Viva!

When the World Series happens in SF so do out of town guests, so I was happy Judybug who lives in San Diego was able to join me for stop #12: Viva. Only fitting that we would go somewhere (when translated) called Hooray on game one of the World Series. Viva serves up traditional Italian dishes, so of course Judy ordered the Gyro plate. J She really enjoyed her dish that had very hearty strips of lamb. We started with the minestrone soup, 

it was good, tons of different veggies and lots of noodles. I also ordered the bruschetta to share, and when it arrived Judy informed me she doesn’t like tomatoes…oops. More for me! And I was happy about that since it was very tasty. For my main dish I had the garlic pasta: fresh garlic, virgin olive oil, chilies, and Italian parsley. It was punchy. Very big kick to it, but it was enjoyable. The waiter was an interesting character- we asked him what he recommended and he told us he no longer eats there since he’s been working there for so long and too much of a good thing can be bad. I obviously enjoyed my time with my lunch companion and the food was average, but I probably won’t be running back to Viva any time soon. Maybe for game one of the next Giants World Series since its tradition now.

http://www.vivapizza.com/

Two Ciabatta loaves 

Pizzelle di North Beach

 

Ok, so in case anyone in SF hasn’t heard the Giants are the World Series Champs…AGAIN! I did consume Columbus during their wild run, but blogging about it was a challenge since I was consumed with baseball games. Back on October 21^st I went to stop #11, Pizzelle di North Beach. What better way to fuel up before an NLCS game than a slice of pizza and a beer? I was extremely impressed with this place. I ordered my pesto slice, a side of ranch dressing and a Peroni (all for $7.25!) from the very friendly man behind the counter. While he heated it up in the oven I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Pizzelle is MUCH more than just pizza by the slice. They have a full menu. I wasn’t even aware of this until I started checking out my surroundings and saw the large chalkboard above the counter with several menu items on it. They offer appys, salads, pasta, and sammies as well. This is a very good thing because if the slice of pizza I had is any indication of how good the rest of the food is, it will be delish. My pesto slice was one of the best I’ve had. Soft cheesy dough on top of a crunchy crust. Yummo. They have a couple of TVs for your viewing pleasure, friendly staff, good prices, and comfy booths. I look forward to going back to check out other menu items. 

http://www.pizzelledinorthbeach.com/

5 Ciabattas

Taqueria Zorro

Not much to say about stop #10, Taqueria Zorro. Been there a couple of times before for a burrito and wasn’t too impressed. Decided to change things up this time and go with a veggie taco, again I wasn’t too impressed. Prices are good, food is mediocre at best, there are TVs if you want to watch sports, and they do sell beer. Lots of daily specials, but too bad the food is not special. Next!  

One Ciabatta loaf. 

Nizario's

Did you miss me? I sure missed eating unhealthy food like pizza, so I was thrilled that next on the list was Nizario’s. After a month long cleanse (go me!) I went to stop #9 with my fabulous sister Stanko for a slice of pizza. The little sis even decided to treat, very nice of my out of town guest. They had about six different slices available. I went for the cheese with pesto & she had ham & pineapple. It was $7.50 for two slices, about average in NB. Nizario’s is much more spacious on the inside than it looks from the outside, but its still fairly small. They have two flat screen TVs, but don’t think of this as a good spot to grab a beer and watch a game since they don’t serve alcohol. The pizza was decent, but not mind blowing, we both agreed it would probably taste better after a couple of beers (that you would have to consume elsewhere). Best part of this spot for sure was the company.  

http://www.nizarios.com/

Two Ciabatta loaves (one for each Ciabatta sister)

E Tutto Qua

 

Since Andrea the friendly & humorous guy at the door constantly tries to get me to dine at this establishment while I’m waiting to catch the bus to the ballpark I was excited to finally say yes to him and come in for a meal. Stop #8 was E Tutto Qua, which translates to "It's All Here" True story. This place has it all, amazing atmosphere, super engaging & attentive staff, and fabulous food. Even though I wasn’t going to the Giants game I of course still wanted to watch it, so what better way to do so than at a fun restaurant with my girls? Diane & Erin were able to join me and we were lucky enough to get a cozy corner table and a channel change so we could view the  

the game. The restaurant is nice from the outside but it is even more impressive inside. Extremely lively. The wait staff is so comfortable with each other they even yell orders out across the room and manage to do so in a non-distracting way. We started with the burrata pomodoro de rucola: creamy Italian mozzarella with cherry tomatoes, arugula, and Kalamata olives. When they say creamy it is not false advertising. Absolutely delish, a great combo of flavors. I just wish there were more tomatoes with it. For our main dishes, Di got the spaghetti Bolognese, I had the gnocchi in a gorgonzola sauce (big surprise) and Erin had one of the specials- spinach fettuccine with prosciutto, mushrooms & sweet green peas in a light cream sauce. We were all very happy with our pastas, spicy D just wished hers had a bit more spice. It felt like a traditional Italian meal where you truly get to sit for hours and enjoy wonderful rich food & conversation with good peeps. Erin called the wait staff ninjas since they would manage to fill up water glasses or clear dishes from the table with out us even noticing. I actually liked it better when the “ninjas” would stop by and chat with us. They were all very entertaining, which was a good thing since the game sucked. L For dessert I was talked into getting the panna cotta and I’m very happy about that. Andrea did not steer me wrong. It was decadent. Half of it was covered in strawberry sauce and the other in chocolate hazelnut. AMAZING. The girls both had gelato, Di had chocolate chip and Erin had chocolate hazelnut. The gelato was really good too and they have 12 flavors to chose from. Wonderful experience. The service was above and beyond (and easy on the eyes) and the food and atmosphere were just like being in Italy.  

I think you can guess how many Ciabatta loaves this one got:

Yokohama

Sushi restaurants in NB? There are three. Great sushi in NB? There are zero. Decent sushi in NB? There are two. Bad sushi in NB? There is one. Stop #7 brought me to me first bad review: Yokohama. My lunch companions were two out of towners, actually, out of the country-ers. Niamh from Ireland & Nate from Australia. Both lived in Tokoyo for several months. Now, I know what you are thinking, Why would you bring two peeps visiting SF with amazing sushi experience to a sushi place in Little Italy? Well, cause it was next on the tour, and I follow the rules! Upon entering the restaurant we were not greeted warmly, in fact we were barely greeted at all. After much deliberation we decided on the monkey ball (spicy tuna, shichimi, goma & sesame oil), the Broadway roll (halibut & cream cheese), and the tempura roll. Oh, and Nate got the chicken katsu one of his faves. The tempura was spelled tempera on the menu, which is defined as a permanent fast-drying painting medium. This might be the reason it did not taste very good. The texture was extremely different than i'm used to. The food didn't taste fresh, or unique, and wasn't anything I would want to order again. When we were leaving Nate noticed Polaroid pictures on the wall of past customers with quotes written on them about how great the food was. Notice I said Polaroids which should date these rave reviews, but just in case you need an actual date- they were from 2001- maybe the food was as well. Still in search of delish sushi in NB, but at least I have amazing Italian food to hold me over until I do. Sorry N&N for subjecting you to this, but at least you got a free meal. :) 

*This restaurant is not worthy of any Ciabatta bread.