38184 Tue Jul 26 17:31:12 -0700 2005 13 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 179108 I managed to try Pizzeria Delfina for lunch today. The flavor of everything we ate was very very good - we had a special salad of chioggia beets, ricotta salata and arugula, the marinated anchovies, and then the broccoli rabe/ricotta pizza and the margherita pizza with pepperoni added. The crusts on the two pizzas were noticeably different - the broccoli rabe and ricotta pizza's toppings were plentiful and dense, so the crust on this pizza was noticeably thicker and doughier than the the margherita, which was very thin and blistered/crunchy. I preferrred the latter crust, but the toppings on the former. While everything tasted delicious, I found much of the portioning to be small to the point of being amusing. The salad, while tasty, had maybe 8-10 small arugula leaves, six tiny beet wedges and some nubs of ricotta salata. I just kind of stared at the plate when it first came because I could not believe how small it was. The anchovies were similarly spare. Finally, after paying $3 to add pepperoni to the margherita, there was one veeeery small (diameter of a quarter) pepperoni bit on each slice of pizza. In all, I thought this took California minimalism a little far. The price of lunch was around the cost of Pizzetta 211, but I felt the portions overall for similar items were much smaller and the value, especially for the salad, was not quite there. Don't get me wrong... I'll go back. The fresh ricotta on the broccoli pizza was incredibly delicious, and everything tasted as good as could be. But I was a little disappointed in the spartan nature of portioning. We shared all of the above for three people, and I was definitely still hungry at the end. Tue Jul 26 17:31:12 -0700 2005 0 Celeste 1 179110 I was beginning to think Pizzaria Delfina was bullet-proof! Friends of mine had a disappointing meal there last Friday night -- I hesitate to report on a place I didn't experience first hand, so I won't elaborate. But they didn't think it was worth the fuss, the wait or the prices. Tue Jul 26 17:40:16 -0700 2005 179108 0 Absonot 1 179116 I had lunch there on Sunday with two friends and we had similar feelings as you did. They do not use a wood burning oven which means that their crust is drier and crispier than a similar dough out of a wood burning oven. The brocoli rabe pizza was dry and desperately needed a drizzle of olive oil. The margherita pizza had a rim that was about 2 inches thick and over 1 inch high meaning that the tomato should have come closer to the edge of the dough. The tomato sauce was a bit sweet for my taste and I found that they use 6 and 1 canned tomatoes with salt as their sauce in a raw state (for comparison, Pizzaiolo uses Muir Glen and A16 uses imported San Marzanos with salt in a raw state). I have never been fond of that brand of canned tomatoes. The sausage and pepper pizza had lots of flavor but moisture from the onions and peppers compromised the dough a bit. The napoletana pizza was the best of the lot. My dining companion from Naples was agast at the fact that Delfina was calling their pizzas Neapolitan style as the lack of a wood burning oven and adding pecorino cheese to the clam pie was offensive to his Neapolitan sensibilities. The pizzas were flavorful, pretty good, but not Neapolitan in his opinion. We all agreed that the caponata and the canoli were far superior to the pizzas. We felt that prices for both the pizzas and for wine were much higher than prices at A16 or even Pizzaiolo specially given that the pizzas at Delfina are about 2 inches smaller in diameter than pizzas at A16 or Pizzaiolo. For example the Margherita at Delfina is $13 whereas it is $10.50 at A16 and $12 at pizzaiolo. The most expensive pizza at Delfina is $16 whereas A16 tops out at $13.50 for pizza and the pizza at Delfina is not using better ingredients to justify the significant higher prices, nor is it significantly better than Pizzaiolo or A16. I love Delfina the restaurant and had great anticipation for the pizzeria, but we have no desire to go back given that there is a better pizza to be had at lower prices in the Bay Area. I rank Delfina below Pizetta 211 specially since the pizzas are similar in style and both use a deck oven. Tue Jul 26 18:05:57 -0700 2005 179108 0 Amy G 2 179219 I agree with your assessment as well, we made it to A16 last night and really loved their pizza and the burrata....The portions were larger and more importantly the dough was better (not in the sense of more authentic, I wouldn't personally know the difference) but in a taste comparison I liked A16 better...We also had the Maccaronara which was very tasty, I really loved the pasta... I think in comparison with delfina pizzaria, hands down A16, I think in comparison with delfina rest. however, I still like the number of options at delfina better...but its also around the corner, so all things equal I would recommend both and tell visitors to look at the menus and their location to decide....we had good service, nothing to write home about but no attitude, its definitely a hip place with sexy waiters which I expect for the neighborhood, it had that slick feel to it...but nothing detracted from our experience... also there were LOTS of kids there, they even had booster seats, which I haven't really seen at Delfina, so I think they are very accomodating for children, even had a fuseball table...thats a bonus for me with delfina but of course if you have kids, its a bonus for A16. Wed Jul 27 10:36:07 -0700 2005 179116 0 bandit 2 179290 I ate a Delfina last Friday... everything was fantastic, including the Margherita... which, by the way, is actually $11 and the same size as A16 (about 12"). And the story I got from the server was that the pies were Neapolitan-inspired and they were not trying to duplicate Neapolitan pizza here in S.F. Both A16 and Pizzeria Delfina make great pizza and the sizes and prices are about the same if you actually take the time to look. Wed Jul 27 15:41:37 -0700 2005 179116 0 George F. 3 179296 I have my receipt from Delfina and it states Pizza Margherita $13. Clam pizza $16. The receipt is written by hand and perhaps it was a mishap due to Pizzeria Delfina being very busy but I am going by the receipt on hand I was not just making up prices willy nilly. I hope it was a mistake because $11 makes more sense. The size issue may be subjective but I cannot finish an A16 pizza completely and a whole Delfina pizza left me hungry. What does Neapolitan inspired mean? Seems Delfina is trying to use the cache of Neapolitan pizza without going through the trouble of installing a wood burning oven. Wed Jul 27 15:59:36 -0700 2005 179290 0 Amy G 4 179304 The Web site says "Pizza: $9 to $16." Wed Jul 27 16:12:31 -0700 2005 179296 0 Robert Lauriston 5 179365 You're probably looking at the old web page: http://www.delfinasf.com/DelfinaPizzeria.html The new website came up (see link below), and it's got a more current menu posted which shows that the cheapest pizza is actually $10 (the Napoletana). Link: http://pizzeriadelfina.com Wed Jul 27 20:11:32 -0700 2005 179304 0 Malik 3 179367 A16 is indeed a bit cheaper than Pizzeria Delfina: the broccoli rabe is $2.50 more at Delfina, the margherita is $1 more, and the napoletana is 50 cents more. Plus A16 has a basic pizza (the marinara) for $8, whereas the cheapest pizza at Delfina is $10. Not a huge difference, but since I like the A16 pizza better, not a great value. And the marinated anchovies at $6.50 for eight or so little fillets are a bit expensive. I think Pizzeria Delfina's pizza reminds me more of Pizzetta 211, but given a choice I would rather eat at the latter restaurant, as it's a nice quiet spot to spend an hour or more in the middle of a weekend day (I tend to go there around 3pm or so), whereas I don't expect Pizzeria Delfina to ever be quiet. And the desserts are better at Pizzetta 211. But Pizzeria Delfina is within walking distance of my appartment, which is a huge plus for me compared to A16 and Pizzetta 211. Link: http://pizzeriadelfina.com/pizzeria_menu.pdf Wed Jul 27 20:24:11 -0700 2005 179290 0 Malik 1 179268 Ate there last night myself, had to sit at the counter, man was I *squished* . I ordered the Tri-color salad, house cured anchovies, Pizza Margherita, and Cannoli. The Tri-Color salad(fennel, arugala, radicchio) was ok, nothing special. . The anchovies were the real stars of the meal, the delicate meat of these tiny fish had a smooth sultry edge, a must order for this restaurant. Now the pizza Margherita, great taste, excellent crust, but it was nothing stellar, I still think Pazzia's and A16's Pizzas are better. Overall I think it is a great addition to the area and Delfina, definitely not a destination, but a great place if you are in the area. Wed Jul 27 14:29:30 -0700 2005 179108 0 Mil Mascaras (el 1000% Guapo) 2 179307 How were the cannoli? Wed Jul 27 16:19:47 -0700 2005 179268 0 rworange 3 179331 The cannoli was pretty good but I would recommend you try other deserts they have before that one. Actually, the best Cannoli used to be at Chow's about five years ago, it is no longer on the menu :( , they still have the best apple pie. Wed Jul 27 17:14:52 -0700 2005 179307 0 MM 1 179288 Tried to go last night, but it was packed. Despite the quoted 30 minute wait, there were so many people milling around crammed into the space and on the sidewalk outside, even if we had been seated in 30 minutes it would have been a little too hectic for me. BUT one of the best things about a place that now has 'to go' options is that you can pick up thier crostata (nectarine last night) to enjoy after whatever else you decide to eat in the neighborhood. Wed Jul 27 15:33:10 -0700 2005 179108 0 Meredith 1 181784 lets put to rest the wood burning issue, I'm sure delfina went to great pains to fit into the neighborhood,nixing the wood burrning issue,I think olives in charlestown is siill in court over that issue, maybe they are working out the kinks because the pizza I just ate was the best crust I have ever eaten. the toppings delicious. the salad refreshing and the anchovies yummie. Tue Aug 09 16:34:11 -0700 2005 179108 0 dithy