Chef Anthony Strong, formerly of Locanda, can be added to the ranks of SF chefs in recent years who have tried to launch new and innovative concepts, only to quickly pivot to something else based on demand and economics. Strong's exciting and extremely short-lived delivery-only concept, Young Fava, opened and shut within about a month this summer, all because, as Strong said, he couldn't keep up with demand in a small, borrowed kitchen in the Tenderloin. A couple months on, Strong tells Tablehopper that he's in negotiations for a lease for a permanent new restaurant, location TBA, and in the meantime he'll be doing a pop-up dinner series for at least a few weeks. The name: Cibi Cotti. (As a window into Strong's dry sense of humor, that name just means "cooked food" in Italian.)
Like some of the dishes he developed for Young Fava, it sounds like the Cibi Cotti will feature a mashup of Italian and Asian ideas a nascent Instagram account includes one Young Fava dish, pappardelle with short rib; also, there's guanciale-wrapped mochi with radicchio and balsamic vinegar; and "Kyoto-style" spaghetti with duck, ginger, scallions, sansho pepper, and parmigiano (pictured above).
Per Tablehopper, this is a family-style situation for 24 diners at a time, and will be a whole lot of food (9 to 10 courses) for $75 per person (plus service charge, BYOB). You buy your tickets here, and you can also sign up for a mailing list there to get updates on the upcoming restaurant. The pop-up is Friday to Sunday, starting October 6 at 7 p.m., at 2670 Harrison Street at 23rd Street, and it's running indefinitely (though I'm guessing this is just a couple-month deal through the holidays).
Related: Delivery Startup Young Fava Halts Service To Seek Larger Kitchen
