Posted by Ed Levine, August 9, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Michael Bauer, food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently named his six favorite pizzerias in the Bay Area. Bauer has been writing a weekly blog post about San Francisco pizza for nearly a year now, usually with accompanying videos, and I guess he feels he has surveyed the field thoroughly enough to weigh in with a definitive list. Or maybe he's finally sick of pizza.
There are some surprising names on the list, along with a few sure-to-be-controversial omissions. The omissions are sure to bring out a hornet's nest of protesters. They include Chicago-style Zachary's, the most popular Bay Area pizzeria; Tommaso's, the oldest pizzeria in San Francisco; Little Star, a newer Chicago-style pizzeria that has been reviewed favorably; Pizzetta 213, super-thin, super-crisp pizza in the Richmond district; Pizzeria Delfina, an offshoot of the very good Italian restaurant with the same name; and A-16, the Neapolitan restaurant and pizzeria which had very fine pizza when I ate there a few years ago researching Slice of Heaven.
Mind you, I agree with the inclusion of the pizzerias I've tried on Bauer's best-of list. I myself found Zachary's mediocre at best, Little Star better but still not great, Pizzetta 213 decent and heartfelt but not inspired, and Tommaso's to be more romantic than delicious. I haven't been to Pizzeria Delfina, though friends who know pizza think it's very good.
I emailed Michael Bauer asking. His response, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 26, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Michael Bauer, food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, continues his Pizza Friday series on his blog Between Meals with a trip to Zachary's in Oakland. Zachary's is wildly popular in the Bay Area for its Chicago-style stuffed pies.
Bauer says:
Crust: The stuffed pizza had a thick crust, almost like dried toasted bread with raw floury underpinning, at least on my visit. The stuffed also has a second crust that's laid on top of the cheese, then covered with a thick layer of chunky tomato sauce. As it bakes, the crust melts into the cheese. The thin crust was crisp, about the size of a double cracker, dusted with semolina flour.
Pizza tried: I chose thin crust with cheese tomato, which was heavy on the oregano and had that generic taste of bottled "pizza sauce" and loads of stringy, gooey mozzarella cheese. In deep dish, the waiter suggested the Zachary's Special with chunky tomatoes glazing generous handfuls of green pepper, sausage and onions. One or two pieces (of the six pieces) definitely is a meal; it's like eating a casserole with your hands.
Zachary's
Address: 5801 College Avenue, Oakland CA (near Rockridge BART Station; map)
Phone: 510-655-6385
Website: zacharys.com
Hours: Vary depending on location; more info here
Other Locations: 1853 Solano Avenue, Berkeley CA 94707; 510-525-5950. 3110 Crow Canyon Place, Suite D, San Ramon CA 94583; 925-244-1222
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 28, 2006 at 1:42 PM
And they are:
- Zachary's Chicago Pizza: Berkeley, California
- PIzzeria Regina: Boston
- Patsy Grimaldi's Pizzeria: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Vic's Bar & Restaurant: Bradley Beach, New Jersey
- Tacconelli's: Philadelphia
- John's: New York City
- Star Pizza: Houston
- Imo's Pizza: Saint Louis
- Home Run Inn: Chicago
- Mellow Mushroom: Atlanta
- Windy City PIzza: Tampa, Florida
- Anthony's Pizza and Pasta: Denver
- Papreza's Pizza: Henderson, Nevada
Well, they say 13 is an unlucky number, right? I mean, only one New York City pizzeria on this list? And it's John's? John's is good, sure, but not the best in NYC. And maybe we should hold our tongue until we've had pizza from the Grimaldi's branch in Arizona, but how can it be any better than the homegrown original Grimaldi's? I guess AOL had to tailor its list to please people across the country. And it's further evidence that these lists are always flawed. Heck, even if Slice put out a list, I'm sure someone—lots of someones—would find fault with it. But they're always good for debate, so have at it. Comments welcome.
13 Perfect Pizzas Across America [AOL Cityguide]
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 29, 2005 at 9:30 AM
Friend of Slice Cyrus Farivar responds to our last entry about Berkeley pizza hotspots:
Ok, firstly, as far as East Bay rags go, the Berkeley Daily Planet is not exactly a gold standard. This is the same paper that in 2002, following a random possible hate crime against a rabbi and his son, ran the headline "The Jews Are Attacked Near Campus." (And yes, I'm biased, I was an editor at the Daily Californian.)
The Telegraph joints (Blondie's, Fat Slice) are good given their proximity to campus, but not for much else. If you're near campus and you can't do anything else, this is acceptable, but if you can spare a ten-minute walk (less if you're on the westside of campus), then there's no reason you shouldn't go to Arinell's. Blondie's gets points for having cool décor and magazines taped up to the wall so you have something to read if you're going solo.
If you're willing to head up to Hopkins Street in North Berkeley, (which might as well be on the other side of the world for traditionally lazy Berkeley students), the place to go is Gioia. [Earlier Slice entry on Gioia.]
That said, the new hotness in town (ok, North Oakland, but all Berkeley students have free bus passes, so there's no excuse) is Pizzialo. I haven't been myself yet, but my sources say it's good.
Also the new kid on the block is Pie in the Sky (New Jersey–style pizza, apparently).
Thanks for that rundown, Cyrus. We know you know your pies, so readers would do well to take heed of this slice syllabus.
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 26, 2005 at 2:00 PM
It's back-to-school time, which is welcome news to college-town pizza purveyors nationwide. The rumbling thunder of keg parties and the flash of rush-week hazing signal an end to the summerlong drought of business that typically plagues merchants used to the steady drizzle of crumpled student dollars.
It also means that at least a few back-to-school pie guides appear on the horizon, breaking down the options for freshmen not yet wise to the ways the local slice winds blow. They are the Farmer's Almanacs of the college pie world. One such guide recently came to our attention. It was compiled for Berkeley students. It is the Berkeley Pizza Guide, printed in the Berkeley Daily Planet. Some highlights:
Domino’s Pizza: I’m starting with Domino’s for one simple reason. It’s a chain, and as such, it sucks. If you have a particular attachment to their pizza, there are two in town, one on Adeline (652-8077) and one on University (849-9000). The only good thing about Domino’s is that they’re open fairly late—the stores are open until 1 a.m. and the last delivery is at 12:30 a.m. A large pizza (all large pizzas are 14 inches, unless noted otherwise) is $10.99. Minimum charge for delivery is $10.39 and there is a $1 delivery fee.
We like where this is going already.
La Val’s is in the basement of 2516 Durant. It’s pretty large for a pizza place, which is good, since it also features an arcade complete with DDR and a pay-to-play pool table. There are booths and long, family-style tables upon which to consume your pizza and beer. A large cheese is $12.95 and a pint is $3.50. If you’re looking for atmosphere with your pizza, this is the place for you. The crowd is mixed and there are always a few biker dudes hanging around.
The Cheeseboard (549-3055), this is a venerable Berkeley institution. An offshoot of the neighboring Cheeseboard Collective, the pizza parlor has wonky hours (Tues.–Fri. 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m., 4:30 p.m.–8 p.m.; Sat. 12 p.m.–3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.–8 p.m.) and offers only one flavor of pizza each day. It’s cash only, not much seating, and the lines are usually long. But they move quickly and there’s often live music to entertain you while you wait. A pie is $18 (which is actually a pie plus two pieces) and a slice is $2.25. There’s no delivery, so you’ll just have to go down there. I can’t tell you what the plain pizza is like, because they don’t make plain pizza, but here’s the amazing part. I ate the pizza they gave me, with tomatoes, red peppers, onion, mozzarella, parmesan, basil and olive oil. I didn’t pick any of it off, and that’s the highest endorsement I can give to a pizza. This is the place in Berkeley for gourmet pizza.
Other pizzerias mentioned:
Fat Slice Pizza: 548-6479
Extreme Pizza: Shattuck Ave., 486-0770
Fiesta Pizza: 644-1222
Posted by Adam Kuban, July 7, 2004 at 2:05 PM
Seems Slice is making a virtual road trip west. Here's yet more out-of-state New York–style-pizza news, this time from the Contra Costa Times out in Bay Area's Contra Costa County.
Sierra Filucci, a correspondent for the paper, profiles Berkeley, California, newcomer Gioia Pizzeria, a shop she says blends the best of the New York School with West Coast sensibilities. On first read, we at Slice were like, "That's an oxymoron." I mean, do West Coasters have any sense when it comes to pizza?
But it sounds like Berkeleyites are in good hands: Will Gioia, the proprietor, is Brooklyn-raised. Moreover, Filucci claims that the California pedigree brings fresh ingredients to the pie and compares Gioia's use of fresh, organic cremini mushrooms to the canned "yellowish-beige," "briny," and "cold" mushrooms of Gotham slices. So it's not the use of Thai shrimp on an otherwise New York slice she's talking about—it's just the Californian attention to high-quality ingredients. Sure, California chefs have a reputation for such persnicketiness, but we could point to several Big Apple pizzerias that use only the finest ingredients.
Anyway, we'll stop picking nits here and cut to the meat of the article. Here's what she says about Gioia:
The mushroom pizza I'm devouring in my car is the perfect blend of New York and Bay Area. The crust is thin and crisp, the sauce is red and sweet-tangy, the cheese is modestly distributed -- so far the perfect New York slice, and then the mushrooms are fresh, organic, woodsy creminis. In New York, pizza mushrooms come out of a can; they're yellowish-beige; they taste briny; and they're often still a little cold when you bite into your slice.
Will Gioia wouldn't serve cold, briny mushrooms in his pizzeria, even though he's probably eaten his share while growing up in Brooklyn. At his pizzeria, Gioia merges his sweetest food memories -- walking down the block with a slice and a Coke -- with his Culinary Institute of America training and his Oliveto, Zuni Cafe and Mazzini Trattoria experience.
The Hopkins Street location is tiny -- just enough room to squeeze in, order your slice or pick up your pie and duck out. Or you could sit at one of the handful of stools and scarf down your slice, or order from the sidewalk through the takeout window -- just like in Brooklyn.
There's the plain cheese ($2.50 slice, $10 pie), with homemade sauce (Gioia says he uses canned tomatoes in his sauce, but when the season really hits, he'll start using fresh tomatoes). [ continue reading >> ]
A bit pricey for slices, but it is the Bay Area. Slice wonders if prices there match the public-transport fares, as they're rumored to do here. If so, BART's a rip-off.
