roasted clams

Our last two meals in San Francisco were at Contigo and Incanto. Weeks before this trip, I asked a few friends who had recently eaten at both restaurants which one we should go to–most were in favor of Contigo. But in the middle of dinner there, my husband told me that Incanto was only a few blocks away, and wouldn’t I like to share one of their best-known dishes (the pork shoulder with polenta) there afterwards? Of course, I said yes.

But back to Contigo–this was our favorite meal during our short stay in San Francisco. The vibe is cozy and warm, and the food is simple and delicious. We started with an order of roasted clams, their sweet briny tasted accented with slivers of cured meat and garlic.

winter squash salad with chantrelles, frisée, pomegranate seeds, parmigiano

It’s difficult for me to chose one standout dish at Contigo–I think the winter squash salad, the zucchini flatbread, and the tripe with chorizo were all stellar. The slices of caramelized squash were still pliant, their sweetness foiled by the slight bitterness of the frisée. Roasted chantrelles lent their deep, earthy flavor, while the bright pop of pomegranate seeds lightened this wintry salad.

zucchini flat bread with anchovies and cheese

And oh, how I loved the zucchini flat bread. The dough was rolled out so thin, drizzled with a healthy amount of olive oil. Paper-thin shingles of zucchini dotted the surface, while the warmed anchovies dissolve on your tongue, leaving a trace of oily, salty fishiness…(I swear it tastes much better than it sounds. I could eat this flatbread everyday.)

tripe with garbanzo beans and chorizo

And the tripe–slow-cooked til meltingly tender, flecked with dense, chewy bits of chorizo. I ate this as fast as I could, to ensure more than my fair share.

quince sorbet

Dessert was quince sorbet, and Blue Bottle coffee. So glad I got to try Blue Bottle once in San Fran–I stood in line for it at the Ferry Building, but the line was too long, and I gave up. The coffee I got at Contigo was fantastic.

love the piggy paper clip!

one last dish at Incanto, after our dinner at Contigo: pork shoulder with sweet-sour pumpkin, and polenta

And after Contigo, one quick stop at Incanto for a glass of wine at the bar, and an order of pork shoulder. Unfortunately, this dish didn’t live up to the hype, or else it was an off-night–the pork was rather bland and dry, and nothing made the dish stand out for me. (I should add that my husband ate at Incanto the night before, when I was at the Foodbuzz festival. He enjoyed the marrow/parsnip ravioli best out of the three dishes he ordered, but he didn’t particularly love his meal there that night either.)

And so concludes our quick weekend trip to San Fran! Tomorrow, I’ll take you to Szechuan in Bellevue.