pizzeria delfina

san francisco
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (47/143)
a juxtaposition of crunchy and chewy textures in a smoky crust as well as fresh toppings make for delicious pizza. pizzeria delfina's style is distinctively neapolitan, and while they serve authentically italian style pizza, it's with local flavor. i first had their pizza shortly after they opened, but since i no longer live in the area, have only dreamed about it.

i finally made it back, and it's still as good as i remember it. the margherita is classic. we tried one of their specials--a porcini mushroom pizza with panna, thyme and val d'aosta--which was very rich and creamy from the panna. not exactly traditional, but i loved the earthy mushrooms and fragrant thyme. photo: http://www.flickr.com/...

the casual environment is great. we have a similar resto in LA - pizzeria mozza -- that doesn't quite have the same relaxed atmosphere. delfina is gourmet without pretensions. good food, prepared well with quality ingredients.

mulberry st. pizzeria

mulberry st. pizzeria
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (18/143)
i love thin crust pizza, but wasn't wowed by the pizza here. as far as flavor, it's ok. others recommended the white spinach as their specialty, but that turned out to be my least favorite. the sauce had gelled into a solid mass that wasn't exactly cheesy, more of a tofu texture, and lacking in any flavor.

the most interesting pizza was the combo half lasagna, half eggplant we ordered. the slices of breaded eggplant stayed crunchy and was good with the tomato sauce, while on the lasagna half, the acidity of the tomato sauce broke up the heaviness of the ricotta.

we also had a half cheese, half cheese with sausage, meatball and mushrooms, which were good. the meat added a lot of flavor to the tasty cheese pizza. they put the right amount of cheese so it wasn't too goopy, and the crust was nice and crunchy.

i wouldn't drive far for their pizza, but if i lived in the neighborhood or happened to be in the neighborhood craving pizza, i would recommend it for that. it's a very traditional pizzeria, typical of what you would find in new york. however, i wouldn't say it was among the best here or in new york. i find it interesting that it maintains it's casual dining and traditional (and authentic) new york pizza by the slice persona in spite of being in beverly hills.

mr. pizza factory

mr. pizza factory
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (16/143)
koreans know how to make decadent pizza. i wonder what it says about the the rest of the year that i begin it by eating a generous helping of starch, cheese, and cream in addition to typical and not so typical pizza toppings. reading the menu, you'd think you would be eating some strange bastardization of east west comfort food, but the flavors aren't as strange as you think. it's imaginative, yes, and it works. don't expect run of the mill or traditional pizza though. if you want that, go elsewhere. and be forewarned that you will leave on the verge of a food coma.

i came here with a group, and here is what we sampled:

potato gold - yes, potatoes are good on pizza! salty bacon (freshly fried, not the dried overcooked kind either) and ground beef are balanced by sweet nuggets of corn, onions and drizzled with sour cream, and even with all those toppings, you can still taste the sweet & tangy tomato sauce buried underneath. finish that off with a crunchy chewy crust filled with soft, pureed, slightly sweet, sweet potato reminiscent of starchy asian desserts. the overall favorite of the group.

shrimp nude - this shrimp may be nude, but it comes with plenty of accessories, including ground beef, cream cheese mousse, salsa, corn, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, blue cheese, bacon. phew. that was a mouth full.

bulgogi - of all the pizzas we tried, this seemed most akin to traditional pizza as the bulgogi was like a sweet sausage, and it was minimalist compared to the others.

gesal montand - most rich, this alfredo sauce covered pizza was thick with cheese, bell peppers, corn, crab meat and featured the sweet potato pureed crust

fresh, high quality ingredients and prompt service make for a great meal. with newish and festive interiors, it's a fun place to gather with friends, have some beers and watch the pizza guys launch those pizzas into the air.

bollini's pizzeria

bollini's
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (11/143)
so the best pizza i've had to date is still one made by dom at di fara pizzeria in brooklyn, but this pizza is pretty damn good, almost 5 stars good, maybe even better than fancy mozze good, but i'll have to return to try the others.

it's a small, warm shop with a wood-fired oven where they make thin crust neapolitan pizza, my favorite kind of pizza. they were out of a few items, including the stuffed mushrooms which sound fabulous, and the arugula salad we wanted. they instead prepared a mixed green salad the same way as the arugula, with corn, cherry tomatoes, smoked bacon, sauteed mushrooms & goat cheese. it was a substantial and delicious salad.

for the pizza, we tried one of their signature pizzas, the cal twist. made with tomato sauce, basil pesto, shrimp, sun dried tomato, roasted peppers, mozzarella, herbs and parmesan, it was a flavorful combination of fresh ingredients. i liked how the ingredients were concentrated in areas rather than evenly distributed across the pizza so that as you ate from the point you get pesto, sweet peppers, then sweet tomato sauce and finally a firm piece of shrimp.

we are definitely coming back. the service was excellent. waitress was really nice, and one of the guys making pizzas kept coming by to check on us. seating is limited, but so worth the wait.

petrillo's pizza

petrillo's pizza
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

Petrillo's, a mom & pop pizzeria that also serves italian favorites, makes good old fashioned pizza. Their tomato sauce is sweet and salty, and they load their medium thick pizzas full of hearty ingredients. Though I prefer thin crust pizza, i thought this pizza was tasty, and like the proportion of the ingredients to the crust.

I went with a group, and we tried several of their pizzas, including the petrillo specialty, which is a supreme pizza with mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, mushrooms, onions and green bell peppers. They don't skimp on the toppings, especially the meat, on this one, which was the group favorite. The sausage was quite tasty with bits of fennel seeds that added a lot of flavor.

We also had a half pepperoni & black olives, half canadian bacon and pineapple, which they loaded up with toppings. Both were hearty and good combinations of flavors. The bianca, which has no tomato sauce, but is topped with mozzarella and romano cheese, fresh tomatoes and fresh basil, was the least favorite of the pizzas. It wasn't bad, but it was a little bland. The fresh basil was a nice touch, but with no tomato sauce or meat, it was on the cheese-y side. I think if they added pesto, it would be perfect.

In addition to the pizzas, we tried the antipasta salad, which consisted of italian cold meats, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, roasted peppers, black olives and pepperoncini over lettuce. The salad was a good balance, and quite large--enough to feed at least four people. We were tempted by another table's order of spaghetti and meatballs, which comes with several huge meatballs. The pasta was ok. I thought the sauce was good, and overall, the dish was typical of a mom and pop place.

I haven't tried any of the other dishes although the owner recommended the lasagna, but I felt that of the things we had, the pizza really was the star.