Incanto

1550 Church St. (at Duncan St.), San Francisco, CA
(415) 641.4500

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“I am here to tell you all,” condescends Chris Cosentino on his website (offalgood.com), “that meat doesn’t come in…Styrofoam containers in your local supermarket.” (Of course it does, but that’s another issue.) Animals, he tells us, are made of more than bones, blood, and guts. Those who are shocked to learn this may also be shaken by the menu at Incanto, where Cosentino fashions creative dishes from unfashionable parts of cows and pigs. The chef gives kidneys a one-two punch with liver and pickled chanterelle mushrooms. His starter of pig’s trotters, plump and proud as a plus-size model (and puckering from pickled cherries), is fattened further with bacon and foie gras. You get the sense that Cosentino would like a fear-factor reaction—but this is San Francisco, where diners are worldly and don’t need to be dared. Besides, Incanto shines more brightly in its lightly traipsing moments, like delicate salads (citrus and shaved fennel; cured tuna with capers, radish, and mâche) and nuanced pastas, such as bucatini with parsley and cured tuna heart, topped with an egg yolk you toss in yourself. Organs? Ha! The only scary thing here is the size of the portions, frequently twice as large as necessary. (J.S.)  DRW

D= Dinner only
R= Reservation recommended
W= Wheelchair accessible