Kimmy L.
Yelp
How to Cook a Wolf is an exceptional experience. For those wondering, the restaurant name is based off a book by M F.K. Fisher, which according to Google, is a metaphor for hunger during tough times. The menus have a quote from the book on the side.
My family and I made reservations for a Sunday evening to celebrate my parents' anniversary and my dad's birthday. The place was packed and so I doubt they accept many if any walk-ins. As far as I saw, it is also the only fine dining place on the street.
The interior architecture was very intriguing. The inside walls are curved, resembling the inside of a wooden barrel. I've never seen anything quite like it. The tables are also made of cork which was cool.
The menu is pretty limited, but that's probably how they keep prices at a $$$ instead of a $$$$. We ordered the yeasted polenta fries, the gnocchi, the ravioli, the green beans, the halibut, the pork Milanese, and the Sea Wolf Sourdough.
The YEASTED POLENTA FRIES were crunchy on the outside and shaped like doughnut holes. They were sweet with strong notes of lemon peel. They were served with a creamy ricotta honey sauce. As my dad said, "these could almost be dessert!".
The GREEN BEANS were lightly sautéed in butter and perfectly blistered. They were firm and not overly cooked. The Parmesan was a great complement and not something I had ever had with beans before.
The GNOCCHI was our favorite of the dishes. Each piece of gnocchi was fork tender and melt in your mouth, unlike the chewy gnocchi you get at the store. Thus, you can definitely tell that the pasta is made in house. The sauce was creamy with some smoky and mildly spicy flavors.
The RAVIOLI was also decent and had very different notes than the Gnocchi. While the menu lists squash blossom as an ingredient, I can't say I really tasted it. Presentation-wise though, the naturally green pasta really stood out on the plate. The ravioli was earthy, cheesy, rich, and creamy.
The HALIBUT was meaty and savory. I think this was my least favorite of the entrees, but I'm not much of a halibut fan to begin with. It came with some interesting berries and compote- perhaps blueberries? I'm not entire sure, but I know that they weren't tomatoes.
The PORK MILANESE was absolutely fantastic. It was a huge slab of pork that took up the entire diameter of the plate. It was topped with an arugula salad with a lemony vinaigrette which was surprisingly not bitter at all. It was lighht and nutty. The pork was crispy, tender, and not oily which we enjoyed.
The SEA WOLF SOURDOUGH was a great to side to round off our dinner. The bread was soft and had nice char marks and flavor. It was served with honey fennel better which looked almost like whipped cream on the plate. It was light and mildly sweet. It also came with roasted garlic in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The roasted garlic was a great essence for the oil vinegar mixture, but also great on its own on bread.
Service was fantastic. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. She also gave us complimentary champagne in celebration of my parent's anniversary and a candle to blow out for my dad's birthday.
Overall, 5/5 for food, 5/5 for service, & 5/5 for atmosphere