Gusto, A Morrone Comeback in San Carlos

Gusto
619 Laurel St., San Carlos
Phone: (650) 486-1479
Web: gustosancarlos.com
Status: Open

George Morrone is back, everybody. After a few years of consulting, pop-ups, and working at a yacht club, the former Aqua, Fifth Floor, and Cliff House chef has reemerged in San Carlos with Gusto, a new Italian-influenced restaurant. It's a collaboration with Enzo Rosano of Locanda Positano fame, transforming Positano's casual next-door spot Limone into a more upscale eatery.

Morrone's opening menu is very concise, with only 10 items: two soups (cream of mushroom and shrimp bisque), a couple of salads, and dishes like his famous tuna tartare with Asian pear and sesame oil and beef tenderloin with Barolo butter. (Yup, no pastas to be seen.) Desserts are simple, like a root beer float with a warm chocolate-chip cookie or a panna cotta with mandarin orange-vanilla syrup. Here's the full menu.

On the wine side, Gusto is offering a sizable list of bottles, with about 40 whites and 80 reds. The list is roughly half Italian and half Californian, with 12 rotating wines by the glass ($7-18), as well as a handful of draft and bottled beers. Rosano also plans to offer wine flights once the space gets up and running. The interior has gotten a bit of a makeover, with chandeliers and black velvet chairs, while two glassed-in private dining rooms with full tech set-ups accommodate groups of 10 and 20, respectively. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 5-10 pm, with weekday lunch from 11:30 am-2:30 pm; the restaurant is closed Sundays.

· George Morrone Opening Peninsula Restaurant [~ ESF ~]
· Morrone Joins the Corinthian Yacht Club [~ ESF ~]
· George Morrone Plans Monday Dinners at Hog & Rocks [~ ESF ~]