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| - After a brisk 20' walk from the Intercontinental, entering this warm & cosy haven was a pleasure. Very friendly maitresse d' greeted us, took our coats & directed us to the bar, saying our table would be ready 10' after our reservation time. Bartender was exceptionally helpful despite being very busy & we ended up selecting a 2007 Col di sole Brunello di Montalcino (www.rjonwine.com/italian-wine/brunello-di-montalcino/) after it turned out they didn't have the 2007 La Gerla. Fairly standard ~80% markup, but a very enjoyable wine.
We returned to the front desk 30' after our reservation time to remind them, & were immediately shown to our table. Excellent bresaola, burrata & eggplant caponata & delicious half-order of lobster ravioli were perfect starters. We were disappointed they had run out of osso buco (mentioned by other reviewers previously), but the veal scallopine & duck breast were delicious (both maybe just a tiny bit longer on the fire than we ideally prefer, & the plates might've been warmed a bit more, but it was a busy night). We couldn't finish the accompanying risotto cake & farro, respectively, & only had room to split a panna cotta, which unfortunately had too much gelatin & too-firm & starchy texture.
But overall, a very enjoyable meal in a nice space, with friendly staff. Other reviewers mentioned the tables being too close together & the price being a bit high, but we found both acceptable, ?possibly because we're from the Bay area...
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