this is a new restaurant from the team behind the long running Glen Ellen Star. there is an Italian bent and the bread and pasta are made in house.
dishes ordered:
SF Halibut crudo, strawberry “aqua pazza”, risso fritto
Sicilian Focaccia, sourdough bread, aged parmesan
double creamed spinach, crispy shallots
Lumache al pesto, spring pea pesto, mushrooms, aged parmesan
Wild rock shrimp e polenta, pomodoro 'nduja bisque
Mortadella meatballs, pistachio pesto, aged parmesan
BAKED “GELASKA”, vanilla gelato, raspberry sorbet,
sponge cake, torched marshmallow fluff
TIRAMISU, soaked lady fingers, mascarpone sabayon
each dish was tightly focused and fairly restrained with the seasoning. the halibut could have used some acid, the bisque with the shrimp had a really flavourful shrimp stock base. their take on a baked alaskan was a real showstopper with excellent gelato in the interior. the tiramisu reminded me of a black and white cookie, although the cocoa powder was too generous, creating something off-balance and texturally challenging.
fine service albeit territorial at times; servers should be trained to pick up on other tables when there is a lapse. 3% extra charge if you don’t pay in cash (i don’t know about you, but i don’t walk around with $300+ dollars in my pocket – just fold the charge into the menu prices). i did notice this 3% fee in a number of restaurants in Sonoma recently, so they are not alone. overall a very fine meal and hope to go back to try other dishes.
