Zero Zero

In desperate need of a another wonderful bay area pizza to round out my Top 5 list, I headed to Zero Zero (named for the uber-fine flour used to make good pizza dough) last night. I had heard great things and had high hopes but, overall, this newish spot is only kind of a winner in my book.

The mixed greens salad gets high marks for taste despite its complete simplicity. Just goes to show the importance of good ingredients. It also served as a reminder that I should add parsley to my salads more often! It adds such a nice fresh bite. Alas, laziness....

Now for the pizza. First up was the vegan-by-default Marinara, which I asked to be topped with arugula because that's just how I roll. Crust-wise, it was tasty but kind of dry, and definitely no match for Pizzeria Picco. The sauce was pretty yummy too, but not as much as Beretta's perfectly sweet concoction. Still, it was a quality pie.

Next up we tried the Mission, which consists of broccoli rabe and a bit of chili flake. It also comes loaded with cheese, which we obviously did not want. I think this was my fave of the two. The spice from the chili pepper was really nice - not overpowering at all. And the slightly bitter broccoli rabe with the slightly sweet tomato sauce was quite nice.

So how does it fare among the best of the best I've had? Here's my official top 5 artisinal pies:

1. Beretta
2. Flour + Water
3. Pizzeria Picco
4. Zero Zero
5. Delfina

There you have it, folks. Next time I'm at Zero Zero I'll order the salad and the marinara and then put said salad on top of the pizza for harmonious consumption. But that's just me. Oh, and one BIG downer at Zero Zero. They have this awesome build-your-own-dessert sheet where you get a pencil and check off what you want. For example, a base of brownie (or cheesecake or a waffle...), with chocolate (or vanilla or swirl) soft serve ice cream, and a myriad of toppings. None of it is vegan though. Sigh.

Up next: I hope to hit some new local (read: in walking distance of my house) places as well as a new-to-me place up north a bit. Stay tuned and eat well in the meantime!