Craig and Anne Stoll opened Delfina with a bank loan and credit cards in 1998, and gained a national reputation culminating with Craig being named Best Chef: Pacific by the James Beard Foundation. The restaurant has grown with the crowds, more than doubling in size; the Stolls also opened a pizzeria next door and another in Pacific Heights. The food has a pure sensibility, whether it's simple spaghetti with plum tomatoes or rustic roasted duck with house-made sauerkraut. The interior has a quasi-industrial feel with hardwood floors, wood benches and sandblasted beaker lights hanging from the ceiling.
Specialties: Grilled calamari with warm white beans; handmade pastas; spaghetti with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil; roast chicken; buttermilk panna cotta.
Dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
From four-star spots to cozy neighborhood joints, these are Michael Bauer's picks for the best in Bay Area dining.