Place to eat: Delfina, San Francisco, California, United States

Postcards about Delfina:

• 

  24 July 2008
  From:
  Kate Blood

  It felt like it took forever to get reservations. We called several times, but always at the wrong time. At last we succeeded, scoring a table for two a bit earlier than we would have liked, but if 5:30 was open, we said, “yes, we’ll take it!” We arrived five minutes early to find an impatient crowd gathered on the sidewalk. You could sense the excitement. A couple in their seventies held hands and peered through the front window to watch waiters rush about placing cutlery on tables. A group of twenty-somethings dressed in club clothes greeted each new arrival with hugs. As the front door swung open we joined the push to claim our seats. Everything we tasted that first night at Delfina was to be remembered and discussed for many years. Fresh Calamari with Warm White Bean Salad was the one thing I can’t avoid ordering whenever I have the good luck to score another seat. The tender squid is grilled and has an intense smoky flavor that pairs perfectly with the bland, butter-soft smoothness of the petite white beans swimming in the finest extra-virgin olive oil. Tiny green olives dot the edges of the plate -- and you might think they are there for show -- but like every other little detail at Delfina, the olives are extraordinary: comforting and purposeful. Such a lovely experience is worth a little effort.