Incanto

Anyone who loves offal as much as I do knows the name Chris Cosentino.  He is considered to be at the forefront of nose-to-tail dining in North America.  His restaurant, Incanto, has been named by some as the most adventurous restaurant in the United States.  He runs the website, Offal Good, educating people on how to buy, handle, and cook offal.  He opened a small shop called Boccalone in the Ferry Building, selling San Francisco's famous "meat cone".  For someone with so much passion for what they do, it is no surprise that I made Incanto my first dinner stop during my trip to San Francisco.  I was psyched.  

The restaurant is gorgeous, and very well put together.  Large wall-size windows overlook the sidewalks of Noe Valley, pictures of pigs grazing, figurines of pig heads on the walls, colors of light brown and white stretching from the front of the restaurant to the back, an open kitchen, and humorously, a bookshelf in the bathrooms containing cookbooks that would make any avid collector smile.

A friend and I decided to go big.  Heck, I flew 3000 miles to come here.  When talking with our server we asked if we had ordered enough, and when she said yes, we ordered some more.  The restaurant started us off with a bread platter containing house-made tapenade, breads, and breadsticks.

Incanto's Bread and Breadsticks with House-Made Black Olive Tapenade

Like many restaurants, I tend to skip on bread platters, as they serve no more purpose than to just get your palate going, while filling you up in a few bites.  Incanto was no different, serving bread which was passable, but not exceptional.  The olive tapenade didn't do wonders for me.  This was pushed off to the side.  Now bring on the offal.



Appetizer One:  Duck Testicles with Persimmon and Bacon:

Duck "Fries" with Persimmon and Bacon

It was lovely trying to hear our server explain this to us.  She seemed almost squeamish telling us that the kitchen cooks duck testicles and serves it with house-cured bacon.  I almost wanted to stop her to tell her that ducks do not have testicles at all.  Duck testicles, or duck "fries" as they are most commonly known, are actually white duck kidneys.  Now if you're looking at that picture and getting squeamish yourself, I assure you no sperm sacks with blow into your mouth.  Duck fries are incredibly gamey and moist, and you must try them for yourself.

The persimmon did not add much to this dish, however, and anything with bacon is great.  The dish was tied together with a meat-based stock, possibly veal jus, and although good, something seemed to be lacking altogether.

Appetizer Two:  Lardo with Pear and Fava Leaves:

House-cured Lardo with Pear and Fava Leaves

I wanted to like this one.  I wanted to so badly.  But much like the duck fries, something seemed to be lacking.  The house-cured lardo by itself was great.  Moist, fatty, melting on your palate.  It didn't pair well with the pear, though, and my friend and I ate the components separately.  I also wondered how Incanto could get their hands on beautiful fava greens in the middle of November, but hey, I'm not one to question at this very moment.

Appetizer Three:  Boccalone Pig Platter

Headcheese, Salami, Belly, with Roasted Garlic and Mustard

How could I possibly turn this down?  An entire platter dedicated to cured pork?  With a name that means "big mouth"?  Thin slices of headcheese, house-made salami, cured pork belly, roasted garlic, and house-made mustard.  Everything was fatty and delicious, yet lacked the salt you usually receive and crave with a cured meats platter.  This is where the bread platter came back into play.  Wrapping the headcheese around the breadsticks, and spreading the black olive tapenade amongst the rest of the meats gave everything the saltiness it craved.  What started off as lackluster became a memorable shared dining experience.

Appetizer Four:  Spaghetini with Quail Egg Yolk and Cured Tuna Heart:

Spaghetini with Quail Egg Yolk and Cured Tuna Heart

This was by far our favorite thus far.  The pasta was cooked perfectly.  The yolk added the perfect amount of richness to the pasta, while the shaved, cured tuna added another dimension of flavor and saltiness.  This was devoured within minutes.

Entree:  Braised Ham Hock with Green Lentils and Spinach:

Braised Ham Hock over Lentils and Spinach

When this was dropped on the table my friend and I couldn't help but smile.  It was huge, and looked amazing.  We took our forks to it and it literally melted right off the bone.  She was getting full at this point, so I had more of it to myself.  The meat was flavorful, the green lentils intense in the pork cooking liquid, with spots of carrot, onion, and celery.  A good way to end the meal.

So overall, if you're like me and looking to travel across country to eat at Incanto, save your time and money.  There are definitely more restaurants in our area that may not be as adventurous, but definitely pack more flavor into each bite.  I left wanting more.  Perhaps I built it up too much in my mind.  But where was the love and soul that this place was known for?  I definitely noticed they make a lot of their ingredients in house, but it takes more than that to deliver a soul-satisfying meal.

Although this was my first time dining here, my friend apparently had been here a total of five times, and waited until the end of the meal to tell me Incanto isn't what it once used to be.  I wish she had told me beforehand.

Incanto

1550 Church Street

San Francisco, CA 94131