Restaurant Review: Estia in San Francisco

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When you go to North Beach in San Francisco, you’re probably planning to get Italian food. (This is the neighborhood known as Little Italy, after all.) But there’s another Mediterranean cousin in town and you shouldn’t be afraid of stepping over the border a little bit to check it out. Estia , a Greek Restaurant located just off of the main strip of North Beach food fare is a place that I strongly recommend.

When I stumbled upon it, I was more in the mood to drink than to eat so I started off with a glass of their Ladybug wine. This is a white wine that blends together several other wines. It’s sweet and light and wonderful and it goes perfectly with the romantic décor of the small restaurant. So does the signature appetizer, saganaki, a baked cheese that is brought out to your table by a jubilant Greek waiter. He sets the delectable platter on a tray near your table, douses it with some sort of magic potion (a liquor of some sort, I believe) and then sets it ablaze. The cheese bakes, the room glows with Mediterranean ardor and you are in love with this restaurant.

The saganaki was delicious; it has a texture that’s almost meaty and a taste that’s tinged with lemon. But the entrée is worth saving some room for. There are small plates and large plates, and the latter are too big for any but the most hearty eaters. As for me, I went with a Greek staple, spanakopita and I wasn’t disappointed. I only wish that I’d had room for dessert!