R.I.P. GG's and P's

Am sad to report that my favorite Santa Rosa restaurant, Pizzio's, at Fulton and West Third, closed its doors at the end of June. P's was never in a great, high-traffic location (it epitomized, to me, the neighborhood joint), and didn't have a separate room, for special (and high dollar) occasions; instead, it survived by a loyal local following. The economic downtown, however, apparently proved to be too big a hurdle to clear. I will miss Pizzio's. (WHY didn't they hire a marketing guy?)

I won't miss GG's Earth and Surf, a very -- in my opinion -- pretentious place in downtown Santa Rosa that lasted maybe six months. I met the owner and was NOT impressed. I hate to dish dirt, but for those interested, check out all the rumors, innuendos and tidbits at Bite Club. (WHY didn't they hire a marketing guy?)

So what do I do when I feel down? Why, grab a beer at Silverado Brewing Co, of course!

Simple, Simple, Simple

"Good food is very often, most often, simple food. Some of the best cuisine in the world -- whole roasted fish, Tuscan-style, for instance -- is a matter of three or four ingredients. Just make sure they're good ingredients, fresh ingredients, and then garnish them. How hard is that?

Tony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

I was with A. and MAD last night at my/our favorite haunt, Pizzio's Restaurant, and two things happened that had my mind racing for hours afterwards. One, I told them about my fantasy of opening a restaurant, explained the concept I had in mind. They liked the idea. I mean, they really liked it liked it. I've shared my idea now with a few people, and they all get it. It all makes sense. In other words, my idea doesn't seem completely nuts.

And then Chef Roger blew my mind. We ordered, and Andy brought some bread and some olive oil to dip. Standard stuff (though great). But immediately I noticed that the olive oil didn't have the usual dab of balsamic vinegar. It had what looked like pepper in it. Anyway, I tried it, and WOW -- Zing! Olive oil with pureed garlic and herbs. WOW, WOW, WOW. I immediately dashed into the kitchen to try to get the recipe, but Roger gave me a quick kick in the groin, chased me back to the table with a boning knife. He did come out later to chat, though, and told us how that wonderful concoction of his was born out of necessity. One day he came in to work (as if anyone in the restaurant biz calls it 'work'!) only to learn that... the restaurant had run out of balsamic vinegar. So on the fly, so to speak, he threw this together. The mother of invention. What struck me most was the simplicity... and how any restaurant (i.e., mine) could make an IMMEDIATE and POWERFUL impression on guests with this simple, yet different, wine country recipe.

Anyway, that's it from Every Meal A Feast land. I vaguely remember what we had for dinner. But that olive oil: WOW!

Pizzio's: Battelico de los Titanicos

SORRY re: the title; I don’t why I’m suddenly channeling that quasi-Spanish, faux-Battlestar Gallactica dialect. The title, by the way, loosely translated, means: Pizzio’s: Battle of the Titans, which is what happened Friday night between myself and owner/chef Roger Gafner, in our ongoing mano y mano struggle-of-epic-proportions battle royale de chess.

First, though, about the food. As you FRTBs (Frequent Readers of this Blog) know, Pizzio’s in northwest Santa Rosa is my FAVORITE restaurant. I love so many things about this place, beginning with the dim, muted décor reminiscent of my favorite food and wine movie, Big Night, to the cool people who work and hang out there, to Roger’s frequent forays into the dining room to, especially, the food, which is Upstate New York America-Italian cuisine. While my favorite dish is the spaghettini aglio e olio, a supremely understated pasta with olive oil and garlic yet set off with just the right amount of kick from pepperocini, Friday night I had the pasta puttanesca: linguine with olive oil, garlic, anchovies, tomatoes, fresh basil, black olives, capers, and a kick of hot peppers. It was s-u-p-e-r-b.

Everything I love about Pizzio's can be summed up in this pic:

O.K., onto the REALLY important stuff: chess. First, a little background. One Friday night last year while hanging around with Roger and the staff after closing time, somehow the topic of chess game up. When Roger found out that I played, he quickly challenged me to a duel, which I readily accepted. The results? Well, let's just say that my mama and dadda didn't raise no fool, if you know what I mean. Long story short: I remained undefeated in 2007 against one Chef Roger when it came to chess.

This past Friday, once again, the "Open" sign was turned off, doors locked, glasses filled, and the chessboard appeared. Game One: I BLITZED him, a total rout; me up 1-0. Game Two: Roger checkmates me in three moves. THREE MOVES. WTF? We're now 1-1. Game Three: Roger gets an early advantage, I fight back…and then I lose. O.K., so now I’m down 2 games to 1. Fourth and final game. We go on… and on… and let’s just say that in the end, the Good Guys prevailed. So we ended the night at 2-2… and with the anticipation high for our next meeting, to settle things once and for all (or, well, you know, at least bragging rights for a couple-three weeks).

Anyway, sneak away to Pizzio's. You'll love the feel of the place when you walk in and you'll love the food and wine. Look for Roger in the dining room doing what he does best (after cooking). And look for me at the bar...

Pizzio’s Cucina Italiana
2482 West 3rd Street, Santa Rosa 95401
In the Big Oak center, corner of Fulton and West 3rd
707-546-2593

And the Award Goes to...

The time has come to hand out the first EMAF Who Makes the Best Pizza in Sonoma County award. Previously we narrowed it down to two contenders, Mombo’s and Pizzio’s, both of whom make a mean pizza pie. Thank you to the EMAF research team and all those who submitted their own suggestions. It’s been a fun process, and I now certainly have a few more places on my pizza radar screen to try out. So without further ado, the award goes to:

MOMBO’S

I love Pizzio’s pizza: great crust, fresh ingredients, and that special pizazz of eating in such a warm, this-is-my-neighborhood place. It’s refined pizza with, as one person commented, little or no grease.

But that’s exactly why the award goes to Mombo’s. Pizza without grease is, well, like beer without cold. To me, in other words, there’s supposed to be some grease. It’s part of the experience of eating pizza. It enhances the tactile pleasures. Yes, pizza should smell great, and of course it should taste great, but eating pizza should also feel great. I mean, let’s get right down to it: pleasurable eating is really about sensuality…which isn’t that far from sexuality. And thus to me, eating pizza is a lot like sex: if you don’t feel like you need to shower afterwards (or at least wash up), perhaps you need to work a little harder at making the experience something, you know, special, if you know what I mean.

So here’s the EMAF thought for today: The next time you have some pizza, smell it, taste it, but most of all, really feel it. You eat pizza with your hands for a reason. Trust me on this: When eating pizza, it’s O.K. to get all greasy and dirty. There…great pizza, a thought for the day, and maybe your sex life will perk up too. Is life at EMAF great or what?

Pizza on My Mind

Ah, the anticipation continues to build for the EMAF Who Makes the Best Pizza in Sonoma County announcement this Thursday. The two contenders are, of course, Mombo's and Pizzio's. Pizza of course has been on the mind's of myself and FROTB. ckd made home-made pizza last Friday, and another FROTB asked me for specific Mombo's directions. And then last Thursday while lunching with JS at Tra Vigne restaurant in St. Helena, I had...of course...their Pizza con Fichi e Gorgonzola: pizza with black mission figs, gorgonzola, basil, and taggiasca olive oil.


The pizza was fantastic. Gorgonzola is one of my favorite cheeses, which complimented perfectly the sweet figs, which I've only recently tried...and learned that I really enjoy.

Ah, only two more days! Until then, sweet (and salty) dreams.

"...and the gloves come off..." (Part 3)

The tension is building, you can cut it with a knife: Not only do the Fighting Eagles play for the championship this coming Saturday at Justin Sienna H.S. in Napa, the results of the EMAF "Who Makes the Best Pizza in Sonoma County" will be announced next week. Ah, the anticipation, the, the, the...drama!

Today, we're going to look at Pizzio's Cucina Italiana. Now Pizzio's is a great opposite of Mombo's. It's...refined. It's a beautiful restaurant in Northwest Santa Rosa with a full menu of pasta dishes. Pizza just happens to be something they do (and do very well), because, well, people EXCEPT an Italian restaurant to serve pizza.



My favorite by far is the #10, the Rosa Pizza. This beautiful pie has pepperoni, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh garlic, light black pepper, and a generous helping (per the menu) of Romano cheese. The sweetness of the tomatoes balances perfectly with the bit of the pepperoni and pepper and garlic.

I also LOVE their pesto pizza. If you love pesto like I do, you HAVE to try a Pizzio's pesto pizza (#1 Pizza Alla Genoa with Pesto or #11 Pesto & Ricotta).

The Pizzio's pies are much thicker than Mombo's, more dough/bread-like, which brings up an important point: they don't "drip" as much. In fact, someone posted a comment earlier that Pizzio's pizzas don't have much, if any, grease. So right! Again, it's a refined pizza experience with a bread-y base, super-fresh ingredients, and served in a beautiful Big Night-type setting. If you want to impress some friends or settle in to a pie and still feel light enough to go see a movie, you can't beat Pizzio's---particularly if you go with the pesto.

Pizzio's Cucina Italiana
2848 West Third Street in West Santa Rosa, in the Big Oak center
(707) 546-2593

Coming next week: On Thursday Oct. 25, we'll announce the winner of the first annual EMAF best pizza pie award.

"...and the gloves come off..." (Part 1)

My brother, Toby, loves hockey. We speak two or three times a week by phone, and during hockey season Toby keeps me regularly updated on all the important hockey-related topics, including which teams are playing well (and thus, at least for the moment anyway, looking particularly cup-worthy), which goalies are making the acrobatic saves, who is the league’s hot new phenom (of late, one Sidney Crosby), and that magical question which intrigues and fascinates hockey fans to no end: Who is the league’s fastest player (the fascination stems from the sheer God-given talent; you can teach hockey fundamentals such as stick handling and cross-checking, but you can’t teach speed).

Invariably, our conversation turns to Toby’s favorite hockey topic: the fights. Now hockey fights are as old as the game itself, and still have a huge following today. (There's even a web site devoted to everything hockey fight-related). They all start basically the same way. The Really Good player on team A scores a goal. The Goon on team B then gives Really Good player a cheap shot, enraging the Goon on team A and setting up a Goon A vs. Good B showdown. Toby was friends with a hockey player once, and Toby swears that the player told him that 98% of the hockey fights start this way:

Goon A: Wanna go?
Goon B: O.K.

“When they drop the sticks and the gloves come off,” Toby likes to say with that particular anticipation in his voice, “it’s time to do the man-dance.”

I think that time has come for this blog regarding a topic of critical important to Sonoma Country eaters: Which Sonoma County restaurant makes the best pizza?

Now granted, this is a huge topic, one which, if given its proper treatment, might take years to research and cost several million dollars (and maybe a life or two along the way). To save that time and potential loss of life, EMAF has been diligently studying this topic for the past six months. Our researchers have been canvassing the pizza joints throughout this fine county, conducting random eater polls, even combing through grease-coated menus studying styles, ingredients, and names.

The results? We’ve narrowed this challenge down to two contenders: Mombo’s Pizza and Pizzio’s Cucina Italiana.

This week, we’re going to provide an in-depth look at both. Feel free to comment, vote, even offer other contenders. Then on Friday, we’ll announce the Every Meal A Feast Pizza Grand Prize Winner. It’s surely—surely—something not to be missed.

The Simple Life

No, not a rant about Paris... (What more can one say, other than she is the Hero of The archetypal story of mankind, which always has the same plot: Can this person be saved?)

Instead, I wanted to share several simple-but-oh-so-pleasurable food and wine experiences over the weekend:

* Friday night, at Pizzio's Cucina Italiana in west Santa Rosa, a delicious glass of Port--Ferrieria's Porto Ruby. It was amazing to sit in the dimming evening lights, enjoying the potent, raisin-y wine, talking to my new friend and fellow solo diner Brandon. Magnificant.

* Saturday evening, after a long hot afternoon of yard work and tree trimming, take-out Chinese of broccoli and beef with white rice, with several Gordon Biersch Marzen amber lagers.

* On Sunday morning, two eggs over easy, a bagel slathered with peanut butter, and two cups of strong good black coffee.

Another simple pleasure begins again this Friday: June 15 marks the start of the new season for the Occidental Bohemian Farmers Market in Occidental, in West Sonoma County. If you haven't been, you should check it out: Fridays 4 p.m. till dusk. Every so often--as he is this Friday--Gerard Nebesky cooks paella. The line stretches throughout the market; the smells, well, intoxicating.

Every Meal A Feast doesn't mean sitting down to a five-course dinner during some magnificant celebration. It does mean trying to celebrate every meal, every food and wine experience, no matter how simple.

Your turn: What's one of your simple food or wine pleasures?

Ode to Pizzio's_Part I

I’d like to share one of my favorite restaurants: Pizzio’s, in northwest Santa Rosa. I love the décor and overall feel of this place. It reminds me of the interior of the restaurant in the movie “Big Night” (in fact, the owner and chef, Roger Gafner, says that the wall colors are modeled after “Big Night”). Pizzio’s has a great neighborhood feel—small, quiet, great colors, dim lighting. It’s not big or loud or ostentatious…and thus the food can really shine. The pastas are wonderful, Rodger cooks a mean flat iron steak, and I LOVE his pesto. My favorite dish is spaghettini aglio e olio, a supremely understated pasta with olive oil and garlic yet set off with just the right amount of kick from pepperocini. I’ve also come to enjoy the staff: Roger, of course, who frequently visits the dining room; his lovely wife Louise, weekend hostess; waitresses Andy and Diane; and Judy, who cooks a mean pizza. And I’m starting to get to know Mike and the rest of the cooking crew (who are, by the way, a scary-looking bunch at best, the kind of misfits and miscreants one shudders to think about spending all day playing with knives and fire, yet possessing that almost-other-worldly ability to reach that exact medium-rare point or drizzle just the right amount of cheese on The Rosa pizza). To put it simply, you should check out Pizzio’s: 2484 West Third Street, in the Big Oak shopping center, at the corner of Fulton and West Third.

P.S. If you do meet Roger, DON’T ask him anything about his chess skills. It’s a long story (which I’ll talk about more later, of course). For now, let me just say that, well, he shouldn’t quit his night job to become a chess pro, if you know what I mean.