Pottery Wall
This wall is landmark for me. Right next to it is the best restaurant in North Beach, in my opinion: L’Osteria del Forno. This wall is also just cool! On Columbus, across from Rose Pistola.
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L’Osteria is tied with Cinqueterre for best in North Beach, as far as I’m concerned. I miss them both dearly. I even missed them when I was IN Italy, they’re that good.
You know, I had a not so good dinner there. I wonder if it’s a one-off thing. Restaurant reviews are so fleeting. But at least, since I’m in the neighborhood, I should give it another chance, no?
I forgot to mention– the reason I like L’Osteria: they have a very limited menu but what they serve is great. Usually a kind of rare meat is on the menu. Their baked pasta is yummy the way comfort food is yummy. The roast of the day is not to be missed, esepcially if it’s the pork. Recently I had a simple ham and cheese pizza and it was great at the time and wonderful as leftovers. Their ingredients are truly the finest. Their recommended wine is also superb. I know the sister/girlfriends who own this opened another store in the Mission- Vineria- that closed a year or so ago, but was devoted to wine. So the wine selection is a passion of theirs. Chianti is always a safe bet too, and their house chianti is not bad. Italian friends usually don’t go there because “If I wanted to eat at home, I woudln’t be visiting the U.S.!” which, in a backwards way, proves its authenticity to me. Not that authentic is required- I like well prepared food for its own sake! Foccacia is made on site, as is required by most good Italian restaurants in NB.
I go for the Lambrusco at both restaurants (sweeter at Cinqueterre tha L’O, depends what you like in wine).
And for my money - a great first date at L’O is splitting a bottle of lambrusco, the lamb kebabs, and the pasta al forno. At Cinqueterre, the seafood crepe type dish is fantastic and, just having returned from the Cinqueterre, their pesto is just as pesto-y as you’d find in its native land.
Cinqueterre also has a panna cotta dessert - their espresso panna cotta, I believe - that is drool out of your mouth fantastic.