My usual dinner companion arrived home feeling not so hot. It was too late to find an alternate, so your intrepid correspondent dined alone. A woman arriving alone to dine at a restaurant is always a mini-test of the staff's hospitality. Arriving at Cucina is a little confusing anyway, because there are two entrances. The entryway on San Anselmo Avenue opens directly into the simple dining room, warm and inviting with its brick oven, tile floors and jeweled mosaic sconces. The main entrance, however, is around the corner, on the alley that leads to Creek Park. From there, you step into the wine bar, where walk-in customers can dine at the bar, or at one of several tables scattered around the small room. Having forgotten about the side entrance, I entered the dining room. When I remembered that the host was probably in the bar, I headed there past tables filled with families dining with kids. I mentioned my reservation to several young servers before one, indistinguishable from the rest, came to seat me. He didn't inform me that the folded paper square on the table, which looked kind of like a coaster, was the list of wines by the glass. So when he came back to ask if I wanted anything to drink, I hadn't yet seen it.
Once we got that straightened out, however, things began to flow much more smoothly. Since Cucina was my first stop, I had only planned to have an appetizer and a glass of wine. I was quickly served a crisp, juicy slice of complimentary tomato and garlic bruschetta, which kept me happy and occupied until my order arrived in short succession.
Asparagi saltati ($9.75), asparagus sautéed with prosciutto, mushrooms and garlic, turned out to be an inspired choice. Akin to a warm salad, sliced asparagus shards were tossed with mixed greens and bound with a light vinaigrette dusted with toasted breadcrumbs. The prosciutto, so often served in shreds when cooked, had been sliced in precise julienne strips, deep red and slightly chewy. The small plate was soulful and soothing; an excellent beginning course on a chilly evening.
I asked my young server for a wine recommendation. He chose a glass of lemony Vitiano from Umbria ($7.50), a blend of Viognier, Verdicchio and Vermentino grapes. It proved a perfect foil for asparagus, which can be hard to match with wine. The wine card lists 17 wines by the glass, from Italy, Sicily, California and Spain. There's a considerably extensive wine collection by the bottle.
I was reluctant to leave. Although Cucina can be noisy, the atmosphere is so relaxed and family-friendly that until he got too busy, the sous chef allowed two young girls to hang out near his station and watch him put together salads and antipasti. Cucina really has found its niche as a neighborhood restaurant. The menu is casual and very reasonably priced, but the preparations always thoughtful, creative and well-executed. I noticed that most of the entrées, including the organic New York bistecca ($21) and salmone della moda ($18.50), are offered with vegetables instead of starches as accompaniment. This means that carbo-loaders can order pasta or pizza, and those watching their starch intake can stick to the appetizers and entrées. I left thinking it had been too long since I had visited Jack Krietzman's much loved little trattoria.
But I had a date with a Frenchman. What woman dining alone could resist that?
