Poggio is a classic Italian trattoria in the charming seaside town of Sausalito. It has westward facing doors that open and welcome Bay breezes. Sitting at one of the outdoor tables on the sidewalk and dining al fresco reminds me of my time in Italy. Its interior is elegant and features cozy dark mahogany booths. With a warm and inviting atmosphere, it’s the perfect setting to enjoy wonderful food, wine, and have a great time!
Poggio’s seasonal menu frequently changes and features ingredients from local farmer’s markets as well as the restaurant’s own garden. There’s an open air kitchen with a large wood fire oven and specialties include perfectly blistered Neapolitan style pizzas, house made pastas, delicious grilled meats and fish.
The wine list emphasizes selections from Italy and Northern California, but if you’re not in the mood for wine there’s a lovely cocktail menu as well!
After settling in at our table, Executive Chef Benjamin Balesteri warmly greeted us – a nice touch to start our meal off!
With so many wonderful items on the menu we decided to order a variety of things and share it.
We started out our meal with arancini, carciofo (grilled artichoke) with basil pesto aioli, and the schiacciata (wood-fired flatbread with corto olive oil and rosemary). This “course” was delicious – and the meal had barely even started!
What followed was:
Bucatini “alla amatriciana” pancetta, onion, tomato, chili, grana padano.
Gnudi – spinach ricotta pillows, beef ragu, pamigianno reggiano.
Pollo – grilled half chicken, baby carrots, sunchokes, grapes, frisee, almonds, lemon.
Bistecca – “alla fiorentina” oak grilled porterhouse steak.
Soppressata Pizza – spicy salami, mozzarella, tomato, castelvetrano olives, oregano.
If you’re feeling carnivorous, don’t miss out on the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the giant porterhouse grilled over oak in the Florentine style. It’s a piece of meat that feeds between two to three people! Brushed with charred rosemary, it’s a steak unlike any you will find elsewhere in the Bay Area.
For dessert, (if you have room!) don’t miss the Budino al Cioccolato. If you’d prefer something a bit lighter go for the Crema Di Limone.
After all that, I would suggest an espresso – you may need it to keep yourself from falling asleep after all that food!