Poggio Trattoria
777 Bridgeway, Sausalito 415-332-7771 Poggiotrattoria.com
Breakfast, daily 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Lunch and dinner, Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, noon to 9 p.m.
from the tourist-catering waterfront restaurants lining the north side of Bridgeway about a stone’s throw away. It’s high-end local. For entrees, our server recommended the tajarin ($87), a house favorite pasta originated, like much of Poggio’s wine cellar, in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy. Thin, hand-cut and egg-based, this deliciously rich pasta is served in a simple sage-butter sauce, topped by shaved white truffle, also a delicacy of Piedmont. We also tried the costata, or ribeye ($53), served in red-wine jus alongside potato gratin and broccoli di Ciccio, a mildly sweet Italian varietal. Topped by peppery arugula, the oak-grilled beef was a delight, complemented perfectly by the hot-baked pan of cheesy sliced potato. We saved room to share a decadent panna cotta ($10); the kitchen works wonders with vanilla bean custards and gelatos—everything from the crème brulee to affogato to budino al cioccolato is recommended. Poggio translates to “knoll” or “hillside” and is a word often found on Italian wine labels, in reference to the slope or peak of the hill that enjoys the most exposure to the sun—the part of a vineyard that produces the finest grapes. The name obviously reflects the restaurant’s passion for great Italian wines, but after more than 20 years of distinction in the 415, it’s also apt for Poggio’s place at the “peak” of Italian restaurants in the North Bay. Bravo! t
Did You Know? Prior to founding Poggio, Larry Mindel made his name in California Italian cuisine through his Chianti in Los Angeles, Ciao and Prego restaurants in San Francisco and Il Fornaio in Corte Madera, which he transformed from a struggling bakery into a chain of acclaimed Italian restaurants. Mindel was the first American to win the Caterina de Medici medal for preservation of Italian heritage and culture outside Italy .
Jason Walsh is editor in chief of NorthBay biz magazine and northbaybiz.com. A North Bay native, he’s spent his career covering the news, lifestyles and people of Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties. When not up to his elbows in page proofs, you can find him and his family exploring all corners of the North Bay from their home base in Novato.
The tajarin, with shaved truffle, is a house-favorite pasta, originating in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy.
February 2025
NorthBaybiz 69
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