As a perfect follow-up to the Renegade Craft Fair, Jude & I went for a late lunch at Pizzetta 211 in the Richmond. Now, in my opinion, there are only two good pizza places in San Francisco, Little Star and this place. The former is where you go for a perfect, classic deep dish while drinking microbrewed beer and listening to punk rock, and the latter is where you go for a slow-foods, European style, artisinal experience, to be lingered over and savored.
Since Pizzetta is both legendary and tiny (nearly microscopic, sort of the Sushi Zone of pizza places), it is best avoided for dinner past 7pm most nights, unless you like hanging out on a windy street corner watching other people eat. So our 3pm lunch meant that we were able to grab two seats at the counter immediately and attend to our rumbling tummies. Look what was on the counter right in front of us - a raspberry and nectarine galette oozing juice - don't think we weren't tempted to grab a forkful when everyone's backs were turned!
The counter space is great because you get to see the pizzas being made. I will never understand how they get the dough quite that thin, and cook it so perfectly each time. It's something out of Druid lore - some skill simply beyond my comprehension.
Since the pizzas take a while, we started with the Artisinal Cheese Salad and the Roasted Beets Salad. Both were excellent, and generously portioned. These are the types of dishes that I imagine myself making after a trip to the Farmer's Market, but I never achieve this level of success.
And then came the pizza, oh my oh my. We had one with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Sheeps Milk Cheese, to which we added 2 fried eggs. If you have never had a fried egg on a pizza, you don't know what you are missing. That lovely, silky yolk dripping all over the cheese and savory bits - pure delight in the mouth. It's very common in Europe, but for some reason, only a few places offer it here in the States.
Even though we were pretty full, we had to have a piece of the galette to round out the meal. You can't just stare at something that long and not eat it, and besides it had been one of those weeks for both of us, so the galette was like the food version of a stiff drink. And it was worth it - light, not to sweet, and of course, delicious crust. And the whipped cream - so good, you almost need a cigarette afterwards.
All in all, one of those perfect meals that are worth the wait, but if you don't have to, that makes it even better.
