Italy by way of Sausalito
Restaurateur Larry Mindel's Poggio is a labor of love
San Francisco Cronicle - February 15, 2004 by Michael Bauer
Restaurants represent many things to the people
who open them - passion,
ego, a desire to entertain and bring people together. In the
end, the
restaurant can reveal more about the owner than a Rorschach test.
At Poggio in Sausalito, you learn that Larry Mindel is a guy who
gives more
than is expected, a man who loves the finer things but who understands
value. His new Italian restaurant reflects all this and more.
Mindel has been a fixture in the Bay Area's dining scene for decades.
He was
the founder of legendary restaurants such as Ciao and Prego, heading
up the
then cutting-edge Spectrum group. He took over Il Fornaio and turned
that
into a successful chain with cafes, restaurants and bakeries all
over the
West. In 2001, he sold the company and stepped back from day-to-day
operations.
Yet for all his many successes, he always had the hankering to
create a
restaurant that broke out of the pack and reflected his refined
sensibility.
More than a decade ago, he sank millions into Etrusca in Rincon
Center, a
beautiful restaurant with hand-painted ceilings, truckloads of
rich marble
and a spectacular wood-burning oven with a hand-painted hood. Yet
he was
ahead of his time, not only for the regionally inspired menu but
for the
location which, after at least three other transformations, has
settled in
as Cosmopolitan Grill.
Now he's trying again, with a place that's a lot more personal
than Il
Fornaio, but much more conservative than Etrusca. He's hit the
mark.
The interior, crafted by Arcanum Architects of San Francisco,
is gorgeous,
with terra-cotta paver tile floors inset with marble, thick gold
marble
baseboards and gently curved arches lined with mahogany. The generously
spaced tables and the luxurious finishes, which include mohair
banquettes,
reveal quickly that Mindel is concerned about comfort.
At Poggio, which means, roughly, "special hillside place," Mindel
marries
his respect for Italy and his love for Sausalito, where he's lived
for 33
years. He wasn't the first to make the connection between the two
coasts,
but he's probably done more than anyone to bring them together.
Christopher Fernandez, his chef and partner, has developed a similar
passion. Like many restless cooks, he's moved around a lot, but
now he's
clearly in his element with an ultra-rustic style of cooking.
Fernandez began his Bay Area stint in 1992 at the Cypress Club
in San
Francisco. He moved on to become chef de cuisine for Paul Bertolli
at
Oliveto in Oakland. From there, he traveled to Palo Alto to open
the
now-closed Crescent Park Grill before heading to Stars in San Francisco.
He
returned to the Bay Area about two years ago to open D'Asaro in
Redwood
City.
Fernandez left that post more than a year ago so that he could
get ready for
this new challenge at Poggio. He made several trips to Italy and
studied at
Da Delfina, the same restaurant that so inspired Craig Stoll to
open the
wildly popular Delfina in the Mission District in San Francisco.
After an eight-week position with owner Carlo Cioni, Fernandez
came back a
changed man. It's little wonder that Fernandez pays homage to Cioni
by
serving ribollita ($5.50), the hearty Florentine soup. The mixture
of beans,
bread and vegetables is squeezed to remove excess moisture and
fried so that
it resembles a large moist pancake that can be eaten with either
a fork or a
spoon. This one dish captures the rustic nuances of Tuscan cuisine
better
than any other I know. You can almost imagine dining on the craggy
hillsides, with vineyards or the city of Florence below. Instead,
you get a
charming view of water and the sailboat masts as you look out at
the bay
just on the other side of Bridgeway.
Fernandez also uses his mentor's recipe for gnocchi ($12.50),
puffy balls of
ricotta and herbs held together with potato flour; they're served
on top of
a ragout where the meat is in strings, gooey from the vibrant,
rich tomato
sauce.
His pasta has a soulful richness that's difficult to find in most
Italian-
inspired restaurants in California, whether it's slightly chewy
garganelli
with squab bolognese ($13.50) or tender linguine with local squid
stewed in
red wine and leeks ($13.50). Flavors blend like an intricately
woven
tapestry. The effect is not as intense, but just as dynamic in
the
orecchiette with cauliflower, onion, bits of pork sausage and a
light tomato
sauce ($13).
The exhibition kitchen, discreetly tucked along the side of the
long, narrow
restaurant, is also equipped with a handsome wood oven that produces
some of
the best meat dishes in the Bay Area. Spit-roasted pork loin ($17)
fragrant
with herbs, made me ponder why this meat is ever cooked any other
way. The
nuances of smoke seem to enhance the natural sweetness and add
a spark of
interest to the white beans underneath. Fernandez knows enough
not to mess
with perfection, so there are no heavy sauces or condiments.
Chicken al mattone ($14.50) has a similar appeal. The skin is
almost the
same mahogany color as the arches that run down the center of the
dining
room, and the flavor of the meat is simply enhanced with preserved
lemon.
Cauliflower, slightly caramel-ized at the tips, might not add much
color to
the plate, but it's a brilliant partner to the chicken.
Grilled ahi tuna ($21) is simply served with a green garlic sauce
and
fingerling potatoes. Tender leaves of arugula strewn over the top
clears and
refreshes the palate. Local petrale sole ($17) with buttered spinach
and
lemon butter sauce is a dish that speaks well of the marriage of
two
cultures. It's served with potatoes that are poached to a velvety
texture.
Fernandez also knows how to braise, as shown in the shoulder of
lamb ($15)
served on a fluffy mound of mashed potatoes and topped with a chunky
mix of
peppers and green olives. You feel comforted and nurtured with
the
polpettone ($14), a meat loaf made of beef and pork and gently
simmered in a
tomato sauce. He serves two slices on a puddle of celery root puree
that
adds another spark of interest to the plate.
Salads and starters at Poggio tend to be light to counter the
hearty main
courses. They're as refreshing as a Tuscan rain, clean and cool,
but
bursting with flavor - marinated beets and arugula with ricotta
salata
($7.50), or local endive ($7.50), the bitterness of the leaves
accented with
Gorgonzola and ameliorated with walnuts, figs and honey. I also
loved the
romaine and radicchio ($8) with a soft-cooked egg and lemon anchovy
vinaigrette.
Once summer rolls around, the offerings should be even more exciting.
Mindel
is so into the Italian way with food that he turned a portion of
his yard at
home into an organic vegetable garden so that he and Fernandez
can have
Italian herbs and produce that are hard to get in Northern California.
The chef maintains his streak with desserts (all $6), whether
it's a cool
panna cotta or a creamy lemon and tangerine mousse topped with
pieces of
pistachio. Apple crostata, with caramelized fruit and a crisp crust,
has a
more rustic appeal.
The area that needs work at Poggio is service. Our experiences
were
different on each visit. The first time, I thought I had walked
into Jack's
during its heyday when the waiters were as crusty as three-day-old
baguettes. Our server practically threw things on the table as
he delivered
them and called the bus boy over to remove dishes as he stood by
to
supervise. He obviously forgot to pick up the pasta we ordered,
because it
was delivered practically cold and the main courses came before
we'd
finished. He answered questions with one syllable, as if it was
too much
effort to talk in complete sentences, and he had the annoying habit
of
carrying the pepper mill under his arm pit, drawing it like a weapon.
On another visit the waiter was efficient and friendly, even joining
in our
conversation about hiking in Marin. In some situations such intrusions
could
be annoying, but sitting in the cushy booth beside the bar, it
seemed to
strike the right note of camaraderie. Another time our waiter was
totally
unprepared for the job. The waiters may be sharply dressed in their
striped
shirts and burgundy patterned ties, but overall they aren't outfitted
with
the proper skills.
Yet the service mishaps are mostly overridden by the other elements.
Looking
out over the street and the bay beyond, you sense you're in Italy,
maybe the
second prettiest place in the world after the Bay Area.
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WINE LIST SCORES WITH GREAT CHOICES
Trattorias in Italy are known for their local wines and reasonable
prices.
While the list at Poggio is more international in scope, with a
mixture from
Italy and California, it shares a similar spirit. The list is compact
and
well chosen and the prices are exceptional.
Edited down to 100 selections, each seems designed to go with
the food;
almost all of them will pique the interest of anyone interested
in wine.
In whites, for example, there's the 2002 Terredora Greco di Tufo
($32) or
the 2002 Girolamo Dorigo Ribolla Gialla ($34). In reds, consider
the 2000
Allegrini La Grola ($36), the 2000 Planeta Syrah ($58) or, if you
don't want
to spend as much, the 1997 Artimino Carmignano Riserva ($29).
There are also 25 wines by the taste or glass, including the 2002
Marco
Felluga Tocai ($4; $8) or the 1999 Lucente Frescobaldi ($4.75;
$9.50).
The beverage selections also include popular cocktails such as
the Negroni
and the Sidecar (both $6.50), some house specialty cocktails ($7)
and eight
beers ($3.50-$4). There are also some nice choices of sweet wines,
grappa
and port to finish up. Corkage is $15.
