Little Star Pizza — 22nd Feb, 2006
Last night I came home tired. And at loose ends for what to do. I’ve got a giant pile of things that I could (should?) be doing, but I just really couldn’t be bothered.
I was also starving, but not quite ready to eat. I snacked on some savory Tartine leftovers and settled down to study like a good little schoolboy.
The phone went, and it’s Trails in her sexy gravelly voice on the other end saying “Blah blah blah blah Little Star blah blah Pizza blah blah Anchovies.
How could I resist an invitation like that?
I skillfully avoided death by SUV on my motorcycle right where Castro turns into Divis.
(Hey: if you drive a Gold SUV, remember: pushing DOWN on your indicator means you’re turning left. Pushing UP means you’re turning right. If you’re turning the wrong way in traffic, just go around the block. It’s OK. It’ll only take you 1 ½ minutes. Probably less.)
I parked my bike next to Little Blue and went into the restaurant. We were seated within 5 minutes. Little Star was packed. It’s all dark blue and black and glossy and trendy and you’d expect it to be loud but you can hear yourself think and your candlelit companion talk. Even when she’s got a sexyraspy voice. There are about 20 tables: a bunch of four-tops along the wall, a bar where those waiting a table are invited to stand, and a few two-tops down the center. There’s a bit of a traffic problem when the bar gets busy—and the bar patrons start bumping into the two-tops.
The servers all looked a little haggard. No doubt the management hadn’t planned on a 20 minute wait and a packed restaurant on a Wednesday, but the Fulton/Divis area is very much on the up-and-up. I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt, not judge them too harshly on prompt service, but the servers displayed teamwork. One brought us their drinks. Another server took our order. I applaud the teamwork at Little Star: I’ve seen customers languish all too often because half the servers are overwhelmed and the other half are only looking out for their tables. We were constantly attended to, yet never rushed.
Trails had a glass of their Rhone ($6), which was fine. It was plain. It was sort of vin ordinaire, but fine. It had nothing special to offer, but it did the job. I skipped down to the Syrah, which, at $6, gave the exact impression. I started to wonder if something untoward had happened to my taste buds: I’d just had Three Thieves Pinot Noir the night before and had had the exact same reaction: It’s Pinot, or Syrah, or Rhone, but there just wasn’t anything to recommend it.
Fortunately, after these wines went down, we moved on to the Zinfandel ($8), which was, refreshingly, a Big Fruity Zin. There’s something about Zin that, even if it’s the same sort of fine, nothing special about it, still manages to shine. Or maybe it was just the comparison. There were subtle hints of blackberry, not too many tannins, all balanced with a refreshing acidity.
Little star also has a good selection of beers on tap, as well as several whites.
We started off with their mixed green salad ($5/$8). It came piled with Gorgonzola, cherry tomatoes, and really great sweet red peppers. I’m generally sort of ambivalent about mild peppers—they so often taste watery and almost flavorless, but these were little blooms of color and subtle flavor that balanced out the whisper of vinaigrette nicely. One brickbat: If you server green salad, you should have a pepper grinder. There are only 20 tables in here. Fresh ground pepper on mixed greens is a bit of a must. Just like on a Caprese. It’s just not the same without it.
Little Star has assorted specialty pizzas in thin crust or deep dish which are $16 -$20, depending on size. You can also build your own. We were in the middle choosing the tempting White pizza off the menu (adding, of course, anchovies), when I looked up at the special’s board.
“Roasted asparagus, Roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano.”
“That sounds divine. But we need to add anchovies. And remove the asparagus.”
“Hmm.. I agree, but I kind of want the asparagus. I wonder if they’ll put it on the side?”
The waiter was unsure, but they did. And it was really good. The asparagus and anchovies wouldn’t have gone well together, but having a spray of asparagus on the side was a great little palate-cleansing bite through the pizza. The crust was thin and crisp. The cheese was melted with just a hint of dryness. The tomatoes, even in February, were fresh and soft and succulent. The garlic was perhaps a little sparse, but the anchovies made it all worth it. It was plenty for two people, though you might want a little more if you’re extra-hungry.
Little Star carries Cheesecake and assorted Gelato for dessert. We didn’t delve into the sweet end—it would have undercut the loveliness of the anchovies. A split glass of that Zinfandel, however, was a fine end to the meal.
Little Star Pizzeria
846 Divisadero (between McAllister and Fulton), San Francisco
Sun-Thurs 5-10pm
Fri & Sat 5-11pm
415.441.1118
Cash only