Rose Pistola was an Italian restaurant in the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco. Specializing in cuisine from the Ligurian region of Italy, it opened in 1996, by Reed Hearon,[2] a Texas-born chef, and received the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant the following year.[1][3]

Rose Pistola
Map
Rose Pistola is located in San Francisco
Rose Pistola
Location within San Francisco
Restaurant information
Established1996; 28 years ago (1996)
Closed2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Head chefReed Hearon
Food typeLigurian (Italian)
Street address532 Columbus Avenue[1]
CitySan Francisco
StateCalifornia
CountryUnited States
Coordinates37°48′00″N 122°24′34″W / 37.8001°N 122.4095°W / 37.8001; -122.4095

History

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The restaurant was named after Rose "Pistola" Evangelisti and her popular local bar, Rose Pistola, at 1707 Powell Street (later, the Washington Square Bar and Grill), across from Washington Square Park that she owned from the 1950s to 1973;[4] chef Reed Hearon and co-owner Laurie Thomas purchased the rights from Evangelisti for an undisclosed sum and a promise that she could visit and eat as she liked.[5][6]

"Hearon focused on the specialties of the Ligurian region. His kitchen was equipped with a wood-burning oven, rotisserie and two separate grills, turning out pizza, whole roast fish, cast iron pots of polenta and other dishes that made it the best Italian restaurant of its era."[7]

Rose Pistola closed in February 2017, with its owners citing rising costs and diminished popularity.[3]

Further reading

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  • Hearon, Reed; Knickerbocker, Peggy (1999). The Rose Pistola Cookbook: 140 Italian Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite North Beach Restaurant. Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-7679-0250-2.[8][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Staggs, Bill (1996-06-05). "At the Nation's Table: San Francisco; North Beach Spirit At Rose Pistola". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  2. ^ Gutekunst, George (December 1999). "A Mini-Farm in San Francisco". Fine Gardening (magazine). No. 24. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Tuder, Stefanie. "North Beach Classic Rose Pistola Quietly Shutters After 21 Years". Eater San Francisco. Archived from the original on 2019-12-28. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  4. ^ "Fiery Rose Pistola North Beach Barkeep". SFGate. September 15, 1998. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  5. ^ Rosenfeld, Seth (1998-09-14). "Rose Pistola, North Beach bar owner, cook". SFGate. Archived from the original on 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  6. ^ Tsapovsky, Flora (2015-05-05). "Sound Bites: Rose Pistola's Laurie Thomas Discusses Leaving Tech for Food". SF Station. Archived from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  7. ^ Bauer, Michael (September 2016). "30 years of the Bay Area's most important restaurants". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  8. ^ "The Rose Pistola Cookbook: 140 Italian Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite North Beach Restaurant by Reed Hearon". Publishers Weekly (review). October 4, 1999. ISSN 0000-0019. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  9. ^ Chastenet dé Gery, Rebecca (March 24, 2000). "The Rose Pistola Cookbook: 140 Italian Recipes From San Francisco's Favorite North Beach Restaurant". Austin Chronicle (review). Retrieved 2024-09-22.
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