the moon, your eye, a pizza pie

When I think of the film "Moonstruck" I remember Cher all dressed up to go the opera, Nicolas Cage holding out his hand and yelling, "I lost my hand, I lost my bride", and the sound of sugar cubes dropping in spumante glasses to celebrate their engagement. What stands out most is the sound of "when the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie, that's amore!" in my head. Moonstruck always reminds me of the song as sung by Dean Martin. Actually so does the sight of a full moon.

Monday was pizza and movie night. "Moonstruck" was traded for "A Secret" but "That's Amore" was still in my head as I opened up the three Gialina take-out boxes: one Margherita, one Squash Blossoms w/ squash, white corn, young Pecorino & chives, and one Potato w/ applewood smoked bacon, red onions, rosemary & gorgonzola pie. It was amore at first sight. Was it the full moon or the scent of the pizzas that drove me crazy? That's my secret.

Glen Park is home to Gialina Pizzeria which specializies in delicious thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizzas. They do not take reservations and there is typically a line outside for a table but its always well worth the wait, albeit at times long. The menu is updated daily with seasonal ingredients but you can usually find regular hits like the potato w/ applewood smoked bacon pizza. There is a nice selection of Italian wines but the sparkling is not served with sugar cubes. Try slipping one in your glass and after eating your pizza pie, you just might see visions of Dean echoing from the alley next door..."when the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore!......Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli, that's amore! That's Amore!"

suggestions:

Before dinner, go for a little stroll nearby at Glen Canyon Park just a few blocks up the hill from downtown Glen Park. You'll be sure to build a good appetite for the pizza pie.

where to find:

Gialina Pizzeria

address: 2842 Diamond Street, San Francisco, CA 94131

phone: (415) 239-8500

www.gialina.com