Osso buco?

[Yehoshua]

Anyone have suggestions on places in SF that make great osso bucco? Have an anniversary dinner coming up, and want to find a nice meal of that. Quince? Acquarello?

[Robert Lauriston]

Blue Plate in the Mission, but sounds like you want someplace fancier.

I see it mostly as a daily special, and as DavidT notes mostly not at places in the Quince / Acquerello price / fanciness range. Places that have it as a regular item are mostly old-school North Beach joints like Capp's Corner.

Perbacco's braised beef short ribs are great. Similar flavor to osso buco.

[Eugene Park]

As mentioned earlier, it's tough to find a nice place that serves OB. If you don't mind scaling your expectations back, Capp's Corner makes a superlative OB with a brown sauce rather than the typical tomato-based sauce you find elsewhere. Marrow is always abundant and decadent, and I like to order it without the side of steamed vegetables and request they double the portion of polenta.

I've been going to Capp's on average once every other month for the past 20 years, and I only order the OB (unless they're sold out, which is a tragedy the few times it's happened).

[DavidT]

While I doubt one would want to go there for an anniversary dinner, I heard that the Pasta Pomodoro on California Street was serving osso bucco at dinner last night. I am guessing it was a dinner special that night and is not a regular item on the menu.

[OldTimer]

Original Joe's has very good OB, but only for lunch on Wednesdays...ditto Marin Joe's. What to watch for is the very tender, but tasteless, OB that you can cut with a fork. It is just to tender and mild. Joe's has more of a baby beef shank than veal...very flavorful.

[whiner]

The best Osso Bucco I've had in town was A16's take on it but using wild boar. Their menu changes daily, though, but I think they always have something braised...

[ML8000]

Globe use to serve a very nice one, served on lemon risotto. Don't know if they still do. I still remember it however 5 years later. It was very good.

[VirgoBlue]

Perbacco and Quince don't currently have osso bucco on their menus, unfortunately. Sugos and ragus are currently all the rage. They take their braised meats and make hearty sauces for their pastas. They are incredibly tasty, though. Both Perbacco and Quince offer those. So does A16.

[DavidT]

Original Joe's (Taylor St., SF) serves osso bucco as a lunch special every Wednesday. I don't know if it is available at dinner that night.

I would be very surprised if restaurants like Quince and Acquerello ever serve osso bucco. It might be a little to "down market" for those restaurants. Perbacco does a lot of braises and stews. You might call them to see if they ever have osso bucco on their menu. Check with Delfina as well. Lately, it seems like short ribs and pork shoulder have become the most popular meats to be used in that type of dish.