Monday, March 29, 2010

Best Pizza in Silicon Valley

This title has to belong to A Slice of New York in San Jose. Looking for a nearby pizza place, I found this one on Yelp.They have the best margherita pizza in California. It isn't on the menu, but sometimes they make it by the slice, which is how I spotted it. They add a light spread of fresh basil and a real flavorful sauce. It doesn't look like much but believe me it's good!

I first heard of margherita pizza in Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy. I was sitting in the piazza after walking around the city several times doing the tourist thing. I was just enjoying being there like so many others seem to do taking a seat on the plaza floor. I noticed a small line of people grabbing a slice of pizza at a kiosk. It made me hungry for one so I stood in line thinking what a good pepperoni would be like in Italy. But, when I got up there, they only had one pizza, which looked like a cheese pizza. In my tourist Italian I asked what kind of pizza's they had, hoping they had more, and the operator told me, "only one: margherita.". To me it looked like cheese because there was nothing on it. I've never heard of margherita cheese (there is no such thing). So I thought, "I waited this long, whatever. I'll eat it anyway." For a plain looking pizza it was very very good. I'm not sure what is supposed to go in a margherita pizza. It basically is just a cheese pizza. Perhaps the dough? Perhaps the tomato sauce? Or a combination of the both?

A Slice of New York is basically a hole in the wall. It sits next door to a Blues bar and a surplus store in a tiny strip mall down the street from the more trendy Santana Row along Stevens Creek Boulevard. It's almost like walking into Blondie's in Berkeley. New York paraphernalia decorates the walls and ceilings in an authentically devoted way to New York. They even have subway hand rails hanging along one wall. Seating is a premium so plan on ordering out. Staff is friendly, and seems to be directed by one guy who appears to be the owner. He takes time to talk to customers and make sure every pizza is made to spec. While waiting for my pizza they had made the pizza too big, so they cut out a slice down the middle. The manager came over and offered it to me as they prepared the last bit of the pizza which was awfully nice of the guy. Pizza that fresh is a sin. I get the feeling at this place, customer satisfaction is the number one priority. And the best part is, it isn't expensive.

Whatever it is, A Slice of New York (3443 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose, CA) does it best. A good second is the one at Tomatino (3127 Mission College Boulevard, Santa Clara, CA). If you never had margherita pizza, give it a try. Less is more.

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