roasted chicken I have ever had, confirmed our judgement that Redd Wood is one of the top restaurants in  Napa Valley.

Redd Wood Fritto MistoFritto Misto was a good way to start the evening.  In addition to calamari, there was zucchini, artichoke and spiced ceci beans served with homemade aioli.

Redd Wood Meatballs A particularly delicious appetizer was meatballs and grilled bread.

Redd Wood Sausage PizzaThis sausage and mushroom pizza with peppers and fried egg was memorable.

Redd Wood Potato Bacon PizzaAnother tasty pizza with potatoes and smoked bacon.

Redd Wood Roast ChickenI love roasted chicken and if I see it on a menu I am always tempted to order it.  I’ve had outstanding roasted chicken and some forgettable roasted chicken.  Redd Wood’s roasted chicken was the best I ever had, bar none.  The crispy, well seasoned skin was hard to pass up and the meat on both the breast and thigh were so moist and flavorful. Served with farro and vegetables and a poached egg (!) it was a meal I shall never forget.

Redd Wood is one of our favorite restaurants.  Whether you are there for lunch or dinner (they also serve breakfast) you will be very happy indeed.

Redd ~ Yountville (Lunch)

Redd MenuRedd is Richard Reddington’s original Yountville restaurant serving lunch, dinner and Sunday Brunch. Four of us decided to try lunch on this visit to Napa Valley.

Smoked Trout SaladA beautiful salad of spinach and endive with crispy and colorful beet chips served with a smoked trout crostini.

Redd Ahi & Hamachi Tartare with Fried RiceYellow fin tuna and hamachi tartare with avocado and “fried rice.”  One word describes this appetizer “divine!”Hamachi SashimiHamachi sashimi with edamame with a refreshing lime ginger sauce.

ScallopsPan seared scallops served with cauliflower puree. Magnificent!

Prime NY Steak SandwichPrime New York steak sandwich.

Redd Duck ConfitIt’s not often that you’ll find duck confit on a menu.  And when you do find it, what a treat it is.  Redd’s duck confit with lentils and poached egg was the highlight of my entire trip.

Pork BunsThese pork buns were unbelievably delicious.  Note to self: double order next visit.

We all raved about our meal at Redd.  The restaurant was immaculate as was the service, and the food was out of this world.

Gott’s Roadside ~ Napa (Lunch)

GottsWe were in the mood for a casual, order at the counter meal and what fit the bill better than a hamburger and fries?

Gotts BurgerMy burger with pickles, tomato and “secret” sauce.

Gotts FriesThe fries were hot, crispy and salty.

Gotts Fries and Sweet PotatoesWe were the beneficiaries of an order taker mistake and received sweet potato fries in addition to the regular fries we ordered. They were tasty but we preferred the regular fries.

Gotts Cheese BurgerCheese burger.

Gotts Burger BiteWe were satisfied with our quick, unfussy lunch at Gott’s.  Looking forward to another visit for a juicy, grilled burger with all the right accompaniments.

Botega ~ Yountville (Dinner)

BottegaMichael Chiarello’s Bottega is very popular, reservations are a must. We dined here twice before on other visits and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner so we returned again this summer.

Bottega BarReception and bar at Bottega.

Bottega PlateThe restaurant is fairly large with seating at the bar, outside on the patio and inside where there are two separate dining rooms.  We were seated at a cozy table in the dining room that is surrounded by glass windows.

Bottega Green Eggs & HamGreen eggs and ham!  This appetizer is a unique, beautiful combination.  A soft boiled egg, deep fried with a crispy coating served with pancetta wrapped asparagus.

Shaved Brussel Sprout SaladShaved Brussels sprout salad with sieved egg and marcona almonds.  Who knew Brussels sprouts could be so delectable.

Iberian PorkIberian pork with roasted potatoes.  Our server told us this pork was similar to beef and so it was. Unfortunately it came to our table luke warm if that.  Maybe it was due to the pork being sliced in advance and it didn’t make it to our table quick enough.  In any case, we sent it back and they returned promptly with a new order at the correct temperature and it was a real treat!

Bottega Braised and Smoked Short RibBraised and smoked short rib.  You can always find this popular dish on their menu.

Bottega Delfina PotatoesDelfina Potaotes. Yum!!Braised Smoked Short Rib 2  Overall, the food is excellent at Bottega. We enjoyed three dinners there over the last couple of years and we would not hesitate to return (especially if the smoked and braised short rib remains on the menu!).

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