315811 Tue Aug 08 06:41:34 -0700 2006 26 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 1794068 One bite and the chow bells started ringing. This was going to be something special. Robert Lauriston has been insisting that the sausage pizza at Nizza was very good. He was very right. Also he mentioned that the pizza menu expanded and Nizza was making not only the sausage but the cheese. The sausage was everything that is good about Italian sausage, a deep fennel flavor, meaty without being greasy. I wish I could buy this sausage to take home. The pieces were the right size and were generous. The cheese was lovely and flavorful and the dabs of sauce very nice. The thin, but not too thin, crust crackled with each bite. It was a deeply satisfying and delicious pizza. I wasn’t paying attention to the menu. The house made cheese has to be requested. So I just had the regular cheese, but that was very tasty. The menu says of the pizzas ... “We proudly present hand-crafted American Artisan Pizza, made in the manner of the legendary Pizziaolos Gennaro Lombardi and Anthony Pero, circa 1905” “Our pizzas are baked in the wood-fired oven at a temperature of 800 degrees until they attain a crisp well-browned, lightly charred outer crust and an open-holed, light interior crumb structure, with a dimpled char-baked bottom crust unless otherwise requested”. Exactly. And let Nizza do its thing. Don’t otherwise request. It is not over-done. Don’t let the word char scare you off. The pizza I ordered was called “For Lombardi” ... Homage to Gennaro Lombardi, house-made fennel sausage, aged Grande Mozzarella, Tomato magic, garlic essence, Romano, Parmesan & oregano. It seems Nizza is leaning more toward the Italian these days. They now have an Antipasto Rustico of the day. It is a selection of locally produced salami, meats, cheeses. olives and marinated vegetables. It looked delicious. They also have a pasta of the day. Today it was linguini with toy box tomatoes, fresh basil, baby spinach, parmesan and reggiano cheeses. There is still a special of the day. Today it was fire-roasted trout with fresh chive beurre blanc sauce, roasted red potatoes, and blue lake and yellow wax beans. They dishes that are their specialties remain, like the mac and cheese (also a Bay best), mussels, socca, eppinards nicois, and steak frittes. In addition to the more traditional Italian pizzas listed in the menu link below, today's pizza of the day was house-made mozzarella, pancetta, red onion topped with arugula toy box tomato salad and romano cheese Current beer on draft is Trummer Pils. At 9 pm on a Monday night, it was very cozy and comfortable. Only about 1/4 of the restaurant was full. It had the feel of the good neighborhood bistro that it is. Nice jazz played in the background. I will continue to state Robert, that despite Nizza’s fancy write-up ... you do this pizza, Nizza, and Chowhounds a disservice when you categorize it as a New York Pizza. A New York pizza doesn’t have tomato magic or garlic essence. That being said, this is a wonderful very Italian pizza that should be enjoyed for its own character. It defines the word pizza. It doesn’t need the NY tag attached to it. From my last visit, I knew I wasn’t going to get what I consider NY pizza. So my expectations were not along those lines. At most I was hoping for good sausage. My expectations were exceeded. However, if this was my first visit and I was expecting the more common NY slice that folds, I don’t know ... as wonderful as this was, it would not be what I was expecting. And that is what I mean by doing a disservice. Let the pizza stand on its own and don’t label it NY. Sure it’s NY ... circa 1905. And yes, the few pizzerias in NY that are at the top might produce a similar pie. But this is not what most people crave when looking for NY pizza. Let people crave Nizza La Bella’s pie for the superior pizza it is. There was a sign on the specials board that said “Watch us on the History Channel. Amercian Eats: Pizza’. Is this one of the best pizzas in the Bay Area ... yes. Is in NY pizza ... IMO ... no ... in many ways it is so much better. And thanks again Robert for the great tip. Tue Aug 08 06:41:34 -0700 2006 10264 rworange 1 1794070 Dinner menu - http://nizzalabella.com/dinnermenu.html Tue Aug 08 06:53:11 -0700 2006 1794068 10039 Melanie Wong 1 1794074 Thanks, Melanie !!! Wow, Nizza IS changing. They finally got a website. The main page in addition to the address and hours has some really nice pictures of the restaurant. http://nizzalabella.com/ I edited a little thanks to the link, but left some stuff in because most people I'm guessing don't follow the links ... and this was so good I hope pulling some of the menu out will convince people to give Nizza a try. Dessert menu was unchanged. Skipped that. Tue Aug 08 07:04:42 -0700 2006 1794068 10264 rworange 1 1794097 I started going here about 9 months ago based on your description of the cocktails and Robert's and others' praise of the pizza. I've had a few other things, but what really keeps me coming back are those pizzas, particularly the ones with the sausage you both so rightly praise, and the Salade Lyonnaise, which is as good a version as I have ever had. Each time a try a different, beautiful cocktail. I also appreciate the expansion of the pizza menu; this pizza is really delicious. I like it a little more than I do the pizza at Pizzaiolo or Dopo, though I might be in the minority about that. I am not sophisticated about pizza, but I think the crust recipe is slightly different, or thrown differently or fired more consistently or some combination of that. Also the way it is topped is different too, especially considering the fennel sausage, which to my untutored palate could definitely hint at some golden age of Italian-American NY pizza, as opposed to the modern day foldable NY style that is the subject of more common debate. In contrast, the pizzas a Dopo and Pizzaiolo seem to take a more purely Italian or Cal-Ital pizza as a model or inspiration. Tue Aug 08 08:16:39 -0700 2006 1794068 10406 twocents 1 1794530 What is "Tomato Magic & Garlic Essence"?...... and why is this place not open for lunch??? Huh! Tue Aug 08 15:24:23 -0700 2006 1794068 10485 ChowFun_derek 2 1794533 The tomato magic was the sauce. Nice sauce that complemented the pie and didn't take over. Magic ... well, who knows? Made by Samantha Stevens? Got me on garlic essence ... the cook wears garlic perfume ... or a little El Bulli-inspired action going on? There wasn't a noticable garlic flavor. Next pizza I want to try is the pizza that lists actual garlic on it. The pizza was so good I didn't get worked up over those two silly descriptions. Personally, I think describing the sauce would be better ... house-made blah, blah, blah whatever it is made of. I'd leave out the garlic essense part totally since it doesn't impart any assertive garlic taste and even the most garlic-sensative wouldn't notice it. With most classic pizza, you assume garlic is involved in some way or another. Tue Aug 08 15:26:39 -0700 2006 1794530 10264 rworange 1 1794651 So, hyperbole is alive and living in Albany...! Isn't "Ereril's Essence" enough for us? That aside, the menu did mention Lombardi's and Totonnos in NY which are favorably mentioned on this (NY) board..I have been to Totonnos in Coney Island...very good...I prefer Di Fara's in Bklyn, but my native land has an embarassment of Pizza riches....! I do wish/hope Nizza La Bella..starts to do some lunches..as it's too difficult to get over the bridge and find parking when I return! The pizza sounds great.. Tue Aug 08 16:16:05 -0700 2006 1794068 10485 ChowFun_derek 1 1794895 It's definitely not an Italian-style pie. Or, obviously, a Ray's-style slice. The San Gennaro is generally similar to my favorite John's of Bleeker St. SMOG pie, though the toppings are way better--as they surely were a hundred years ago when the New York style was developed. Nizza claims the New York inspiration right on the menu, and Evelyne Slomon (the owner) learned from those guys. See the pizza episode of American Eats on the History Channel for some details. Nizza was open for lunch and brunch for a while during the dot-com boom. Business fell off after the bust. Tue Aug 08 17:50:05 -0700 2006 1794068 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 1795315 Was there only Trumer Pils on draft? I thought last time I was there they had four taps, Trumer plus three Belgians. Still a very good small wine list--more Italian and lower prices. Tue Aug 08 19:59:58 -0700 2006 1794068 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 1795366 Yeah, one on tap and three bottled beers and they were sold out of the bottled beer. I remember Duval Belgium Ale on the list and two other beers I've never seen, but I'm not big on beer, so they might or might not be common. Have you, or anyone else, ever had the antipasto plate? Whose salami are they using? Cheese? I didn't ask at the time because I was so zoned in on getting the sausage pizza I didn't care what else was on the menu. Tue Aug 08 20:13:27 -0700 2006 1795315 10264 rworange 1 1797529 I don't know whose salami or cheese they are using but the antipasti plate is very satisfying. They are also making some wonderful soups. Wed Aug 09 18:36:50 -0700 2006 1794068 13011 Missmoo 1 1797750 Perhaps I have ordered the wrong thing- no pizza- but the several times I have been over several years I can report that the food is very mediocre. The last ime we were there we had some of the worst service I have ever had at a restaurant and I did report to the manager that evening. I do not plan on going back. Wed Aug 09 19:52:29 -0700 2006 1794068 16559 zinfanatic 2 1797814 They've had some recent changes to the menu and the staff so your negative experience may be a bit outdated. Wed Aug 09 20:09:29 -0700 2006 1797750 10793 Morton the Mousse 3 1797835 I've had and enjoyed the socca, salade lyonnaise, salade anchoiade, macaroni gratin, and bouillabaisse, all more than once. I've also enjoyed the onglet steak-frites but haven't tried the new skirt steak. I prefer Plouf for moules-frites. Wed Aug 09 20:16:55 -0700 2006 1797814 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 1798926 Zinfanatic, I purposely didn't link to my old posts about Nizza because I had pretty much the same experience that you did for the most part. I wasn't even impressed with the pizza at at that time. I ordered the New York, New York. It left me with the impresion that Robert was out of his mind as far as this place was concerned. However, I never had the sausage pizza, partly because it was never on the menu. However, even then, the Mac & cheese was outstanding. I really didn't like the roast chicken though. I've always liked the drinks and they have a different bartender there on Mondays. Real nice guy ... he waited on me. I haven't had luck with the desserts though. The vacerin was just awful ... I was also mourning the passing of Bizou at that time and Coco500 had not opened yet. Bizou/Coco500 makes a fabulous vacherin and this wasn't in the same class. So a little of what you said. Be careful what you order. However, the current menu has been stripped down to the best dishes (boullabaise excepted ... I didn't like that). The pizza menu has been expanded. It seems like the restaurant has gone through a change for the better. I'm looking foward to returning and try a few more pizzas and that antipasto plate. Thu Aug 10 06:28:38 -0700 2006 1797750 10264 rworange 1 1798182 I took my teenage kids and my niece who is visiting from NJ to dinner there last night. It has been long on my to-eat list (my brother lives nearby and has recommended it often), and I was spurred on by this thread to finally try it. In a word - fabulous. Everything we had was great, the service was friendly (it wasn't busy on a Tues. night) but just a tad bit slow. It didn't stop us from enjoying our meal. We had the Lombardi with house made cheese and the pizza of the day which had pancettta and cherry tomatoes and greens on top, both of which were great. The kids loved the house made sausage. We also shared the salade lyonnais and the house salad. My son ordered the skirt steak, which was cooked medium and was tender as well as flavorful. The frites were not as good as the ones at Bistro Liaison, but were adequate. Lastly, my daughter had to try the macaroni gratin, which we all kept taking forkfuls of. You might want to try it one more time - I thought it was better than Pizzaolo and there was no wait. Wed Aug 09 22:15:37 -0700 2006 1794068 12163 anli 2 1798327 How'd the New Jersey-ite compare it to pizza at home? Wed Aug 09 23:33:55 -0700 2006 1798182 10039 Melanie Wong 1 1798694 She had never had fresh greens on a pizza - this is a girl who is not very adventuresome foodwise, but she loved all of it. Now if I could only convince her to eat shrimp with the head on.... Thu Aug 10 03:02:22 -0700 2006 1794068 12163 anli 1 1800105 I had a good dinner at Nizza last night. The sausage pizza was as good as promised and certainly the best NY style pizza I've had in the Bay Area. I also really enjoyed the chicken paillard which is far better than the rather boring roast chicken they use to serve. The breast was perfectly cooked (some would send it back as too rare, but those folks don't know what chicken should taste like.) Tender and moist with a nice flavor. It was not breaded and fried like some paillard but it was far superior to the majority of boring, grilled chicken breasts. It was served over fries which I originally objected to on the grounds that the drippings would make the fries go limp (they did), but the chicken juices gave the fries a really wonderful flavor. If you have an objection to limp fries, get them on the side, but I think it was worth the trade off. My only complaint was that the aioli tasted terrible (like it sat out for too long). Fortunately the chicken juice gave the fries enough flavor that I didn't need it. The chicken was also sprinkled with some good mixed greens which was a nice touch. Loved the Trumer on tap though they used to serve it in proper Trumer glasses and now use standard pint glasses. Oh well, still tasted good. It's a great mid priced neighberhood spot with good portions and friendly service. Though I've had some unmemorable meals there in the past I think the changes to the menu reflect good things to come and I can see myself returning about once a month. Thu Aug 10 19:43:44 -0700 2006 1794068 10793 Morton the Mousse 2 1800438 >>> and certainly the best NY style pizza <<< Morton, stab me in the heart will ya? Anyway, thanks for the report on the chicken. I just ignored it because I wasn't thrilled with the chicken last time I tried it. I saw the word 'chicken' and skipped over the description. So do you have a preference for the sausage pizza at Pizzaolo or Nizza? Thu Aug 10 21:30:23 -0700 2006 1800105 10264 rworange 3 1805311 I'm a California boy; any pizza that isn't covered in arugula and goat cheese is NY style. I had both Pizzaiolo and Nizza's sausage pizza this week. Although I agree with Robert that the different styles make a comparison difficult, to my taste Pizzaiolo's won hands down. However, this particular sausage pizza was covered in delicious sweet and spicy peppers that had the perfect crunch to them. The peppers were as important to the pizza as the sausage and I loved every bite of them. As Pizzaiolo's sausage pizza changes daily and is often paired with other delicious toppings it would be hard to do a straight comparison (I guess you could just order the margherita plus sausage but I'd rather have the topping combo that Charlie decided on for that day.) Pizzaiolo also had the figs with ricotta and mint baked in the wood fire oven last night. Man oh man, that stands as one of the most delicous dishes I have ever eaten anywhere. Pizzaiolo just added a very nice, heated outdoor patio which will make getting a table much easier if you don't mind dining outside. It's also much quieter than indoors because there's no loud music and the tables aren't as close together. They're also going to add a bocce ball court to entertain folks who are waiting for a table. Sun Aug 13 18:34:33 -0700 2006 1800438 10793 Morton the Mousse 4 1805332 Where's the patio? Through the back room and out the back door? Sun Aug 13 18:49:47 -0700 2006 1805311 11369 Robert Lauriston 5 1805397 Also, when you answer, do you have any updates on the wine bar that is occassionally mentioned ... supposedly so people have a waiting area. John Birdsall mentioned something in a Cafe Pippo review about Pizzaiolo taking over the fried fish place across the street, but I couldn't tell if he was joking or that was a fact. He wrote in that review ... "Until Temescal's newest wood-rotisserie trattoria rips out the Frialators at S&S Seafood, the neighborhood serves as a slightly queasy model of urban culinary density." Sun Aug 13 19:58:09 -0700 2006 1805332 10264 rworange 5 1805401 Hmmm ... "diversity" would make more sense in that sentence. Replacing a seafood place with a rotisserie place wouldn't change the density. Sun Aug 13 20:08:16 -0700 2006 1805332 11369 Robert Lauriston 5 1805493 Yes, the patio is through the back room and out the back door. They've done a good job with it. I hope they tent it in the winter so people have a plact to wait in the rain. No updates on the wine bar. I've heard their employees speculate on it but I have not heard that it will definitely happen. Sun Aug 13 21:30:25 -0700 2006 1805332 10793 Morton the Mousse 1 1884584 Thanks for this report. I need to try their pizza. I always thought they had the best steak frites in the east bay and now there's something else for me to try here! a greal meal after working up an appetite bowling ... and a bit more high end than Big Al's just down the street (which does, incidentally, have the best fried clams anywhere). Mon Sep 18 19:24:57 -0700 2006 1794068 23196 hewn 2 1893638 No kidding? Thanks for the clam tip at Big AL's. Although I'm getting my real clam fix these days at Old Port Lobster Shack and Woodhouse, I'm alway game for a good frozen fried clam strip. I liked Howard Johnson's clam roll. It might be a good option when the ride to Redwood City or SF isn't doable and I must have clams. Thanks. Thu Sep 21 23:32:08 -0700 2006 1884584 10264 rworange