So my Fiance and I checked out Pizzeria Delfina last Friday (9/26/2008). There’s been a lot of hype and buzz surrounding the California St. (Pacific Heights) location, for quite some time. When we heard that it had stealthily opened, with no fanfare, we thought we’d give it a shot.
We got there around 7:30 on a Friday night, so I figured there’d be a wait. They have a chalkboard system for writing down your name. Don’t be afraid; just grab a piece of chalk and write your name and party size on the board. From there, grab a drink from the bar and hang out! Luckily, you can drink outside the door while you wait. There’s little room to loiter inside though, so beware when the cold and rainy months come. We decided to head around the corner to Dino’s Pizzeria and grab a cheap glass of wine. Little did I know I’d be longing for an entire Dino’s pizza by the end of the evening.
We were seated about 45 minutes after we put our name on the board. Not bad for a Friday night or a popular spot that had just opened. We did see slightly larger parties of 3-5 have trouble finding a table. It was all downhill from there though.
The decor felt like that of a 60’s diner. There’s a long soda fountain-esque bar in the front. There’s some artwork on the walls and seating for maybe 40 people. It honestly felt a little sterile. The first thing I noticed when I sat down was how loud the restaurant was. It was difficult to have a conversation at times, without yelling. Granted, it’s a boisterous atmosphere and people are talking, but it was a little too loud for my tastes.
Ambiance gets a B
The service was awful. They definitely imported the hipsters from the Mission, too. They looked and played the part well. Too cool to give you great service. It took a while to get our order taken and even longer for our bottle of wine. When I did get the chance to order, the server kept asking me to repeat what I had said. I felt like she was distracted or not paying attention. Either way, it was annoying. About ten minutes after our order, a server came by with two glasses and our bottle of wine. He set them down on the table, in no particular order and walked away. It would have been nice to taste the bottle and have a glass poured. I don’t expect every pour, but flatter me on the first glass.The $21 bottle of Montepulciano was worse than my favorite $9.99 bottle from Trader Joe’s.
Serivce gets a C-
We ordered the small salumi plate and the Salsiccia pizza. The salumi plate came five minutes after the wine and it was extremely disappointing. The server did not point out the different cuts of meat. From what I could tell, there was three pieces of their house salami, two pieces of prosciutto and two pieces of something that looked like uncooked bacon. It was essentially like eating the gristle from a fatty steak. For a real salumi plate, go to Oliveto Cafe, in North Oakland. They truly cure and cut all their salumi. It’s 100% hand crafted.
Salumi Plate gets a C-
The pizza came and here’s my initial impression; good flavor, but that’s about it. The Salsiccia had sausage, red pepper and red onion. The one nice thing is they do have a plate with parmesan cheese shavings, large crushed red pepper flakes and sprigs of dried thyme for you to use as you see fit. The crust was razor thin and did not have a lot of flavor. I only mention that the crust was so thin, because the outer crust was extremely thick! It was too dense and bubbly to be in the same proximity as the rest of the crust. It was as if you were eating two different pieces of pizza. The crust needs improvement and the entire pizza left me completely unsatisfied. I wanted to go back to Dino’s and get a proper slice.
Pizza gets a solid B
I admit that I have not tried the original location, in the Mission. Perhaps they’re working out the kinks. I’d like to try the original spot as a comparison.
Here’s the bottom line. A16 makes a better pizza. I felt like I was dining at an uppity Trattoria and ordered a pizza. You know what to expect, flat dough with little taste. But screw it, you’re hungry for some melted cheese and dough.
