Pasta Lovers Rejoice Over Bosco

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Chicken for two -- brined, smoked, and grilled over a wood fire -- at Bosco.
Chicken for two — brined, smoked, and grilled over a wood fire — at Bosco.

Chef Ryan McIlwraith has a way with pasta.

After all, he’s the former director of culinary development at Michael Chiarello’s Bottega, the fine-dining Italian restaurant in Yountville and the former executive chef of Alora, the Mediterranean restaurant in San Francisco. In fact, his “100-layer ‘nduja lasagna” at Alora composed of silky, thin layers of pasta, bechamel, bolognese, and Pecorino, seared to order for the crispiest edges, remains my favorite lasagna ever.

Last September, he became executive chef of Bosco, an expansive Italian restaurant in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. Fortunately for all of us, he and Chef Kaili Hill, whom he also worked with at Alora, are applying their skills here to turn out more sublime pastas, plus a whole lot more.

Bosco is part of the Absinthe Restaurant Group, of which McIlwraith and Hill are veterans. In fact, McIlwraith was the opening chef for Bellota, the Spanish restaurant that was housed in this same space until closing in 2024.

The two traveled through Italy prior to Bosco’s opening to hone their ideas for this wood-fired restaurant that’s named for the Italian word for “forest.”

The open kitchen that greets you as you enter the restaurant.
The open kitchen that greets you as you enter the restaurant.
The bar.
The bar.

Last week, I was invited in as a guest to sample the menu. The huge, 5,000-square-foot restaurant sits on the ground floor of an office building. In fact, the restaurant’s restrooms are actually located in the soaring atrium of the building.

Owing to its size, Bosco has a very open, airy, contemporary warehouse-like feel with soaring concrete columns. The open-kitchen with long waterfall counter is the first thing you see when you walk in, along with a large bar off to the side.

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Carbo-Loading at Rose Pizzeria in Berkeley

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A fantastic mushroom pizza at Rose Pizzeria in Berkeley.
A fantastic mushroom pizza at Rose Pizzeria in Berkeley.

After enjoying a splendid musical production of “The Lunchbox” at the Berkeley Rep, based on one of my favorite films of the same name, I did the only logical thing afterward:

I stuffed myself silly with pizza.

After all, it was only a short stroll away from the theater to Rose Pizzeria, which the New York Times named in 2024 as one of “The Best Pizzas in America.”

Owners, married couple Gerad Gobel and Alexis Rorabaugh, also opened a second location this spring, this one in San Francisco.

The entrance.
The entrance.

The original Berkeley location is tiny, so it pays to make a reservation in advance if you can. Otherwise, you’re in for a wait.

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Fire Up the Grill for Jamie Oliver’s Shrimp Skewers & Ajoblanco Sauce

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All scratch-made, and ready in about half an hour.
All scratch-made, and ready in about half an hour.

Just like with fashion, when it comes to cooking, less often makes for a bigger impact.

I’ve long been a fan of Jamie Oliver for his attitude that cooking shouldn’t be a big deal. Over the years, he’s shown that a handful or so of ingredients plus a modest amount of time is all that’s required to put together a truly winning dish.

Now, he’s turned that same philosophy on the backyard grill with his newest cookbook, “Grill: Easy Grilling, Big Flavor” (Appetite), of which I received a review copy

The British chef offers up 90 recipes that won’t tax the budget, dexterity or comprehension of any home cook.These are simple — some might even consider basic — recipes that are sure to get the summer backyard festivities going.

Fire up the grill for everything from “Grilled Fish Tacos & Stone Fruit Salsa,” “Charred Squash & Tahini Chickpea Salad,” and “Arrabiata Chicken Drumsticks” to “Fruity Pork Chops & Grilled Potatoes” and “Shrimp Toast Burgers.”

Like the rest of the recipes in this book, “Shrimp Skewers & Ajoblanco Sauce” doesn’t require any heavy lifting.

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Revamping the Croissant

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Costco croissants get jazzed up in a big way.
Costco croissants get jazzed up in a big way.

When you’re lucky enough to hold in your hands a perfect specimen of a croissant, made with the finest butter into shatteringly crisp, ethereal layers, say from San Francisco’s Arsicault, do NOT do anything to it. Just enjoy as is. Slowly. Deliberately. Dreamily.

Other times, when the croissant happens to be more mundane, say from Costco, where a package of a dozen can be had for a bargain-basement price of 50 cents per pastry, then by all means, play with your food.

Specifically, by making “Croissant Toasts.”

This fun, summery recipe calls for flattening those croissants, searing them in a pan, then blanketing them with whipped ricotta and juicy, burst cherry tomatoes.

It’s like everyday ricotta toast — but pimped out.

This fanciful recipe is from “Ohana Style” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

It’s the newest cookbook from everyone’s “Top Chef Fan Favorite,” Sheldon Simeon. The Hawaii chef is the owner, along with his wife Janice Simeon, of Tiffany’s and Tin Roof, both in Maui.

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Vicinity: An Outstanding New Hidden Gem in Los Gatos

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The beautiful tableau of canapes that open the meal at Vicinity.
The beautiful tableau of canapes that open the meal at Vicinity.

Just opened in February, Vicinity in Los Gatos may not have a Michelin star just yet.

But there is surely one in its future after already earning a Michelin recommendation this year.

This ambitious fine-dining restaurant was opened by an equally ambitious couple: husband and wife, Mike and Denise Thornberry. He is a senior director at Apple. She was executive vice president of global sales for Beats by Dr. Dre.

Neither had ever worked at a restaurant before, let alone owned one until they debuted the 90-seat Tasting House bistro in Los Gatos in 2021, followed by its adjacent 10-seat champagne bar last year.

Vicinity is remarkable for a number of reasons, as I found when I was invited in as a guest last week.

It’s a restaurant within a restaurant, tucked inside Tasting House. You check in at the same host stand before being escorted to a back corner of the bistro, where dark drapes are parted to reveal a door to Vicinity’s intimate dining room.

How small? It’s all of four tables. And it typically serves a maximum of only 12 diners each evening.

Vicinity is all of four tables, and tucked inside the Tasting House restaurant.
Vicinity is all of four tables, and tucked inside the Tasting House restaurant.
The seasonal complimentary aperitif made with yellow watermelon juice, limequat, and goat cheese.
The seasonal complimentary aperitif made with yellow watermelon juice, limequat, and goat cheese.

Vicinity is led by Executive Chef Julian Silvera, who not only oversees this tasting menu-only restaurant, but also the bistro and champagne bar menus, as well as Friday and Saturday afternoon tea service. He somehow pulls all of this off with a kitchen team of only five. And yes, that includes himself.

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