(650) 742-9777
Parking: street parking and pay parking lot next door
Hours: Mon-Fri Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm, Dinner 5pm - 9:30pm; Sat 5pm-10pm; Sun 4:30pm - 9:30pm
http://www.buongustorestaurant.com
Last Visited: November 1, 2012
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
The owners were raised in Sicily and opened the restaurant in 1988. Walk into the restaurant and it is a bit reminiscent of 1980s/1990s decor. The lighting is a bit dark and the full bar in the back looks well-stocked. We had a party of about ten for lunch during our visit, and we were seated in the nook area near the window.
The host/owner was very friendly and we had let him know ahead of time that we had a limited time to eat lunch. He was very accommodating, but service from his servers could have been improved by more attention to detail. Things seemed disorganized as the water and bread arrived before we ordered. I had ordered appetizers ahead of time and it seemed like the execution of the delivery of these and the coffee after dessert could have been better.
- Mozzarella Caprese - Large pieces of mozzarella are topped with a leaf of fresh basil and both are placed on top of a fresh slice of tomato. Olive oil, salt, and pepper top the salad. The tomato was pretty bland, but the basil was fresh. I wasn't particularly excited about this dish because it seems like it should only be offered seasonally when the tomatoes are ripe and flavorful. $8.50 - Fried Calamari - The calamari was breaded lightly and tasted good. Half order $8.50
- Pork Osso Bucco (special of the day) - All lunch entrees are served with a choice of soup or salad. I selected the salad and found the vegetables (lettuce, carrots, a cherry tomato, and a jarred pepper) to be fresh, but very overdressed. Most of my dining companions had a noticeable amount of dressing still on their plates even after finishing the vegetables. Thankfully, the osso bucco was delicious. The marrow was super tender and the tomato based sauce had really mingled with the meat well. The broccolini and carrot were fresh and the polenta with tomato sauce was a rich side dish. f you have the chance to try the osso bucco, definitely don't miss out on it. The portion is also quite generous for lunch. This was definitely a four star dish.
In general, I found that the plating could be a bit better. You can see that the salad dressing has dripped onto the side of the plate and the presentation of this and other dishes could be a bit cleaner. The food at Ristorante Buon Gusto is good, and greater attention to detail as well as serving more seasonal items could easily move their ratings up a star. Overall, it's a convenient location for decent Italian in South San Francisco.
No comments:
Post a Comment