Farina Pizza in the Mission...

In an already crowded restaurant scene, Farina Pizza opened it's doors at the corner of Valencia & 18th. Yes, this puts is within walking distance of five other venerable spots - Pizzeria Delfina, Beretta, Arnell's, Little Star, and Mozzeria.  So what differentiates Farina from the others - the Italian imports, literally - from the ingredients and countertops, to the gas oven and chefs. Farina prides itself on replicating the authentic neapolitan experience, which is rare in a era when SF restaurant have touted the concept of farm to table, organic, and sustainable.

One recent Tuesday evening, Sheila and I decided to spontaneously visit this beautifully designed spot of clean white subway tiles, carrera marble counters, harvest wood tables, stainless steel fixtures, and artisan glass.  We arrived around 6:30pm and had the option of sitting at a communal table or the bar. We decided on the bar which overlooks the pizza prep station and oven. Good thing we got there early, because within 30 mins the place was packed and there was a  pretty long wait list. Needless to say, they don't take reservations.

The menu combines several fresh salads, pizzas, and pastas - made in the traditional Italian style with imported produce.  We went straight for the pizza with each of us ordering our own (margherita and ortolana)

The margherita pizza (San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, romano cheese, olive oil, basil)  was served piping hot from the gas oven as it should be; we actually watched the entire preparation from our  seats. The crust was slighted charred and not too salty. It had a great chewy factor (glutenous) which we've found to be a hallmark of neapolitan pies. The fior di latte mozzarella was silky smooth and wonderfully delicious. Sheila found the pizza to also have a nice cheese to tomato ratio. She would rate the magherita as better than Zero Zero and equally on par with Keste and Co in NYC. However, she prefers Delfina's crust. Although there something to be said about Farina's ambience and overall experience. 

Ortolana pizza (fior di latte mozzarella, eggplant, mushrooms, and bell peppers) - Similar to the magherita this crust was chewy. I thought it lacked a bit of seasoning, but nevertheless had a good balance of char and gluten. The eggplants, mushrooms, and bell pepper had been roasted with olive oil, but yet retained their earthy flavors. I agree with Sheila's assessment of the fior di latte mozzarella, one of the best I've ever had. The only thing missing for me was some sauce, after a while the pizza started to dry out. Overall good balanced flavors, but I'll try a different pie next time.

All in all, cool new hot spot in the Mission. This gives us another traditional neapolitan pizza place to add to our list. And at $15 per pie, the price point is on par with the others listed above. If you want the closest thing to classic Italian pizza, go to Farina. It's worth checking out. 

mozzeria...heartwarming gourmet pizza

San Francisco has no shortage of pizzerias, so the opening of another one in the Mission District was a bit perplexing to me. Then I heard about the premiss for Mozzeria, a wood-fire Neapolitan pizza restaurant, owned by a deaf couple. Even more heartwarming is that the owners are deaf and they employ several deaf people that work in the restaurant. What wonderful human and community spirit! Melody Stein, the co-owner, is a third generation restauranteur who before opening Mozzeria, also spent several weeks in Italy learning the final art of pizza making.

The restaurant is located on 16th and Guererro on the ground floor of a Mission Edwardian. The interior can be described as modern rustic with a beautiful carrera marble bar counter, dark cherry dining tables, bright red dining chairs, and warmly lit Edison bulbs. Let's just say I want my house to look like that! Towards the back, but in prominent view is large wood-fire pizza oven. Given the oven's location, it almost acts like a heater. However on the night Sheila and I visited it was unseasonably hot in SF, which meant we were boiling inside.

The menu is a mix of small plates (salads, cheeses, meats), a few pastas, and several pizzas. The wait staff was extremely friendly and helped to recommend a few dishes for us veggies using sign language. We ended up selecting a Rainbow Beet Salad, Japanese Pumpkin Ravioli, Ortolana Pizza, and Lemon Curd Cheesecake.

Rainbow Beet Salad. Sheila and I shared this starter salad of fresh beets, goat cheese, arugula, citrus, and horseradish. On paper I wasn't sure about citrus and horseradish, but to my surprise the contrasting textures and flavors worked very well. The acidity and bitterness of those two ingredients were balanced by the sweetness of the goat cheese and crispness of the arugula and beets.

Japanese Pumpkin Ravioli. This was Sheila's order of Japanese pumpkin, walnut gremolata, arugula, sage brown butter. The homemade pasta was cooked slightly al dente and Sheila found it very filling. The brown butter gave the dish a sweet taste. Sheila noted that there wasn't anything to balance that out like spice or acid. Nevertheless, she did enjoy the fresh busting flavors.

Ortolana Pizza. This was my pizza order of eggplant, red onion, red peppers, and pomodoro sauce. I also added on mozzarella. Piping hot and cut into four large slices, I started eating it from center out. This totally reminded me of La Porchetta, our neighborhood pizza joint when living in London. The eggplants had been grilled to a slight char, the onion had been caramelized, and red peppers had been roasted. Individually these toppings would have worked, but my senses were confused when they were all combined on one pizza. It tasted like a mixed grilled veggie sandwich, but on a pizza. The caramelized onions overpowered the other toppings with too much sweetness and the mozzarella didn't add enough saltiness. Of course, I'm an equal opportunity pizza eater, so despite my comments I still would eat this pizza every day.

Lemon Curd Cheesecake. A New York style cheesecake with lemon curd and raspberries served on a graham cracker chocolate crust. The cheesecake was light, rich and smooth; the crust was dense and crackly; the lemon and raspberries were fresh and tart. Overall, the dish wasn't overly sweet and we were absolutely fine with that. I can tell you that they don't skimp on the portions here, but neither of us were able to finish the slice.

You feel joy dining at Mozzeria because of the sense of humanity. The food is cooked from the heart as if you were sitting in the owners' home. And therein lies story, the Stein's are cooking for their family (the patrons), but the food needs to be refined for the masses. That's not to say that it wasn't good food, I just think Sheila and I have been spoiled by living in SF where there are dozens of great gourmet pizzerias.