Holy Incanto

Whenever my sister's in town, I always try to pick some place special to go out to eat with her. On the rec of my Urban Daddy friend, who never steers me wrong, we ended up at Incanto. In fact, UD friend came along, and all three of us were absolutely thrilled with our meals.


The mint malfatti (spinach pasta) came out perfectly al dente and decadently doused in a rich red wine-braised beef and mushroom sauce.


Incanto's marinated sardines were super fresh and firm with the celery, grapefruit and radish salad giving just the right tang and crispety crunch to counterbalance the little fish.


Ma soeur and I both asked for what turned out to be the most stupendous slow-roasted, fall-off-the-bone hefty neck o' lamb with a generous garland of gremolata (garlic, cilantro and lemon zest), sitting atop a tangle of sauteed flowering rapini and a pool of the creamiest polenta along with the lamb's own jus.


We finished off with a bowl of some home-made blood orange sorbet and a savory-sweet, rustic Fuji apple and rosemary crostata crowned with vanilla ice cream and a butterscotch drizzle. Usually, I don't think much of Italian desserts, but hats off to Incanto for ending the meal the way it began ... on top.