WhatsinMyBackyardBlog

It was only a week old or so when we first ate at Bocanova, the restaurant now occupying the space of Old Spaghetti Factory. I had caught glimpses of it (and its menu) before it even opened its doors on the evening of the Eat Real Festival. Chef Rick Hackett and his team did an outstanding job with the interior of the restaurant. Soft lighting, dark wooden finishes, and communal tables adds a relaxed vibe to the Jack London Square waterfront scene. They have patio seating available that overlooks the marina.

The menu, which they describe to be Pan American, is laced with South American flavors. The dishes are served “tapas” style (small plates) and are reasonably priced. Their cocktail menu, though tempting as it was, was a bit pricey for me. Cocktails run about $10-$14. I opted for a glass of Masia de Bielsa Rose from Spain, a hearty wine that stood up to our order of short ribs. My husband had the Imperial, a Costa Rican imported lager, that was crisp and refreshing.

We ordered three dishes to try and dessert. The braised short ribs with chiltomate salsa was a deliciously satisfying recommendation from our server. The ribs were cooked “medium rare” (but not bloody) as requested and were tender and flavorful. You can see by the picture below that we scarfed it down so quickly, that I almost forgot to take a photo of it. The mushroom and corn empanadas with lime cream were just as good. The crust, flaky, and the sweetness of the corn gave it a good finish. Their wild shrimp ceviche with jicama, red pepper and cilantro were outstanding. I loved the homemade tortilla chips (they were good enough to eat on their own). The shrimp were not overdone and the sauce had a slight kick of heat to it.

Our dessert, the Bocanova “candy bar” wasn’t on the menu but highly recommended by our server (though I had been eyeing the roasted banana cake with cream cheese ice cream and cashew brittle). Created by pastry chef Paul Conte, the luxurious, and decadent dark chocolate with walnuts encased a creamy and rich nougat like cream, and served with hibiscus tea sorbet. The hibiscus sorbet was overpowering the dark chocolate, rather than complimenting it. But still, the dessert was sinfully good.

I look forward to Bocanova’s success and paying them a frequent visit.