UPDATED: 5/13/09

It was with great regret when I read first of the pending, then of the actual demise of Couleur Café. Not only was it one of my favorite spots in the city, albeit for reasons other than the food, it also had a special place in my heart as the first restaurant I reviewed on this blog.

But, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of Couleur Café, Pizza Nostra has emerged, retaining most of the positive aspects of Couleur while substantially upgrading the food. Unfortunately, there was also a significant upgrade to the prices.

Mackie and I began our first meal with Eli's Meatballs Al Forno with Marinara and Parmigiano Reggiano ($7.00) and Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan and Truffle Oil ($4.00). The meatballs were good, not great, and at $7.00 for three meatballs, were not a good value. The asparagus was also good and more reasonably priced. However, it lacked the characteristic charring that sets excellent grilled asparagus apart from other preparations of the noble spear.

I may have a new favorite pizza in the City — Pizza Nostra's pizza Calabrese ($14.00). Thin, crisp crust. Didn't sag in the middle, even when I held the last piece up to test it. Nice balance of tomato sauce, mozzarella, salame pepperoncino and onion, though be salame was spicy. The onions were thin-sliced and scattered about the pizza, as they should be (are you listening, Beretta???). Fantastic and well worth the money.

Mackie opted for her usual pizza Marguerite and opined that it was similarly excellent. She didn't finish, taking home half of the pie and reporting that it reheated very nicely the following day.

Iced tea ($3.50) was good and Sweet'N Low was freely available. But the pricing for both the iced tea and Mackie's Coke ($3.00) was ridiculous. Seriously, peeps, don't gouge you non-alcohol drinking customers. That just ain't right.

I was impressed enough to make a solo, return visit the following week, going for the non-pizza side of the menu.

For a starter, I tried the Oven Roasted Bone Marrow with Gremolata and Garlic Crostini ($11.00). It confirmed my opinion that bone marrow makes a great topping for a good steak but doesn't hack it as a stand-alone dish. A specific problem with Pizza Nostra's execution is that the flavor of the garlic crostini overpowers the taste of the bone marrow.

The Linguine Con Vongole with Tomales Bay Clams, Chili Flakes, White Wine and Parsley ($16.00) provided me with a nice main course. I prefer small clams with my linguine and these fit the bill. The chili flakes added some gentle kick but didn't dominate the flavors. My only complaint was that the dish was a bit dry. A bit more sauciness would have made for a better experience. Thought not as good as the Linguine Con Vongole at Flower Market Café when FMC is hitting on all cylinders, the Pizza Nostra rendition was quite good and I would not hesitate to order it again when the mood strikes.

For dessert, the alfagatto ($6.00) (sic — spelled incorrectly on Pizza Nostra's web site but correctly on my bill — WTF???) was good. I suspect that it's pretty hard to screw up vanilla ice cream and espresso but I also suspect that some places manage to do it so let's give Pizza Nostra credit where it's due.

I wanted a sub-$10 glass red to drink and went with my server's suggestion of the Tormaresca 2007 Primitivo Neprica from Puglia ($8.00). He chose well. It was a very tasty red, no unpleasant tannins, not the least bit thin as one might expect from a fairly young red. Not only would I drink it again, I did, just a minute or two after I finished my first glass.

When I initially read the Tablehopper's report regarding Couleur Café's upcoming conversion, I was afraid that the awesome outdoor seating area might ruined by tenting. This proved not to be the case on our visit. Note to Nostra-types: keep it this way — I hate, hate, hate faux outdoor seating!!!.

My second visit afforded me an opportunity to sit inside, a nice way of saying that it was too cold to sit outside. The interior is plain but nice, mostly wood, light pain and some stonework. It was fairly loud so if you want to converse, I recommend sitting outside if the weather allows it. One big regret is that the distinctive copper-top bar from Couleur Café was removed during the renovations, replaced by a pedestrian (not to mention somewhat cramped) wooden bar.

Lot and street parking is plentiful, a huge plus. Oh, and it's free!

While I'm really going to miss Couleur's Assiette de Merguez (suggestions for finding great merguez in the City appreciated), the conversion to Pizza Nostra appears, at first blush, to be a win. Great pizza in the 'hood without the long drive to Gialina or the hassle of parking at Little Star.

Pizza Nostra
300 De Haro Street
at 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 558-9493
Map
Web site
Food inspection score: Inspection score not currently available
Symbol of Excellence: Unknown
-Friendly: Casual Date, Conversation (at least in the outdoor seating area)