It certainly didn't hurt this Telegraph Avenue eatery that it was Charlie Hallowell, a Chez Panisse alum, who decided to open it, but I believe it did get him noticed. His hard work and imagination did the rest. Pizzaiolo makes a good pie. Wood fired pizza is very popular these days and we have many exceptional pizza establishments in the Bay Area, so this one does not stand out as much as it did originally. It's a great boon to the East Bay, but with Una Pizza Napoletana, Tony's Pizzeria Napoletana and Ragazza in San Francisco, I would be hard pressed to make the drive to Oakland for a pizza here. Still I'm very pleased to have tried it.
This photo of the Stinging Nettle Pizza reveals a light, flakey crust and grated Romano on top. The Romano added just enough salty taste to enhance the nettles. There was an opportunity to add more toppings, so I opted for Italian sausage that was also house made. The few ingredients worked so well, the idea of tomato sauce and mozzarella seemed foreign and would have actually detracted from the overall taste. Nice job.
| 5008 Telegraph Ave Oakland CA 94609 (510) 652-4888 Open: Mon - Thurs 5:30 pm - 10 pm Fri - Sat 5:00pm - 10:30pm |
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