MOD Pizza - Santa Clara

3/5 stars

We tried the newest addition to our neighborhood after a visit to the farmer's market today. It was basically Chipotle... for pizza.

The crust was actually seasoned well, and cracker-thin. I made half a supreme pizza and half a meatball+ranch concoction. Word of advice: garlic is key. It helps with the flavah. I would also add basil and oregano.

Service was friendly, but you can tell they're still brand new. We took our order to go so didn't get to try the beer, wine, or fancy iced teas & lemonades.

My only con was that for about $17, I would rather order a large from A Slice of New York.

(2015)

Doppio Zero - Mountain View

3/5 stars

Super glad to find more Italian-style, wood-fired pizza in the South Bay. Even though I'd recommend Doppio Zero if you're in Mountain View, I would also say that if you don't mind driving a little north, I prefer Delfina in Palo Alto. I think the crust and toppings are better.

Service is nice, I like the salads, I don't like the calamari, and the margherita is decent.

(2015)

Pizzeria Delfina - Palo Alto

5/5 stars

I came here on a Friday night to celebrate my birthday with my friends.

On Saturday, my husband asked me what I wanted for lunch. He said it was my birthday weekend and that I could have anything I wanted. I said Delfina. So we went back.

I think that pretty much sums up what I think of this place.

But if you want to know more...

These are my favorite pies:

Panna: tomato sauce, cream, basil, shaved parmigiano

Guanciale: pork jowl, spring onion, and black pepper

Funghi: Hen of the Woods mushrooms, panna, fontina, nepitella

They also have a pie called the Amatriciana (guanciale, chili, tomato, pecorino, black pepper) that isn't on the regular menu, but if you see it, order it!

Oh, and for the love of all that is delicious, put an egg (or two) on it.

The people are really nice, the wait is really long, and I'm really, really glad we don't have to drive all the way to SF for Pizzeria Delfina anymore. I'm thinking of instituting pizza-weekends.

(2015)

212 New York Pizza - Cupertino

3.5/5 stars

UPDATE :)

Bumping up to 4 stars because the service is awesome. The clam pizza was also kinda fun.

***

My favorite New York pizza place is A Slice of New York. Better than some of the slices I've had in New York!

212 is somewhere in between A Slice Of and Costco pizza.

The sauce wasn't as flavorful, the crust wasn't a perfect balance between crispy and chewy, and the garlic knots definitely could not compare. But 212 is closer to home and I bought a Google Offer. After the Google Offer is spent, though, I think I'd rather make the drive to A Slice of New York.

(2012)

Beretta - San Francisco

5/5 stars

When it comes to thin, wood or coal-fired, Italian-style pizza, I think that prosciutto + arugula may be my favorite combination ever. It's not something I've been able to find in the South Bay. Beretta combines excellent, fresh pizza with one of the best bartenders in the City and, to top it off, friendly and attentive service (even though we were a big group) - wow. Go, Beretta, go!

Oh, and pretty much, if you see burrata cheese on the menu - order it immediately. And here's another tip: mezcal is really, really, really smoky. In case you don't like cocktails like that. My favorite was the airmail: rum, honey, lime, and prosecco.

Parking was gosh-awful, though. Circled for like 35 minutes. Not Beretta's fault, but valet would be nice :-)

(2012)

La Pizzeria - Campbell

2/5 stars

I was hoping La Pizzeria would be a Pizza Delfina for us in the South Bay but unfortunately, it didn't even come close.

I ordered the margherita pizza with an egg. My crust was decent - thin, crispy with good chew. But, what ruined it was that the egg was overcooked. The point of adding an egg to a pizza is the yolk. Runny yolk does something magical to pizza, but this egg was basically a hard-boiled egg.

My hubby ordered the Pino's Favorite with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, artichoke, Italian ham, mushroom, bell pepper & egg. The problem with this pizza was how soggy it was. The crust couldn't handle all the wet ingredients. Oh, and my hubby got his pizza after mine. I was already half-way done.

The caesar salad was nothing to write home about. I wasn't a fan of the fishy dressing.

Service was also pretty non-existent. They were nice when they were around, but we had to flag our waitress down to get the bill. I don't think my soda was refilled once. Also, the gingerale shouldn't be offered as a soda. It was ... bitter and way too syrupy. It tasted like the soda machine had run out of syrup, but since it didn't come from the soda machine (it was made "fresh" by the waitress or bartender) ... yeah, you just shouldn't make it.

(2012)

Hanalei Pizza - Hanalei, HI (closed)

4/5 stars

Did you ever watch Jurassic Park? Remember that scene where it's all dark and stormy and that fat guy is racing down the muddy road in a jeep? And then he gets sprayed in the face with poisonous goo by that really cute, little dinosaur?

Well, our first night in Kauai was JUST LIKE THAT (minus the cute, little dino and the spitting goo).

When we - thankfully - arrived safely at Hanalei, we went in search for Hanalei Pizza because nothing sounded better in that dark, rainy moment than a piping hot pizza topped with Kalua Pork, Maui Sweet Onions, and Roasted Garlic. Drool-worthy, right?

Two notes:

(1) you get to play with a ukulele while you wait for your pizza to cook
(2) the leftover pizza makes a DELICIOUS breakfast before the beach

(2012)

Zuppardi’s Apizza - West Haven, CT

5/5 stars

I can't believe I'm saying this - ducks from foreseeable flailing New Yorkers - but if you're in New York for pizza ... leave. Leave now and drive the very short distance to West Haven, Connecticut. Specifically, to Zuppardi's.

When you get there, you must order the following as fast as you can:

The sausage pie with Zuppardi's house-made sausage was "I want to eat two large pizzas all-by-myself" delicious and the fresh clam pie is sooo unique and briny tasty. Get it with garlic and grated Romano. No cheese. Wait till you're sopping up all those clam juices with the crispy, chewy crust (no soggy crust here) ... mmm ... *wipes drool from keyboard*

(2011)

Grimaldi’s - Brooklyn

4/5 stars

I was expecting at least a 45 minute wait. Possibly even prepared to stand there for two hours to try the famed Grimaldi's.

Well ... I gotta say ... and I hardly ever swear, but ...

NO WAIT, B*TCHES!!!!

:-)

Scalding hot out of the oven, the pizza's crust has a tasty hint of charcoal, but because the fresh tomato sauce is so hot, the crust got soggy really fast. The best part was definitely the globs of cheese and the thick coins of pepperoni (we ordered half pepperoni & mushroom, half sausage & mushroom).

Even though the pizza was very, very good, it wasn't the best I've ever had. *squeaks* It wasn't even the best pie I had that trip (you guys gotta try Zuppardi's in Connecticut).

Grimaldi's is definitely an institution and not just all hype. I would definitely try it. When you're done, take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and be glad you're in New York.

(2011)

A Slice of New York - San Jose

5/5 stars

UPDATE :)

TLDR: We had our wedding reception here... that's how much we love this place.

I used to come every two weeks or so after karate, but ever since the beau moved and my commute got worse, I haven't stopped in as much as I'd like. SUPER GLAD to report that the slices are just as good as I remember!

Going to NY in a few weeks and I'm afraid the pizza won't be as good as this. What does that say about how delicious this place is?

***

JOYFUL: Greasy. Authentic. Foldable. Huge. Thin. Delicious.

I've been driving past it for awhile now and have always been itching to stop in because I absolutely love New York-style pizza. Sadly, the only way I've been able to satiate my NY pizza thirst is by buying Pizza Hut's New York pizza. Oh, the shame!

Today I got my chance to stop by A Slice of New York and conclusion is: I'm so freaking happy that I have a place like this to go to now. And BONUS! They're open till 1AM on weekends! Nothing (except for Taco Bell and Jack in the Box) is open that late around this here suburbs. Now I have a place to go when me and my friends are hungry, but indecisive. Ever happen to you?

THE ATMOSPHERE: It's closet-sized (with just 6 stools), but I think that adds to its charm. Cool NY memorbilia including an awesome graffiti on the back kitchen wall honoring the firefighters of 9/11. There's also a pile of magazines/books (incl. Curious George's visit to a pizza parlor) and a Wall of Shame that brings to mind that classic soup Nazi "Seinfeld" episode (disrespectful people - NO PIZZA FOR YOU)! Really enjoyed meeting the owner - really nice, talkative guy with good things to say with a trace of a New York accent.

THE FOOD: Again, I'm so happy. I ordered a slice of pepperoni and they were out, but I was more than willing to wait for 5 minutes for a fresh pepperoni pie. Score! The first bite scorched my mouth, but it was worth it. Plenty of pepperoni, fresh-tasting, tomato-y sauce, stringy cheese (you know, when you bite and pull back and a thread of cheese refuses to give), and the crust was crisp and perfect. Had to use a couple napkins to soak up the grease pools, but that's what makes a New York pizza a New York pizza. Oh, and yes, it was a huge slice (for only $3.50!) and foldable. On the counter, there were a chili flakes shaker, a bottle of hot sauce, and a shaker full of garlic powder. I used the garlic powder shaker generously and thanked the Pizza Gods that I can get a slice this good without having to fly across the US.

**UPDATE**
They now serve the best darn garlic rolls in the world. Eat em' while they're hot - the bread is just absolutely perfect - crisp on the outside, soft n' chewy on the inside, and freakin' covered with garlic swimming in good quality olive oil. Also new on the menu as of August 5th, EGGPLANT PANINIS with BALSAMIC VINEGAR brought all the way over from ITALY. I seriously love this place to bits.

(2007-2010)

Pizzeria Delfina - San Francisco

5/5 stars

Took about 30 minutes to park. And waited for about an hour on a Monday. But when the beau and I took our first bite, we turned to each other, grinned like fools, and said, "The wait was worth it."

Delfina has been on my wish list for awhile, but I finally pushed myself to go after reading about the restaurant in a Sunset magazine where it (and 6 others) were featured under an article called, "The Best Bay Area Pizza."

The women who work there are SO incredibly nice. And efficient. I watched as they served pie after pie, swooped in to greet and bid farewell guest after guest. When we were finally seated at the tiny bar, the waitress took one look at me and smiled. "You're so excited to be here," she said. She was right.

We ordered both of the specials: the Purgatorio and the Gricia. The Purgatorio reminded me of the pizza I ate in Paris. It was made with a very mild, spicy tomato sauce, two farm-fresh eggs, and I added pepperoni. If you've never had eggs on pizza, you have GOT to try it. Egg yolk does something magical to pizza crust, I'm telling you. The Gricia was also incredible. It had spring onions, guanciale (read: pig jowl), panna, and black pepper. It was creamy, salty, delicious. All that paired with a bubbly red wine (Gragnano Frizzante) and ... what can I say. This is what I like to do.

(2010)

Lanesplitter Pizza & Pub - Berkeley

3/5 stars

Going to keep this one short and sweet.

Genius equals delicious, gourmet, New York style pizza in a bar + many yummy choices for pizza toppings + lots of different kinds of cold beer + awesome art on the walls + a really nice staff.

Thus, Lanesplitter is genius.

Minus some stars for the super gross bar bathroom.

(2008)

Cicero's Pizza - Cupertino

5/5 stars

THE FOOD: There's something special about this pizza. It's just so good and delicious and I don't know why! Maybe it's the finely, ground sausage? The secret, buttery, thin crust? The black olives? The salami? The perfectly proportioned cheese? The zesty, secret, pizza sauce? The garlic I sprinkle on top? It's just the best tasting pizza ever! You have to order a large for two people. A medium isn't enough.

ATMOSPHERE: I've always ordered to-go since I live about 3 minutes away, but this time we decided to eat there to get the pizza piping hot. It was 7:30PM on a Friday night, the line was pretty long, and there were no open tables. But turnaround was quick so we were able to nab a booth. Bus boy quickly came by and wiped it down for us. There was a really old Indian woman sitting nearby eating a large pizza covered in jalapenos and drinking a pint of beer. Awesome. This is a great place for soccer kids, families, friends, and old ladies who like to eat pizza and drink beer.

(2007)

Pizz'a Chicago - Palo Alto

4/5 stars

WHY I'M WRITING THIS REVIEW: I skimmed through the reviews and most people are raving about the crust. So if you're a person where the crust is your LEAST favorite part of the pizza (like myself), I just wanna say, "Try Pizz'a Chicago, you might like it afterall!"

SOME BACKGROUND INFO: I don't like crust. Which is why my favorite type of pizza is New York - huge, thin, foldable slices. The complete opposite of New York-style pizza is Chicago and you would think that I would shy away from such a concoction - it's like, 75% thicker, which inevitably means - more crust. BUT Pizz'a Chicago is tasty. I've been eating Pizz'a Chicago pizza for more than 10 years when my dad used to work near the Santa Clara establishment...

THE FOOD: I think it's the flavors that they throw together that make me overlook the thick crust.

ORDER THIS: The Rush Street (pepperoni, bacon, sausage, linguica, and meatballs) is one of my favorites and is a meat lover's dream (I think it's the meatballs that really seal the deal). The Untouchable is definitely deserving of it's put-me-on-a-pizza-pedestal name (BBQ sauce, chicken, smoked gouda, red onions, and cilantro) and I just tried the Al Bundy last Saturday (feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, basil, and roasted garlic) and the feta cheese isn't overpowering, but all the flavors kind of do this yummy chemical reaction dance in your mouth. The calzones are HUGE and the hotdogs are Chicago style too - with radioactive neon-green relish. And (foolishly), one of my favorite things about this restaurant is that they serve their sodas in mason jars. So all you fellow crust-haters out there, you may still wanna give this place a try.

THE BAD: because Pizz'a Chicago pizzas are hearty and THICK, they take about half an hour to bake, so expect to wait. Have a salad with their soy dressing - light and yummy.

(2007)