Comment by tribby | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tribby | Hacker News Reader

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surprised to see this here, but it doesn't have style sheets, so maybe not too surprised ;)

jeff varasano's website is a great resource for pizza hackers and lays a lot of myths to rest (like proofing). my own process (which I cook in a blackstone pizza oven at ~800°) has a bit more in common with tony gemignani's basic neopolitan (described in his pizza bible), with the addition of the earlier and longer autolysing period used by jeff. the difference is night and day and I wish I'd learned about it a lot sooner!

if you're in the bay area and this kind of pizza is your thing, be sure to check out the following places --

SF: pizzetta 211, una pizza napoletana, tony's, firetrail, a16

oakland: boot & shoe, pizzaiolo, also a16

berkeley: lucia's, emilia's

on that list, emilia's is far and away my favorite. it's a one man operation, dirt cheap ($21 tax included for an 18" pie), and just impossibly good. he gave me some of his sourdough starter once, and killing it rather quickly is one of my greatest regrets.

Awesome! I saved every one since I've never been to any... can you do the South Bay/Peninsula (anyone else too)?

About the OP: I effing _love_ pizza but struggle to make it at home. The quality and quantity of knowledge in this post is fantastic!

Pizza Bocca Lupo in San Jose is good and pretty inexpensive!

Bibo's NY Pizza on Bird in San Jose is amazing.

If Pizzetta is packed, you can walk down the street to Fiorella too. Il Casaro is good too. Pizzetta has the most flavorful and distinct/seasonal toppings, but the crust is better at some other places.

+1 for Emilia's (just don't forgot to call ahead), adding Casey's (one of the best pizzas I've had on any coast) and Pizza Hacker (though it has a bit of California flair). I'm so happy the East Coast no longer has a monopoly on amazing pizza!

I'm not the biggest fan of Tony's margherita, but it seems the dude can make a perfect pizza in practically any style. Capo's is the best deep dish pizza I've ever had, including Chicago!

Is there a way to hack that line for Emilia's?

I start dialing at 4pm and get a 7:30pm pie....

Awesome place though - totally worth it. Between Emilia's the Cheeseboard and Zachary's Berkeley has a pretty awesome choice of Pizza. Boot and Shoe is also opening a location on Shattuck ....

Also Artichoke Basille! Not fancy at all, but it's a real NY chain and they have authentic-tasting slices and Sicilian squares. (Plus monstrosities like their artichoke pizza, but I admit it's an occasional guilty pleasure...)

Unlike the OP dough, the pizzas at artichokes in NYC has always been mediocre. Going west on 14th st to the Joe's will get a better crisp slice in a hotter oven. I can't imagine that they are better in SF if that's what we're talking about, but I guess it's possible.

Yes — but we don't get a lot of genuine NY slices over here on the West Coast!

there are in fact a few emilia's hacks and secrets -- but I can't share them here! the most important one is getting to know keith :)

berkeley does indeed have good pizza. outside the neopolitan pizzerias, gioia is excellent, arinell is one of my favorites for a NY slice (same as the one on 16th & valencia), and artichoke basille's isn't great but for a gigantic margherita slice at 3am, I'll take it! make sure to check out benchmark in kensingson (basically berkeley) too.

I quite like Benchmark as well, and Little Star, while hit or miss, can be excellent. Not New York style, but Zachary's has fantastic stuffed Chicago-style. Pizza Moda has turned into a very satisfying and reliable pizza joint in the last year. Can't stand Cheeseboard pizza/hype at all.

Have you found any good places in the south bay? I have so far been unsuccessful and would love an option that doesn't require a trip into the city

Pizzaiolo is good, reminded me of Paulie Gee's and Speedy Romeo, both of which are places in Brooklyn I really like.

I always find Una Pizza Napoletana extremely soft and doughy, and personally I think it's really overrated. Maybe I've just gotten bad pies on the two occasions I've tried it.

> Una Pizza Napoletana extremely soft and doughy

This is just hilarious. Compared to NY pizza, "soft and doughy" is what most pizzas in Naples and Rome are. That's precisely the original concept.

I'm not comparing it to "NY pizza", if you're referring to common pizzeria pizza. Compared to other Neapolitan pizzas, I have found Una Pizza Napoletana to be really doughy, even on the outside.

I agree - not about Una Pizza in particular but about the Neopolitan style in general.

When pizza crust resembles naan (overly soft, pliable after baking) things have gone too far.

This is from the Italian 00 flour. I think it's a nice alternative.

It's not from the flour — most of those other places use 00 flour as well. It's from the dough not being stretched as thin.

It's from the flour.

Any recommendations for L.A.?

http://www.lodgebread.com/ http://www.sottorestaurant.com/ http://pizzeriamozza.com/ http://www.miloandolive.com/ http://felixla.com/ http://fahrenheitla.com/

new/haven't tried/coming soon: http://www.slowrisepizza.com/ http://pizzana.com/

I've only been once, but Mozza is fantastic (if a bit unorthodox). They have a bar special where you can get a pizza, glass of wine, and dessert for $30. It used to be an insane $20, but it's still a bargain when you consider that some of their pizzas cost $20+ and their desserts are in the $10 range.

On a recent trip I discovered DeSano, which was awesome. Some of the most realistic Neapolitan I've found in the states.

California Pizza Kitchen

SF: Del Popolo

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