North Beach's reputation as a Bohemian neighborhood has been on the wane since the 1970s ― SFoodie imagines the neighborhood crankily shaking its head at those Mission upstarts. But for all its tourist appeal, Mario's still seems imbued with the spirit of the low-rent, high-minded drunkards and speed freaks who made the neighborhood great. And while the carved wood bar and yellow walls are encrusted in nostalgia, take advantage of the January heat wave to sit on the sidewalk, facing Washington Square Park and Sts. Peter and Paul Church, while you wait for a hot meatball sandwich.
A spell in the toaster restores the oil-brushed sheen to the scallion-spotted focaccia, with its astrakhan-like folds, its hills and dimples: more surface area for the crisping. Each bite propels flecks of the crust across the table.
Dishes in our series so far:
92: Goat tacos from El Norteño
91: Faux shark's fin soup at Benu
90: Esperpento's alcachofas a la plancha
89: Poco Dolce's olive oil chocolate bar
88: Decantr's chicken-liver mousseline
87: Outerlands' levain bread
86: Fraîche's frozen yogurt
85: Gyro King's spinach pie
84: Tandoori fish from Lahore Karahi
83: Braised oxtail and daikon from Namu
82: Golden Gate Bakery's custard tart
81: Commonwealth's cured foie gras with umeboshi purée
80: Star Stream's Liège-style waffle
79: Mexican hot chocolate from La Oaxaqueña
