Desco
- Italian Cuisine in Old Oakland
Dining
Detectives
By Carol & Joe Davis
We
love dining in Old Oakland as there are trendy Restaurants and
Bars which draw a sophisticated crowd. The historic buildings
and classic street lamps create a retro American city atmosphere
which adds to the overall ambience. We were craving Italian Cuisine
so we wanted to dine at Desco which just recently opened. It is
located in a Historic 1876 building and is quite welcoming with
its big D shingle above the entrance and 1940's Italian Café
feeling. The décor features 20 foot ceilings, brick walls,
rustic wood furnishings and copper topped counter seating. There
is a row of cozy booths along the back wall, a large communal
or group table and outdoor sidewalk tables in warm weather. There
are also large windows on both sides of the restaurant overlooking
the sidewalk and the beautiful trees. It was a lovely night and
quite a few people were sitting outside but we opted to have a
window table inside overlooking the street and the stylish interior.
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Desco
serves seasonally fresh, ingredient driven regional Italian Cuisine
created by Executive Chef Donato Scotti who also
owns Donato Enoteca in Redwood City where we
have dined many times. He grew up in Italy and attended the Instituto
Alberghiero di San Pellegrino Culinary School and now has quite
a following in the Bay Area. As we looked at the focused menu
we ordered Lauretana Italian Alps Sparkling Water and received
fresh made bread with a small dish of fantastic olive tapenade.
Caleb, our extremely knowledgeable and friendly server, alerted
us that it was still happy hour and with our drink order we would
receive the Chef's Small Bites which was a perfect way
to ease into our dinner. We started with a Cosmo from their full
bar and the Italian Americano Bianco Aperitivi served on the rocks
with seltzer which was unique and quite refreshing.
We
ordered Antipasti starters which were very tasty. The
Crudo Sashimi Grade Ahi topped with fried capers with
Carte Musica crackers was delicious and extremely fresh. The wood
burning oven baked Salt Cod Baccala with olives and tomatoes
was flavorful and a nice comfort dish. We also loved the Polipetti
Crispy Baby Octopus with wild arugula Salad. The Octopus
is freshly prepared and slightly warm and perfectly accented by
the argugala.
Desco
has a Wood Fired Pizza Oven where they make Pizze. They have both
traditional and what they call Stretched which is more like Flat
Bread. We enjoyed the Rustic style Stretched made with Speck,
Smoked Prosciutto, Sweet Onion and light Gorgonzola. It was a
great combination of flavors and the crust was great....just delicious.
The
Main Courses were both hearty portions and very reasonably priced.
We loved both the Angus Loin Tagliata with grilled potatoes
and aceto balsamico prepared rare as ordered and the Galletto
Pan Roasted Spring Chicken with white wine reduction. We
also enjoyed a side dish of cous cous style Sardinian Fregola
Pasta with olives, garlic and Calabria peppers.
The
Wine List is all Italian Varietals chosen by Wine Director Eric
Lecours and available by the bottle, carafe or by the glass. We
are not as well versed on Italian wines, so we relied on Desco's
very knowledgeable staff to advise us on what would pair with
our food. We enjoyed the 2011 Colle Stefano Verdicchio Marche
which was lively and fruity with our appetizers and the 2008 Tommaso
Bussola Valpolicella Venato which was full bodied and delicious
with our main courses.
The
Desserts were delightful. We loved both the Vasetto di Crema
which was a fabulous Traditional Italian Custard and
their classic Italian Affogato with hazelnut Gelato.
A Zucca Rabarbaro Digestivi after dinner drink and espressos were
the perfect finish to our excellent dinner. We had a great time
at Desco which is open for Lunch and Dinner daily.
The modern Italian Cuisine was terrific, the service was excellent
and the All Italian Wine List gave us a chance to try new wines.
We look forward to returning soon.
Desco
499 9th St.(at Washington St.)
Oakland, CA. 94607
510-663-9000
www.DescoOakland.com