In its new expansive location in the Financial District, fans of Quince no longer have to book a month in advance to savor chef Michael Tusk's nightly changing Italian-inspired menu. Tusk honed his chops at Chez Panisse and his cooking style reflects it: simple food that honors a few high-quality, just-picked organic ingredients. Quince-ophiles might start with a pillowy spring garlic soufflé or white asparagus with a lightly fried egg and brown butter, but no true fan skips the pasta course -- garganelli with English peas and prosciutto, tagliatelle with crab, agnolotti stuffed with veal, pork, and rabbit. Meat and fish selections don't fall short either, with delicately prepared mixed grill plates, sweetbreads with shaved black truffles, and juicy lamb with fennel and olives. For desserts, the choices are a tad limited, but really, why would you need anything more than butternut squash fondant with brown-butter ice-cream and caramelized honey?
You won't find lunch at Quince -- for that, head next door to the less formal but equally sophisticated and fresh Cotogna (Italian for "quince"), 490 Pacific Ave. (tel. 415/775-8508; www.cotognasf.com), open Monday to Friday 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30 to 11pm (midnight on Fri.), and Saturdays from 11am to 3pm and 5:30 to midnight. On our last visit, a $24 fixed-price lunch menu included chilled asparagus soup with Olio Nuovo, tagliatelle with pork and red dandelion ragú, and a milk chocolate and almond milk budino.
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