What a difference nearly 25 years makes! Closed since March 2020, Mission District longtimer Delfina just reopened October 26, 2022, completely remodeled, refreshed, and, I’d say, reborn. I know I’ve dubbed some restaurants as “better than ever before,” and in Delfina’s case, it’s truly true.
Pioneering co-owners Annie and Craig Stoll opened Delfina in 1998, growing to seven restaurants at one point. I remember first dining at Cal-Italian Delfina in those early days, with my “wow” moment was their incomparable buttermilk panna cotta. I’m so not a “sweet tooth.” Of course, it wasn’t — and isn’t — too sweet. It’s sour, lush, sensually creamy. I raved. It spawned a lot of buttermilk panna cotta imitators in years following, but none were ever as good. As I was reminded returning to the new Delfina with Dan, “The Renaissance Man,” on a crisp, clear December night. Dotted with passion fruit seeds and piccolo verde fino basil (yes, a mini-basil variety), the dessert was as I remember.
I must admit, there were some years where things got a bit tired and Delfina fell off my radar, especially as I’m aggressively at over 600 restaurants a year, both at home and around the U.S. and world half of every month, keeping up with endless newcomers and restaurant changes. And because we’re spoiled for superb Italian food and inventive pasta masters in this town. Delfina isn’t about reinvention or cutting edge. Sometimes it’s about purity and tradition, other times about the classics with a California vision, always about comfort.
But as we returned, all manner of newness was there alongside the comfort. It’s an entirely new space, designed by Sarah Fucinaro and Roy Hospitality. In fact, Delfina Pizzeria and the pizza ovens were moved to the right of the Delfina entrance, now with their own separate door and counter as a fully to-go operation (don’t worry: there are a couple special pizzas on the menu at Delfina).
A front bar lined with pendant lights and a vintage espresso machine feels like the buzzy heart of the space, which expands out into 115 seats, cozily arranged, leading out to parklet. There is more light than before, more energy and flow. It feels both hot and current as it does classic and lived in. Wood and vividly tiled-floors, glowing lamps, tan banquettes, green-walled alcoves housing booths and wall art of food icons like Julia Child and James Beard (sporting arm tattoos!) feel fresh, yet with roots, history, context, and… (god bless it): maturity.
Which, in fact, is exactly what hospitality vets like the Stolls bring that a newcomer could not. We need both — and everything in between, to be sure. But there is a warmth here that feels like entering the home of old friends: ones you know will treat you right and feed you well.
And we were. The new addition of Craig’s sourdough focaccia — which he perfected with baker/author Michael Kalanty — tastes like authentic Italy but is a marriage between traditional focaccia and Roman pizza bianca, one of my favorite treats in Rome.
When “Delfino anchovies and butter” — under the “spuntuni” or snacks section — arrive, a thick sliver of butter wrapped into a roll with an anchovy draped over the butter atop focaccia, it becomes clear one shouldn’t pass over little bites on the menu on the way to more exciting-sounding dishes. The generous, soft butter and anchovies dissolved into the bread with salty, buttery, yeasty joy. Delfina is back, indeed.
Their classic grilled Monterey Bay calamari is back, nurturing in rice beans and parsley oil dotted with taggiasca olives. Whenever there is sformato or sformatino on a menu, I have to order it. Savory, airy pudding, Delfina’s version was of-the-season winter squash sformato touched with a sage leaf and “real deal” aceto balsamico or aged balsamico from Modena (sweet, thick, acidic), dripped atop the pudding tableside. Good thing there was just a smear of Red Cow Parmesan fonduta alongside the sformato — touched with chestnuts — as it was out-of-control rich, adding another decadent layer to the savory pudding.
Pizzas? There were two the night I dined: a mushroom pie and a mortadella pie with stracchino cheese, onions and peppers sottaceto (you know I was all about the mortadella pizza). Oh, and you can get flash-frozen pizzas to take home (yes!)
Their simple but iconic, pure spaghetti pomodoro is back, as is a classic tagliatelle in ragu. But the other three pastas (which will rotate) were where we had trouble narrowing down. Roma devotees that we are, Dan and I struggled passing over cacio e pepe, but there are numerous who do the dish right in SF. We chose more rare paccheri all’Amalfitana, a fish laden (in this case, local Half Moon Bay petrale sole), San Marzano tomato pasta. I’ve had some Italy-worthy paccheri in this town, but this fish stock-laden tomato broth evoked Sardinian food with its earthy depth. Again, seemingly simple but then unfolding with layers of flavor. It tastes as if cioppino became a brothless pasta dish.
Then there was gnocchi. Again, we are blessed with so many pasta masters locally — many Bologna-trained and beyond — who can make Italy-perfect gnocchi, so airy it dissolves in your mouth. These do so in rich taleggio fonduta, garnished only with fresh-shaved Perigord truffles from France. I’m still dreaming of them.
By now we’re stuffed, but we had to order one of two market price whole fish of the day (in two sizes). As lovely as the Louisiana red snapper sounded, that was the larger fish for a few people, so we opted for orata (dorade) white fish, the right size for two, simply grilled and accompanied by preserved meyer lemon conserva and an irresistible, oily, herb-laden salsa verde. It felt like a quick jaunt to the Mediterranean.
With fish entrees/secondi — there’s also grilled lamb, duck legs and a tempting oxtail stracotto (Tuscan-style pot roast) with risotto Milanese — you can choose a contorini/side dish. Delicata squash called since it’s cooked in Lambrusco wine brown butter (damn!), but we chose Fryer Creek Tokyo turnips. We did not regret it. Turnips (especially Tokyo turnips) are a standout root vegetable, but what really called to me was that they were cooked bagna càuda-style, one of my most beloved Piedmontese specialties from Italy, meaning “hot dip.” Lathered in olive oil, garlic, anchovies and breadcrumbs, they were extravagant.
Partnered with the fish, we tried the killer pane a pala (the $7 breads have the option to add warm Double 8 ricotta cheese), which chef de cuisine John Arcudi and the aformentioned baker, Kalanty, honed in. This Roman-style pane/bread is in the shape of a pala or paddle, using a high-hydration, long-rising dough. It turns out both crispy and airy, deliciously sopping up all the sauces.
Transferring their liquor license as they closed Locanda, Delfina has a full bar for the first time. Helmed by beverage director Colin Gallagher (who was part of the opening team and long at Trou Normand, the unique brandy haven I still dearly miss), there are plenty of Italian spirits, from Italian gin and vermouths to amari (including Locanda’s amaro collection). The initial cocktail list may “only” be 6 cocktails and 2 spritzes, but trying a spritz and 3 cocktails, there wasn’t a slouch in the bunch. What is here is quality.
Recalling Trou Normand brandy cocktails, Occhi d’Angelo was my favorite: the perfect balance of Calvados (French apple brandy), lemon, pineapple and local Brucato Orchards amaro, it’s Calvados-first on the palate, that apple richness singing with bitter-tart sweetness. I loved the Sette Fiori almost as much, served in a coupe glass, it’s refreshing, green of Bordiga Occitan gin, lemon, Bernard Barathier Bitters Amaro, celery and a splash of tonic. Dolores Park Swizzle is a proper swizzle showing off the grassiness of my long-beloved rhum agricole with lime, maraschino liqueur and absinthe. “Yes” to all the above.
The wine list is a tight, no-slouch-in-the-mix collection of around 50 wines from consulting wine director James Butler, almost all Italian with a touch of California, like their house “for Delfina” Chardonnay from Sonoma’s beloved Scribe Winery, with its oakless old world balance of acid and minerality. Italian joys abounded, like my beloved Arneis grape in a 2019 Ronchi “In Amphoris” white from Piemonte, aged in clay amphora, or bold 2021 Marisa Cuomo Ravello from the Amalfi Coast. As always, Falanghina grapes are the right choice, as in a 2020 La Sibilla “Cruna del Lago” Falanghina Flegrea from Campania.
We’ve already discussed Delfina’s legendary buttermilk panna cotta, but another dessert captured our hearts. Affogato is one of my Italian favorites: the purity of superb gelato (I prefer interesting flavors over basic vanilla) with espresso poured over is a glorious hot-cold melange. However, suffering from insomnia, Dan and I both can only have it early in the day, which means we have it too rarely. As we longingly sighed over the option on the dolci/dessert menu, our kind server immediately suggested they could make it decaf for us. We decided to go nuts.
Affogato Corretto is the aforementioned gelato and espresso with my beloved grappa poured in (I love that corretto means corrected, in this case, the entire endeavor is “corrected” by the addition of liquor). The spirit can vary and here it’s the gorgeous herbaceous-bitter-sweet of Margerum Amaro, a California amaro I’ve long loved from Santa Barbara’s Margerum winery. A Jersey milk fior di latte gelato swirls creamily in espresso poured from a darling bright yellow moka pot, with almond cantucci (biscotti) to dip in, and the amaro added tableside. This reminded me that I wish for affogato this good all the time.
Their aperitivo hour will soon launch every weekday except Tuesdays when they’re closed, 5 to 6pm, an ideal time for their Spritzes, cocktails and, in Italy fashion, complimentary small plates like arancini and cacio e pepe potato chips. The convivial vibe felt on a Wednesday night had me already envisioning aperitivo hour.
As we walked out into the night away from Delfina’s warm glow, I don’t know I’ve ever loved Delfina as much as I do now. And that’s 24 years in. Proof positive that some of the best things do get better with age and time.
// 3621 18th Street, www.delfinasf.com
