Zero Zero – 11/27/10

Zero Zero
826 Folsom St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Zero Zero opened up in July of this year, adding to what I think is a pretty strong San Francisco pizza scene.  While its most notable menu features are Neapolitan style pizzas and pastas using zero zero flour, it’s also become pretty well known for its fried chicken and customized soft serve sundaes (using Straus Dairy). This was meant to be a lighter meal for a brunch, so we just tried a couple of the pizzas.

Margherita Extra Tomato Sauce, Basil, Buffalo Mozzarella, Parmesan and De Padova Extra Virgin Olive Oil

When trying a new pizzeria, I always like ordering a Margherita pizza. It’s on everyone’s menu so it’s easy to compare across pizzerias.  It’s also a pretty simple pizza with primarily the crust, sauce and cheese, making it much easier to really judge the pizza’s individual components.

This Margherita was a little bit different in that it used buffalo mozzarella. I really liked the use of this mozzarella, and the sauce was a standout. Slightly sweet, slightly tangy, it was excellent in tandem with the thin, crispy crust. Definitely a very good pizza.

Brunch Pizza Escarole Pizza with Fennel, Bacon, Gremolata, Provolone Mozzarella, Poached Egg

It was brunch, so we decided to go ahead and try this pizza. I liked the idea of the pizza coming whole to the table – you get to cut your own slices with a pizza slicer. I thought the flavors of this pizza were fairly incoherent. To me, it was a little all over the place and the bacon wasn’t really evident. I liked the idea of the poached egg, but it turned out to be a bit of a mess in the center of the pizza. Similar to the Margherita, the crust was very good here too, but the components just didn’t meld too well for me.

We were a little pressed for time, so we didn’t have a chance to try the customizable Straus Dairy sundaes.  Although I didn’t care for the toppings of the brunch pizza, the pizzas were clearly well-executed. I would return to try some of the other pizzas, and definitely to try the sundaes and fried chicken.