I had a snack-y dinner at Binu Bonu this Saturday. Binu Bonu, which apparently means “good wine” in Sardinian, is a wine bar from the previous owners of Sardinian restaurant La Ciccia in Noe Valley - wife and husband team Lorella Degan and chef Massimiliano Conti. They sold La Ciccia to a former regular of the restaurant back in 2022, took some time off, and opened Binu Bonu last June. Binu Bonu is in West Portal near the West Portal Muni Metro station.
It’s small and narrow and cozy.
There’s popcorn to nosh on.
Menu
I had a couple glasses of wine since dry January was over, starting with a glass of Anima Mundi ‘Gres’ Xarel-lo Penedes 2023 ($14) which was very nice.
Cicchetto of Truffled Ricotta, Cantabrian Anchovies, Bitter Chocolat ($6)
To eat, I started with the cicchetto, which was a delicious bite! It had a really interesting mix of flavors, with the creamy truffle perfumed ricotta, salty anchovy, and bittersweet grated chocolate (!) topping, which was from Venezuela IIRC.
Smoked Swordfish, Pickled Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Oil ($17)
Next, I had the smoked swordfish. This was also delicious! The swordfish, which is smoked in house, was sliced very thin and covered in the lemon-y oil. There was a small mound of pickled artichoke slices. I made some crostini of swordfish and artichoke using some provided bread rounds from the “bread basket” which was a paper bag.
Assorted Italian Cured Meats (4 of Max Selection) ($24)
Next, a charcuterie plate. From left to right - salame Toscano, speck, capicola, and smoked salame from a town near the Dolomites which I forget the name of. All were quite good.
I also was gifted some pancetta from the maker of the capicola, which was thinly sliced and drizzled with a balsamic vinegar that had chocolate in it. This was really delicious, I don’t think I’ve had pancetta this way before.
I didn’t have room for dessert, but a biscotto with a candied cherry arrived as a nice finish to the meal.
Delicious food, delicious wine, and super friendly hospitality from Lorella and Massimo made for a great dinner!