delfina pizzeria

location: 2406 california street (at fillmore), pacific heights

delfina pizzeria has two locations in san francisco. on this trip i had dinner with l at the location on california street. the other location, on 18th in the mission offers the same menu and a longer wait.

delfina offers traditional italian fare and neapolitan style pizzas. the atmosphere is warm, friendly and loud. all of the food tastes extremely fresh and is cooked to order. the kitchen area is open so you can watch the food preparation from the bar area or from your table. the california street location is really open but can feel like a tight fit because the tables are pretty close together. the line here can be very long with waits up to an hour, but i definitely think it's worth it.

we started with the stretched mozzarella/belfiore burrata ($10.25) which is a very generous portion of warm, creamy burrata served with toasted bread. it's enough to serve probably 3 or 4 but it's so good that l and i finished it with no problem. we shared the insalata tricolore ($8.50) which is a fresh bed of lettuce sprinkled with lemon and grana padano, a delicious semi-hard italian cheese. for pizza we went with the traditional margherita ($12.50) with tomato, mozzarella and basil. each pizza is about 6 slices and the margherita at delfina is pretty fantastic, it's one of my favorites in sf.

the staff at delfina is friendly, attentive and they're happy to explain the very italian menu without being condescending. the food is well priced and great for sharing.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Woodhouse Fish Co.

location: 1914 fillmore street (between pine & bush), lower pac heights

i've been wanting to try this place for a while now and thought it would be fun to invite l to the city to enjoy some lunch with me. her treat of course! we went to woodhouse for a saturday afternoon lunch and it was very delightful. it wasn't too loud or too crowded and there was no rush for us to finish our meal, so we took our time. both of us decided trying everything on the menu was out of the question although i think we would have accepted the challenge. we opted to share the items we were most interested in so that we could sample the most of the menu.

the fried calamari is accompanied by a fantastic chipotle aioli. it was a delicious starter although l felt it was pretty similar to all of the other fried calamari she's had. we shared a cup of the clam chowder which was nearly perfect. it was thick but still creamy and didn't have an overwhelming amount of potatoes. i was glad we opted for the cup because i don't think we had any idea what was next.

we ordered two different sandwiches because the entrées all seemed like too much for lunch. i had the toasted-buttered dungeness roll while l opted for the bay shrimp & avocado roll. and we ordered a side of onion rings to share, although we never really got to them as we were so full. the crab sandwich was a more than generous portion of fresh crab in a delicious hot, toasted & buttered roll. it required nothing else because the crab alone was amazing. the bay shrimp & avo sandwich was great as well. l couldn't figure out how to eat it because it was such a heaping sandwich. it was covered in a sweet & tangy sauce that accompanied the shrimp and avo wonderfully.

the menu is very reasonably priced ($11-20 for sandos, $14+ for entrées) considering the portions and everything is fresh and delicious. the lunch was paired with a great glass of oyster bay sauvignon blanc.

the view out the window onto fillmore street makes for a lively dining experience and the interior decor brings you right to the ocean. they even have a tv (with a gorgeous frame) showing fisherman out on their boats or docked at land. the wait staff was extremely friendly and they offered suggestions for next time!

this was one of the best lunches i've had in a long time. i'm looking forward to going back for a dinner date.

recommendation: perfect for a date with your mate or your best friend.

tastiness: yay!

food/drink vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Dosa

location: 1700 fillmore (at post), lower pac heights

everything smells good at dosa. from the second you walk in until the moment you leave, your sense of smell is overwhelmed. the drinks at the bar are garnished with pieces of trees and fruits that are flavorful and smell amazing. and the dishes are filled with some many different flavors and scents and they all come together in amazing dishes that look like art and taste like heaven. maybe that's a little overboard but i haven't tried anything i haven't like at dosa. i don't eat a lot of indian food and dosa makes it easy to decide because everything is good.

the dosa, which is a thin, bubbly crepe like bread, filled with various ingredients like potatoes and/or onion, is the main staple of the menu. you can order from a variety of different dosas and each comes with a bowl of lentil dipping soup and two different different sides, one is red and tomato-y and i'm not sure what the other is, something similar to hummus. i don't know what it is but i'll still eat it, it's that good.

dosa also serves various entrees and starters, two of which we tried on this visit. the vada pav, a vegetarian slider, was a a real hot potato. patty that is, mixed with onion, chili powder and other hot flavors. and the dahi papadi chaat which was a cool, creamy blend of yogurt and mint-cilantro chutneys mixed with potato on a hard crispy flaky bread. we were full from the appetizers before our food showed up.

dosa is a great food sharing experience. the restaurant is set up with many communal dining tables and food is intended for sharing. the dishes come in huge portions and everything is worth trying. the lighting is dark, almost too dark in some parts of the restaurant. the wait staff is attentive and very helpful in selecting and explaining dishes (and helping with pronunciation). the wait here can be long but it's worth it. the bar is pretty big and they serve exotic drinks with combinations you wouldn't see in most bars.

the prices at dosa are high. but in my opinion you really get what you pay for. a satisfying and fun meal that's more of an experience than most places. plus left overs that are almost as good the next day. tip: reheat your dosa in the oven.

recommendation: make a reservation and save your pennies.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Ocean Taqueria

location: 1836 divisadero (between bush and pine), pac heights

ocean taqueria is quite literally a 'hole-in-the-wall." you walk by the window and you know it's there but even to walk in is confusing. are you entering the liquor store to the right, the apartment above or this tiny little mexican joint? they're all in the same doorway. i used to frequent this place pretty often after long nights out at the bars when s lived around the corner but it had been a while. i was waiting on divis so i popped in for some food and it was pretty decent.

the entrance isn't the only confusing thing about this place. once you get to the back it's hard to tell where to order and it's impossible to know what you're spending. the people that work here are very nice so you just have to make eye contact and see what they say. as you can see above, the hand written menu has no prices. i think they literally decide on the fly. i had the nachos and they were good but they were definitely over priced. most of the food here looks pretty fresh but they melted the cheese in the microwave before adding the toppings and at $8 for the plate it seemed a little excessive.

the restaurant itself has a fun decor and the wait, in my experience, has never been very long. they have beer and wine and occasionally they'll offer you whatever bottle they have behind the register, if you're into that.

recommendation: if you're drunk on divis it could be a good time.

tastiness: okay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: okay!