I knew Sharon Ardiana of ~GIALINA~ (one of my very fave pizza places in the city) was scouting around for a second location in my neighborhood (Nopa), and I’ll be damned, she got it! This fall, she is opening ~RAGAZZA~ (Italian for “girl”) in the former Metro Kathmandu space, adjacent to the Metro Hotel on Divisadero Street (so it’s more like Lower Haight/Nopa).
We had a chance to talk while she was checking out her almost-new cherry-red Wood Stone pizza oven at Alex’s Restaurant Equipment in Long Beach. She said she chose the name “ragazza” as an homage to the fantastic women in her family, and to female cooks everywhere. Fortunately Ardiana’s fantastic thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizzas and delicious salads will be on the menu, plus there will be new additions, including more entrées and baked pastas. Her focus on seasonal produce and using locally sourced meat will also continue. The restaurant will seat 45 people, along with limited seating in the outdoor patio/herb garden in the back. Dinner will be served nightly, plus brunch on weekends. Can’t wait to have my first pizza Atomica (or Amatriciana!) out of that fire-engine-red oven.
Sharon and her new Wood Stone pizza oven. Start your engines!
