Francis Ford Coppola sits at a tiny table outside his Cafe Niebaum-Coppola in North Beach. The Academy Award-winning director, lionized for such films as the "Godfather'' series and "Apocalypse Now,'' quietly sips his wine and accepts the good wishes of passers-by.
Even if he hadn't been there, there's no mistaking this restaurant as belonging to anyone else. For the man, his movies and his wines have shaped 4- year-old Cafe Niebaum-Coppola into something that goes beyond its casual menu of pizza, pasta and panini.
New since The Chronicle's last visit two years ago is an array of picadas, or Argentine tapas, that supplement the roster of salads and starters.
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Ordering one of the Niebaum-Coppola flights is a good way to explore the wine list
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The cafe is in the historic Sentinel Building, a wedge-shaped, copper- trimmed building that is home to Coppola's motion picture production company, American Zoetrope. Movie buffs will delight in the movie memorabilia and merchandise that lends a certain star quality to this North Beach bistro - even without Coppola in attendance.
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