Can a dish (or two) make a restaurant? If you are Restaurant Picco, on Larkspur’s main drag, 20 years serving up exceptional renditions of aguachile, rigatoni and ribollita for 20 years is partly responsible for its long-running success. A pinnacle of California Cuisine, Picco is known for its ingredient-driven, Italian-ish menu, tossed with global flavors. There is a case to be made that the pizzas are at the beating heart of the menu. As in 2005, when Chef-Inventor Bruce Hill (The Chef’s Press, Fog City, Bix, Zero Zero) first manned the stoves, the pizzas are made using Italian, double-zero milled flours, the dough cold fermenting for 48 hours before each is rolled out, then left to rise for a further 48 hours.
“Slower rise, better flavor, easier digestion,” says Chef Michael Reyes (Blue Stem Brasserie, The French Laundry, Commis), who’s been with Picco since January, 2020. Reyes’ kitchen crew, many of whom have been with the restaurant for more than 15 years, still hand-stretch the locally-sourced Roberto Ferrante mozzarella for each pie. Pop the beautifully constructed ingredients into the same word-burning Mugnaini oven that Hill used, with almond wood sourced from Bare Bottom Farms in Richmond. Ninety seconds later, out comes a Neapolitan-style pizza with a leopard-striped bottom and a soft center. A pizza that holds its place in the firmament of Bay Area’s legendary pizza joints like Popolo and Delfina.
Restaurant Picco, which translates to “peak” or “summit” or – ha ha – “Hill (sic),” and the tiny pizzeria, were, from Day One so popular, crowds spilled onto the sidewalk, eager to enjoy dinner al fresco, to share a glass of wine from the extensive wine list, or sip a Barrel Aged Manhattan. A fence was soon erected to manage the overflow. Another fun fact, Hill tells me: Picco was the first – anywhere – to serve Straus Organic Soft-serve Ice Cream. It was on the menu when they opened. (Soft-serve is now made with Sonoma’s Double 8 Dairy/Valley Ford Creamery jersey milk.)
That ingredient-driven focus – Sous Chef Ryan McLeod spends his early Thursday mornings at the San Rafael Farmers’ Market – is Californian. Consistency on the plate is 100% Picco. With his steady eye, Reyes knows not to fiddle with Hill’s classics; Handline caught Ahi Tuna Tartare, Avocado Bruschetta, double-fried Kennebec Fries, and Risotto (now available a la minute) are sacrosanct, so closely identified with the restaurant that they are known in-house as staples. “There is an expectation from the clientele to not change anything,” says Reyes, who still uses the same Hobbs pepperoni as Hill did on the Specialized pizza. “I take my ego out and produce these dishes at this level and make them what people expect.” Could it be because of the ‘white bean incident?’ General Manager/Partner Ryan Heis recalled a time when Hill changed the avocado bruschetta, adding white beans when he could not get the required Brokaw avocados. “Let’s just say it did not go well,” Heis jokes.
Community support – and the occasional vocalization – is the third pillar in Picco’s success. How does any restaurant succeed without people walking through the door each evening? In Larkspur, it runs deeper. Overwhelmed by a block-long queue of people waiting to experience Picco’s cuisine in the immediate aftermath of Covid, “we could not keep up with the business,” says Heis. “Our community was so generous with our team,” Reyes concurs. “They are a huge part of the story here,” he says. “The foundation laid by Bruce, the people who dine here, Ryan’s holding standards – it’s all a part of it.”
But restaurants, like the seasons, are ever-changing. Years after chefs Chris Whalley, Jared Rogers, and others left their mark on the menu, Reyes has a few ingredient-driven tricks to inspire and delight diners who’ve enjoyed their share of Rigatoni a la Norma or Seasonal Salad. A new Burgers & Barolo program on Wednesdays includes a selection of Barolo available by the glass and a burger inspired by the Italian region of Piemonte’s most famous tipple. Double-ground in-house from chuck, brisket, bone marrow, chuck roll and flank, the burger is a hefty eight ounces, ably held by a Panorama rosemary focaccia or potato-pepper or sesame brioche or black sesame brioche. Reyes builds signature Picco flavor with crispy guanciale, garlic toum-Dijon spread, fennel ketchup, provolone, and a touch of miso seasoning.
Other dishes with Reyes’ and McLeod’s signatures? Smoked Kampachi Aguachile with avocado and crispy garlic. Mesquite-grilled Pork Chop with kimchi pancake and ssamjang. English Pea & Ricotta Ravioli with ‘nduja butter. BBQ-smoked Beef Ribs. Pappardelle with 26-month aged gouda fondue and house made furikake. A recent signature dish? Brioche-Croissant Loaf. After noodling over kouign amann at home, Reyes taught the team the pastry skill of laminating dough. Sliced to reveal its flaky layers, then toasted and topped with Sicilian burrata, housemade fermented kumquat jam, Urfa chile and purple radish tops, the dish is yet another example of Picco’s unique approach to cuisine. Reyes calls it “a kick-ass bread and butter.”
Reyes notes that there are always six vegan items on each day’s menu. “Those are in-house staples and we’re proud of that,” he says. That creativity in the kitchen is a built-in feature at Picco. Made possible by the long-running crew who can execute any idea that comes their way.
And yet the restaurant fields regular requests for “legacy” food and cocktails. Perhaps the most-requested item? The madeleine cookies with mini-boozy milkshakes from 2018. To mark the restaurant’s anniversary, Reyes is bringing them back in April as a lemon madeleine with a strawberry milkshake. Also returning in April Roasted Lamb Loin with rosemary panisse, fava bean pistou and red wine jus.
Though Hill is no longer involved with the restaurant, he is proud to see his legacy carry on. “It’s a magical little spot,” he says. The Marin community continues to support the business. “People are concerned about our success,” says Heis, whose been with Picco since 2010. “They have high expectations when they come here. Our job to deliver on that, night in and night out.” “That consistency in quality of product and service standards, beverage program, is a premium experience and with that comes great responsibility. It’s why we’re still here.”
Written in partnership with The Marin Dish.
