North Beach: Coming Soon

the tablehopper | 12:12 pm | February 12, 2009 | Foodie 411, North Beach

Pizza

Moving into the short-lived Lou’s at the Square space in North Beach, formerly La Felce, will be Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. The Tony is Tony Gemignani of Pyzano’s in Castro Valley, the well-known world cup pizza cup (2007) and nine-time world pizza champion, pizza acrobat, and the first-time winner outside of Naples to claim the title of best Neapolitan pizza at the Trofeo Città di Napoli Campionato Internazionale Per Pizzaioli. He’s opening the project with partners Bruno Di Fabio, who owns pizzerias in Connecticut, and Nancy Puglisi.

During the day, it will be the International School of Pizza. Gemignani, a certified master from the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli, will be certifying chefs in Classic Italian, Neapolitan, and Roman pizza styles, plus New York, California, and Chicago styles. Gemignani is the first master instructor and U.S.-based representative of the Scuola to open a location in the U.S. Some Italian masters will fly in to teach courses as well. There will also be two-day courses for home chefs, kids, and senior citizens. As for the ovens, there will be a special wood-burning oven, a Cirigliano that Gemignani won from the Naples competition, plus a brick oven, and Italian electric oven—all three styles of oven are needed for classes at the school.

For dinner, there will be traditional Neapolitan, Italian, and American classic pizzas on the menu, plus some pastas, dessert, and there’s a full bar. It will also feature an open kitchen, with Gemignani working alongside other professional pizza makers. Ingredients will be a mix of imported and local ingredients. The owners are really excited to be opening in North Beach, and hope to make it happen by May.

• 1570 Stockton St. at Union.

North Beach Lobster Shack has closed. Owner Russell Deutsch says it was a tough location for the business, with parking issues and a lack of a big lunch scene. They do ten times the business at their Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City, so they plan to open another location in Cupertino or Sunnyvale.

He sold the location to two brothers who are going to be opening a Belgian fry place that will be open late into the night—stand by for more. Sounds like it will be a good match for the delicious beers on offer at Church Key on Grant—this could almost be a repeat of Haight Street’s Rosamunde/Toronado food-and-beer match made in heaven.

• 532 Green St. at Grant.

Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.