Binu Bonu [San Francisco, West Portal]

[Mr_Happy]

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!

[ernie_in_berkeley]

The Chronicle reported on the West Portal restaurant scene today. If you can’t click past the pop-ups, use incognito/private mode.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/west-portal-san-francisco-20032433.php

[brisket44]

This place is such a gem. The husband and wife team are so charming and warm, and they have a fantastic Italian wine selection. We had the Cicchetto of Truffled Ricotta, Armatore Anchovies, Bitter Chocolate which is a combination I never would have imagined, but it was really interesting and good. The marinated wild prawns with tomatoes, pickled onions, celery and various herbs was fantastic and a generous portion. Excellent cured meats and cheese on the charcuterie board. I asked Lorella for the most interesting white and she recommended an Italian orange wine, but brought a taste to make sure I liked it first. She did the same with every wine when we asked for a suggestion. This is place where I would just tell her what kind of wine you like and go with her suggestions.