Most people love Fridays because the weekend is near and for the next two days they are free to do whatever they please. When I lived in Long Beach, I looked forward to Fridays for a different reason. Now that we live just outside of San Francisco, I have a whole new reason to look forward to Friday. The reason for my excitement is that each Friday my husband and I venture into the city so that he can check on a few projects and then he takes me to lunch anywhere I want. San Francisco is a total foodie city so I really look forward to trying somewhere new each time and exploring the different flavors the city has to offer. This is especially enjoyable because I am at the fun point in pregnancy, where food actually starts to taste good again. And Pizzeria Delfina was no exception. So far, this is my favorite wood-fired pizza place in the city.

Located in the Mission District, Pizzeria Delfina features traditional and creative wood-fired pizzas in addition to fresh salads, homemade mozzarella, and small plate specials like arancini (rice balls) and meatballs. Think Naples meets New York style Pizza–pretty much my idea of perfection. The menu does rotate but the quality and service does not. We have been here once before and my husband and I agree this time around was even better. That says a lot, considering we were already planning a second visit while we were paying the check on our first trip.

Today we started with the meatballs in sugo. Growing up, we ate meatballs almost every Sunday. My mom makes amazing meatballs, in addition to being an all around great cook. But these are sure giving her some stiff competition (don’t hate me Mom). They were moist and rich in flavor with a light tomato-meat sauce, accented perfectly with sharp parmesan cheese. If you ever stop by Pizzeria Delfina, don’t miss these. I could have eaten all 5 for my own personal appetizer. Luckily, for my husband, I felt like sharing.

After annihilating the meatballs, we moved on to two different pizzas–the Carbonara and the Margherita.

The Carbonara features Guanciale, Scallions, Panna, Black Pepper, 1 Farm Egg, which they take the time to spread over the pizza halfway through cooking. This method really allows you to get a bit of yolky richness in each bite. You would think that the combination of cream sauce, bacon-like Guanciale, and an over easy egg would lead to a heavy, comma inducing like state, right? Not really. In fact, because their crust is so light, this dish does not weight you down. I had to restrain myself to not finish the whole thing myself.

The Margherita Pizza was next. The crust was perfectly crisp and not weighed down by the sauce, which in itself was light and somewhat sweet. High quality, fresh mozzarella and crispy basil complete this simple pizza that continues to be named by 7×7.com as one of the 100 Things to Try Before You Die in San Francisco. Once you taste it, you will understand why.

Now I am off to cuddle with the husband and the cute puglet. It is raining like crazy in the Bay Area so I am thinking a movie night is in order.

xo