San Francisco Blog

(Photo by Luis C.)

A few days ago I went out to lunch at a neighborhood diner, decided I was too hungry to settle for the usual big salad and granola-bar chaser, and found myself ordering a bowl of chicken tamale soup, a platter of spaghetti and meatballs, four pieces of garlic bread and some salad for roughage. Afterwards, slugging back an Alka-Seltzer and vowing to never eat again, I remembered with sinking feeling that I was meeting two high school friends for pizza and beer that same evening, not the sort of day-ending digestif I had in mind.

What I didn't bargain for was how easily our rendezvous, Tommaso's, can undermine the most resolute...resolutions. I arrived with a vague plan to spend the evening consuming a few undressed greens and a glass of lukewarm tonic water, but the aroma of roasted garlic, the sight of happy people scarfing slabs of molten pie and the venerable yet exuberant ambiance of the place worked its magic, and within minutes my appetite was remarkably restored.

Tommaso's has been baking pizza in its wood-fired ovens since 1935, and the pies' soft, chewy crusts and light, simple toppings are classic Italian soul food. The meatball variety features thick slices of earthy, spicy protein melting into a bed of tangy tomato sauce and bubbling mozzarella; the chicken-artichoke pie is lighter, brighter but equally satisfying. (Make sure to get the lush, lemony spinach salad on the side.) The low-ceilinged space is dominated by a long communal table down the middle and old-fashioned booths along the sides: very North Beach. 1042 Kearny (at Broadway), 398-9696. No reservations. —Matthew Stafford