When Chez Panisse alumni Charlie Hallowell struck out on his own in 2005, he and manager Omar White chose an unlikely location for their pizzeria: the former home of G&G Hardware. Pizzaiolo doesn’t have a sign of its own, but the hardware sign is still up. Look for it. The interior is spacious, with art-covered brick and plaster walls, a bar and a back room with a huge dinner table. Even with all the seats, Pizzaiolo is mobbed when the doors open each night. Thankfully, chef Hallowell recently allowed reservations. Make one.

Here’s a view of the restaurant’s powerful wood oven, complete with a pizzaiolo (pizza maker) cutting one of his excellent pizza pies.

There’s a short but compelling list of pizzas, but we couldn’t pass up the traditional margherita pie ($12) with prosciutto di Parma. The gobs of fresh mozzarella paired nicely with the tangy tomato sauce and supple crust. The prosciutto was $4 extra, and well worth the added expense.

Rambasicci ($14) was a new concept for me, but a welcome one. Cabbage was stuffed with spiced ground pork, pine nuts and currants, served in broth and sprinkled with shredded cheese. The meatball-like filling was beyond luscious, with incredible flavor.

Here’s a cross-section of the awesome Rambasicci.

This was a seemingly simple plate of spaghetti ($14), lightly tossed in olive oil and topped with sliced artichoke hearts, chili flakes, mint and breadcrumbs. Thankfully, the flavor was more complex than the menu suggested.

At Pizzaiolo, even the desserts are top-notch. This Braeburn apple and cornmeal upside down tortino ($8.50) was paired with with a scoop of cardamom-brown sugar gelato & apple syrup. The tortino was warm, like a good cornbread muffin. The apples added a nice sweetness, and the cardamom flavor of the gelato elevated the dessert even higher.

To prepare for our long night drive back to Los Angeles, I downed a strong Blue Bottle espresso ($2), the Bay Area’s favorite espresso, with cocoa nib brittle, a nice touch.

Even after eating for three days at a series of well-regarded Napa Valley restaurants, Pizzaiolo was still impressive. I had high expectations for the pizza, which has made every Bay Area critic’s Best Of list, and it was indeed good. What I didn’t expect was the depth of flavor as I ate my way through the rest of the menu. Even dessert was a standout. And the prices were more than reasonable. With so many strengths, I could easily see Pizzaiolo becoming a tradition on future trips to the Bay Area.

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This entry is filed under California, Italian, Northern California, Pizza Parlor.