This is for the elitists. The ones that would call us "the bridge and tunnel crowd".....you know who you are. You insist that anything worth trying only exists within 46.7 tiny, crowded, over-hyped square miles of peninsula better known as San Francisco. I will admit that there are things that are unique to the city and great within their own right (some of my many SF favorites: R&G Lounge for the salt and pepper crab and The House of Prime Rib for the Yorkshire pudding.....and of course the prime rib). However, a true gourmand is not limited geographically and food is not 'good' by virtue of its address.
Here is a sampling of what I know best, San Jose (and other parts of the Bay Area). To show you that 'good' food exists elsewhere. It is also an homage and a celebration of the South Bay foodies who have known all along that it's just as good down here, if not better AND with parking spaces.

Friday, March 12, 2010

PIZZA MARIA



It is 18" x 13" rectangle of ecstasy: cheese, garlic, onion, Italian sausage, pepperoni, artichoke, and bell pepper -- a.k.a. the Sicilian style, thick crust "Pizza Venecia" from Pizza Maria. I've mentally calculated how many Pizza Maria Sicilian pizzas it would take to make a king size mattress pad because sometimes I like to imagine rolling around on that huge expanse of cheese and toppings like a puppy in the sunshine. (The answer, by the way is 26.)
The Pizza Venecia is always a crowd pleasing favorite, whether it is ordered in the Sicilian style or in its round, thin crust form. However, picking my single favorite specialty pizza from the Pizza Maria menu is an impossibility. Each of the ten carefully crafted listed pies have their own personality.
My second favorite Pizza Maria fantasy (the first being the rolling around on the gigantic pizza mattress) is being the official P.M. Pizza Sommelier. Tell me who, when, and where you will be eating your pizza and I'll pair you with your perfect pie:
  • Ladies night with Johnny Depp movies and a romantic Pinot Grigio? Might I suggest the Pizza di Roma: rich creamy ricotta juxtaposed with salty, sharp Romano and sweet onions.
  • Poker night and a Heineken baby keg? If the buy in is less than $20, Pizza di Piedimonte: old world Italian salami and olives. If the buy in is more than $20, Pizza di Napoli: spicy pepperoni, mushrooms, meaty mounds of itallian sausage, and fresh garlic for bluff prevention.
  • First date with a pilates instructor who also volunteers at the Marine Mammal Center and it's a warm spring day? No problem, your second date prospects will be improved by the Pizza di Calabria: fresh spinach, feta cheese, and fresh tomatoes.
  • What about a regular Wednesday night (b.t.w. Pizza Maria is closed Tuesdays) with the kids and eight hours of stored American Idol on the TiVo? My super pizza sommelier sense goes into overdrive; for the kids, Sicilian crust "create your own" with pineapple and pepperoni, and for you, a medium thin crust "create your own" with pesto, artichoke hearts, ham, and capers.
The truth is everyone has their "go-to" neighborhood pizza place and theoretically, one could go to said neighborhood pizza place and ask for the same ingredients that make a Pizza Venezia (or any other pizza from P.M.) But, the theory is only good on paper. To help demonstrate this catastrophe, please allow me to present the following analogy: buttermilk marinated, slow fried chicken and golden, buttery waffles from Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles recreated with Tyson's chicken fingers and Eggos. Because chances are, your regular pizza place maybe convenient and good but compared to Pizza Maria, it's just not good enough and you should NEVER sacrifice convenience for great pizza.
Besides my obvious writing limitations (grammar, punctuation, and spelling), I'm also limited in fully conveying the wonderment that is a Pizza Maria pizza. I don't know if I have completely captured the intent of this recommendation and so, as a last attempt, I will offer this final anecdote: A while ago, my husband and I were moving and trying to save some cash so we didn't want to hire professional movers or rent a truck. No one likes to get that call asking for moving day help but given the promise of Pizza Maria pizza, we had nine friends and three pick-up trucks at our disposal on a bright, beautiful, early Saturday. It's the power of the pizza.

Pizza Maria is located on the corner of Toyon Ave and McKee Road.
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