Quick Bites

the tablehopper | 10:50 am | July 15, 2009 | Foodie 411

Piazza Pellegrini | Marcia Gagliardi/tablehopper.com

Looking for a quick bite in North Beach? Piazza Pellegrini is serving takeaway panini from the cable car next door to the restaurant, kind of like an Italian taco truck. On the menu: a porchetta panino (pulled pork with a special sauce), an Italian sausage panino with a red and yellow bell pepper sauce, and an Italian meatball panino with a marina sauce. There will also be granita al caffè, just in time for summer. Everything will be priced under $10. The owner, Dario Hadjian, has surrounded the area with plants and flowers, and has set up mosaic cafe tables and chairs. Hours will be 7am–8pm.

• 659 Columbus Ave. at Union, 415-397-7355.

A sweet treat in the Marina: Miette on Chestnut just started making ice cream sandwiches using their house-made graham crackers and ice cream from Three Twins. There are two kinds: graham cracker with sweet cream, and chocolate wafer with mint confetti, each $4 a pop. They will also be available at the Octavia shop, but not at the Ferry Building for a while.

• 2109 Chestnut St. at Steiner, 415-359-0628.

There’s also the new Sweet on Church, and MenuPages had these details to share: it’s “a new confectionary … in the tiny space between Sparky’s and Crepevine, the Small Potatoes [Catering] off-shoot deals in cakes, cookies, candy, and other tooth-rotting things. There was a chalkboard out front advertising cupcakes, but the last one had just been sold minutes before our arrival. We did manage to sample the house-made spiced caramel (caramel laced with cloves, cardamom and cinnamon), which was a lot like eating a caramel apple without the annoying apple part. They also had regular caramel apples on the shelf (if that’s your thing), along with rocky road, and fresh marshmallows.” The website also mentions root beer float or Mexican red chili chocolate cupcakes, and a peppered peanut brittle. Open Sun–Thu 11am–7pm, Fri–Sat 11am–8pm.

• 218 Church St. at Market, 415-552-8992.

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.