French-accented Italian restaurant at the northern foot of Potrero Hill: Pizza Nostra

For my diabetes-inflicted tastes, the best pizza in town is the thin-crust sourdough at Goat Hill Pizza. That was already a neighborhood institution in 1982 when I moved to Potrero Hill.

It's taken me a a year and a half to visit Pizza Nostra, at 300 De Haro (at 16^th Street), in the same complex as brunch favorite Sally's. My stomach was demanding pasta, so I only observed the individual-sized (though I'd classify them as medium-sized) pizzas: they had moderately thin crusts without much sauce. The menu reports that the pizzas are thin-crust in Recco style. (Recco is a city in the Ligurian region of northern Italy, near Genoa.)

The two pasta dishes I tried were perfect, as was a light chocolate mousse that I shouldn't have had. The entrées run $14-$17, while desserts and antipasto dishes are mostly $7.

Mondays feature spaghetti and meatballs ($11.95) and Tuesdays, lasagna ($12.95). Both include salad and garlic bread. The meatballs are large and plentiful but I find them dull; the lasagna is excellent.

The pastas served are linguine, rigatoni, fettuccine, penne, and ravioli with a choice of lemon-cream basil, pesto with peas and asparagus, pomodoro, carbonara, Bolognese and three-cheese with basil.

Pizza Nostra opened in March 2009, with a menu originally designed by Chez Papa Resto chef David Bazirgan. Winona Matsuda (of Choppers) took it over without changing the menu or the French waiters.

Service was helpful, friendly, and even witty. I expect to be back often, maybe some time just for dessert!

Pizza Nostra is open noon to 10 p.m. on weekends, and 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m. weekdays. A number of tables are outside along with booths (with benches) and counter service inside. The official capacity numbers are 36 inside and 45 outside.