Bosco

Bosco Is San Francisco’s Latest Playground for Italian Fare | Eater SF

"Taking over the former Bellota space, this Absinthe Group newcomer channels a research trip to Italy into a menu led by chefs Ryan McIlwraith and Kaili Hill, with seven pastas (from lemon spaghetti and cacio e pepe to gramigna Bolognese and paccheri with wild boar marinated overnight in red wine), plus a standout buckwheat chitarra with cod marinated in Shared Cultures’ kombu garlic miso—likened to Nobu’s roasted miso cod—and accented with bonito and kombu for a broth that leans toward mushroom brodo. Hill’s bread craft threads through the meal via sourdough tigelle served with rotating salumi, friggione, marinated olives, and stracciatella, a sourdough focaccia, and a sourdough pizette topped with zucchini cream and stracciatella, plus mortadella and crushed pistachio. The reimagined wood-fired hearth is the heartbeat, with six movable shelves enabling long smokes for dishes like pork ribs agrodolce that linger five hours above the fire before a koji glaze and grill finish, alongside swordfish, a half chicken, and a chalkboard rotation of steaks. Antipasti brings a seasonal trio of salads (think panzanella with heirloom tomatoes and figs), a nontraditional Bosco Caesar built on escarole and roasted broccoli with crispy sourdough breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, and Sicilian oil-cured anchovies, and an octopus carpaccio dressed in caper–raisin purée; sides include grilled romano beans and heirloom polenta with marinated mushrooms. A visible fermentation program—developed with Shared Cultures and even a house hot sauce made with koji—sits beside a salumi case, while desserts run to rum baba, chocolate tart, and limoncello tiramisu. The beverage list spans Italian and Californian wines with Barolo and Barbaresco alongside cocktails from bar manager Ammiel Holder, including a kiwi- and mint-infused Campari Negroni riff called the Bosco Americano. Open 5–9 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday and 5–10 p.m. Friday–Saturday." - Dianne de Guzman