I wouldn't be the pizza acolyte that I am today without the guidance of my friend Josh Lurie. He's led me to places like New Haven's Sally's Apizza and Frank Pepe and Phoenix's Pizzeria Bianco. We have lengthy discussions about what makes a good pizza and whatever I do, I can't seem to top his incredible knowledge and passion pizza.
Up until a very good pizza meal we had in Albuquerque a few months ago, we hadn't shared a revolutionary pizza experience. That's mainly because we both happen to live in L.A. and our awesome food city just doesn't have any "elite" pizza places. As a note, I will say that I do enjoy Pizzeria Mozza from time to time, and also think that Vito's makes a pretty good pie up in West Hollywood, but other than those two, it's very difficult to come by great pizza in Tinseltown.
It took a trip up to San Francisco for the second annual Foodbuzz Festival last weekend, plus a fortuitous move by Anthony Mangieri of the now legendary Una Pizza Napoletana in East Village New York to San Francisco's SoMa district to finally allow Josh and I to have a legen-(wait for it)-dary pizza meal.
Josh and I were so committed to getting some good eats up in the Bay Area that we left L.A. at 6:30AM. We arrived shortly afternoon for a quick lunch at Kitchenette, an odd little lunch outpost in the southern part of the city, in an industrial neighborhood. Over the next four hours, we also happened upon a decent ice cream shop (Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous), a coffee shop (Ritual coffee at Flora Grubb Gardens), and a brewery (Speakeasy). After working through a couple of pints of Speakeasy's double and triple IPAs, Josh and I made our way over to the first table to Una Pizza Napoletana.
The pizzeria looks completely hidden pre-opening, when a thick industrial garage door opens to an airy space that's completely white inside with the exception of some skylights, a few pieces of artwork, and a beautiful turquoise pizza oven. The menu and process couldn't be more simple - Anthony Mangieri himself mans the oven and makes every single pizza himself. While the previous location of Una Pizza Napoletana in East Village (now Motorino, which I enjoyed last March) had four pies on the menu, Anthony has bumped up his pizza count to five, with the newest pizza named after his wife Ilaria.
The front of the restaurant features the prep counter in an open glass display, where Mangieri showcases fresh, housemade ingredients of the highest quality. It's great to see such a simple operation. It shows that Mangieri is serious about making some of the best pizza in the world. It shows the utter dedication of a master pizzaiolo.
Open sitting down, we're handed menus and offered to read the daily poem on the front. I later realize that our server is Mangieri's wife Ilaria, who also happens to be the author of the daily poem. This kind of charm only underscores the wonderful aesthetic of Una Pizza Napoletana.
Of course what makes this place great is the very simple equation of dough, sauce, toppings, and a very hot oven. To me, great pizza is always a sum that is greater than its parts. The flavor of the crust and toppings transcends what should be a rather straightforward experience of a baked flatbread. I believe that my first transformational pizza experience happened at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, when I actually sat there like a philosopher contemplating the amazingness of the pizza. It wasn't even something I forced - it just happened.
After a short wait, the pizza arrived on large flat platters. The aroma of the pizzas was intoxicating, wondrous, maybe even delightful. The bubbly crust displayed minor dark splotches, but nothing in the realm of Motorino's blackened crust. The first few bites of the Margherita pizza (a true litmus test for great pizza) showed a perfect balance of crust to topping - a tart/sweet fresh tomato sauce, rich mozzarella, bright basil. We also ordered the new pizza - Ilaria - which comes with smoked mozzarella, fresh cherry tomatoes, arugula, olive oil, and sea salt. The cherry tomato burst on each bite, while the gentle smokyness of the cheese matched the slightly charred crust.
The crust did get a little limp as the meal progressed, but I relished every bite until the end. So, did I tap into my inner Socrates and contemplate upon this pizza? You bet. I realized only after thinking about that there was something sublime about the slightly sour crust, leavened to perfection. The sauce and cheese were this incredible interplay of umami to rich texture. The only negative of Una Pizza Napoletana might be that the pizzas are exorbitantly priced at $20 a pie. That's a pretty big premium, even over the other great pizzerias I've visited. Still, I would love to have a pizza like this in L.A. I would be more than willing to pay $20 for each pie. Because greatness is always worth it.
Una Pizza Napoletana
210 11th St + Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103
http://www.unapizza.com/sf/
Note: only open Wednesday through Saturday from 5:00PM to when the dough runs out. Best get there as early as possible to avoid a lengthy wait.
6 comments:
Glad to hear you had such a great experience, and thanks for the kind words. That pizza was certainly special, the best I've eaten on the West Coast.
So this is where you two guys sneaked off to in SF. Dang, that's some serious pizza....and serious money, too. $20? Hm....but if you say it's worth it, I might have to check it out, too.
I am excited! I am going tomorrow night with friends for my birthday. I have been dying to try it.
Josh. We have to go again.
Sophia. If you haven't had great pizza, make UPN the place to go to.
Optimiss. Enjoy! Get some good wine to celebrate.
One of my favorite Phoenix restaurants is Pizzeria Bianco. I have yet to be to San Francisco, after seeing these pictures I'll have to go to Una Pizza Napoletana when I get there. I love pizza! How would you compare it to Pizzeria Bianco?
Katie,
i think bianco is a slight favorite over una pizza napoletana but they are both amazing amazing pizzas. Top notch for sure.
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