Delfina

(Mission)
3621 18th St.  
415-552-4055 Map it
www.delfinasf.com

E + D Award Winner; Dinner only
$$$
Italian
dine at the bar, great desserts, notable chef, open 7 days, romantic

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best Italian
2007 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best First Date / Best Italian

SCENE: The always-professional staff of hipsters at this unassuming Mission District restaurant has served everyone from Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl to movie stars. The accolades keep coming, thanks to the well-edited menu of California-Italian dishes and the inspired wine list. Check out the tiny pizzeria next door for thin-crust pies with straightforward toppings.

EATS: Delfina chef Craig Stoll is probably to blame for the stratospheric rise of rustic Italian food in San Francisco, but its increasingly 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.