Posted by Ed Levine, August 9, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Michael Bauer, food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently named his six favorite pizzerias in the Bay Area. Bauer has been writing a weekly blog post about San Francisco pizza for nearly a year now, usually with accompanying videos, and I guess he feels he has surveyed the field thoroughly enough to weigh in with a definitive list. Or maybe he's finally sick of pizza.
There are some surprising names on the list, along with a few sure-to-be-controversial omissions. The omissions are sure to bring out a hornet's nest of protesters. They include Chicago-style Zachary's, the most popular Bay Area pizzeria; Tommaso's, the oldest pizzeria in San Francisco; Little Star, a newer Chicago-style pizzeria that has been reviewed favorably; Pizzetta 213, super-thin, super-crisp pizza in the Richmond district; Pizzeria Delfina, an offshoot of the very good Italian restaurant with the same name; and A-16, the Neapolitan restaurant and pizzeria which had very fine pizza when I ate there a few years ago researching Slice of Heaven.
Mind you, I agree with the inclusion of the pizzerias I've tried on Bauer's best-of list. I myself found Zachary's mediocre at best, Little Star better but still not great, Pizzetta 213 decent and heartfelt but not inspired, and Tommaso's to be more romantic than delicious. I haven't been to Pizzeria Delfina, though friends who know pizza think it's very good.
I emailed Michael Bauer asking. His response, after the jump.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, November 26, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Michael Bauer, food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, continues his Pizza Friday series on his blog Between Meals with a trip to Zachary's in Oakland. Zachary's is wildly popular in the Bay Area for its Chicago-style stuffed pies.
Bauer says:
Crust: The stuffed pizza had a thick crust, almost like dried toasted bread with raw floury underpinning, at least on my visit. The stuffed also has a second crust that's laid on top of the cheese, then covered with a thick layer of chunky tomato sauce. As it bakes, the crust melts into the cheese. The thin crust was crisp, about the size of a double cracker, dusted with semolina flour.
Pizza tried: I chose thin crust with cheese tomato, which was heavy on the oregano and had that generic taste of bottled "pizza sauce" and loads of stringy, gooey mozzarella cheese. In deep dish, the waiter suggested the Zachary's Special with chunky tomatoes glazing generous handfuls of green pepper, sausage and onions. One or two pieces (of the six pieces) definitely is a meal; it's like eating a casserole with your hands.
Zachary's
Address: 5801 College Avenue, Oakland CA (near Rockridge BART Station; map)
Phone: 510-655-6385
Website: zacharys.com
Hours: Vary depending on location; more info here
Other Locations: 1853 Solano Avenue, Berkeley CA 94707; 510-525-5950. 3110 Crow Canyon Place, Suite D, San Ramon CA 94583; 925-244-1222
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 9, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Michael Bauer, food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, continues his Pizza Friday series on his blog Between Meals with a trip to Pizzaiolo in Oakland, California. Pizzaiolo makes a Neapolitan-style pizza and is owned and helmed by Charlie Hallowell, a longtime pizza-maker at Alice Waters's famed Chez Panisse:
Bauer says:
Crust: The thin crust has well-formed blisters that shatter into a dozen pieces on contact, and a chewiness that gives the jaw a good workout.
Pizza tried: The classic Margherita has a restrained swipe of savory tomato sauce, pools of buttery mozzarella and shards of intensely flavored basil. We also tried a pizza with chunks of ground sausage, basil, and orange and yellow gypsy peppers, enhanced with a last minute drizzle of fragrant olive oil.
Pizzaiolo
Address: 5008 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland CA (at 51st Street; map)
Phone: 510-652-4888
Website: pizzaiolooakland.com
Hours: Dinner, Mon.–Sat.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 12, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Michael Bauer, food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, continues his Pizza Friday series on his blog Between Meals with a trip to Dopo in Oakland, which makes an thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizza:
Bauer says:
The well seasoned dough is hand formed on a marble surface to create a rustic crisp chewy base, with a rim that has a ciabatta-like taste and texture. Most are meatless, so we tried the version with gypsy peppers and red onions, which nicely balances the tomato sauce that makes Dopo's efforts stand out. It has a clean, bright flavor with a pleasant acidity. We also tried the one with pancetta, slightly spicy Calabrian chiles and a light dusting of fennel pollen.
Dopo
Address: 293 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland CA 94611 (at Echo; map)
Phone: 510-652-3676
Hours: Lunch weekdays; dinner Mon.–Sat.
