Best Cheese pizzas?

[nuraman00]

What are 2-3 restaurants that you think make the best cheese pizza? I'm not a vegetarian, but I've always been curious about how good cheese pizzas could be. When I see one with 4-5 different types of cheeses, can one actually taste them, and do they make a difference?

If the answer is that they're all the same, I can accept that. Or, I'll even accept something like Costco (I've never tried their cheese, so I can't say). From my experience, Costco is ok but sometimes too oily.

From someone's recommendation, I did try the New York Pizza from Amici's, and it was pretty good. It did seem better than other ones I've tried. I think something about how the pizza was thin, and the flavor of the cheeses, just worked.

(I also like deep dish pizzas.)

[sarafinadh]

π (Pi) on Valencia in San Francisco does an all cheese pizza called the white pie with Mozzarella, Ricotta & Reggiano that would be worth trying. I think they have an exceptional pie and would be interested in how it compares. Worthy beer list as well.

http://pibarsf.com/

[nuraman00]

Thanks!

21" pizza? WOW.

Other than Blind Pig, and Ninkasi's Double Red Believer Ale, both of which I've had and like what beer would you recommend?

How is their Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin? I don't like Blue Moon's Harvest Moon, or Buffalo Bill's pumpkin beer, but I did like Jack's (a local restaurant/brewery) pumpkin ale.

Have you had that White Pie pizza?

[sarafinadh]

I have had the White Pie many times. It's great with bacon and onion added. The beer list is always changing so it's hard to say what you will find. I usually go for the ciders and lambics.

[nuraman00]

Thanks. I posted my review of it above.

Seeing as how I got a large, for $25, and toppings for bacon are $5, and for onion is $3.50, I would probably get one topping, but not both, so I could keep the total to $30 or under.

[SF Brother]

2nd trip to Rotten City Wow this place continues to shine
4 slices and a meatball sub
1 Neo cheese
1 daily special ( chippolini and chantrelles)
1 PORCHETTA
1 ACCIUGHE
should take over the # 1 rank

[nuraman00]

So the daily special was also great?

[SF Brother]

yes it was very tasty and this week I hear they will be doing a duck confiet topping with other tasty goodness

[nuraman00]

SF Brother, did you see my review of 4 pizzas of Rotten City Pizza, in the past month? (2 trips - 2 half-pizzas for 4 total combinations).

[SF Brother]

no sorry i must have missed it

[nuraman00]

Did you see it now?

Check the post on Nov 18, 2012 08:59 AM.

[SF Brother]

yes I read it, sounded familiar, I was at Rotten City today
2 cheese
1Fungi
1 Salumi and red onion
consistantly good

[SF Brother]

yes Nuraman I had a slice of just plain chees and 2 whole pies of the same thing the other slices which also included a slice of the calabrian

[nuraman00]

The plain cheese was the neapolitan, right? Do you mean you bought 2 whole pizzas of it, and had an additional slice of it, plus slices of the Porchetta, Acciughe, and Calabrian?

How was the Calabrian?

[SF Brother]

Nuraman yes that what I am saying I had a slice of Neo plus 2 whole Neo pies to go plus a slice of calabrian and the other 2 mentioned earlier as wel as a meatball and the dirty pork sandwhich

[SF Brother]

So today was my first expirence with Rotten City Pizza in Emeryville and wow these guys got it going on for sure. My pizza eating in the Bay Area started in 1976 with Arinells in Berkeley since then its been many of the usual suspects like Slice of NY and Gioia's which until today was my favorite now after my time at Rotten CIty its now part of my go to spots for out of town family and friends. This place just rocks from their plain cheese to something more adventuresome like the PORCHETTA or ACCIUGHE both very tasty and a well created slice of goodness, the lemon zest in the slsa verde which gets drizzled over the slice was great. The Meatballs are absolutely homemade without any of the typical overly filler taste of breadcrumbs, they were served up in a sweet homemade sauce. my new favorite spot and to think one could eaisly grab a slice or 2 and quickly drive over to the other place for another couple of slices (Gioia,s - Rotten CIty or visa versa )

[nuraman00]

Glad you liked it.

So you had these three?:

NEAPOLITAN

PORCHETTA

ACCIUGHE

Interesting, I've never heard of these latter two styles before. I might have to ask for a half and half of those, the next time I go there. You gave me a good reason to go back sooner.

[drewskiSF]

you can see the toppings mix on their site
http://www.rottencitypizza.com/menu.html

[nuraman00]

Thanks drewskiSF.

SF Brother, I just wanted to confirm with you which one you got when you said "plain cheese", it was the neapolitan.

[nuraman00]

Question for Robert Lauriston, wolfe, or any of the frequent posters who have given multiple recommendations:

Have you tried some of the places you've recommended, and if so, what are your thoughts?

For example, I know mick has tried Una Pizza Napoletana. And Robert Lauriston has tried Emilias, Tony's Pizza Napoletana. But I'm not sure if he's tried Pizzeria Delfina, or BaoNecci (even though he recommended them).

And wolfe recommended Oliveto's, and Paisan, but I'd like to know in a bit more detail of what he had and what he thought.

I don't want this thread to just be about what I think of various pizzerias, but I'd like to read what others had at specific pizzerias, and what they thought of them.

For example, I like reading what Bunson said about A Slice Of NY, or what TopoTail said about Una Pizza Napoletana.

[Robert Lauriston]

I've tried every place on your list except A Slice of New York, Howie's, Speederia, and Primo's.

I rarely recommend places I haven't tried, and when I do I usually say so. That's what Chowhound is supposed to be about.

[nuraman00]

Wow, that's awesome how you've tried so many of the same ones too.

What did you think of Oliveto's?

[wolfe]

Here's an RL list.
http://lauriston.com/pizza.html
Note slight disagreement on placement of Gioia.
BTW my wife insists that I bring home Gioia.

[nuraman00]

Thanks for the link. Even if it's not updated, it helps. I have a few questions:

Mozzarella:

* Is there a difference between "fresh mozzarella", and "house made mozzarella"?

* When some pizzerias list one menu item with "fresh mozzarella", and some of the others as just "mozzarella", are they using different kinds of mozzarella?

* Which of the places that I've been to, do you think have used fresh mozzarella? Was Emilia's one of the only ones, or do you think most use fresh mozzarella?

Ovens:

Robert Lauriston listed which ones used wood ovens. Are Olivetos, East End Pizza, Howie's Artisan Pizza, and Una Pizza Napoletana the only places I've been to, that use a wood oven? Tony's Pizza Napoletana used a gas oven, for the New Jersey's Original.

Fennel Sausage:

I'm always a little skeptical about places that say "house made fennel sausage". How much of it is house made?

Do they start with the raw pork, and form the links, and combine the rest of the ingredients?

Or do they buy pre-made links, then combine the additional ingredients?

Which of the places that I've been to, or that you or Robert Lauriston have been to, have the most house-made fennel sausage?

[Robert Lauriston]

Fresh mozzarella means the stuff that comes in brine as opposed to the vacuum-packed low-moisture stuff. I don't know of any housemade mozzarella. House-pulled means they get curd and do the rest on site, the ones I've had were mostly not great.

If the menu just says "mozzarella" it could be either kind. If you see them making it, fresh mozzarella will be sliced or pulled apart, you can't put it through a grater.

Tony's has four ovens, one is wood-burning. It's no guarantee of quality. Dopo kicks Cugino's to the curb.

House-made sausage in pizzerias is often not put into links, they just season ground pork.

[wolfe]

Postino in Lafayette has "house made mozzarella". I believe they start from scratch, milk,rennet, citric acid and heat rather than heating brought in curd but will check.

[nuraman00]

Cool, thanks.

[wolfe]

Check with BOH friend and he says it's from curd.

[nuraman00]

Is Cugino in the Bay Area?

Do you think house made sausage tastes better, in these restaurants that do it? And is it easy enough that this many restaurants actually do it? Seems like almost every Italian restaurant says they did it, hence why I was a bit skeptical. Can you taste a difference between one restaurant's housemade to another?

[Robert Lauriston]

Making loose sausage meat for pizzas is easy and cheaper than buying it. I think a lot of places probably do it without anything about it on the menu.

All else being equal, a wood-burning oven probably gives an edge. I like Cotogna's pizzas better than the similar ones at Delfina and that's probably why.

Cugini is on Solano.

[nuraman00]

And thanks for the tip about wood burning not guarantying quality.

I wouldn't obsess over it then, and feel like I need to try a place just because it uses a wood burning oven.

[wolfe]

Wood burning ovens are almost a topic of their own.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/679109

[nuraman00]

What type of oven does Paisan use?

[wolfe]

Did they not use their wood burning oven for your 21st stop Roasted Mushrooms and Molto Aglissimo pizzas?

[nuraman00]

I wasn't sure, I didn't pay attention. I spent most of the time just looking at the decor, and the chalkboard. Plus the pizzas came out quickly.

Ok, I called them. They said they use wood burning oven.

On a side note, I also called Olivetos and asked what cheese they use in their farm egg pizza. They said they usually use mozzarella, which is "house made". But they said it could vary, they could use pecorino and Parmesan too. It just depends on what they have in the kitchen.

[nuraman00]

wolfe, what pizza did you have at Paisan?

[wolfe]

The Napoletana with tomato sauce, calabrian chile, anchovies and mozzarella because it insured no one else would eat it because of the anchovies.;-)

[nuraman00]

I've only had anchovies once, 5.5 years ago. I didn't think much either way, but they made the pizza very salty.

[Robert Lauriston]

I updated the pizza list on my Web site.

[steve h.]

A very useful/practical list.
Thanks.

[ernie in berkeley]

Why the bump for Arinell? You haven't been shy about your dislike of the place in the past.

[Robert Lauriston]

If somebody's craving a greasy New York Ray's-style junk food slice, that's the place to go.

[ernie in berkeley]

Ah. Might want to consider Rotten City in Emeryville for the NY category, too.

[Robert Lauriston]

I didn't find Rotten City's slice as gloppy or greasy.

[nuraman00]

Where would you put it on your list?

[nuraman00]

Robert Lauriston, where would you put Rotten City, and East End?

[Robert Lauriston]

I reported on East End:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/779133

Rotten City's fine for a slice, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there.

[nuraman00]

I noticed you haven't tried Patxi's yet.

If you didn't like Zachary's, you're not going to like Patxi's. They're similar, except that Patxi's uses more sauce.

Among the deep dish places, I like Patxi's and Zachary's. I usually get the spinach pesto and add chicken, from Patxi's.

I don't like Pizza Chicago.

[nuraman00]

At some point in the future, I think I'm going to try:

* Tony's STG Margherita

* Baonecci's Monte Bianco, and Truffle Salame. (I hope they can half/half it, just so I can save an extra trip).

* Nizza La Bella's San Gennaro

* Cotogna - I think the lamb sausage, broccoli, and ricotta one.

[Robert Lauriston]

I think Oliveto's pizza is first-rate. I like sitting at the bar so I can watch them make it.

I haven't updated that page on my Web site in a while, needs an overhaul.

[wolfe]

Didn't recommend Oliveto. I was trying to answer question "What is a farm egg pizza like?"

[vircabutar]

Gioa Gioa gioa Gioa. I seriously dream every day about that damn slice of cheese. IMO it's the best pizza they have and blows other toppings out of the water. Perfectly crispy yet doughy bread, savory sweet san marzano sauce, and chewy, meaty buffalo mozzarella. The perfect trinity. You really cant ask for anything more.

[Robert Lauriston]

Gioia uses a blend of cheeses. They'd have to charge more if they used mozzarella di bufala.

[SF Brother]

I dont think Gioia's lends its self to use mozzarella di bufala.style cheese since they are not using a coal fired oven but rather the traditional style NYor really Jersey since thats where Will is from and your right Vircabutar it is one of if not the best slice in the bay area

[nuraman00]

Gioia is the first place I tried on this pizza quest, and I loved it. It's one of my favorites from the first tier. I had the funghi.

[ChowFun_derek]

I'm still surprised to see "Escape From New York" on your list...I went to a second branch to see whether the problem was with the one in my neighborhood....NO...it was still the same middling rather mediocre facsimile of a pizza! It would not appear anywhere on my list except as a place to avoid! Are you sure? Were you in a particularly good mood when you went there...smoking something I should know about?!

[wolfe]

Until this post of mine escape only appears once on this thread "A Slice of New York" does appear.

[ChowFun_derek]

So it does!! Bizarre..Each time I read it...I saw "Escape from NY", not Slice of NY...and wondered... how can that be possible??!..I even went and tried 2 of them! .. (awful pizza) But I am totally ignorant about "A Slice of NY" pizza ! where is it? East Bay ...South Bay....?....okay found it in a previous post! Sunnyvale!!!...you range far and wide..a true Chowhound!

[wolfe]

Apparently highly recommended by Snake Plissken. which probably caused the confusion.

http://www.asliceofny.com/docs/asony-...

[ChowFun_derek]

They have strombolis and DEVIL DOGS! It was yesterday that I was explaining these to a friend! I wonder if they ever have Zepollis?

[nuraman00]

wolfe, I love your pop culture references. The George Cohan reference, and now the
Kurt Russell reference. :)

ChowFun_derek, yeah, I meant "A Slice Of NY" in Sunnyvale. It's good. :)

Also, yes, they have a lot of snack cakes, including Devil Dogs. I don't think they have a Zepollis, but maybe you can call them and ask them to get some?

[Robert Lauriston]

A Slice of New York has two locations in the South Bay.

http://asliceofny.com
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/379912
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/757254

[steve h.]

San Francisco is blessed with so many terrific pizza choices. One place I seldom read about is Zuni Cafe on Market. No, it's neither Tony working his magic up in North Beach nor Anthony at UPN. Still, the pie comes from a real (wood-fired) oven, the dough is crispy and tasty. An unlikely place for a decent pie (Cotogna, as RL points out, is another) but pretty satisfying.

Not that San Francisco needs it, but I have yet to find a pizza in the style of Rome in the city.

[Robert Lauriston]

Have you tried BaoNecci's pizza? Just like Rome.

Zuni's pizza is pretty good, especially considering that their oven's not the right kind. I think it gets less attention than it deserves because they serve it only at lunch.

[steve h.]

I've never been to BaoNecci. It's now on the stack.
Back to Rome next month. Time to sharpen up the taste buds.

[rworange]

Newly opened Jake's on Market says they serve NY style thin crust. Not their focus though. Mainly American with ground to order hamburgers, turkey dinners, etc

Anyone tried the pizza there?

Address
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jakes-on-mark...

[OliverB]

Been to Tony's, Uno and Delfina... BaoNecci is my fave pie in the city so far!

[rln]

Will Pizzetta make your try list?

Tony's is my current favorite for cheese. While i have eaten in the resto, my favorite is in the to go part.

We drive there even though Gialina is closest to us. Have you tried Ragazza? I hear their pizza is different than at Gialina. They have been too busy for me to get in. Always a long wait.

[mick]

recently tried although vary tasty not enamored with there crust os strictly veggie top. Also, very oily not greasy. Would return if in area but would not make a special trip. After headed over to Gioia for a cheese slice, nice crispy style crust, the type I like but still nothing compares to Una Pizza Napolitano in the city. Hands down best I've tried in many many years of pizza eating in the bay area.

[mick]

Sorry, the cheeseboard was the first pizza place above I was referring to.

[Robert Lauriston]

Una Pizza Napoletana's crust is not crisp. Tony's STG Margherita is to me pretty similar. I'm open-minded enough to appreciate that style but I prefer crisp crust.

[mick]

Correct, Una Pizzeria is not real crispy crust which I do prefer in a neopolitan style pizza but there is still char around and wihin the pizza that makes up for it, for me. But as I've said before there crust, crusty or not is the best friggin tasting crust anywhere in the bay area. IMHO.

[Robert Lauriston]

Tony's appears to have nine cheese pizzas (not counting the stromboli) on the current menu. Given your rankings to date, the Classic American thin-crust and coal-fired might be the best bets, and you should probably skip the STG. You might want to check out the Slice House first to see if you could try a few things.

Classic American Jersey's Original Tomato Pie (New Jersey style): sliced mozzarella cheese, hand crushed tomato sauce, oregano, garlic, parmigiano, olive oil

Classic American classic cheese, rustic medium crust

Classic American classic cheese, thin crust

Detroit-style Red Top: square pizza cooked in blue steel pans from Detroit, Wisconsin brick mozzarella cheese, white cheddar, tomato sauce, garlic buttered corners

STG Pizza Napoletana Margherita

STG Pizza Napoletana Spacca Napoli: basil, mozzarella di bufula, sea salt, olive oil, cherry tomatoes (early girl tomatoes when in season), no sauce

Coal-fired original tomato pie with cheese

Sicilian-style burratina di Margherita: burrata, cherry tomatoes tossed with fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic

St. Louis-style: cracker thin light crust, provel - swiss, white cheddar & provolone, extra sweet tomato sauce, cut into squares

[The Dive]

Wait - Tony's has St Louis style? Any reports

[Robert Lauriston]

I haven't seen any here. Yelp has a few approving comments from St. Louis expats.

[nuraman00]

So what makes that St. Louis style?

[drewskiSF]

No yeast?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lo...

[nuraman00]

Great link, thanks!

So NY style pizza is made with yeast, correct?

[drewskiSF]

yes. yeast in the dough for NY style

[tex.s.toast]

Is there Provel on Tony's St louis style pizza? as a fan of pizza (understatement) and hater of pasteurized processed cheese food (bigger understatement) the idea is kind of revolting. Theres a place here in brooklyn that makes a st louis style pie with provel, but i havent been in a huge rush to check it out.

[Robert Lauriston]

It's not clear from the menu whether Tony's use the trademarked processed cheese or makes their own blend: "cracker thin light crust, provel - swiss, white cheddar & provolone, extra sweet tomato sauce, cut into squares."

[tex.s.toast]

interesting (though only mildly) that they would use the TM'd name Provel. I believe that the whiz product in question was originally intended to immitate provolone, swiss and cheddar, such as these things can be accomplished via science.

[Robert Lauriston]

Edited my post to clarify that I don't know what they're using.

[The Dive]

Yes, definitely no yeast (a thin, cracker-like crust). But it really needs to have provel and a sweet tomato sauce to make a homesick St. Louisian happy.

[nuraman00]

The Dive,

Are you going to try it? I think they have what you're looking for. Maybe you can call them up and ask them about their cheese? They do mention the sweet tomato sauce. Now it's only a question of if their cheese is what you're looking for.

You should try it, and if you like it, I'll add it to my list too. :)

They do mention "provel", I just don't know if it's to your liking.

[Robert Lauriston]

I find a couple of reports online that Tony's uses the traditional processed Provel.

[The Dive]

It is definitely provel (and they get it delivered), but a more quality variety than the chains used in St. Louis. it is perfect.

[nuraman00]

So you're going to try it?

[Robert Lauriston]

The moderators split off The Dive's report:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/866975

[nuraman00]

Robert Lauriston,

Thanks for pointing that out.

The Dive,

Glad you liked it so much. I'll try it at some point too.

[Robert Lauriston]

BaoNecci's another worth trying. They have four cheese pizzas.

http://www.caffebaonecci.com/caffebao...

[fruti]

Thanks for your research. I'd also suggest Arinell's for simple but good cheese pizza. If you're going out of the immediate area I highly recommend Pizza Pico in Larkspur.

[Robert Lauriston]

Arinell is your classic generic cheap greasy New York City-style street slice with no ambitions to transcend the original.

Picco is owned by the same people as Zero Zero in SF.

Given your rankings so far, you'd probably like Delfina and could probably skip Una Pizza Napoletana.

-----
Pizzeria Delfina
3611 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Arinell Pizza
509 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Pizzeria Picco
320 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur, CA 94939

Arinell Pizza
2109 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Pizzeria Delfina
2406 California St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Una Pizza Napoletana
200 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Zero Zero
826 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94107

[TopoTail]

For my money, Delfia makes the best margherita around. The crust is chewy and has a nice crispness about it, and the balance between cheese and tomato is perfect. I tried Tony's margerita a while ago and wasn't impressed. The crust was soggy on the bottom and it just didn't have much flavor. Went back a couple of days ago and tried Tony's Spacca Napoli, with mozzarella di bufala and cherry tomatoes. Again, the crust was soggy in the middle. I brought some home and heated it up in a hot nonstick skillet, covered. That crisped up the crust and much improved the pizza.

As I said above, I also love Buccis margherita, though it is not a "traditional" kind of pizza (whatever that is).

I was in Naples in September of 2010, and had the real thing at Da Michele and other spots, but found, to my disappointment, that I really don't like authentic Neapolitan crust. It's very soft and pillowy, not a hint of crispness or bite, and it's fairly thick. The most authentic Neapolitan pizza I've had in the Bay Area is at Marzano, but the fact that it was authentic doesn't mean I like it.

Must try Una Pizza Napolitana.

[rebonga]

Una Pizza is good, though not my absolute favorite.

Oliveto's is one of my top 10 for sure, the one with a farm egg and arugula.

And, Emilia's, where you have to eat in to get the crust right, is one of my top 10, maybe even top 2 or 3. Great sauce, crust, the whole 9 yards.

The last time I was in Naples I almost missed a plane getting my last pizza from some place with no fame. It was what I am always trying to find here....

[mick]

IMO, Una Pizzeria Napolitano has the best tasting dough around. Love the place, you can sit and have a pie with glass or two or three of wine or beer and have a great pizza. Can't think off hand of another sit down place where all they have is pizza. No apps,salads desserts etc, gotta love it.

[nuraman00]

Ok, I'll add Oliveto's, and Pizzeria Delfina

How is fior de latte mozzarella different than regular mozzarella?

Yeah, someone Oliveto's earlier, and I was intrigued by the farm egg pizza. But I was just finishing the "first wave" of 6 places, and I thought I was going to stop then.

But since then, there's been so many more suggestions, I'll keep trying a "second wave" of places.

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

East End
Bucci
Dopo
Paisan
Tony's Pizza Napoletana.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's

[Robert Lauriston]

In Europe, "mozzarella" can be used only for cheese made from buffalo milk made in certain parts of Italy.

Fior di latte is similar cheese made from cow's milk, which is usually sold as mozzarella here.

[Robert Lauriston]

Yeah, if you like crisp pizza, stay away from traditional Neapolitan style.

Tony's makes many other styles of pizza that are crisp. Una Pizza Napoletana does not.

[TopoTail]

I finally made it to Una Pizza Napoletana on Wednesday night. The crust was like the crust in Naples, but better. It wasn't crispy, certainly, but it did have a chewyness.

We had the Margertita, Filetti, and Ilaria pizzas. The Ilaria, with smoked buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and arugula was my favorite.

Nice space, though kind of loud. Anthony seems to cook the pizzas himself, three at a time, in the wood burning oven. His wife and their baby were there too.

NB: Anthony, wife, and baby are going to Naples for the holidays, so they'll soon be closed. I think Sunday 12/17 is the last day they will be open until early January.

[wolfe]

Saturday is the 17th.

[nuraman00]

RE: Tony's Pizza Napoletana.

I'm having a hard time with their menu.

Back in 2010, Lori SF mentioned she had the "Classic cheese or Quattro Formaggio".

But I don't see the Quattro Formaggio on their menu.

Last September 2011, Robert Lauriston, you mentioned there were 8 different cheese pizzas.

Here's what I see:

http://www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com/m...

STP Pizza Napoletana:

* MARGHERITA

* SPACCA NAPOLI

St. Louis Style:

* Regular without any additions.

Sicilian Style:

* BURRATINA DI MARGHERITA

Coal Fired:

* ORIGINAL TOMATO PIE W/CHEESE

Detroit Style:

* Red Top

Classic American:

* JERSEY’S ORIGINAL TOMATO PIE

* Classic Cheese

From those, I think I would try the Red Top, but nothing really jumps out at me.

The BURRATINA DI MARGHERITA is also $29, so I'd only try that if there was a strong recommendation.

I want to get something here that I probably can't find elsewhere, or something they make that's much better than other places (even if its a similar style). But I can't figure out what that would be, from looking at their menu.

A little help?

Thanks.

[wolfe]

Try the limited edition 900 degree margherita. It's very good but it's expensive and I ate the whole thing between the restaurant and the Bay Bridge.

[SF Brother]

Gioia's and Arinell's in Berkeley, Slice of NY in Sunnyvale

[nuraman00]

I've tried Gioia, and rated it earlier. First place I tried, I loved it.

I haven't tried many places on the peninsula side, A Slice Of NY looks like it will be one of them.

Thanks.

[Bunson]

The plain cheese pizza at A Slice Of NY is still my favorite pizza, any place any toppings, in the south bay. I could eat their pizza every day and when I do go there I always get a large cheese, and manage to get down 5 of the 8 slices (with 2 of those going down during the drive home). Add in an ice cold Pepsi and that's the perfect pizza meal for me.

[SWoodruff]

Primo's in Danville is the best cheese pizza I've ever had...by far! It's got the perfect salt content, nice thin pizza but with a substantial outer crust. Mmm.....
Primo's Pizza & Pasta
[phone]
298 Hartz Ave
Danville

-----
Primo's Pizza & Pasta
298 Hartz Ave, Danville, CA 94526

[nuraman00]

Ok, make that 5 new places, lol. Primos is a bit closer than even these 4 new places, plus they make X-Large, so I'll probably stop by there first.

Interesting that they are cheap too, $16.95 for an extra large, plus there's a $3 off coupon.

[wolfe]

Paisan, I can believe I ate the whole thing.

-----
Paisan
2514 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702

[nuraman00]

Should I go with the margherita or the "pizza paisan" variety?

[nuraman00]

Looks like I have 4 new places to try: East End; Bucci; Dopo; Paisan.

BTW I'm glad all of them are in the east bay. I traveled to SF quite a bit, when the initial suggestions were made. Now I can stay a little closer to home.

-----
Dopo
4293 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611

Bucci's
6121 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

Paisan
2514 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702

[Glencora]

I didn't see this before, but I agree -- it was good. And they have those cool stands.

[10foot5]

You may want to try the Dopo pizza at Dopo. A solid contender, IMHO.

I prefer it to Rotten City, which is the only one of your top tier I've tried.

-----
Dopo
4293 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611

[nuraman00]

What did you think of Rotten City, even if you thought Dopo was better?

At Dopo, you recommend the Mozzarella di bufala and oregano?

Is that buffalo flavored mozzarella cheese?

-----
Dopo
4293 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611

[Ruth Lafler]

Mozzarella di bufala is mozzarella made with water buffalo milk (which is the traditional milk used).

[nuraman00]

Thanks for your posts.

[Ruth Lafler]

East End Pizza in Alameda. Cheese pizza is excellent, They use a four-cheese blend.

-----
East End Pizza
1650 Park St, Alameda, CA 94501

[TopoTail]

For years I have loved the Margherita at Bucci's. The other night I picked one up to go, and wife and I were fighting over the last slice. It was even better than in the past. I think what makes it so good is that Bucci uses a combination of mozzarella and grana padano that just sings. The tomato sauce is as perfect as the cheese.

In the past they tended to concentrate the tomato sauce in the middle, so you had to kind of spread it out to get the cheese-sauce ratio right toward the edges. But this one had tomato and cheese in equal, perfect, proportions everywhere.

This is one of the great pizzas. I have had Margheritas at the legendary spots in Naples, and I would choose Bucci's over any of them.

-----
Bucci's
6121 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[nuraman00]

Ruth Lafler , so you recommend the "Cheese, Please" variety at East End Pizza?

[Ruth Lafler]

Yes, although they changed the menu recently and I'm not sure it's still available (I'm guessing you could ask for it, though).

[rebonga]

Oliveto's makes a great pizza.

-----
Oliveto Cafe
5655 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

[nuraman00]

What is a farm egg pizza like? I noticed some of the pizza toppings at Gialina's also had a farm egg.

What type of cheeses are also on the toppings at Oliveto's? Are the pizzas the same sizes throughout the day? I noticed for breakfast it's $12, for lunch it's $15 but has arugula also. For dinner, they have four different varieties of pizza.

http://oliveto.com/menus.html

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

[wolfe]

Oliveto breakfast pizza.
http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/20...

-----
Oliveto Cafe
5655 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

[dhoffman1421]

Pizza Speederia in San Carlos makes a great cheese pizza available by the slice. Also, the Whitestone has a large blob of ricotta on it as well as garlic.

The Special is 2 slices and a drink for $6!

[nuraman00]

Agree. I've been to Pizza Speederia before. I've usually gotten the Whitestone though. I'll have to try the regular cheese one.

[Kazy Ctn]

This has always annoyed me... since 99% of all pizzas have cheese, please do not call them "cheese pizzas." Just eliminate the common variable and call them plain pies unless they are highlighting some non-mozz specialty like feta or others mentioned below...

[ChowFun_derek]

Perhaps the term harkens back to New York...we would go in to a pizza place and order "a slice of cheese please!".............never "a slice of plain"!

[Kazy Ctn]

I realize that's the common vernacular. I'm saying that it's incorrect...

[JasmineG]

How is it incorrect? Cheese is the topping. A "plain pie" would just be the crust. A cheese pizza is exactly what it is called, pizza with cheese on top.

[ChowFun_derek]

We would also say "a slice of pepperoni....or a slice of sausage...or slice of mushroom"........To the 20 million people in the NY Metropolitan area, this IS correct.....and when I have used the same terminology at pizza places here..they give no indication that I am being misunderstood. Or speaking incorrectly....!

[lapizzamaven]

I think i have have to agree with oaktown on this one...in da Bronx it was, "Yo, 2 slices." (not plain or cheese) or or a "coupla sausage slices."

[oaktown]

A New Yorker would never ask for a "slice of plain" - you have that right. However, a New Yorker would never order a "slice of cheese". They would ask for "a slice" period.

[FattyDumplin]

Not true. If you asked for "a slice", the pizza guy would look at you and say "one slice of what" in a nasty tone... Not that there is necessarily a correct terminology, but if someone wanted a slice of plain cheese pizza, they'd either point and say a "slice of this one" or a "slice of plain cheese". Just my observation over a number of years living in NYC.

[dunstable]

Ya know, to be honest I don't remember anymore what I called it, but it certainly wasn't something we got up in arms about. "Cheese slice? Whaddaya from Boston or something?"
I will say, however, that just saying "slice" would not have confused your average Original Famous Ray's employee, although again, I'm not sure that saying something more specific than "slice" would have offended anyone.

I probably called it whatever it said on the menu board.

[BernalKC]

Hmmm..... no mention of Rotten City Pizza yet? How can that be?

To me, plain cheese pizza is the ultimate measure of a pizzeria. What distinguishes a good pizza from a great pizza comes into clearest focus in a plain cheese pie. The ingredients, the care and handling of the dough, the oven... the craft shows itself in a cheese pie. And Rotten City has it going on in my book. The problem there is the lack of a dining room. Their pie is best eaten right there. But that means standing at a counter. But hey, if you're putting Costco into the mix you must not care much about ambiance. If its all about the pie, head to Rotten City and eat your first slice right there.

-----
Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[wolfe]

Yeah but at least Costco has tables.:-)

[nuraman00]

The NEAPOLITAN?

[BernalKC]

Yeah, though I like the Margherita too. I like pretty much all the pies there, but the Neapolitan is what I'd call a straight-up cheese pie.

[nuraman00]

BernalKC, do you like the Neapolitan almost as much as the Margherita, or do you prefer the Margherita a lot more?

Are their pizzas 18"? I only ask, because for a similar price, Gioia's was.

[BernalKC]

I like 'em both, but the Neapolitan hits my 'this-is-what-real-pizza-is' bullseye, so it gets the edge. 18" sounds right, but you'd have to ask them.

[Lori SF]

I really like Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar for their pizza. Last May we had a group there and ordered one plain cheese pizza with garlic it was perfect.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana has Classic cheese or Quattro Formaggio. I had the Marinara which I enjoyed.

-----
Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133

[nuraman00]

Hmm, looks like I had skipped this one, but it has suddenly gotten more votes.

I'll have to try it then. It also only looks to be a mile away from the Montgomery Bart, so that's not a bad option on the weekends for me.

Their online menu isn't downloading right now;

http://www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com/i...

But luckily Lori SF gave her recommendations for the varieties.

Ok, so I think the remaining list for me is (in no order):

East End
Bucci
Dopo
Paisan
A Slice Of NY
Tony's Pizza Napoletana.

-----
Dopo
4293 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611

Bucci's
6121 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Paisan
2514 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702

[Robert Lauriston]

Tony's has around eight different cheese pizzas made with various doughs, sauces, and cheeses and cooked in different ovens.

-----
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133

[nuraman00]

What are your favorite ones? What do you recommend?

[majordanby]

nizza la bella

-----
Nizza La Bella
827 San Pablo Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[mariacarmen]

just came back from Nizza. we had the Pizza Reina, which has fresh mozz and tomatoes. It was very forgettable. On the whole, i think Nizza has gone downhill.

I love Gialina's pizza! Hope you like it . . .

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

[whiner]

L'Osteria del Forno

-----
L'Osteria del Forno
519 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

[Joan Kureczka]

Do you like garlic with your cheese? One of our absolute favorite pizzas is the Bianca at Piccino. Three cheeses, crispy thin crust, small amount of red pepper and parsley oil and a whole lot of very thinly sliced garlic that melts right into the cheese. Delicious.

-----
Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

[nuraman00]

I do like garlic with my cheese.

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't go to those spots in SF regularly, nor do I go to Berkeley regularly anymore. But I will try these places, it will probably just take a few months to get to them all.

Here are the places, with the pizza type I think I'm going to try (not sure in a few cases).

I'll try:

* Cheese Board

4 cheese 3 onion pizza

Can I pick this any day? Not sure.

* Gioia :

Funghi
cheese pizza with roasted cremini mushrooms, thyme, parsley and garlic oil

or

Formaggio - $3/Slice $21/Pie
2 types of mozzarella, Grana Padano and tomato sauce ?

* Beretta - margherita 12 with burrata + 3

* Gialina - Four Cheese- ricotta, provolone, gorgonzola, pecorino & herbs $14

* Piccino - Bianca $12

* Emilia - Mozzarella & Basil? $18

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

[wolfe]

The Cheeseboard makes one pizza a day, all day. They have a schedule.
http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/Piz...

[nuraman00]

Ok, my first stop on this tour was to Gioia. 18 inch pizza, I was impressed.

I got the funghi.

If I compare it to Amici's New York Pizza, the Amici's has a slightly stronger sauce flavor, I believe.

Gioia's had a more balanced taste. I slightly preferred the crust over Amici's (which I liked too).

Right now, I'd give an edge to Gioia's, because of the more complex flavor with the thyme, parsley, and garlic oil.

I do wonder if I should have tried the Formaggio, for a fairer comparison to Amici's New York style.

[nuraman00]

Second stop on this tour:

Piccino Cafe. I had the Bianca. It was great. Good cheese flavor, and of course I loved the garlic.

-----
Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

[nuraman00]

3rd stop: Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar.

I had the garlic pizza, and a glass of their wine.

The pizza was very good. However, for the purposes of what I was looking for in this thread, especially the cheeses, I think Piccino's and Gioia's have the edge.

Also, not that it matters because I did enjoy the pizza as a whole, but FYI, their extra large was 16". If I compare it with Gioia's , theirs was 18" for a similar price (give or take $1.)

-----
Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

[nuraman00]

4th stop: Rotten City Pizza. It was great. I got the Neapolitan. The cheeses were as BernalKC described.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar

-----
Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[nuraman00]

5th stop:

Emilia's. Robert Lauriston was right. The fresh mozzarella tastes great! They also use both a little bit of tomato sauce, and a little bit of green sauce. So this pizza is still different from the others.

The fresh mozzarella is a is a reason to try this one. Thanks Robert Lauriston!

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar

-----
Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[nuraman00]

6th stop: Gialina's.

It was delicious! A bit of a salty taste with those four cheeses, but I liked it.

Thanks Meredith and mariacarmen.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[nuraman00]

7th Stop Cheese Board. I had the Asparagus, Montalban cheese, Mozzarella, Gremolata, Garlic olive oil.

It was good, but no better nor worse than the other top places.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[nuraman00]

8th stop: Beretta. I had the Margherita with Burrata.

I liked it, the Burrata gave it a light cheesy taste.

So what I've felt is that each of their places make good cheese pizzas, and they have their own unique taste to it.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[nuraman00]

9th stop: Primos. I had the Chesse Pizza.

It was basic, they only used low-moisture mozzarella.

It was good for what it was trying to be. But I prefer the other places that had several different cheeses, especially the more special ones.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608

[Ruth Lafler]

Not much to add -- just wanted to express my appreciation for your ongoing research.

[nuraman00]

Thanks. :)

[nuraman00]

10th stop: A Slice Of NY in Sunnyvale.

Pizza:

It was basic, they only used mozzarella. Like Primos.

This was a lot better though. This wasn't dry, and had a good consistent flavor. The crust was somewhere between chewy and crunchy. The crust was good. 10/10.

Garlic Knots:

These are round balls of dough with garlic, Parmesan, parsley, basil. They come in orders of 3 or 6, and are fairly large. 10/10.

Cannoli:

I haven't had cannolis too many times before, but this was good too. The texture wasn't too hard, and it had a good filling. 10/10.

Drakes Cakes:

I had a Devil Dog. I rarely eat snack cakes. It was ok, but not something I have to have. I wouldn't get it again. But I had just wanted to try them. I was a little annoyed that the Devil Dogs came in packs of two, because I had to eat both of them, haha. They had come from the refrigerator, so I didn't want to leave them out too long and wait until I got home to put them in the fridge. So I ate both of them. They unnecessarily took up space in my stomach.

I'd give it an 8/10.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

East End
Bucci
Dopo
Paisan
Tony's Pizza Napoletana.

[nuraman00]

11th stop: East End in Alameda.

The location was in an interesting place. It's in a building called "The Market", in which there's about 10 stores. It's like a one-building mall.

After I got there, they said it would take an hour, 15 mins - an hour 30 minutes to make it. Yikes. I would have called ahead, but since I'd never been there before, I didn't want to call ahead and then have it be ready before I got there. I didn't know exactly how long it would take me to drive there, find parking, and find the building.

They claim its a 14" pizza, but it looked smaller.

The pizza was great. Thanks Ruth Lafler. It hit the spot.

They even have bottles of hot chili calabrian chili oil available. That was nice.

The crust was very flaky on top.

Despite the minor quibbles about how long it took to make, and the size of it, it tasted good, so I'd give it a 10/10.

Pizza:

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY
1H: East End Pizza.

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Bucci
Dopo
Paisan
Tony's Pizza Napoletana.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's

[Ruth Lafler]

Glad you liked it. It doesn't usually take an hour -- they must have been really backed up with orders. It's a pretty small operation (usually just two guys working on the pizza and the oven probably only holds two at a time).

[Glencora]

Got a half-baked from East End. It was great and didn't take very long.

[nuraman00]

12th stop: Tony's Pizza Napoletana.

Ok, I appreciate the prompt responses wolfe and Robert Lauriston gave me, since I was planning to go on 2/12/2012 and their responses were just in time for me to read them and use them.

Now, I got conflicting advice from both of them, haha. wolfe recommended the margherita, Robert Lauriston said not to.

I flipped a coin and went with Robert Lauriston. I got the Classic American Jersey's Original Tomato Pie.

I do want to make sure I'm not ignoring margheritas though. I want to make sure I'm trying enough of them, on this pizza quest, to experience how different pizzerias make them too, and to enjoy them.

It seems so far, I've only had the margherita at Beretta. And in the future places list, someone has only mentioned them specifically at Bucci's. So if I'll only have tried them twice, I'm not sure I'm doing them justice. So if anyone recommends the margherita at any of the future places list, please restate that, thanks.

Ok, onto the pizza.

* Free appetizer bread served at the table: The bread portion itself was soft, but the crust was too chewy for me. The dipping sauces were interesting. One tasted like a combination of garlic and honey. I forgot what the middle was one, I think just olive oil. The other outer dipping sauce in the 3-tray serving tray was some sort of spicy red sauce. It looked like marinara, but had a kick to it. The sauces were good, but the bread just so-so.

* Pizza: This pizza felt "bigger" than it was. I mentioned how when I was eating the East End pizza, it felt smaller than it was? This one at Tony's felt bigger and heavier.

This pizza was different from what I was expecting, and I'm glad, because I like surprises. The layer of tomatoes on top also tasted very sweet. It didn't have that mild tang that most tomato sauces have. And I was glad I got something with a garlic flavor, just because I had been in the mood for it. So I was glad I got it, and it was different and good from anything else I've had so far, which fulfills what this quest is about. It had a few unique traits to it.

The crust was also billed as medium, and that was accurate.

It felt strange that it took me this long to try pizza at North Beach, haha.

rln was wondering whether Pizzetta would make my try list. Pretty much anything suggested has been good, so I trust all of the bloggers on here. But just for the sake of "I can't try everything", I can only pick a few of them. Its nothing personal whether I do or don't pick yours. At this point, I don't think I'll add Pizetta. Also, I just want to finish going to this 2nd wave of places, by this year. This feels like one of those lists that might eventually get too big for me to ever finish, if I keep adding places. I just want try the remaining places so I'll feel like I accomplished something and can cross it off.

With that said, Baonecci has gotten a few responses, and I do think I should try at least one more North Beach pizza, to get the experience of that area.

I was planning on going there this weekend, but when the weekend started, I realized I just wasn't in the mood for pizza so soon again. So I'll probably abstain from adding it, finish remaining 5 places, then consider it again when I'm looking to add a few more places.

I also want to visit one or two of these places again and get something else. But I'll only do that after I have finished this 2nd wave of places.

Mick: No, I have not tried Ragazza. From looking at their website, they look different from what I'm used to, so that's a good thing and I'm sure I'll add them later on.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY
1H: East End Pizza.
1I: Tony's Pizza Napoletana

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Bucci
Dopo
Paisan
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's

[majordanby]

i have a question about your rankings - should we consider this a tier type ranking with little discernible difference within tier? Or is 1a better than 1b better than 1c and so on? It seems like the lettered rankings within each tier is based solely on the order at which you tried these places and we should consider this a tiered system where 1 is better than 2 is better than 3, but your agnostic within tier (e.g. you're not doing a comparison between cheeseboard and east end..they're both equally good). thanks in advance.

[nuraman00]

majordanby,

Yes, this is a tier type ranking. There's little difference between the 1's. Sure, I might still have a few favorite within them, but I enjoyed all of those at a very satisfying level.

If I wanted to compare all of them, I probably should have set up a rating scale, and determined what 4-8 criteria I wanted to judge. For example, I could have specified the following criteria, and assigned a 1-10 value to each: Crust, sauce, cheese, price value, overall (taking into account both food and service).

But it would be unfair for me to introduce such a system now, this far into the pizza quest, because I wouldn't have done it for many of the prior ones.

And think the current system does make things simpler to follow.

Either system is good though IMO.

[mick]

IMO the Margherita is much better than the Jersey pie at Tony's! Also, may I reiterate no pizza discussion,challenge etc is complete without including Una Pizzeria Napolitana!!

[wolfe]

" my mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you!"
- George M. Cohan

[steve h.]

yeah, what the wolfe said.

[nuraman00]

mick,

I'll go to Una Pizzeria Napolitana, but I won't add it to the official list until I've checked off the remaining 5. After that, I'll probably add Una Pizzeria Napolitana and BaoNecci.

Question: Which style would you recommend?

[Robert Lauriston]

There's no particular neighborhood pizza style in North Beach. The pies / slices at Tommaso's, Golden Boy, BaoNecci, L'Osteria del Forno, and Cinecitta are all totally different styles.

[nuraman00]

Thanks.

[ChowFun_derek]

If you want to try New York pizza from Tony's you need to hike next door where he has a coal fired oven..and try his New York style..then tell us what you think....Ragazza is also very good..it is a sister restaurant to Gialina's and the pizza is similar..more neopolitan-california style...quite tasty....good texture crust the 3 or 4 times I was there.

[Robert Lauriston]

You can order coal-oven pizza in the restaurant as well.

http://www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com/i...

[nuraman00]

13th stop: Bucci.

* Aglio al Forno (roasted head of garlic): When I first got this, I wasn't sure how to eat it. I had never gotten it before. But I saw they had given a few leafs of lettuce and onion. So I squeezed out the roasted garlic from the cloves, and ate it as a salad with the lettuce and onion.

* Margherita: I believe the only other place I've had the margherita, on this quest, was at Beretta.

When I got the one at Bucci, I was shocked. You would think after having eaten this many pizzas, that I would have seen them all by now. But as the prior place, Tony's, and this place, taught me, I really haven't seen them all. This one looked very distinct. Especially the long, skinny way they arranged the basil.

I enjoyed the pizza. TopoTail was right. They do a good job in the way they layer their tomato and cheese. And mozzarella and grana padano was a good combination.

However, the crust was too dry and chewy. I did not like it. While it wouldn't be enough for me to drop it from the #1 tier, it would keep me from naming it my top 2-3 places.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY
1H: East End Pizza.
1I: Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1J: Bucci.

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Dopo
Paisan
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's

[Robert Lauriston]

Usually roasted garlic is eaten with toast or crusty bread.

[nuraman00]

I should have done that. I should have used it on the free appetizer bread. Thanks for the suggestion.

[nuraman00]

13th stop: Pizzeria Delfina.

* Margherita: This one had a great fresh mozzarella taste. It was good.

I would still give Bucci a slight edge, despite me not liking their crust.

* Baba Rum: This was my first time having this dessert. It was pretty good, but probably wouldn't make my top desserts list.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY
1H: East End Pizza.
1I: Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1J: Bucci.
1K: Pizzeria Delfina

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Dopo
Paisan
Oliveto's

[nuraman00]

14th stop: Oliveto's Cafe.

* Farm Egg with Arugula: Thanks wolfe and rebonga. Both the white part of the egg, as well as the yolk, created a tasty combination on the pizza.

I was a little confused about the appetizer bread, it appeared that some customers were offered it, and some weren't. I wasn't offered it.

Rankings so far:

1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY
1H: East End Pizza.
1I: Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1J: Bucci.
1K: Pizzeria Delfina
1L: Oliveto's

2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's

3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Dopo
Paisan

[Robert Lauriston]

It's something of a trend to serve bread only on request. Lots of people don't eat it.

[nuraman00]

FYI, I messed up with my numbering, I had #13 twice. Which means I should be on #16 now.

Also, I'm going to change my rankings to a tier system.

16th stop: Howie's Artisan Pizza.

I know this wasn't on the list, but I went there last weekend. I had the Bianco. It had smoked Mozzarella.

It was very good.

My friend, who loves the Cheeseboard, even liked it as much as the Cheeseboard. I was surprised he agreed to try the Bianco in the first place, but he did.

I'm glad we found another place on the peninsula side, other than A Slice Of NY.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Dopo
Paisan

[nuraman00]

17th stop: Una Pizza Napoletana

I had the Ilaria. I asked if they could make it without the cherry tomatoes, but the server said "sorry, he's been making it the same way so long, he can't change".

It was good. The crust was good. Was it the best crust I've ever had? I'd say there have been others on this pizza quest that have been just as good, including Howie's Artisan Pizza's crust.

So I'd say it was good, but still not one of the one of the absolute best. Worthy of being on this quest, yes. One of my absolute favorites from tier 1, no.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Dopo
Paisan

[nuraman00]

I wanted to clarify a few things.

Mick and Topo Tail had mentioned the dough, not just the crust. And that's what I meant to say when I said the "crust" (wrong word) was good, but Una Pizza Napoletana wouldn't make my absolute favorites just because of that.

I do want to go back, though. So much has been said about the dough, that I want to try it again. Also, when the server told me they couldn't make the Ililaria without the cherry tomatoes, I think I was a bit dismayed and let it affect what I thought of the pizza. I don't think I was thinking objectively anymore.

I'd probably try the Margherita or Filetti next. If someone on here recommends one over the other, let me know.

Also, I didn't think the smoked mozzarella had much of a smoky taste. It wasn't like the smoked mozzarella at Howie's Artisan Pizza in Palo Alto.

Also, I'm not sure I thought the cheese flavor was that special. I thought Topo Tail's other recommendation of Bucci, for example, had a better cheese flavor. I would probably put it in between Tier 1 and Tier 2. But the pizza was of a great overall quality, that I rounded up. And since I plan to go back one more time, I'll let the next time weigh more strongly what I think of it.

[mick]

nuraman00

well thats how it works, not going to get anyone to universally agree on anything let alone pizza! I love UPN, but thats just me and some others.

Tried the margherita at Ragazza recently, a pretty decent neopolitan style pie. Not the greatest, didn't wow me so wouldn't make a special trip to go back but it was good. Nicely charred crust, cheese and tomatoe blending taste reminiscent of many others like Delfina and Cupola.

Also tried Rotten City which I mentioned earlier was just that not sure how it garners followers but its pizza cant all agree. To be fair, I only had a slice of cheese not a whole pie, and depending that can make a big difference.

[Robert Lauriston]

Hahaha, substitutions at Una Pizza Napoletana. That'll be the day.

Dough and crust are the same thing raw and cooked.

[mick]

Agree! UPN is a different culture, don't think I would try and ask for subsitutions.

[nuraman00]

I just didn't think I was asking for a "substitution", but more of a "removal" of an item. (Cherry Tomatoes).

Also, what do you recommend more, the Margherita or Filetti? Or, do you think the Ililaria is so much better, I should have it again?

[Trumpetguy]

Margherita!

[nuraman00]

18th stop: Dopo

I had the mozarella di bufala and oregano. It was great, the mozarella di bufala did have this distinct taste.

The crust was interesting, along the edge of the pizza, the outer edge seemed crispier and the inner edge seemed chewier. It was good.

The pizza felt a little small, but I didn't mind since it tasted good.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Paisan
BaoNecci
Una Pizza Napoletana (2nd attempt)

[nuraman00]

19th stop: Una Pizza Napoletana (2nd visit)

I had the Margherita, which had San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt. (tomato sauce).

I agree, this is the best dough I've tasted. And I like how it came from a wood oven, it has that nice char texture.

The buffalo mozzarella was nice.

But something about Dopo's pizza with buffalo mozzarella just clicked with me more.

Una Pizza Napoletana still goes in the 1st tier. It's a well-made pizza. But it wouldn't be among my top picks from that first tier.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Paisan
BaoNecci

[nuraman00]

20th stop: BaoNecci

I had the 4 Formaggi, which had mozzarella, pecorino, gorgonzola, parmigiano.

It was great. None of the other multiple cheese pizzas I've had tasted like this.

The crust is cracker-thin and crunchy. I haven't had another crust as thin and crispy as this. I don't have a preference for the type of crust, as long as its well-made.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

Remaining List Of Places To Try:

Paisan

[nuraman00]

21th stop: Paisan

I had the Roasted Mushrooms, and Molto Aglissimo. These pizzas are smaller, only 10 inches I believe.

Roasted Mushrooms: This had caramelized onion, goat cheese, fontina, oregano. Great flavor, loved the caramelized onions too. It fit in well with the cheeses.

Molto Aglissimo: This had roasted garlic, roasted green garlic, fresh chopped garlic, spring onion, parmesan, fontina. This was a great garlic pizza, with many different styles of garlic. One of the best garlic pizzas I've had.

Imperial Stout Beer: I had the last one on their beer menu, I can't remember the brewery anymore. It was good.

Thanks wolfe.

Ok, I think I'm done trying new places for a while. It's been a good run, 20 new places in about 23 months. I've tried a lot of great places during this span, and I want to take a break. I've crossed off these places on my list, and I won't have an active list of a new place I have to try, for a while.

One thing I wish I had done differently was I wish I had taken a pic of all of these pizzas. I thought about doing that a few months ago, but thought I would just start doing that next time when I started with a fresh list of new places.

My super favorites from Tier 1 would be all EXCEPT FOR Gialina, Cheese Board, Beretta, Pizzeria Delfina, and Una Pizza Napoletana. I would still recommend those, as they're well-made pizzas, but would give the edge to the others.

I might go to Baonecci sometime again and try their Monte Biacno, but it's probably not going to be for a while.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[nuraman00]

22nd stop: Cotogna

I had the Burrata, squash blossom, lime & capers pizza.

The Burrata was nice. They put a dollop of it on every slice.

The pizza had a little too much sea salt.

But, this was the best crust I've had. I could tell what the wood-fired oven did. Yes, it's even better than Una Pizza Napoletana. Similar taste to the crust, but this was a little more buttery. And I liked the topping and proportion of toppings on this pizza more.

I was deciding between this pizza that I got, and the Sausage, castelvetrano olives, ricotta &
gypsy peppers pizza.

Robert Lauriston or others, how would you compare this crust to Una Pizza Napoletana's?

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[Ruth Lafler]

Epic work, nuraman00! Proud to "know" you.

You started you mission with a question: "I'm not a vegetarian, but I've always been curious about how good cheese pizzas could be. When I see one with 4-5 different types of cheeses, can one actually taste them, and do they make a difference?"

Have you reached and final conclusions?

[nuraman00]

Hey Ruth Lafler,

Nice to hear from you, it had been a few months. :)

Yes, I've some conclusions.

The fresh mozzarella they use (as opposed to the low moisture kind), pecorino, gorgonzola, parmigiano, grana padano, smoked mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, goat cheese taste unlike anything I used to have on pizza, prior to 2 years ago. They are different, in a good way.

[mick]

Cotogna's pizza's pretty good. You gotta a lotta makin up to do for 5.5 years of no anchovies! I like your quest but Rotten Pizza? Try Cupola, my guess will end of in middle of the pack.

[nuraman00]

mick,

The items within a tier aren't ordered by how much I liked them. So, for example, Rotten City isn't 2nd place on Tier 1, and Cotogna isn't last.

They're just ordered by when I visited them. So the ones on top were the first ones I visited, and the ones at the bottom are the most recent.

I do have some favorites within a Tier, I'd probably take about 1/2 of them and give them a 1/2 step up. But overall, there's not too much of a difference, I'd recommend all of the ones from Tier 1, and very strongly recommend about 1/2 of them even harder.

Thanks for the suggestion on Cupola. I think I'll like it.

http://cupolasf.com/cp_menus.html

Given that buffalo mozzarella is hard to find, I think I'd go for the margherita extra. I've only had buffalo mozzarella at Dopo, and at Una Pizza Napoletana.

What do you think?

Margherita Extra - buffalo mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, "sweet 100's", olive oil, basil 14.50

The Zucca looks interesting too.

I like how it has a wood fired oven. :) I might like it as much as Cotogna.

Also, I'm glad to have found something else good to eat in that area of SF. Usually I'd go to Louisiana Chicken on 6th street, or Custom Burger Lounge on 7th. This is pretty close, just a few blocks away.

Is it inside a mall?

Also, if you know of a good pizza place with anchovies, let me know, maybe I'll try it.

[wolfe]

You skipped the anchovies at Paisan a top tier place?
Napoletana tomato sauce, calabrian chile, anchovies, mozzarella

BTW Did you miss my Just in Beaver reference on another thread?

[nuraman00]

Haha, I see the Just In Beaver thread now. Thanks for pointing it out.

Yeah, I skipped the anchovies at Paisan. I did have two pizzas there that day though. I also don't think it was there, on their lunch menu. Right now, on their website, I only see it on the dinner menu.

http://www.paisanberkeley.com/#dinner

[drewskiSF]

Yeah, it's in the Westfield on Market

[nuraman00]

Thanks, drewskiSF!

[nuraman00]

23nd stop: Tony's Pizza Napoletana

I had the STG Margherita.

It was good. However, I liked Bucci's even more (minus Bucci's crust).

Also, I liked Cotogna's wood-fired crust more than Tony's.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[nuraman00]

24th stop: BaoNecci

I had a 1/2 Monte Bianco, 1/2 Truffle Salame.

Monte Bianco ingredients: San Marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto parma, mascarpone

Truffle Salame ingredients: San Marzano tomato, truffle salame, truffle oil, arugula

I had the truffle salame first. It was ok, worth trying once. I wouldn't get it again. Truffle salame flavor was pretty good.

I liked the Monte Bianco a little more. But again, it was worth trying once, but I wouldn't get it again. They just have so many other options I would try those.

I liked the 4 formaggi last time well enough to get that again, it had a more unique taste.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[nuraman00]

25th stop: Cupola

I had the margherita extra without cherry tomatoes.

I loved it. Good charred crust from a wood-fired oven, and the buffalo mozzarella had that mild tang that Dopo's had.

I think Cotogna's crust was still a little better, but this was still very satisfying.

I liked this margherita beter than Tony's.

Great pizza in a mall, who knew? But in all seriousness, it's a real restaurant and bar in the mall. It's not a booth with a window where you pick up your order.

Thanks mick.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna
Cupola

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[Robert Lauriston]

You have 19 places tied for first?

[wolfe]

The thread has gotten so long that you forgot what the rankings mean. He liked all the tier 1's better than the tier 2's with no particular favorite designated, I think.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7155...

[nuraman00]

About 1/2 of the ones from Tier 1 are a little better than the others, but I don't want to make a special designation for them.

I think there would be too many categories if I did.

Maybe I can put an asterisk or # next to them in Tier 1.

[wolfe]

I love the more specific rankings like "That was the 2nd best torchon of foie gras I've had since the one I had in a small cafe in Strasbourg in 1997." Please rank the top tier from 1 to 19.;-)

[nuraman00]

Ok. I'll try to do something like that the next time I update them.

The only part that worries me is that it's hard to remember some of the finer details of how something tasted 1+ years ago, and how it differed from others.

But I'll try to have a more orderly ranking in the top tier, along with a comment for most, and let me know if it makes the rankings better.

Also, when I started in July 2010, I had never eaten a pizza like what I had at Gioia's, as well as what followed. I was so new to eating non Americanized pizza (Americanized = Round Table, Pizza Hut, Pappa Johns, Costco) that for the first few, I probably just tried to get the bigger picture of how different it was.

It wasn't until later that I could taste the more subtle differences.

[wolfe]

Please don't. I was kidding. It's fine as it is. I am perfectly happy with I liked this,I liked this less, I didn't like this. We don't need a Robert Parker pizza numerical rating system.

[nuraman00]

Haha, ok. You got me good with your earlier post.

Robert Parker has so many wines ranked 100. That's worse than my 19 pizzas in Tier 1. :)

http://www.wine-searcher.com/robertpa...

[nuraman00]

26th stop: Tony's Pizza Napoletana

I had the St. Louis style with sausage.

It's good, but it has a HEAVY cheese taste. I got tired of it before the end. I wouldn't get a whole pizza of it for myself again.

And yeah, the crust is cracker-thin and the sauce has the right amount of sweetness.

Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout: It was ok, I've had better oatmeal stouts. A little thin. (My favorites are Ninkasi's, and Firestone's Velvet Merlin. BJ's Brewery isn't bad either.)

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna
Cupola

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[steve h.]

I love this thread.
At some point, you have to re-visit all the tier 1 places and rank them based on your expanded palate. Use whatever metric works for you.

[nuraman00]

Thanks, steve h. Also, if I do that, I'd also want to take a pic of them.

That's one thing I regret not doing, taking a pick of the pizza and uploading adding it to my posts. Because some of them definitely have a unique look to them.

I could separate them into a 1A and 1B, to help that rankings process. I might do that next time.

It took over 2 years to go to all of these places, so it would take a while. And I wouldn't be going as often as I did then.

[mick]

I think you should start a new ranking process. What are the tiers and what are the numbers and letters. Yes photos would be good, you could perhaps just go and tke photos of other peoples pizzas, that would be quicker and cheaper than revisiting them all. I can wait another year plus.

[nuraman00]

27th and 28th stop: Rotten City Pizza.

I had a half CALABRIAN and half ACCIUGHE.

CALABRIAN

TOMATO SAUCE - CHEESE BLEND - HOUSEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE
GAETA OLIVES - CALABRIAN CHILIES - ROASTED FENNEL SEEDS

ACCIUGHE

BAGNA CAUDA SAUCE - CHEESE BLEND - SALT-CURED ANCHOVIES - CHILI FLAKES

* Calabrian: There wasn't a ton of sausage on there, but what was on there was good. Nice touch with the roasted fennel seeds.

* ACCIUGHE: This was my 2nd time eating anchovies ever. mick and wolfe will be happy, haha.

I liked this more than the previous time I had pizza with anchovies. Pretty good. While this won't be one of my favorite toppings, it's something I wouldn't mind eating occasionally.

I had a half PORCHETTA and half BIANCO VERDE:

PORCHETTA

FRESH MOZZARELLA - RICOTTA - PARMIGIANO - PORK BELLY PORCHETTA - SALSA VERDE

BIANCO VERDE

FRESH MOZZARELLA - RICOTTA - PARMIGIANO - CHILI FLAKES - ARUGULA PESTO

* Porchetta: Great pizza. The porchetta pieces were good. The cheeses and Salsa Verde were also good.

* Bianco Verde: Great pizza. Great cheese flavors and pesto.

Seeing as how Rotten City Pizza makes some unique combinations that aren't too common, and does them well, this has to be up there in the rankings. They do a great job with their specialty pizzas too, and all of the ingredients are high quality.

I'll fix the rankings another time. :)

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna
Cupola

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[nuraman00]

29th stop: Pi

* I had the White Pizza.

White Pie – Mozzarella, Ricotta & Reggiano

This was good, you could taste the cheese blend. The crust was crunchy. I got the 21" pizza.

You have to take into account that this is a bar first, then a pizza place. So the pizza isn't trying to be one style or another. But the taste and ingredients were good. If you're expecting it to be authentic to a region, then you'd probably be disappointed in the crust.

Russian River Consecration: Similar to the Russian River Temptation, it's another sour beer. And again, it's interesting. I don't hate it, but I don't think it's my thing either.

Ale Industries Orange Kush: Came back the next day because I forgot something. Pretty interesting, very different from Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom, which is sweeter. A little bitter, but not like an IPA. I like it because it's different.

I'll fix the rankings another time. :)

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna
Cupola
Pi

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[nuraman00]

30th stop: Cupola

* I had the Carne.

Carne – housemade sausage, sopressata, calabrese salumi, sweet onion

Pretty good. I think the fennel sausage was better at Rotten City's (but Rotten City put less).

And after having the wood fired crust a 2nd time here, I still think Cotogna's is better.

They put a lot of meats and onion (for a thin crust pizza), and I liked the Italian meats and onion. It wasn't overwhelming, but I'm glad I could taste all of meats.

Wine Tasting - They give you 2 whites and 2 reds for $14.

From the tasting sheet they gave me:

* Uvaggio Vermentino
* Pushback Sauvignon Blanc
* Jupiter Sangiovese
* Calavares 5 (not sure what that means).

I only liked the Calavares 5.

Panna Cotta - First time I've ever had a panna cotta. It was pretty good. I liked the flavors of everything. And I am a fan of lemon flavored deserts in general.

I'd get something else next time though. Or perhaps nothing. I didn't like it so much that it would become a "favorite".

Also, I'm kicking myself right now. I just realized I had my camera on me, and didn't take any pic. I could have gotten the pizza, the wines, the dessert. Here I had a streak of 3 straight pizzas with pics, and I've already slipped up.

I'll fix the rankings another time. :)

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna
Cupola
Pi

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[nuraman00]

31th stop: Pizza Bocca Lupo

http://www.pizzaboccalupo.com/menu.html

* Margherita with buffalo mozzarella and roasted garlic.

* Margherita with cipolle, roasted bell peppers, and cured prosciutto.

Pizza Bocca Lupo is in the San Pedro Marketplace in downtown San Jose.

We decided to customize our pizzas rather than pick from one of the 5 named combinations.

The Margherita with buffalo mozzarella and roasted garlic was pretty good. However, it got cold fast. I went to the counter to pick it up after the pager buzzed. It took less than 2 minutes from the time I picked it up at the counter, to when I placed it back on the table and ate a slice, and it wasn't hot anymore.

Also, it did come from a wood-fired oven, but the crust wasn't charred to my liking, a little under-done in terms of char. It did have the right balance between chewy and crispy, though.

For the Margherita with cipolle, roasted bell peppers, and cured prosciutto, this one stayed hot. However, I felt the cipolle and bell peppers were undercooked a little. And the cured prosciutto was ok, but I've had better at Cupola or BaoNecci.

So I would say the feeling of underdoneness, and the crust not quite being charred to my liking, would keep this from being a great place. It's still good, I would recommend people try it a few times. And I like how you can customize your pizza for a fair price.

The service was fast though, 10 minutes for the first pizza, maybe 5-6 minutes for the next.

No pics this time, forgot. :(

* Sangioevese wine: No. It was bad.

* IMAX movie "To The Arctic" at the Tech museum: My first time in that theater. The dome is nice. This IMAX is better than most I've seen.

The movie was also good, a little short, 40 minutes.

I'll fix the rankings another time.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna
Cupola
Pi
Pizza Bocca Lupo

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[nuraman00]

32nd stop: San Francisco Pizza (in Oakland)

http://mypizza.com/restaurant/menu/514

I had the Quatro Cheese pizza.

Quatro Queijos (Four Cheese) Pizza Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar Cheese, Provolone, Virgin Olive Oil and Oregano

It was ok, something about it tasted a little weird. Couldn't put my finger on what.

This pizza was thick.

Not as good as BaoNecci's 4 cheese.

If you're in the neighborhood, it's not a bad place to try, especially since they're open until 3am. But it wouldn't be among my favorites.

I'll fix the rankings another time.

Rankings so far:

Tier 1:

Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Cotogna
Cupola
Pi
Pizza Bocca Lupo

Tier 2:

Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's
San Francisco Pizza

Tier 3:

Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos

[wolfe]

"It was ok, something about it tasted a little weird. Couldn't put my finger on what."
Cheddar

[nuraman00]

Good observation, maybe that was it. I normally don't see cheddar with the rest of other cheeses they had.

Normally if a pizza has cheddar, it has Monterrey jack too, and just those two.

Also, the bad taste was kind of like oregano gone bad, if that makes any sense.

[wolfe]

I think La Val's had cheddar and it always seemed "off." I don't think from what I just saw on the net that oregano goes bad, unless stored improperly, but it does get weaker

[majordanby]

i think cheeseboard had a pizza with cheddar, mozzarella and butternut squash.

[wolfe]

Another pizza that is not high on my list unless I feel a need dine al fresco on the grassy plaza in front of the store. Cheddar is for grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon and bread and butter pickle chips.

[nuraman00]

wolfe, did you name the pizza that was not high on your list in the above post?

Or were you referring to La Val's again, in your post on Mar 16, 2013 01:33 PM?

You originally referred to La Val's on Mar 16, 2013 11:59 AM.

[wolfe]

"i think cheeseboard had a pizza with cheddar, mozzarella and butternut squash."
Cheddar as an ingredient on any pizza. Cheeseboard pizzas specifically.

[drewskiSF]

Cheeseboard from majordanby's post

[Robert Lauriston]

At private events I've had some pizzas with burrata that were fabulous, though I don't know of anyplace that has them on the menu.

Pizza with feta is definitely quite different from the usual. The Cheese Board has some of those in their regular rotation.

A long-gone place in Rockridge used to make an awesome Gruyere and eggplant pizza.

I had a slice from a pepperoni pizza from Emilia's at a party the other night and was impressed by the flavor of the fresh mozzarella they use. I'd bet their plain cheese is great.

[Meredith]

Berretta makes a pizza with burrata, but I haven't eaten it - I tend to stick with the typical margherita. I am wiht heyitsjay on this, I can't think of anywhere that suprised me with a great cheese pizza, they all seemed to come from great pizza places. Gialina's was particularily good. I also like deep dish chicago pizza with just cheese, that is probably my favorite pizza from Little Star though I have tried many of the other varieties.

-----
Gialina
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

[billraymond]

I have had their burrata pizza and can tell you it is very good. However I am boycotting them due to really bad service we received lately. If you want to try a burrata pizza though this is the place to go.

[lexdevil]

Was the Rockridge place Guglielmo?

[cwujd1]

I'll bet it was. Guglielmo was an awesome little place owned by the same guy that started the Rockridge Cafe that is still up the street. I don't remember the eggplant but it had really innovative pizza toppings for its time. We loved the fresh tomato.

[nuraman00]

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[heyitsjai]

Cheeseboard pizza's 4 cheese 3 onion pizza. Pretty much all the top pizza places will give you a great slice of a cheese pizza (in the East Bay, think Gioia, Cheeseboard, and Pizzaoloa to name a few.)

[Robert Lauriston]

Does the Cheese Board make plain cheese pies by request? They don't offer any choice, just the pizza of the day, which is usually a mix of vegetables.

http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/Piz...

[lexdevil]

The Arizmendi in Emeryville does a half bake of a plain cheese pizza.

-----
Arizmendi
3265 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA