Pizzeria Delfina (Pac Heights): Great, but maybe best to keep it simple?

[abstractpoet]

We ended up having an early Saturday dinner at the Pac Heights branch of Pizzeria Delfina before a movie at the Clay, and we were happy with our decision. Thanks to those who made other Pac Heights suggestions in my initial thread ( http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/694138 ) -- good to have some other places to check out the next time we're in that 'hood.

This was our first time at either Pizzeria Delfina location, and I was amazed that every seat in the restaurant, plus the outdoor tables, were all filled, even at 4:00 pm! But we were seated within a few minutes, so no worries.

My wife and I shared:

- the "Lacinato di Ciccio" (fried kale) off the Fritti menu. Came with grated pecorino and black pepper, like the classic Roman pasta dish. This was perfectly fried and delicious, though I'll admit it was a bit hard to actually taste the kale.

...and two pizzas...

- "Cappriciosa" - This was one of the daily specials, topped with prociutto cotto, artichoke, caciocavello, and mozzarella. Taste-wise, this particular ingredient combination was good but not great -- and the toppings were fairly heavy and wet, so the pie started to get soggy pretty quickly. It wasn't bad, but we wouldn't order this particular pie again.

And then the real winner...

- The "Panna", which at $10 is tied as the least expensive pie on the menu and is topped with tomato sauce, cream, basil, and shaved parmigiano. This pizza was a revelation in its simplicity. Loved the perfectly charred thin crust (not a hint of sogginess here), and the tomato sauce might have been the best that I can recall having on any Bay Area pizza. Just a few simple ingredients, but all the components were perfectly balanced.

I seem to have recall seeing other threads where folks advised keeping it simple here and maybe steering clear of the pies that come loaded with too many toppings. That certainly was our experience, though I will say that if we had liked the ingredient combination on the "Cappriciosa" better, we probably wouldn't have minded that little bit of sogginess as much. That Panna, though -- I think I could eat that pizza every week and not get sick of it. Would like to try some more of their veggies/salads in the future as well.

While strolling Fillmore, we also grabbed an almond croissant from Patisserie Delanghe (pretty solid), bought a box of Girl Scout cookies from some earnest pre-adolescents, and had some good Valrhona chocolate frozen yogurt from Fraiche. I know it's not the most chow-intensive of neighborhoods, but we had a pretty good time!