Sharon Ardiana, the chef-restaurateur behind successful and well loved neighborhood pizza joints Gialina and Ragazza, has just opened Ardiana the bistro-style Mediterranean place in the former La Nebbia space in Noe Valley that we heard was coming back in February. Tablehopper brings us a first look at the place and some menu details, but you can also check out the full menu here, on the restaurant's website. It opened for business on Tuesday night.
You'll see only five pizzas there on the regular menu, and Ardiana is trying to mix things up from the selections that people are used to finding at Gialina and Ragazza. There's a New York, New York pie that she tells Tablehopper "takes East Coasters back to a great slice that they had in NYC." (New York pizza snobs will be sure to be the judge of that.) There's also a funghi pie with trumpet mushrooms and truffle cheese; and there's a potato and pancetta pie with Taleggio cheese, red onion, and an egg on top.
There will also be nightly specials, like the summer corn, pepperoni, and squash pie shown below.
In the appetizer realm, Ardiana is skewing more Mediterranean with a selection of mezzes like roasted eggplant dip with lemon verbena and pomegranate molasses; and carrot hummus with black tahini, sumac, and watermelon radish.
And there's a full selection of entrées here too, unlike at her other restaurants, including a braised short rib, grilled lamb chops, spaghetti Amatriciana, and a pounded chicken breast with preserved lemon, orange, olives, couscous.
About half the dining room will be kept open for walk-ins, and parties of two to six people can also make reservations here.
Check the place out if you're in the 'hood!
Ardiana - 1781 Church Street at 30th - Open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (10:30 p.m. on Fri/Sat).
