Osteria

Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, February 15, 2014—

YES: WHAT YOU SEE here is simply sliced roast pork, porchetta, cooked not alla romana but simply, in a manner reminding me of the Sunday night dinners at home when I was a kid.

I asked at the kitchen on our way out, and was told the herbs involved were rosemary, oregano, and — well, there you are; I've got to where I can only remember two items of three. Sage, perhaps. That's what I'd have added, sage, and perhaps a little myrtle; but then not everyone has myrtle available.

Whatever the herbs, the dish was first-rate. There was a green salad on the side, and I'd also asked for a side order of roast potatoes. They came with roasted slices of carrot and even yam as well, and I played dodgeball.

We'd begun, the three of us, with a nice big platter of salume and an "insalata rustica" involving tuna, white beans, and chopped celery, with a hint of sage I thought, and a delicate addition of very thinly sliced red onion, all in a very pleasant vinaigrette. All in all, a very satisfying dinner.

Pinot grigio, "terra alpina," Riff (Alto Adige), 2012; Corvina, "Scaia," Temita Sant'Antonio (Veneto), 2011

•L'Osteria Del Forno, 519 Columbus Ave, San Francisco; (415) 982-1124