The hotly anticipated ~LOCANDA~ opens from the Delfina team this Saturday April 30th at 5:30pm. The kitchen will be led by Anthony Strong, who has worked at Craig and Annie Stoll’s Pizzeria Delfina locations for the past six years. At Locanda, you will encounter an osteria-style menu of dishes inspired by authentic Roman cuisine and integrating local and seasonal ingredients. Strong recently spent two months staging in (primarily) the kitchen of Osteria di San Cesario—twenty minutes from Rome’s center—and gained a good understanding of the dishes and cuisine of Lazio (the region).
Look for classic Roman pasta dishes ($14-$18), like bucatini all’amatriciana, casarecce alla carbonara, and tonnarelli cacio e pepe (these classics will always be on the menu), along with rotating pastas like fusilli with sardines, fennel pollen, currants, and breadcrumbs; all 11 pastas will be rolled or extruded in house. The menu will include some items off the Universo wood-fired grill and rotisserie, like guinea hen leg and lamb scottadito ($19-$28), and there’s a Quinto Quarto section (the fifth quarter), a section of offal dishes, like tripe and oxtails alla vaccinara ($9-$24). The sole “pizza” on the menu is pizza bianca, a Roman flatbread dressed with olive oil and sea salt (read: not pizza); it will be served as guests are seated. And it’s a good thing it’s artichoke season—you’ll find two Roman preparations on the menu (alla giudea and raw/crudo).
There’s also the added bonus of having a full liquor license. The bar program—which was originally going to be run by Brian MacGregor—was ultimately put together by consultant Eric Alperin of The Varnish in Los Angeles. Look for small production spirits and cocktails that reference Rome. As for the vini, wine director Chris Wright (AQUA) has put together a list that includes California, France, and all regions of Italy, so don’t be surprised when you see the Palmina dolcetto next to a Pieropan soave on the list. There are also five glasses of bubbly by the glass, so you know what section I’ll get to know well.
Envelope A+D (Delfina, Pizzeria Delfina, Contigo) is behind the modern and comfortable osteria-by-way-of-the-Mission look, which includes an undulating coffered ceiling, a hand-laid mosaic wall, and an expansive walnut bar. There are 80 seats total, with an open kitchen, and look for the custom refrigerated case full of house-cured salumi. Hours are daily 5:30pm-1am.
Chef Anthony Strong; photo by Eric Wolfinger.
