Skip to Content

Craig Stoll

Aw shucks: Craig and Anne Stoll get romancey at Gary Danko

Most chefs and restauranteurs are too busy cooking and serving on Valentine’s Day to darken the door of any local restaurants, but that doesn’t mean they never make time for a special meal. We asked 6 local food personalities to tell us the most romantic meal they’ve shared.

11/06/08 10:05 pm

Pizzeria Delfina

(restaurant)
Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3611+18th+St.,+San+Francisco&sll=37.793581,-122.399328&sspn=0.011836,0.019312&g=230+California+St.,+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

The little sister to the ever-booked Delfina next door, this is where you’ll find some of SF’s top Italian-style pizza. Because it’s tiny and doesn’t take reservations, the best strategy is to go with no more than one friend, put your name on the chalkboard, order a glass of wine from the strictly Italian list and plant yourself under the heat lamp until your name is called. A second location, on California at Fillmore, is just as busy—weekday lunch is one way to beat the crowds.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Yes, there’s a clam pie and a salsiccia (fennel sausage) one, but it goes without saying that a margherita sets the pizza standard, and this one does not fail: The sauce is tangy and topped with creamy, house-pulled mozzarella, and the crust is chewy, crisp and blistered. One could live off of this alone, but the veggie antipasti are also worth trying, particularly the garlicky broccoli di ciccio or the green beans with pickled shallots.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Arancini (when they have them) and Meatballs</p>
There are some things that you just want to love. You want to love it because of the people involved, or because it’s a great idea, or because you know how much thought and care went into making the dream a reality. But no matter how you try, you just can’t love it—at least not like you’d hoped.

I’m sorry to say that this is how I felt about the new Pizzeria Delfina on California Street. As anyone who knows me already knows, I am a huge Delfina booster. I love that little pizzeria on 18th street, despite the crushing popularity that has made a wait just par for the course. I love the stools flanking the open kitchen, the breadsticks and the bustle. I love the food, which always just seems like the perfect version—the perfect roasted cauliflower, the perfect tuna conserva, the perfect pizza.
08/23/06 9:00 pm

Delfina

(restaurant)
Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3621+18th+St.,+San+Francisco&sll=37.763048,-122.415912&sspn=0.01184,0.019312&g=600+Guerrero+St.,+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&ll=37.761538,-122.424409&spn=0.011841,0.019312&z=16&iwloc=addr

2009 READER'S CHOICE AWARD: Best Italian

2007 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best First Date / Best Italian

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best Italian

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Delfina chef Craig Stoll is probably to blame for the stratospheric rise of rustic Italian food in San Francisco, but its increasing ubiquity has done little to diminish the pleasure of a meal here. There are too many notable dishes to name, from the grilled calamari atop warm white beans to the spaghetti with tomatoes and chilies, the blood-orange and fennel salad and goose conserva with sauerkraut. Oft imitated, the food at Delfina sets the gold standard.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Chilies</p>