San Francisco’s legendary Tosca Cafe gets an update from N.Y. chef April Bloomfield

April Bloomfield recently tweeted “Lovely evening @ToscaCafeSF slight chill in the air perfect for a #housecappucino.” She included an evocative snapshot that reminded me that she’s now taken over the kitchen at the legendary San Francisco cafe.

It’s been an institution in North Beach for decades, a haven from the loopy scene on Broadway as opera blasted over the wildly diverse crowd and the espresso machine hissed out cappuccino and tiny cups of espresso.

Now, for the first time in 50 years, Tosca Cafe, which dates from 1919, has a real kitchen. Bloomfield, chef/owner of Spotted Pig, the Breslin and John Dory in New York, is venturing to the West Coast for the first time. (Can L.A. be far behind?)

At Tosca, she’s turning her hand to Italian food. I hear it’s good.

On the menu: roast chicken for two ($42), stuffed with ricotta, pine nuts and sage and served with its drippings on grilled bread. On the antipasti menu, you can find crispy pig tails and roasted Treviso along with cured meats. Among the firsts: chicken liver spiedini with salsa verde, fried artichokes, and a salad of radicchio, crispy shallots, Point Reyes blue cheese and croutons.

You can also get bucatini with tomato, guanciale and chili or grilled polenta with mushrooms, mascarpone and Parmesan. Grilled short ribs with gremolata and trout with broccoli and anchovy round out the main courses.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Paolo Lucchesi lays out five things that changed, five things that didn’t. Among the same: The jukebox has the same records and same handwritten labels -- a quarter a play. The murals, once dark with smoke, are now restored to showpieces. The booths are still red, but now they’re in real leather.

What’s different? According to Lucchesi, the area behind the bar now functions as a full-service dining room. The kitchen has been rebuilt from scratch. (It hadn’t been used for more than 50 years!) The old Marilyn Monroe photo that used to hang over the men’s urinals has been replaced by Andy Warhol prints of Marilyn. A new addition: a meat slicer and antipasti station.

Some of the locals are crying foul -- too fancy, different crowd, all wrong. But then, the old Tosca had gone broke.

I can’t wait to stop into the historic spot the next time I’m in San Francisco. This place holds so many memories: It’s great to see that instead of the place dying or becoming a cartoonish touristy haunt, Bloomfield and her partner, Ken Friedman, are giving it some respect and bringing a new generation of fans to the dark brooding cafe on Columbus Avenue.

Tosca Cafe: 242 Columbus Avenue, near Broadway, San Francisco; (415) 986-9651; www.toscacafesf.com. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

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Twitter: @sirenevirbila