#21 Pizza margherita at Pizzeria Delfina

Maybe it's because we recently ate at Tartine, part of that delicious block in the Mission, but last night, all I could think about having for dinner was pizza from Pizzeria Delfina. I think we've only had it once since we learned about the list, and we didn't order the margherita that time around.

We therefore set out to remedy this oversight, and last night we partook in the margherita pizza as well as the funghi pizza (a nightly special with hen of the woods mushrooms). The margherita was excellent as usual: flavorful sauce, creamy mozzarella, and thin-yet-substantial crust. The funghi was good too, but not ready to make it into the regular pizza rotation.

What sets Pizzeria Delfina apart, though, is not their stellar graphic design or enviable location (as a matter of fact, we ordered our take-out from the California location in Pacific Heights). The sides are, simply, amazing. Some of you know that in addition to the pizza, I lovelovelove the spicy cauliflower. The insalata tricolore, a salad with radicchio, Belgian endive, and arugula tossed in a lemon vinaigrette, is always perfect; I tried to replicate the salad once when A and her cousin C came over for dinner and a canning lesson, but for inexplicable reasons I haven't made it since.

Together, Delfina Pizzeria and Little Star provide two halves of one delicious San Francisco pizza whole. The thin-crust pizzas at Delfina are amazingly good, whether you stick with the reliable margherita or delve further into the menu.

#8 Morning bun at Tartine Bakery

Tartine is a delicious bakery. It is located at 18th and Guerrero in the Mission, on a "truly excellent food block" (as it was described to me by a colleague recommending good restaurants after I had lived in San Francisco for only a few months). Indeed, it's next door to Delfina (well, really next to Delfina Pizzeria), and just steps down the block from Bi-Rite (market and Creamery). The list recognizes the deliciousness of this block as well, requiring stops for #11 pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina, #21 pizza margherita at Delfina Pizzeria, #25 loaf of bread straight out of the oven at Tartine, and #35 salted-caramel ice cream at Birite Creamery. Sounds like a whole day's worth of eating, doesn't it?

Here's what Tartine looks like from the outside (no sign, by the way, but usually easy enough to recognize by the line of people extending out the door).

I like to classify bakeries into two categories: scone or croissant. Scone bakeries are more rustic, less fussy, and more focused on wood-fired ovens and that sort of thing. Examples of excellent scone bakeries include Arizmendi (which is a worker-owned cooperative, typical for a scone bakery), Bakery Bar in Portland, and Wild Flour in Sonoma County. Croissant bakeries, on the other hand, are more refined and focus more on technique. Though Tartine has a currant scone on the menu, it is the epitome of a croissant bakery.

Which is why it's surprising that the thing to get from the list is apparently not a croissant! Instead, it's the morning bun. Topped with bitter orange, and flavored with caramelized sugar and cinnamon, the bun has a good combination of texture and flavor. B pointed out, when we sampled it yesterday morning, that there is a lot of butter in the bun. He took one bite, and then gave me the rest of the morning bun to eat. Funnily enough, since he likes the croissants more (we got a plain one and a chocolate one in addition to the bun), he never points out how much butter they likely have.

In the interests of full disclosure, we could easily figure out exactly how much butter the croissants have in them because my mom has the Tartine cookbook. And not only does she have the cookbook, but when she made croissants for the 80 guests we had at our post-wedding brunch, she used the Tartine recipe. B and I are therefore a little biased toward the croissants; in particular, we love the Scharffenberger pain au chocolat.

One final note: the quiche is fantastic at Tartine. They always have one veggie and one meat-based (usually with ham), but we almost always get the vegetarian version because of B's aversion to pork. They mix creme fraiche into the eggs, and have a flaky (would you be surprised if I added the adjective "buttery"?) crust. We had the quiche with Swiss chard and leek yesterday, which we very much enjoyed.