nuraman00's Profile
European crackers.
You're right, thanks Bigos!
Ok, it's really confusing because my box says "chocolate covered lemon marshmallow". LOL.
Best Cheese pizzas?
I noticed you haven't tried Patxi's yet.
If you didn't like Zachary's, you're not going to like Patxi's. They're similar, except that Patxi's uses more sauce.
Among the deep dish places, I like Patxi's and Zachary's. I usually get the spinach pesto and add chicken, from Patxi's.
I don't like Pizza Chicago.
Best Cheese pizzas?
21th stop: Paisan
I had the Roasted Mushrooms, and Molto Aglissimo. These pizzas are smaller, only 10 inches I believe.
Roasted Mushrooms: This had caramelized onion, goat cheese, fontina, oregano. Great flavor, loved the caramelized onions too. It fit in well with the cheeses.
Molto Aglissimo: This had roasted garlic, roasted green garlic, fresh chopped garlic, spring onion, parmesan, fontina. This was a great garlic pizza, with many different styles of garlic. One of the best garlic pizzas I've had.
Imperial Stout Beer: I had the last one on their beer menu, I can't remember the brewery anymore. It was good.
Thanks wolfe.
Ok, I think I'm done trying new places for a while. It's been a good run, 20 new places in about 23 months. I've tried a lot of great places during this span, and I want to take a break. I've crossed off these places on my list, and I won't have an active list of a new place I have to try, for a while.
One thing I wish I had done differently was I wish I had taken a pic of all of these pizzas. I thought about doing that a few months ago, but thought I would just start doing that next time when I started with a fresh list of new places.
My super favorites from Tier 1 would be all EXCEPT FOR Gialina, Cheese Board, Beretta, Pizzeria Delfina, and Una Pizza Napoletana. I would still recommend those, as they're well-made pizzas, but would give the edge to the others.
I might go to Baonecci sometime again and try their Monte Biacno, but it's probably not going to be for a while.
Rankings so far:
Tier 1:
Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Paisan
Tier 2:
Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's
Tier 3:
Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos
Best Cheese pizzas?
20th stop: BaoNecci
I had the 4 Formaggi, which had mozzarella, pecorino, gorgonzola, parmigiano.
It was great. None of the other multiple cheese pizzas I've had tasted like this.
The crust is cracker-thin and crunchy. I haven't had another crust as thin and crispy as this. I don't have a preference for the type of crust, as long as its well-made.
Rankings so far:
Tier 1:
Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
BaoNecci
Tier 2:
Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's
Tier 3:
Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos
Remaining List Of Places To Try:
Paisan
Best Cheese pizzas?
19th stop: Una Pizza Napoletana (2nd visit)
I had the Margherita, which had San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt. (tomato sauce).
I agree, this is the best dough I've tasted. And I like how it came from a wood oven, it has that nice char texture.
The buffalo mozzarella was nice.
But something about Dopo's pizza with buffalo mozzarella just clicked with me more.
Una Pizza Napoletana still goes in the 1st tier. It's a well-made pizza. But it wouldn't be among my top picks from that first tier.
Rankings so far:
Tier 1:
Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
Tier 2:
Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's
Tier 3:
Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos
Remaining List Of Places To Try:
Paisan
BaoNecci
European crackers.
Last week, I went to Euromix.
This week, I went to European Market and Deli, which is in Castro Valley.
Here's what I got:
* Top left corner: Lemon flavored marshmallow-filled chocolates. These seem similar to the marshmallow-filled choco bananas that I posted about in the OP.
I think there were only 1 or 2 varieties of the marshmallow filled chocolates. I forgot what flavor the other marshmallow-filled one was, but it wasn't banana.
They had other jam-filled chocolates (lemon, blackberry, strawberry).
* Biscuits: The biscuits last week were "with baked butter aroma". These biscuits this week are "with baked milk aroma".
* Kinder chocolate box: These contain 8 bars. It says
" + Chocolate
- cocoa"
* Kinder Bueno Bar: This one says "Milk and hazelnut".
So overall, I think I found the type of things I was looking for. The suggestion to check out European markets was on the right track.
This European Market and Deli had all of the items I got from Euromix, plus these marshmallow-filled chocolates. So that was nice.
Best Cheese pizzas?
And thanks for the tip about wood burning not guarantying quality.
I wouldn't obsess over it then, and feel like I need to try a place just because it uses a wood burning oven.
Best Cheese pizzas?
Is Cugino in the Bay Area?
Do you think house made sausage tastes better, in these restaurants that do it? And is it easy enough that this many restaurants actually do it? Seems like almost every Italian restaurant says they did it, hence why I was a bit skeptical. Can you taste a difference between one restaurant's housemade to another?
Best Cheese pizzas?
Thanks for the link. Even if it's not updated, it helps. I have a few questions:
Mozzarella:
* Is there a difference between "fresh mozzarella", and "house made mozzarella"?
* When some pizzerias list one menu item with "fresh mozzarella", and some of the others as just "mozzarella", are they using different kinds of mozzarella?
* Which of the places that I've been to, do you think have used fresh mozzarella? Was Emilia's one of the only ones, or do you think most use fresh mozzarella?
Ovens:
Robert Lauriston listed which ones used wood ovens. Are Olivetos, East End Pizza, Howie's Artisan Pizza, and Una Pizza Napoletana the only places I've been to, that use a wood oven? Tony's Pizza Napoletana used a gas oven, for the New Jersey's Original.
Fennel Sausage:
I'm always a little skeptical about places that say "house made fennel sausage". How much of it is house made?
Do they start with the raw pork, and form the links, and combine the rest of the ingredients?
Or do they buy pre-made links, then combine the additional ingredients?
Which of the places that I've been to, or that you or Robert Lauriston have been to, have the most house-made fennel sausage?
Best Cheese pizzas?
Wow, that's awesome how you've tried so many of the same ones too.
What did you think of Oliveto's?
Best Cheese pizzas?
Question for Robert Lauriston, wolfe, or any of the frequent posters who have given multiple recommendations:
Have you tried some of the places you've recommended, and if so, what are your thoughts?
For example, I know mick has tried Una Pizza Napoletana. And Robert Lauriston has tried Emilias, Tony's Pizza Napoletana. But I'm not sure if he's tried Pizzeria Delfina, or BaoNecci (even though he recommended them).
And wolfe recommended Oliveto's, and Paisan, but I'd like to know in a bit more detail of what he had and what he thought.
I don't want this thread to just be about what I think of various pizzerias, but I'd like to read what others had at specific pizzerias, and what they thought of them.
For example, I like reading what Bunson said about A Slice Of NY, or what TopoTail said about Una Pizza Napoletana.
Best Cheese pizzas?
18th stop: Dopo
I had the mozarella di bufala and oregano. It was great, the mozarella di bufala did have this distinct taste.
The crust was interesting, along the edge of the pizza, the outer edge seemed crispier and the inner edge seemed chewier. It was good.
The pizza felt a little small, but I didn't mind since it tasted good.
Rankings so far:
Tier 1:
Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Dopo
Tier 2:
Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's
Tier 3:
Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos
Remaining List Of Places To Try:
Paisan
BaoNecci
Una Pizza Napoletana (2nd attempt)
Best Cheese pizzas?
Gioia is the first place I tried on this pizza quest, and I loved it. It's one of my favorites from the first tier. I had the funghi.
European crackers.
I tried Cost Pus World Market, and Trader Joes. As well as the import section of the supermarket. Didn't find anything like the petit beurres or choco bananas, or choco oranges.
So I went to Euromix.
Here's what I got (see pics):
I was really hoping to get the choco bananas, or choco oranges. But they didn't have anything like that.
I think the biscuits in the lower left corner, in the tan wrapper, are close to the petit beurres.
And I think the chocolate covered gingerbread strawberries, in the upper left corner, are kind of close to the chocolate bananas, or chocolate oranges. Interesting that it's made by Kraft, but with a foreign brand name.
Those wafers with the cherry filling in the upper right corner look interesting too.
And lastly, in the lower right corner are the Cookies Dream. I took a separate pic of them, because I thought it was hard to see through the wrapper.
I also went to 99 Ranch.
They had Petit Buerres, but I didn't get any, because I already got some biscuits from Euromix.
So far, I've had the chocolate strawberry hearts. They are good. The inside is spongy, with a mild strawberry flavor.
European crackers.
I'll try Euromix.
It's conveniently located next to Dopo too (from the pizza thread).
European crackers.
I called Cost Plus, but they didn't have any of the above items.
I'll try 99 Ranch.
European crackers.
Thanks, I now found some of them on Amazon. I'm hoping to find them at a grocery store, though, because I have to either buy a lot on Amazon, or pay a lot of shipping.
European crackers.
Where can I find one of these crackers?
http://parthenonfoods.com/images/DobrovaPetitBiscuit450g.jpg
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/101557701/Petit_Beurre_BISCUITS.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3638/3402872443_4bd9878a3d.jpg
Preferably somewhere in the East Bay, but really anywhere.
I tried Cost Plus, and Trader Joes. They don't have them.
Best Cheese pizzas?
I just didn't think I was asking for a "substitution", but more of a "removal" of an item. (Cherry Tomatoes).
Also, what do you recommend more, the Margherita or Filetti? Or, do you think the Ililaria is so much better, I should have it again?
Best Cheese pizzas?
I wanted to clarify a few things.
Mick and Topo Tail had mentioned the dough, not just the crust. And that's what I meant to say when I said the "crust" (wrong word) was good, but Una Pizza Napoletana wouldn't make my absolute favorites just because of that.
I do want to go back, though. So much has been said about the dough, that I want to try it again. Also, when the server told me they couldn't make the Ililaria without the cherry tomatoes, I think I was a bit dismayed and let it affect what I thought of the pizza. I don't think I was thinking objectively anymore.
I'd probably try the Margherita or Filetti next. If someone on here recommends one over the other, let me know.
Also, I didn't think the smoked mozzarella had much of a smoky taste. It wasn't like the smoked mozzarella at Howie's Artisan Pizza in Palo Alto.
Also, I'm not sure I thought the cheese flavor was that special. I thought Topo Tail's other recommendation of Bucci, for example, had a better cheese flavor. I would probably put it in between Tier 1 and Tier 2. But the pizza was of a great overall quality, that I rounded up. And since I plan to go back one more time, I'll let the next time weigh more strongly what I think of it.
Best Cheese pizzas?
17th stop: Una Pizza Napoletana
I had the Ilaria. I asked if they could make it without the cherry tomatoes, but the server said "sorry, he's been making it the same way so long, he can't change".
It was good. The crust was good. Was it the best crust I've ever had? I'd say there have been others on this pizza quest that have been just as good, including Howie's Artisan Pizza's crust.
So I'd say it was good, but still not one of the one of the absolute best. Worthy of being on this quest, yes. One of my absolute favorites from tier 1, no.
Rankings so far:
Tier 1:
Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Una Pizza Napoletana
Tier 2:
Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's
Tier 3:
Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos
Remaining List Of Places To Try:
Dopo
Paisan
Best Cheese pizzas?
FYI, I messed up with my numbering, I had #13 twice. Which means I should be on #16 now.
Also, I'm going to change my rankings to a tier system.
16th stop: Howie's Artisan Pizza.
I know this wasn't on the list, but I went there last weekend. I had the Bianco. It had smoked Mozzarella.
It was very good.
My friend, who loves the Cheeseboard, even liked it as much as the Cheeseboard. I was surprised he agreed to try the Bianco in the first place, but he did.
I'm glad we found another place on the peninsula side, other than A Slice Of NY.
Rankings so far:
Tier 1:
Gioia
Rotten City Pizza
Emilia's
Gialina's.
Cheese Board.
Beretta
A Slice Of NY
East End Pizza.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Bucci.
Pizzeria Delfina
Oliveto's
Howie's Artisan Pizza
Tier 2:
Piccino
Pizza Speederia
Amici's
Tier 3:
Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
Primos
Remaining List Of Places To Try:
Dopo
Paisan
Best Cheese pizzas?
wolfe, I love your pop culture references. The George Cohan reference, and now the
Kurt Russell reference. :)
ChowFun_derek, yeah, I meant "A Slice Of NY" in Sunnyvale. It's good. :)
Also, yes, they have a lot of snack cakes, including Devil Dogs. I don't think they have a Zepollis, but maybe you can call them and ask them to get some?
Best Cheese pizzas?
14th stop: Oliveto's Cafe.
* Farm Egg with Arugula: Thanks wolfe and rebonga. Both the white part of the egg, as well as the yolk, created a tasty combination on the pizza.
I was a little confused about the appetizer bread, it appeared that some customers were offered it, and some weren't. I wasn't offered it.
Rankings so far:
1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY
1H: East End Pizza.
1I: Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1J: Bucci.
1K: Pizzeria Delfina
1L: Oliveto's
2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's
3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos
Remaining List Of Places To Try:
Dopo
Paisan
Best Cheese pizzas?
13th stop: Pizzeria Delfina.
* Margherita: This one had a great fresh mozzarella taste. It was good.
I would still give Bucci a slight edge, despite me not liking their crust.
* Baba Rum: This was my first time having this dessert. It was pretty good, but probably wouldn't make my top desserts list.
Rankings so far:
1A: Gioia
1B: Rotten City Pizza
1C: Emilia's
1D: Gialina's.
1E: Cheese Board.
1F: Beretta
1G: A Slice Of NY
1H: East End Pizza.
1I: Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1J: Bucci.
1K: Pizzeria Delfina
2. Piccino
2B: Pizza Speederia
2C: Amici's
3. Pauline's Pizza & Wine Bar
3B: Primos
Remaining List Of Places To Try:
Dopo
Paisan
Oliveto's
Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken?
Great detailed video. You made it look easy. I'll try this method the next time I have a whole chicken.
Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken?
It came out pretty much the way I wanted. I liked it. Don't think I'd change anything next time. Other than the composition of the seasoning (minor adjustments), there wouldn't have been anything that needed changing anyways, as everything seemed to turn out as I expected, especially the final result.
I liked making the seasoning blend from scratch, instead of buying something called "poultry seasoning" or "seasoned salt", because I had more control over how it tasted. I could make some adjustments this way.
I read from reviews that some people had trouble removing the chicken from the vertical roaster after it was cooked. But I didn't have much trouble. After I let it cool, it did appear to be stuck for a few seconds, but once I got it to move a little upwards, then it was fine the rest of the way.
Skin had a nice thin crispy taste to it, like rotisserie chicken.
Thanks to all that suggested this.
