The downtown dinner prowl. Every good Palo Alto native’s done it – the sauntering walks along shady trees, the grumbling of the stomach, the polite reading of menus at restaurants whose prices belong more in the real estate world than cuisine. University Avenue is a sprawling bazaar of the flavorful and the unique, yet the upscale restaurateurs and the chain giants that beckon you at every seem all too large, all too fancy for a simple bite. The end goal is a place that’s open to sizable families, casually dressed business people and small conglomerations of Stanford and high school students.

Off University, a turn on to Emerson Street takes you to Buca di Beppo, a hub for all children who love carbs – as in all of them. However, the loud ambience overwhelms once the patron outgrows spaghetti that obviously stuck to quantity instead of tastefulness. Where to go if you want a place that’s warm and friendly, quiet yet ambient, with quality food that fills you to target satisfaction? Just step past the crowds of the Buca (which means “hole” in Italian, a fitting name for the behemoth chain’s selling power and adornments that seem to lure in many a family) and you’ll find yourself at Pizzeria Delfina, a restaurant that doesn’t pull you in yet makes you stop at its subdued entrance. Many families and students are milling about, waiting for their tables. At Delfina, there may be a wait, but there’s a friendly staff member who will take down your name. And don’t worry, it’s nothing like the large crowds you’ll find on many a sidewalk curb down the downtown stretch. If you do come during their busy hours (mainly dinner), you can admire the restaurant’s low-key layout. The outside facade is a modern twist on Romanesque pillars, two gray solid tiers with sharp fluting. Warm light escapes from the modern lamp fixtures within, and if the evening air is to your liking, Pizzeria Delfina offers an al fresco dinner under a gazebo, lights and growing vines sprouting off the surrounding walls. When inside, the minimalistic yet comfortable atmosphere doesn’t make the restaurant feel special or significant. Instead, it just feels warm and gives that nice middle ground between an evening out and your dining table at home. According to the general manager, a friendly man dressed in the jeans and plaid of almost all the staff, that’s exactly what Pizzeria Delfina was going for. “It [Pizzeria Delfina] was just a collaboration, our owners and chefs coming together and coming up with a different concept, something a little more casual, something a little more fun.”

At the table, they offer a small plate of spices (a teaspoon of parmesan, oregano and red chili) and a small container of breadsticks as the centerpiece. The breadsticks are not special, but they give something to nibble on. As you snack, take a moment to look up at the rough wooden beams above, a contrast to the white walls and sharp blue tiles on the kitchen wall that works for the impressions of the restaurant. An interesting combination. Another noticeable attraction is the ’80s song collection on the restaurant speakers. These aren’t obscure, atmospheric songs. No, these are stratospheric, multi-platinum, head nodding hits like Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl,” Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me” and Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust.” Even the cooks, who work behind us behind the counter are singing along to these certified crowd pleasers. The casual ambience is neither overwhelming nor insipid, and makes for a very pleasant dining setting. The menu is a reasonable size, with 4 to 6 selections for Antipasti, Today’s Market Specials, Salads, Piatti and Gelato. There is a more extensive list of wine, beer and cocktails for the adults, and their flagship dish of Pizza. The general manager remarks on this menu, part of which changes every day: “At the core of it all, we do have a core menu. It’s a massive template that we feed off of, so we do a lot of the same things; however, the menu changes on a daily basis and again it speaks to what we were doing on a very, very local basis. … About 60 percent of our menu is a core menu item – it doesn’t change very often, it doesn’t change at all – and the other 40 percent has the opportunity to change everyday, so it’s big work.” Scouring a constantly changing menu for an acceptable variety of food that reflects the restaurant is hard, but eventually we make our selections. Our waiter is a nice, friendly guy who enthusiastically recommends the Bucatini All “Amatricana” pasta ($16). We take him up on his suggestion and order the dish. But first up is Martin’s Farm Spigariello ($5.75). It’s a small dish of broccoli leaves tossed in lemon, chili and garlic. The greens are juicy and oily, and seem to melt on the tongue. The leaves easily come apart and can be easily eaten – not at all tough or dense like many vegetable greens. Overall, the Spigariello was quite tasty. The waiter brings us the Bucatini pasta soon after, a tasty spin on regular spaghetti. The noodles are al dente yet don’t outweigh the sauce, which is the obvious highlight of the dish. The sauce is laden with rich tomato and an unidentifiable kick that gives the sauce an interesting edge. Adding to the dish are little pieces of pancetta (bacon), which add some texture to the pasta but do not have a very distinct taste. The biggest part of our meal is yet to come, with the two pizzas. The first is the Salsiccia (15.75), topped with fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions and mozzarella. The pizza is slightly spicy like the other dishes, yet is surprisingly sparse in cheese. The pizza stills holds its own though, and boasts a distinct spice and combination of flavors. The next pizza is the classic Margherita (mozzarella, basil and tomato, $13). The sauce and crust are tasty, but the mozzarella is sparse, with only one medium circle in the middle of the pizza, and the rest just sauce and crust. The basil is also lacking, with only a couple of sparse leaves on any given slice. Still, while I want more of the cheese and basil, the pizza isn’t bad – just average.

Throughout the meal, almost all of the ingredients are bold and have their own presence in the food, rather than simply being mixed into a given sauce or dough. Each component has a distinct flavor that pairs nicely with the rest of the dish. The general manager enthusiastically remarks on this obvious standout of the meal. “We totally geek out on the produce that we get,” he exclaims. “We look at it, we analyze it, these guys come up with, the chefs come up with crazy recipes for it but they really like the ingredients speaking for themselves.” By the time we’re done, my plate is streaked with splotches of orange oil, and there’s a small gathering of sausage and Bucatini sauce entrails on the curve of my plate. While the food came in sizeable portions, there is still a little part of my stomach that can accommodate dessert. Pizzeria Delfina desserts consist of one item: gelato. We order the Coppa ($5), which offers us two flavors in one dish. The first creamy scoop is the Buffalo Milk Stracciatella (stracciatella is a special cheese made in Southern Italy). The name leaves some room for skepticism, but we find it to be delicious. The gelato is streaked with chocolate and melted easily, becoming a milky substance on the tongue. It is the perfect amount of sweet yet thin in consistency, making it as nice and simple a flavor as vanilla ice cream. And there is no taste of the cheese, which is no cause for complaint. The second half consists of Carmel Corn, which packs a heavy punch. From the first taste, the distinctness of the corn and caramel are striking – these flavors are not muted like the Stracciatella. It has very nutty overtones – to make comparisons, the gelato is like eating only moderately sweet kettle corn. However, the Carmel Corn’s interesting flavor does not lessen its appeal, and it is definitely very tasty. The meal, overall, is about $62 for the three of us. This may seem expensive, but keep into account how much we ordered. Subtract the amount, and it is actually quite reasonable. After the meal, I pack up three leftover pieces of the Salsiccia and add a dollop of the Bucatini sauce onto one of the slices. The dinner setting is casual, yet the food is top notch – truly the best of both worlds on a street full of opposing culinary options. It’s a great place for a laid back meal any day of the week for a hungry soul.