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Boskos Trattoria 1364 Lincoln Ave. Calistoga (707) 942-9088 www.boskos.com Italian cuisine |
Boskos opened in Calistoga in 1983, across the street from its present location. Originally a take-out restaurant, it’s grown over the years to become a casual Italian eatery where people can stay to enjoy the food and atmosphere. Boskos remodeled and retrofitted its current space (originally built in 1888) in 1993. Its walls are made of sandstone quarried on the Silverado Trail, which gives the place a lodge sort of feeling. The room is decorated with wooden tables and live plants, and there’s a wine bar toward the rear.
Brennen and I sat near the front windows. One of the first things we noticed was that the wine list (heavy on the Italian selections) came with an “Italian varietals description” card. What a nice touch…I kind of wanted a copy for myself! But alas, I simply ordered a Valpolicella (a medium-bodied red), while Brennen had a Vermentino (a light, fruity white).
The meal began with a lemon-baked artichoke (with olive oil and garlic), which was halved and served warm with a grilled lemon mayonnaise. It was delicious. Next came fried polenta with a tangy marinara, chopped calamata olives and grated ricotta sprinkled on top. The peppery polenta was thin-sliced and had a crisp exterior and moist interior—excellent comfort food.
The fire roasted beets were a deep, dark red. They were cubed and served chilled, tossed with arugula, ricotta and a citrus vinaigrette. I enjoyed the sweet beets against the citrus and tart arugula, and the ricotta soaked up the flavors nicely.
The spinach salad came with bite-sized slices of prosciutto, toasted pine nuts, chopped tomatoes, chopped egg and just a light sprinkling of gorgonzola. The mild balsamic dressing brought all the earthy flavors together. We also tried the Bosko salad, which had mixed greens and a generous amount of albacore tuna. It was tossed with artichoke hearts, onion, tomato and black olives in a creamy, hearty Italian dressing.
Next we ordered a glass of Trinchero Syrah (dry and great with food) and of Hess Su’skol Vineyard Chardonnay (wonderfully smooth and well balanced).
For an entrée, we enjoyed the piacere—a linguine dish with clams, bay shrimp and peppery green onions in a white wine sauce. The onions added a nice crunch to the dish, which, as a whole, came in a generous portion and was spiced for a surprising, sassy heat.
We also had the Adriano, which is seared chicken with a tomato caper sauce. It was served on the bone and came with roasted carrots, squash and onions that had a nice glaze on the exterior. The tomatoes were diced and sprinkled on the top. It was accompanied by a creamy polenta. Everything on the plate was cooked to perfection and packed with flavor.
Dessert was a large square of tiramisu accompanied by Torcalato, which is a sweet dessert wine from Southern Italy that has vanilla aromas. We felt like it literally grabbed on to the moist, layered cake and took it for a ride.
