Pizza Nostra exterior
David’s been staying with us off and on for the last week or so. He’s having his bathrooms gutted and completely remodeled. He’s a wonderful house guest! One example of this was inviting Hegui and me to dinner at Pizza Nostra last Sunday.
We’d been there before, first when it was the French bistro style place, Café Coulour. That one seemed popular but apparently the owners decided that because there were already two other French restaurants in Potrero Hill that it made sense to develop a restaurant in a new cuisine. So here’s Pizza Nostra: a Neapolitian pizzeria restaurant. H and I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago while we were repainting our living room. What a delightful surprise this new place was! Hegui really loved the cheese-less Marinara pizza. It comes with tomato sauce, tuna, capers, olives and oregano. He adds a bit of olive oil and he’s in heaven.
stuffed squash blossoms
Would the place seem as amazing this second time?
grilled octupus salad with shaved celery and chick peas
We met David and Carlos there. John also came by for dinner. He was a bit tired from cleaning all day as he just let his cleaning lady go after years of disappointment. Because our party was five, they placed us in the large booth by the window. People watching from there was good but the elegant rustic wooden benches are not comfortable at all. Our waiter was also the restaurant manager. He had a pleasant French accent as he explained the menu. He’s the one who told us about the re-design of the place too.
contemplating the Brian Benson Syrah and the Pizza Nostra menu
We brought a bottle of Brian Benson 2005 Syrah Denner Vineyard. Pizza Nostra has a corkage fee of just $15. The wine was marvelous and went really well with the meal. We offered a taste to our charming waiter, who delighted me by actually saying that he enjoyed it. If Bordeaux/Burgundy can be believed, then the French don’t think that much of California wines.
They offered a hearty, crusty bread with a wonderful olive oil while we waited for the apps. The oil was aromatic, slightly bitter (bitter is a good flavor!) and grassy tasting.
We ordered several appetizers that we shared followed by some pizzas and a pasta dish. John got a salad and the grilled octopus appetizer instead of an entrée. The latter dish H and I tried the first time that we came. It is wonderful: perfectly grilled octopus on a bed of shaved celery and chick peas in a lemony sauce. Mmm! Hegui and John ordered the Frisee and Arugula salad in vinaigrette with large shavings of parmesan. I tried the fried squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese. It came on a beautiful plate with three kinds of sauce artistically dribbled along the dish: pesto, tomato and balsamic vinegar. I loved this one and used their tasty bread to sop up every last drop of the sauces.
margahrita with eggplant
I ordered the Margherita pizza with the addition of eggplant for my main dish. Hegui, true to form, got the Marinara again. Carlos and David shared the housemade tagliatelle with fresh favas, English peas and asparagus as well as the Caprese pizza. I didn’t try the second because of the prosciutto di Parma, but they thought that it was great.
glamorous green fava pea pasta
The Margherita pizza was simply stunning! The perfect ratio of cheese to tomato and the eggplant added a marvelous earthiness and richness without the guilt of lots of extra fat calories. The kitchen made a mistake with Hegui’s order. They sent him the Margherita instead of the Marinara. They tried to fix it but he eventually had to send it back. Our waiter was graceful about it and I know that H was relieved. He hates sending things back.
marinara pizza well worth the wait
We skipped out on dessert because John had prepared baked fresh fruit with hand-whipped cream over poundcake that we ate at our place. Carlos has tried the dessert tronchetto with Nuttela and banana on another visit to the place, which he highly recommended.
frisee salad
We really love this restaurant. Hegui exclaimed as we were leaving “I think their food is excellent!” We’ll definitely be back. You should check it out sometime soon! Thanks David for a great dinner and for being an even greater friend!
baked fresh fruit over poundcake with freshly whipped cream
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