Berkeley Pizza Adventures

M

Mark Anisman

Mark Anisman
Pizzeria da Laura easily won by decision over Gioia this last Saturday. Flavors more interesting and precise. Crust again a bit better taste and crispier (possibly the Gioia pizza was baked too far in advance of pickup time with resultant crust compromise).

Hope to schedule https://www.rosepizzeria.com/ vs https://emiliaspizzeria.com/.
Several friends sing high praises for Emilia's as their fave East Bay pizzeria.....

Then comes the mano a mano finale! any takers?
 
Sounds like fun. A bit too far to drive for me.

I'll be able to do a San Carlos pizza showdown when Impasto opens in July vs. Pazzo Pizzeria, my hands-down favorite locally. Pazzo has been written up in the Chron. Impasto is owned by the same folks as Terún and Italico in Palo Alto. They're 4 and 4.5 miles from home.

Hopefully, Impasto will have a decent corkage policy. Pazzo is $25 and they even use decent stems. Only downside to Pazzo is they don't take reservations. My wife and I are dining there with another couple on Thursday.
 
Mark,
I sampled both da Laura and Gioia when out in Berkeley earlier this year. Though both were excellent, I gave the nod to Gioia for the better toppings. I picked mine up the moment it was ready, though, so that may make the difference. I haven’t been to Rose, but like Rahsaan saw it written up in today’s NYT.

Greetings from Milan and the horrors of conference meals (with a decent Pecorino)
Mark Lipton
 
thinking of pizza toss up around mid August for now. will keep all interested parties aware of plans.

i should have mentioned that both pizzas were "mushroom". the Gioia headliner was soggy and generic (canned?). so it clearly might be topping dependent....

when in Milano : I always dream of a return to https://www.facebook.com/osteriacascinadeifiori. great risotto. praised many a moon ago by Burton Anderson in his Treasures of the Italian Table. several visits in the mid 2000 era.
 
I would be up for a pizza showdown, much easier for a group than solo. Could combine it with a vigorous argument over which wine is best with pizza. I'm a big fan of Gioia, but now I really must try de Laura. Cheese board has many fans. While good, I find the crust a bit thick and they overdo the olive oil.
 
alrighty then!
my brother lives near Gioia and we had the pizza fest at his house. perhaps I can finagle their home as the venue unless someone has a better idea.
if there are lots of folks attending, perhaps we can get 2 pizzas from 3 different pizzerias.
da Laura delivers.
Rose pizzeria had been offering take out but perhaps their new found fame has altered their game ("ONLINE TAKE OUT IS CURRENTLY SUSPENDED TILL FURTHER NOTICE ! THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING!")
Emilia's is occasionally open on Saturdays and pickup is available.
I am not familiar with pick up at Cheese Board but their house is equidistant from Cheese Board and Gioia.
if you wish to make it complicated, we can meet at Rose Pizzeria (assuming that they will still not be offering pickup), and then repair to my brother's house and devour Gioia & da Laura pizza....
the last 2 weekends in August is ideal for us as we wish to include 2 very interested visitors from Illinois.
and the wine concept is certainly in play. i have long been looking for the opportunity to open the last bottle I have of the 2016 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Wraith!*
* not really....
 
I am around the weekend of August 24th but am out of town Labor Day weekend (weekend of August 31st)

Thank you for organizing Mark! Sounds like a lot of fun.
 
This sounds great, would love to attend. I'll be out of town towards the end of August, date not fixed yet. So 24th would be highly probable for me, 31st tenuous. Thanks for taking the lead, Mark.
 
update :
24 August is good for my brother. house is near the downtown Berkeley BART, but perhaps a 15 minute walk at maximum. house is ~ equidistant from da Laura and Gioia (da Laura is a block from the downtown Berkeley station).
lunch?
Rose Pizzeria is open for lunch. perhaps we can meet there and then repair to brother's house and have the da Laura and Gioia delivered at 2pm.
Wine at brother's house.
Rose pizzeria is not doing takeout currently.
Emilia's does offer take out but they are often closed on Saturdays.
Cheese Board?
Or just a bunch of pizza from da Laura and Gioia?
My group is 6 people
Yule, Larry, and Christian have noted interest.I believe my brother would also ask some friends.
12 total seems to be the magic number
Thoughts?
 
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