Hanging
around, I found not a chain store or Starbucks in
sight; but many shops that have been run by Italian-American
families for generations, which featured hand-made
gems. Window-shopping highlights included Biordi,
chockfull of colorful imported Italian dinnerware,
and Macchiarini jewelry, famous for its avant-garde
creations.
Even my normally impatient husband got into the "hanging
around" spirit at Molinari Delicatessen, not
flinching when we had to take a number and wait 15
minutes for counter service. It was a pleasure to
mingle with other Italian food enthusiasts, surrounded
by shelves crammed with imported pastas, olive oils,
and wines in the tiny "Since 1896" store
that smelled of cured proscuitto and aged cheeses
- an aroma the Italians call "Piedi di Dio"
(God's feet). As we stocked up on souvenirs of house
made salami and hunks of Parmesan, our server tipped
us off to the best spot for an afternoon pick-me-up:
the Caffe Trieste.
Nowhere
was the la famiglia spirit stronger than here in
the neighborhood's oldest coffeehouse. We settled
in at a colorfully tiled table and were joined by
a single woman visiting from Japan and a local couple
who were regular fans of the establishment's traditional
Saturday afternoon concerts. We bonded over cappuccino
and wine, sharing stories of our Italian travels,
as the three piece band played classics from the
Neapolitan songbook and one by one, each member
of the café family took a solo turn at the
mic. By the time Pappa Gianni was belting out "Volare,"
we were swaying along and joining in with the "Can-tar-e,
woa-oh-oh-ohh!" chorus. Outside it had become
a chilly San Francisco afternoon, but here we'd
been transported to the sunny Mediterranean.
There are dozens of Italian eateries in the area,
from casual pizzerias to elegant ristorantes. Like
all American Little Italies, North Beach has its
sorry share of spots that dish out watery minestrone
and mushy over-sauced pastas. But fortunately there's
more excellence than mediocrity to choose from and
we hit on two outstanding places.
An intimate atmosphere and eager waiting line of
patrons attracted us to L'Osteria del Forno. It's
a 28-seat storefront owned by two women from Bologna
and Varese who we could watch bustling about in
the open kitchen, cooking fantastic thin-crusted
pizzas, baked pastas, and roasted meats and vegetables.
We splurged for dinner at the award-winning Rose
Pistola. Its menu is an exquisite homage to the
Ligurians, the first-wave of Italians who settled
here. The wood-burning oven behind the lively bar
fills the softly lit dining room with an earthy
feel, counter-pointed by the soulful sounds of a
live jazz trio. The restaurant is deservedly famous
for its cioppino; a fragrant fish stew which the
Ligurians adapted from their simple one-fish recipe,
by adding Dungeness Crab they found to be plentiful
in the San Francisco Bay. The seasonally changing
menu and sophisticated atmosphere makes this restaurant
a perfect combination of old world Italian and top
of the line 21st century California cuisine. (CONTINUED...)
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