Crust! It’s not a dirty word anymore. Crust is king. Yeah I know I’ve said toppings are king. I say lotsa things. Ask my friends & clients. But anyone can go get some San Marzanos, a little dried oregano, some bufala mozzy and basil, and have a fighting chance of making an edible pie. Plus that’s just good sourcing. And nothing against excellent ingredients, I mean they are absolutely necessary.

But the crust. Yes you can use double zero flour, filtered water, corn meal if you’re a hack. And whole wheat flour if you’re a real hack, at least according to a certain chef by the name of Sarah B:) But seriously  you really don’t have much to fool around with. It’s a classic ‘fiddle vs. fiddler’ debate. And lemme tell ya kittens there’s some serious fiddlin’ going on at Joe’s Pizza. My picture doesn’t do it justice! Dammit Jim I’m a Pizza Bitch not a Photographer!

So we scampered over to this funky little shack the other day, even though we had just strapped on the feedbags at…hell I can’t remember where…I’ll have to check my Foursquare log-ins…anyhoo, we had to have a slice of pie that none other than the greatest dramatic actor in the world Kevin Bacon (uhh…did you see My Dog Skip?). Ha, me neither. Then maybe Footloose or The River Wild? How’s that, punk?!

Oh yeah, back to Mssrs. Bacon and WTF that has to do with Joe’s Pizza: In response to a question from the most editorially respected magazine going, Maxim, who asked him “What would be your last meal?” KeBa responded “A slice of pizza from Joe’s on Carmine Street in NYC!” How’s that beeeyotch!

And while VdV might not take it quite that far (Del Posto, Le Jules Verne, anyone?! I mean I want my least meal to last awhile) we do concur that this pizza kicks some serious hiney. We grabbed a slice of the Fresh Mozzy ($3.50) and it brung it strong on all fronts – nice big blobs of fresh Mozzarella, melted just so; a sauce I would say is zesty and slightly sweet all at the same time and very fresh, I think made out of Cali vs. San Marzano tomatoes; all on a crust fit for the gods. I added a little crushed red pepper just to make it my own.

But back to the crust: Miraculously Joe (yup, good ‘ol Joe’s still making pies since 1975) tosses it very thin. I dunno how he does this, but it comes out pliable enough for the whole NY fold-over style of eating but still with a crispiness to it. I can hear ya now, I know I’ve said the best pizza is napoli style and it should be thin and ever-so-slightly chewy, not crisp. Well…1) Like I said before (refer to the first paragraph) I say lotsa things, and b) we’re not in Napoli are we Silvio?

And for all ya haters, if you don’t wanna take Kevin Bacon’s, GQs (Top 25 Pizzas in the world) or, clutch my pearls VinDivine’s word for it…then take it from Kelly Ripa!

“This is the one. This is where you wanna come for the best slice of pizza in Manhattan.”

And you can tell that’s a woman that hits the pies hard.

We replied with something along the lines of “…hey good for you Matteo bring us a slice someday ‘cuz we’re not stepping foot in the East Bay anytime soon. As in never, dude!…” But guess what? Chicken butt! Nevermind, here’s what: as crappy luck would have it, we were forced to make an Ikea run last Friday for some new office furniture (no, not for the already plush VdV headquarters, for the cool new digs of our day jobs). And, Ikea is in Emeryville! What a coinkydink.

So we gassed up the hooptie, packed some water and PB&J sandos, a compass and some flares, increased our life insurance policies and set sail for the EAST BAY!! Clutch my pearls. What lengths will VdV go it for a slice or 5 of killer pie?! I dunno, but crossing the Bay Bridge tested us.

So after a fun-filled 3 hours at Ikea that i won’t even go in to, we mapped out the route to Rotten City Pizza. We only got lost twice. This place is a dive. Yay! And I mean that in the most complementary of all ways. Rotten City is a small place with a dozen or so stools, a glass case housing the pies and a very small kitchen. That’s it, kittens. And that’s all it needs to be. NY-style, bitches!

This fine, sunny Friday, they were offering 4-5 different slices including Funghi (Sauce, Cheese, Creminis, Thyme and Garlic Chips), Pepperoni (ummm, Peperoni) Neapolitan (Cheese & Sauce), and a sexy little Bianco Verde (Mozzarella, Ricotta, Parmigiano, Chili Flakes, Arugula Pesto) number. They have tons of other pies too, these were just the slices they had when we were there. The pies go for the low to mid $20′s the slices are $5 or so.

So Rotten City…the name…what does it mean? Well, pilgrims I guess back in the day, Emeryville wasn’t the toney zip code it is now! Ha. Anyhoo, back then, the Alameda County D.A. or something proclaimed Emeryville as ‘The Rottenest City On The Pacific Coast’. Rottenest? How’d he get voted in with grammar like that? What he was eluding to is that during prohibition Emeryville was somewhat of a den of iniquity. I guess these RCP guys dug the theme and went with it.

Speaking of the guys, very nice dudes, friendly jovial and full of chatter. Cool. Whatever. Let’s get on with the pies. Slices, to be specific. We gorged on slices of the Funghi, Bianco Verde and Pepperoni. All very authentic NY-style thin crust slices. Very thin crust, not crispy but with enough body and texture to do a great jog of holding the toppings. I prefer not to have any corn meal on my crust, but it was still very good. Foldable is the key takeaway. Toppings? Yes, the sauce was fresh, well spiced but I coulda used slightly more oregano. But I’m a pizza bitch! The cheese was well-proportioned, and tasted very fresh indeed. The pepperoni was great and not too greasy, and the way they roasted the Cremini mushrooms prior to baking was excellent! All good.

And I know, I know…the choice of the Bianco Verde (photo above). Don’t be a hater, it looked great! And tasted awesome too, with lotsa creamy ricotta, zesty pesto and, I am scared to say, it may of been our fave. No sauce, basically like a white pizza + pesto. Went great with the tasty micro-brew i can’t recall the name of. You’re welcome.

Bonus alert! These cool dudes whup up onna da best Meatball Subs ($9.50) I’ve ever had. Ever. The roll is perfect, crunchy on outside, and stuffed with a pantload of tasty, tender beef-pork-veal meatballs with a nice spiced sauce and gooey cheese. Word. Go to a pizza place for a meatball sub. Christ that was good.

So bottom line? Well, I had those stalagmites you get on the roof of your mouth after eating things with hot cheese. Yummy! It’s like a badge of honor inside your mouth. OK, real bottom line? I’d risk my life again crossing over to the East bay for another trip to Rotten City Pizza! But if they’d deliver to SoMa in SF it’d be even better (hint, hint).

Oh yeah, buy a hoodie while you’re there, that logo with the chimp carrying a pizza riding a greyhound is awesome!

OK, here we go again, Capricians. Lather, rinse, repeat. Soo, again for you slow-skis: What do we do after landing in Napoli on our way to Capri? That’s right, you in the front row! We stop by a Molto Bene Pizzeria to keep y’all in the know about the best of the bestest pizza on God’s Green Earth.

Anyhoo, we landed here after a quickee 36-hour stop in Rome, met our ‘traveling companion’ (i.e. BFF in the world) B.A.S. (we can only refer to him by initials, since we believe his international movements are being monitored. And after 25 years, discovered those aren’t even his correct initials!) at the Napoli airport. And yes, if you are a loyal VdVer you know what happens on the way to the Molo Beverello Ferry Terminal for our boat to Capri: No, we don’t get shot at, mugged or even shouted ‘Va Fungulo’ at. Nope, we head straight for one of the Top 10 Napoli Pizzerias!

This go ’round for Napoli pies? Sorry, Da Michele (#1) you had too long of a line for us. So we hit #3 on the list (because ‘hitting #2′ sounded weird), Pizzeria Brandi, whose claim to fame (or at least ‘claim’) is that they invented the Pizza Margherita. See, young ‘uns,  way back when in 1889, during a visit in Naples, Queen Margherita of Savoy was served a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag: red (tomato), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). This kind of pizza has forever since been named after the Queen as Pizza Margherita.

Damn, don’t you get (even more) intelligent and interesting each time you read VdV?! Anyway, what we’re getting at is this: We went to the Pizzeria birthplace of the Margy in the birthplace of the best pizza in the world. I’m glad you can’t see how excited I am right now.

So how’d it stack up, especially against the fierce Pizzeria de Trianon that we tested out last year? First, Brandi has more than just ‘red’ or ‘white’ wine. Sure that did have a certain charm at Trianon, but a charm that wears off quickly. Like Howie Mandel.

So yes, Brandi had a proper wine list, outdoor seating and they were nice. Yay! But most importantly, the Margherita Pizza rocked our worlds. Generous blobs of tender bufala, perfect amount of slightly cooked basil leaves, sweet San Marzano sauce and a thin, ever-so-slightly chewy and blistered crust! Yee haw!

Then we had a pie the (very kind) owner suggested, but was not our bag, baby. First, we are just not into Pizza Bianchi (sans sauce). So, I shouldn’t have ordered it in the first place but was slightly scared not to. We didn’t want to sleep with the fishes, capiche? It had sausage, broccoli and no sauce. Waahhhh. We each had a slice then asked for the rest ‘to go’. ‘To go’ to the first beggar we saw!

But we ordered a third pie, the Capricciosa (meaning Capricious pizza, and the toppings can vary…wait. Did you get that? CAPRIcciosa…CAPRIcious…holy crap!) Anyhoo, this Capricciosa had peas, parma ham, mozzy cheese and that tangy, fresh San Marzano tomato sauce, all on a perfectly thin crust. F’ing awesome! We stuffed our happy little faces! Plus this got us hooked on trying Capricciosa pies in Capri as well. Always broadening our horizons, kittens. We also slurped down 2 (ok, maybe three!) bottles of Greco di Tufo and an awesome Rocket (e.g. Rucola, spicy lettuce) salad. We left  fat and happy, and stumbled to the taxi stand for a rise to our boat to Capri. Read on, bitches!

Trianon Da Ciro

Pizzeria Trianon Ca Ciro – This one’s in Napoli, not Capri, but close enough. So sue me! Wait, on second thought don’t. Anyway, where Villa Verde gets the award for Best Pizza on the Island of Capri, the pie here is the best pie of the trip. Read our review.  Grade: 5

Aurora – Back in the day, when it was Aurora Pizzeria, this was our fave. A daily go-to for thin crust margy with hot oil and a carafe or three of house wine. Well, the pizza is still very good even though Aurora has gone from Pizzeria to a more upscale restaurant. The cheese is very flavorful, and the tomato sauce has an excellent blend of sweetness with some nice bite from the oregano and garlic. Oh yeah, great crust too! Grade: 4

Villa Verdé

Villa Verdé – Fan-f’ing-tastic Margarita pie. The crust was perfectly thin, with a very slight crisp to it and perfectly blistered. The sauce rocked it, with a slight sweetness from the San Marzanos, and the cheese was  tender Bufala, melted perfectly. The Key Ingredient Distribution of the cheese and sauce was perfection. And the addition of hot oil makes it! Our fave on the island this time around! Grade: 5

La Capannina – This is a cute spot, with a good menu. But, blah pie for most part. Nothing about the crust, sauce or toppings stood out. We wanted it too, we’re looking for a new daily go-to! But, no. Remember, this is a tough grading scale! Grade: 2.5

da Giorgio

da Giorgio – Bam. These guys are solid. Located near the Piazza above Marina Grande (read: Touristica-ville), we always blew right past this spot. But our bud Vincenzo from Casa Morgano (an excellent hotel here), where our pal Barry was staying, hyped it big time and got us in on a busy Saturday night. Bada-bing. In addition to all the awesome non-pizza food we enjoyed, the Margarita Pizza was spot-on. And, the people here are even more fun and cool than usual, and that’s saying something about Italian hospitality. I mean, if an Italian hates you, you’re either 1) French or b) A d-bag. Anyhoo, check it. As with most Great Pies, it’s the basics that make it. Simple, fresh and perfectly cooked. And I liked the way the basil leaves were so randomly tossed on, and right at the end so they were ever-so-slightly softened from the heat of the pie, but still garden fresh. Yum! Grade: 4.5

La Piazzetta

La Piazzetta – Hey itsa great pie. We hit this place every time we’re walking down to Marina Piccola, it’s super laid-back, with a big outdoor terrace. We had a couple pies, one a Margy w/ Mushrooms and one Pomodoro with Arugula. This little place brings it, people. Both pies were excellent, but the Pomodoro, with the sweet little cherry tomatoes and spicy arugula was a real winner. Plus, they put sauce on it. Sometimes when you order a Pomodoro the only tomato is the tomatoes on it, this one had terrific sauce as well. A slight knock for the crust getting just a tennsy weensy too thick near the edges, but that’s it. Hey we’re bitches, you wouldn’t even notice! Grade: 4

Ristorante Sollievo – We’re gonna knock the pie, but I gotta tell ya fella, the rest of the meal was awesome. Anyhoo, this is called ‘Pizza’ roundup for a reason, so here goes. We had the Marinara pizza, and I just didn’t like it that much. The crust was a little chewy, and I guess I just wanted cheese. Yes, yes, I hear you; “Well, don’t order a Marinara Pizza then, dumbass.” But I tried to keep an open mind, and will also defer to my co-tasters. The sauce was a little bitter. Blah! But go for other food, the seafood & pasta dishes are OFF THE HOOK!! Grade: 2.5

They call this a Pizza?!

Capri’s Ristorante – Pizza? You call this Pizza? WTF is this crap? THAT’S NOT A PIZZA!!! Now I’m pissed. Shit, this was our last day too, we got a late start to grabbing lunch and this was the only place we could find still serving. Two words: Buzz Kill. Grade: 1. Wait. Make that 0.

Even the Airport makes a killer pie!

Napoli Airport: Yes, a no-name airport resto. And no, it’s not in Capri. I know! But after being royally bummed about that crap they served us at Capri’s Ristorante, I mean look at that (up and to the right)! Ugh. OK, I’ll get over it. Anyhoo, we were still a bit hungry, so went to the one ‘restaurant’ in the Napoli Airport. They served salads and panini mostly. But we saw one station, completely empty, that ‘said’ they served pizza. Like I said, deserted. No server, no people, no nothing. So I yelled out ‘Pizza!’ and a woman from the salad station walked over. Great, I’m thinking. It’s gonna be a shitty pizza day for VdV. So I order a Margarita Pie and a huge bottle of wine to wash down what I think is gonna be a real loser.

But wait! They make it fresh, I almost wept. She pulled out a ball of dough and went to town on it like a pro, kneading it then tossing it like she’d been doing it for decades. Then ladled on some tangy smelling tomato sauce. Then she grabbed a ball of mozzarella, and tore little chucks off. Same with fresh basil. It made us happy. The crust could have been a little more blistered, but WTF, we’re at an airport! And it helped us end our pizza exploration on an up note after that f’ing horrid pizza (pizza?) at Capri’s Ristorante. Grade: 3

So long story short? Ha. Short. Right! Like I said (or she said), it’s hard to go wrong on this island no matter what you eat and it’s that way with the pies too. Except for Capri’s Ristorante, even a ’3′ beats almost anything you’d find in the States.

First stop after landing at the Napoli airport on our way to Capri? Pizza pie, kittens! From the source, to boot – Napoli, the birthplace of the Margy Pizza. We always have gone straight from the Napoli airport to the ferry port for our planes, trains and automboile adventure it takes to get to Capri. I mean, I don’t care what they tell ya, from the stuff we’ve seen this town is a shit hole (sorry, dear citizens of this lawless town, not you just…well, most of this town. And please, no horse’s heads on my Serta). We can settle on massively gritty if you prefer.

“Hey it’s not personal. It’s business” (any Godfather fan will get this. Note: if you are not a Godfather fan, shut this browser window now. And don’t come back. P.S. We love love love the Italian people, you guys are da best.

But since we’ve turned full-bore pizza bitches, and this is the pizza capitol of the free world, we decided to pay homage. Even if we had to risk getting caught in the crossfire of a gang war just to eat a pie and report back to you, our loyal VdV’rs. And to help decide on where to go, we turned to the World Wide Web. And lo and behold, we found one person’s listing of the top 10 in Napoli and it seemed a pretty spot-on list to get our pizza venue sorted out.

We first went to Da Michele, but the line was long, and again, we really didn’t want to dally too long in this coastal oasis. Plus we had a ferry to catch! So just around the corner was another top contender, Trianon. Bingo. No line for some reason, maybe ‘cuz it’s huge. 3 levels. We wheeled in our huge, American-sized suitcases, tried not to knock anything over (I said tried), and the three of us – me, the other J and our guest Pizzaolo judge who flew in from London, Barry (ok, our best bud) – grabbed a table on the ground floor corner, shoved our suitcases in the corner and dove in.

Nothing fancy here, kittens. Chairs, tables, and a floor. Actually 3, as I mentioned above. If you bothered to notice. This place has been around since the early 1920′s, so it’s definitely not their first rodeo. These guys do the ‘In ‘N Out’ Burger’ strategy. Do  one thing, and do it genius-style. This is not an Italian joint serving pizza, pasta, scungilia and other stuff, they just serve pizza. And wine. Wait. Red wine. Only. Let’s just call it a ‘non-vintage’ and leave it at that, shall we? Hey we didn’t argue, and our guest judge Barry thought better about suggesting they carry a Rosé lest he may  have gotten served a 5-banger in the ‘ol snotbox. And don’t expect a lot of witty banter. They’re here to serve you a pie. Use your mouth for chewing, follow me, punk?

So we ordered three bottles of ‘Red Wine’ and a couple pies from their list of 29 – the Margarita Pizza w/ Bufala Mozzy (watch out this will be a recurring theme the next several posts), and a Funghi.

These guys know their pies. They come out imperfect, feel me? Not perfectly round, certainly not sliced. Hand crafted, this ain’t Dominos. The Margy pie was fan-f’ing-tastic. Perfectly blistered crust, nice and thin all the way to the edges, with a nice, sweet tomato sauce, and a pantload of creamy bufala mozzarella. The only knock? Remember – Key Ingredient Distribution! Meaning, they scrimped on the basil. Bummer. But in their defense, a traditional Napoli-style Margy pie only has a little basil. So for that, bravo.

The Funghi pie was great as well. The most fresh shrooms I’ve ever had on a pizza, and not those button shrooms like ya get in the states. I’m no Italian mushroom expert so I’m not going to venture a guess, but they were plentiful and super-duper flavorful. Again, the sauce was nice and sweet in the perfect amount, but – Snap! we had one issue. The crust on this bad boy was a little bit, slightly only noticable if you’re a pizza bitch…doughy.

Bottom line? Napoli might be kinda a shithole, but it’s a shithole whose pizza we will eat! So how will this place stack up against the places we visit in Capri? I don’t know either! Check back pronto for our  Capri Pizza Round-up!

Yes, VdV is different. Vive la Difference! We zig when others may zag. Case in point? While  in NYC, we dined at Cercle Rouge for great French food. Yes, the day before leaving for France. And now in Paris, for our first meal, we dined on…Italian food, when we’re gonna be in Capri in a few days. No we’re not stupid, we’re gonna grub on our fair share of Moules Frites, Steak Tartare, Croissants, Crepes, Poulet Roti, Cheval and all that. OK, maybe we’ll pass on Mr. Ed.

Anyway, back to Del Papa. This place is in the 6th, just down from our hotel. We discovered it a few visits back, and hit it almost every time we’re here. For thin crust Margherita Pizza (10 euro). Last night we felt frisky and even added mushrooms! And, the Rucola Salad with Parmesan (10.50 euro). Or is it Parmesan with a side of Rucola? Take a look at that!  And it was a gorgeous night to sit outside and get cigarette smoke blown in your face. Wait, I mean a great night to sit outside, people watch and enjoy the warm Summer air.

Question: how the hell does it stay light out at 10p? I mean, Paris is about the same latitude as Portland, Oregon and it doesn’t stay light that late there. Help!

So note, Pizza and salad is all we know about this spot, can’t tell ya much about the pastas, etc. etc.

So would I fly here for the food? Would I come across Paris for it? No, but if you are in the 6th Arrondissement area, this place has very good thin crust pies, and very fresh salads. Plus a fair amount of outdoor seating.

OK sucka, if you call it ‘Apizz’ make it ‘Apizz’. Hear me?! Straight outta New Haven, Connecticut, bitch! Somma the best thin crust outside of Capri, Napoli or certain areas of NYC or SF. That’s Amoré. Oops. I mean, that’s Apizz. And gimme a little more grease on top, OK? So we (literally) stumbled across this spot after getting shafted at Stanton Social for some nighttime snacks. Stanton Social was slammin’, and ultimately we got no love. Even after the kick ass review we gave them before! Where is the justice? Hey Stanton, we still love ya.

So we’re wandering around and see this cool little sign…Apizz. Beckoning us like Sirens of the Sea. And lovers of nothing about the state of Connecticut except for the killa thin crust like we get at Peluso’s in Tahoe (oh yeah, and that kick-ass mall in Danbury, lol), we got all hot and bothered and dashed in. And y’know what? This is a very cool spot. A cool, cozy spot tucked away that you feel kinda lucky to find. No shit. Waaah. Now put away the nappy, quit your crying and grow a set, OK? But it is a cool little spot, some good old brick, a very warm seeming room with a nice garlic fragrance coming out of the open kitchen. So we grabbed a couple seats at the bar, and went in for some small bites, AKA Apizz!

So, of course we ordered a pizza! A Margherita, sucka. We wanted Arugula on top, just for kicks and the bartender got a nervous tic. Said the pizza chef was pretty freaky-deeky about going ‘off menu’, so we acquiesced and ordered the Margy, and a ‘side’ of arugula… JHC. Egos kill. Wait. Egos don’t kill. Pizza Chefs with egos that have guns kill.

Anyway, the pie came, and it was not ‘Apizz’. But at that point we were already over the true ‘Apizz’ meaning. So how was it? Well, it was thin crust, fo sho. It was rectangular in shape, with all the requisite ingredients – mozzy, sauce, basil. Actually, the mozzarella was the base, with sauce and basil on top of it, a little twist on the usual. Kept the crust crispy, for sure.

And it was ‘fine’. But the crust was too ‘cracker crisp’ the whole way through, it needed a little more doughiness to it. Not much, but some more body, and a little chewiness. Word. The sauce was OK as well, fresh with a nice consistency…not too smooth, but with a little body and tiny tomato and spice chunks in it. The basil was somewhat bland, unfortunately. The Mozzy was in blobs, which was cool. They are pros, it wasn’t shredded or anything. The side of arugula, which was very fresh and added a great kick to the pie, was worth getting a whole bowl of just to munch on. But overall, this was a ‘good’ but not a killer pie by any means.

Now, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t go to Apizz. Remember, we’re pizza bitches! And they have way more than just pizza on the menu, so graze. Apizz is a very cool, cozy spot you really want to hang out in. And go ahead and grab a pie, it’s good! It’s just not world-class pie. So if you have your expectations set you’ll be a happy camper. We’d definitely go back, and try some more grub. But outside of CT, we’ll grab our Apizz at Peluso’s in Truckee.

Hours:
Mon-Sun 6p-11p

So, I like Pizza. Pretty much if you torture tabby kittens (F those Siamese) and still toss a great pie, I’m your friend. Hey has anyone tried that Tabby Kitten Pie at Little Star? Ooops. Just kidding, call off the attorneys.

(Cue the Run-On Sentence):

Anyhoo, Nate Appleman…LOL I so called him Nate AppleBAUM for years and years at all the parties and golf outings we met at…formerly of ‘Frisco-based (can we pleeez bring back Frisco) A-16 and  SPQR. And I didn’t say ‘disgraced’ Nate Appleman as he did leave under ‘certain circumstances’ but what the hell do I know I’m only a lowly restaurant critic, and as long as Tiger just plays great golf, as long as Nate tosses  a great pie, surfaced most recently at Pulino’s with Minetta Tavern owner…what’s his name again…WTF knows. Anyhoo, this isn’t a bio on restaurant owners (take that, Eater) or the state of golf, it’s about a brand spanking new Pizza Joint. OK? Wow. Just go back, and read that again. It’ll make way more sense the second time around. Maybe.

So I actually made a resie for here at 2p Saturday. A resie? Yeah, a resie, I was that gung ho about hitting this place, early on. And what an f’ing awesome day to skip through the lines of losers that did not have the foresight to plan ahead! I mean, it was 72 degrees and we were wearing shorts in March! Pulino’s was slammin’ when we checked in. Gotta tell ya, the front of the house had it handled. Very impressive and nice people (dude even complemented my cool Modern Amusement shorts, nice) checked us in, pointed us to the bar and let us know it’d be 10 minutes or so. So we saunter up, order a couple Rosés and scope the place. Nate was in ‘da house, making sure things were running as they should.

This is a cool spot, bitches. It’s a large, open space, with old brick walls, high ceilings….and these people have a real hard-on for booze. Lining most of the available walls there are rows of old school hard core booze bottles. Me thinks some of which will get shoplifted by hooligans, but oh well. Old school feel, original white and red tile floors, an open kitchen and those old wire-laced windows (so ya don’t break in) that open all the way up on the Bowery side. On the sunny day we were there, it rocked. The inside is Organized Randomness. Marble table there, wood plank table there, copper top table over there, a magazine rack by the front door. Very cool. OK, enough Architectural Digest, on to the food!

And guess what? We didn’t eat at the bar! We were promptly seated at a 2-top right by the open windows, and barked out our order for: More Wine! Ok, then, Burrata with a Beet, Celery, Leek and Parsley Salad ($10). In many ways I think Burrata is Burrata. Know what I mean? As long as it’s creamy and good it’s good. So it comes down to how you pair it, and Pulino’s did it right. The grilled beets were excellent. Yes ma’am, they grilled the beets which gave them a great taste and texture, and I’m really getting into the great fresh taste of celery. Hey quit laughing! Loved this dish. It made a typical (and good) Burrata a unique yumminess.

Moving on, we ordered a great brunch dish, the Fonduta ($12) with cream…how much cream?…the cream from many happy cows…that’s how much cream. And along with all that cream, ham, spinach, a couple eggs and crunchy toast. Served in a skillet. Shit, this was tasty and not at all what I planned on from a ‘pizzeria’.

Next, last and not least bien sur…the holiest of all holy’s (or holies, whatever it’s a rip off of Pulp Fiction), The Pizza Pie. We had…no not the Margherita you dimwit, the Salumi & Olive Pie ( $14). Now, I’m not a huge fan of olives on Pie. Just gets in my way and has a way of overpowering the other more subtle flavors but the other J demanded it. So it came, as all the dishes did, promptly, and right off the bat looked awesome. First off..the Key Ingredient Distribution was spot-on. Excellent spread of the sauce, cheese, salumi and olives. Sauce all the way to the edges, kittens. Bam! Second, the crust. Thin. Thin thin thin. Awesome crust, rolled or tossed,  whatever. And burnt ‘just so’ on the bottom, crisp with a slight chewiness. I don’t like pure ‘cracker’ crust. Dumb Cracker. My fave crust needs a little teensy weensy bit of chewy to it. And this Did It. After that, the cheese was tight with a slight saltiness, the olives were a little charred (I liked them better alone, not on the ‘za) and the flavors melded like a Justin Timberlake and Timbaland music video.

So the ‘come back’ factor? We’d run back here in a flash! Better than John’s or Lombardi’s, a great menu and they bring it with the pies plus a great range of other dishes as well. Sorry you A16 and SPQR haters! Pulino’s is killing it and for all the right reasons. So open an NYC outpost or shut your (pizza) pie holes! Yes, Shelly we still love you:)

Hours:
Dunno

PRO: Good pies, fresh sauce, good service, good beer selection
CON: Weird location, not as thin crust as we like our Neapolitan-style pies

Hmmm. I am uncharacteristically speechless. Company Pizza is…’good’. That’s it. Like I said up there in the PROs section. ‘Good’. Well dammit I want my pizza experiences to be f’ing awesome do you hear me?! We have only so many pizzas left to eat in our lives! Not to be morbid, but we will all take a dirt nap at some point so our remaining meals, once you put it in that respect, are precious.

OK though, there’s really nothing to knock that hard about this place. It’s nice. Y’know how someone asks you about the friend you want to hook them up with: “So what’s she like?”, and you’re all “She’s real nice. Pleasant personality (i.e. big butt)”. Kinda like that.

I mean, the place is nice. Nothing like a ‘joint’, Co is very clean, sleek and although I used this comparison the other day with Wexler’s in SF, kinda Momofuku-ish. White, light wood, very clean lines, yada yada. I think that look may be wearing thin. It’s starting to annoy me. Getting under my skin. Get the picture, all you restaurant designers? Get a creative brain cell or three and be unique.

And the service was nice, our dude behind the bar was attentive, friendly, someone you could take home to your mutha. And they had a really…good…Pilsner on tap and a…good wine list. I like that they serve wine in little tumblers like they do in Italy.

So we ordered up a Margherita pie. DUH! And no, we do not get tired of Margherita Pizzas, bitch! I heard that tone. Shut up! So we got the pie. Wanna hear about it? Lemme lay it down for ya:

Well, the crust…it was a bit doughy. Like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. I asked the guy behind the bar, he said ‘Neapolitan style’ so expected a more thinner (I know. Grammar.) crust. So, since when is anything not Sicilian-style deemed ‘Neapolitan’?! It’s not thin enough!! That said, the crust was well cooked, smoky and blistered just right with a decent crunch to it and overall flavor was fresh. It was just too doughy. Something they could change pretty easily if they wanted to. Are you listening, Co? Pound it out people. Actually, Toss it out. Tosser.

The sauce? Molto buono! Ha. Fresh, flavorful with just the right amount of oregano and salt. But still sweet from the quality San Marzanos. And the cheese? Well it’s Bufala Mozzy, and was creamy, tender with a very subtle tanginess…everything a Mozzy should be. And the all-important basil? Nice leaves (yes, not chopped up, coulda-been-from-a-spice-jar basil), but fresh, aromatic basil. Good job. There coulda been a little more , but it was fresh and really helps make a margy pie a margy pie.

And what we call Key Ingredient Distribution (damn is that phrase ever gonna catch on?) At least we’d like to hear Guy Fieri put it out there. I mean, we don’t need a Bobby Flay nod yet, we’ll be happy with Guy. Wait, doesn’t Guy bear a slight resemblance to our Pillsbury Dough Boy?

Anyhoo, KID means both the ratio of sauce to cheese to toppings to crust, and also the strategic placement of the aforementioned ingredients.  Key Ingredients, in fact. Hence our KID benchmark, which will be the industry standard someday. You just wait. But don’t hold your breath.The KID for Co Pizza is pretty damn good. Look above. A decent distribution of sauce, cheese and basil on the pie. Hey overall this is…say it with me, people…a GOOD pie. And if you don’t get your knickers in a bind about the crust not being thin enough, you may even award it a 3.5 or so on a scale of 5. If so, it’s definitely worth checking out.

VdV Rating: 2.5

Hours:
Mon. 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Tue-Sat. 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tue-Sat. 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Co Pizza
230 Ninth Avenue (@  24 St)
(212) 243-1105

Yee haw! The pizza bitches ride again! Performing our civic duty to provide you, loyal VdVers, up-to-the-minute (ok, maybe up-to-the-week…sometimes month) pizza reviews. Anyhoo we hit one of our faves yesterday, A16 to take their pie for a ride. Bareback, kittens!

Shelley Lindgren has done a kick-ass job with this place. As we reviewed a ways back, the ambiance is great, the people are friendly and know their shit, the wine list is excellent with some great values and the menu is loaded with lots of creative and authentic Southern Italian dishes. We like A16.

So with all that, what’d we do this time around? Hello ma…we grabbed a couple seats at the bar and ordered a pie. Damn, when are you going to figure us out?! And some Burrata. And…what else at a classy Italian joint? Some Corn on the Cob, Jethro!

But first – they have an excellent Rosé Asti (bubbly) you have got to try – The Bortolomiol ($10), for a Rosé it is dry, very fine bubbles, an excellent light pink color and delicate notes of peaches and berries. A nice clean finish with good acidity, it pairs well with food or just solo. Awesome! And for $10 bones a glass a great deal to boot.

So, on to the chow. The Burrata ($11), what can I say. You either like this stuff or ya don’t. We likee. A16′s is a generous amount of creamy, tender cheese with just a slight tanginess to it. They dribble some killer EVOO over the top that…makes it over the top. Mmmm Mmmm. I don’t think this stuff is very healthy for you though. But I don’t think it’s the Burrata that’s gonna take me down.

The Corn on the Cob ($6). Yeah I know I know, we weren’t exactly putting the chef through her paces this trip. Lay off! It’s good. We’d have it again.

But we know what you’re waiting for, don’t we? So what’d we think of the pie? Well, we ordered the Margherita, but we’re feelin’ pretty frisky so added Mushrooms and Arugula ($22). That’s just plain nuts! The crust here is awesome. Word. Thin (duh), and they keep it thin all the way to the edge, just getting slightly thicker around the crust. I think it’s some of the best crust around. All pure, no corn meal on this puppy.

After that though the pie went a little downhill. The sauce was not very flavorful this time around. Not sure why, it wasn’t watery or anything, just flat. Maybe some lame San Marzanos. And the Mozzarella, while fresh, was a little skimpy. Don’t skimp, A16! You know us and our Key Ingredient Distribution.

OK, OK and you could argue maybe we just had too many different things on this pie, by adding the shrooms and the arugula. We hear all of you die-hard A16 pizza lovers:  “Maybe all those different tastes confused your shriveled taste buds, huh?” And our response to you: Screw you. There is no way on God’s Green Earth that our highly trained and road-tested taste buds can be called into question!

Wait. We couldn’t end it on that note, so we ordered up the Ricotta Gnocchi in Brodo with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil ($10 appy size). These gnocchi are Pillows Of Love, People, Pillows Of Love. Tender as all get-out, plump little numbers and the ricotta was subtle and tasty with the sauce. I mean, they rocked it. Just the right amount of garlic, fresh basil and the cherry tomatoes were super-fresh.

So the verdict? A16 still continues to rock it, but we’re gonna have to keep an eye on the Pizza. Hopefully it was just a fluke of nature and they’ll get it back on track. ‘Cuz you know us and our pizzas, the competition is getting fierce!

VdV Rating: 3.5

Hours:
Wed-Fri 11:30a-2:30p
Sun-Thus 5p-10p
Fri-Sat 5p-11p

A16
2355 Chestnut
San Francisco, CA
(415) 771-2216