Marco’s Gastronomia, an Italian deli that opened last month in San Anselmo, introduces a more casual direction for chef Marco Franceschini.
The San Rafael resident built his local reputation over two and a half decades at Trattoria Fresco in Ross, where he cooked the classic Italian dishes he grew up with at his family’s restaurant in Florence.
Before opening Trattoria Fresco in 1998, Franceschini spent a decade cooking at restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He says the deli idea had long been in the back of his mind.
“I was tired of the restaurant format and interested in doing something new,” he said.
Quality ingredients take precedence over complexity. Without a cooktop or hood system, the menu focuses on items that don’t require flame: made-to-order sandwiches, flatbreads, platters and composed salads.
Marco’s Gastronomia opened last month in San Anselmo. (Photo by Brian Cooley)
There’s no posted menu. Instead, customers fill out a checklist in the shop or online, choosing bread, meat, cheese, spread, vegetables and additions.
Options include imported meats like prosciutto cotto and crudo, Toscano salame, soppressata, tacchino, mortadella and porchetta; cheeses such as mozzarella, stracchino, stracciatella, provolone, Parmesan and buffalo mozzarella; in-house spreads including pesto, pistachio cream, pecorino cream and truffle sauce; and vegetables like marinated baby artichokes, mushrooms, bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes.
Franceschini says his breads are made by a baker in Berkeley using his recipes. These include schiacciata, a traditional Tuscan flatbread similar to focaccia; ciabatta; and Italian or gluten-free baguettes.
Each sandwich comes with a simple arugula or romaine salad.
The same selections can be arranged on a personalized pinsa or assembled as a seasonal appetizer platter for two.
A refrigerated case holds rotating cold dishes Franceschini prepares based on his Sunday farmers market finds. Recent offerings included artichokes stuffed with Parmesan and croutons; beet salad with zucchini and avocado; fennel baked with mozzarella and Parmesan; and grilled broccolini. The menu also includes a daily soup, which was recently white bean cannellini with black kale.
The storefront sandwich shop was previously home to DG Café, which closed in July. The space is bright and unfussy, with yellow walls, wide front windows, a stainless-steel counter and deli case, and a handful of black café tables.
Shelves along one wall stock imported retail goods such as pastas, sauces, breadsticks, potato chips, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and jarred anchovies, capers and olives. Drinks include Italian sodas, nonalcoholic beer, sparkling and mineral water and Italian iced tea.
Marco’s Gastronomia is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at 411 San Anselmo Ave. in San Anselmo. Find the menu and place orders at marcosandwich.com.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with comments and find more local food news at therealdealmarin.com.
Dining and Cooking