l'Osteria del Forno

This has been an old recurring favorite for years. We rarely dine in SF anymore, but last night we decided to make a visit. Mind you, the afternoon started with a start at the Punchdown and then a delicious Canary Island flight and a cider at the Barrel Room in SF.

For over 2 decades, l’Osteria did not take reservations nor credit cards. The “next generation” running the place now does both, which actually helped the decision to go (because we could arrive at a time certain instead of a long line or early dinner).

We shared three things:
(1) Burrata and arugula salad. Simple, tasty, not fussy.
(2) Pancetta and onion pizza. Delicious
(3) Lamb skewer with rice. Very good.
(4) A bottle of simple Italian red - one of the lower priced options on the menu (they had a few under $30). Tasty.

We were out the door with a decent tip for under a hundred bucks. As an aside, 4 ladies (tourists) saw us outside sitting awaiting our table when they were looking at the menu and deciding what to do. They took my recommendation of “eat here, it is really good” and when we left, they couldn’t thank us enough for the wonderful dinner they were enjoying.

The 2 servers waiting on us have been there for quite some time. Nice to see.

Is the pork in milk still on the menu?

It sure is. It is my favorite dish and this was one of the very rare occasions that I didn’t order it.

Their focaccia, and Da Flora’s, are two or the best breads in North Beach.

It has been a while, but we returned for lunch yesterday, and so glad we did. It was my first lunch there (which means the focaccia sandwiches are available).

After two starters (a tomato salad and a burrata plate), we each got a sandwich. Mine was the sliced pork and it was delish.

We brought a 2007 Villa Matilde “Cecubo” Roccamonfina. Yum. This remains one of my favorite little spots in the City. Oh, and as we got over to SF earlier than expected for our reservation, we each had a glass of white wine while awaiting our table.

Closed, unsure if permanently. Very sad.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/L-Osteria-del-Forno-closes-after-nearly-three-12284711.php