The Spirit Of San Francisco New Boardwalk Eatery Offers Bounty Of Options

On the menu Among the items on the menu at San Francisco oven: Appetizers: Gold Rush Onion Soup, $2.99.

Garden House Salad, $5.95.

Pizzas: Signature Napoletana, 8" pizza, $4.95, $.50 for each topping; 14" pizza, $11.95, $1.50 for each topping.

Bay Area Favorites, 8" pizza, $5.95, 14" pizza, $14.95.

Sandwiches: 49er Grinder, $6.99.

Pesto Turkey Focaccia, $6.50.

Desserts: Bananas Foster Cheese Cake, $3.95. Chocolate Frappe, $4.50. Move over Rice a Roni, there is a new San Francisco treat in town.

One of the newest restaurants to open on the Louisiana Boardwalk, San Francisco Oven will tempt taste buds with all the flavors of a West Coast deli. Sandwiches, salads, soups and brick-oven pizzas -- this deli-style restaurant will give you plenty of options to choose from at a reasonable price.

But prepare yourself, the menu at San Francisco Oven is overwhelming. As my friend and I waited in line, I scanned the menu over and over again but I couldn't make a decision. By the time I reached the counter I still hadn't decided. I stood there, fumbling through my order and trying to buy time by saying "umm." I know this can be annoying, but the server was polite and acted as though she has seen behavior like mine often. The server gave me plenty of time to place a well-thought-out order.

What makes ordering at San Francisco Oven so complex is that just about any dish can be specialized to your individual taste. A pizza can be made with a variety of toppings and sauces. You can have a sandwich hot or cold and a salad covered in just about any dressing.

My friend shared my indecisiveness. To her credit, ordering a pizza at San Francisco isn't simple. There are eight specialty pizzas, listed on the menu as Bay Area Favorites, which range from the classic Margherita to a unique California BBQ Chicken.

Or if you are feeling creative, you can build your own pizza, known as a Signature Napoletana. To create a signature pizza, you can choose from an abundance of toppings, 21 to be exact, and three different sauces. My friend, being the traditionalist that she is, ordered an 8" pizza smothered in San Marzano Red Sauce and topped with pepperoni.

The deliciousness of a pizza at San Francisico Oven starts with the crust. The thin soft crust is baked in a hot, hearth oven, which gives the pizza a nice crispness on the outside while keeping it soft inside. Topped with a hearty tomato sauce and a generous amount of pepperoni, my friend was pleased.

I started off my meal with a bowl of Gold Rush Onion Soup. The rich broth was filled with scallions, shallots, spinach, red onions, sourdough croutons and topped with Provolone cheese. This isn't the sort of dish I would typically order when eating out, but I was pleased. The soup wasn't watery, as onion soup can be. Instead, it was thick and delicious. The onion soup is one of two soups offered daily along with Pier 39 Clam Chowder.

Getting into the spirit of San Francisco, I ordered the most native-sounding sandwich available, the 49er Grinder. The name of the sandwich was difficult for me to overcome. It sounds like a man's sandwich and, in addition, I'm not much of a 49er's fan.

But I couldn't resist and I'm glad I didn't because it was absolutely perfect.

The hot sandwich was filled with salami, cappicolla, Italian mortadella, mozzarella cheese and baked in the brick oven on a French baguette. Once removed from the oven, the hot Italian meats and melted cheese were then topped with fresh field greens, Roma tomatoes and roasted garlic horseradish mayo. The sandwich was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet.

To finish the meal, my friend and I shared the Bananas Foster Cheese Cake. The dessert was sweet and rich without being overwhelming. The cheese cake was covered in a sweet and creamy banana glaze that added only a subtle hint of banana flavor which accented the cheese cake without overshadowing it.

San Francisco Oven blends a casual dining atmosphere with sophisticated tastes and flavors. There are numerous delis in Shreveport-Bossier City, but there are none quite like San Francisco Oven.

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