Zero Zero

An award-winning, certified pizzaolo of traditional Neapolitan Pizza who now owns four restaurants (Zero Zero, BIX, Picco, Pizzeria Picco). His style is dubbed "Calipolitan" by Hill for the combination of California ingredients and Neapolitan tradition, using the highest quality components, made in house, sourced nearby or imported from Italy.  Chef de Cuisine is former del Posto alum, Colin Dewey.  The GCIA Culinary Connection dined here as part of their trip and had the opportunity to hear Bruce Hill share the local trends and his experience in the Italian segment in San Francisco.

Arancini are often more of a miss than a hit with me but the Taleggio Stuffed Arancini with Black Garlic Aioli absolutely blew me away.  The inside was a creamy rice filling with taleggio and they were fried perfectly and a nice size.  They were plated with the aioli which almost had a balsamic flavor that brightened the creamy arancini.  The other stand out item was the Radiatore pasta dish.  The braised short rib meat was delicious and tender and the mint and chili flake added a nice punch to the sauce.  The perfectly al dente pasta was a great shape for soaking up the sauce and meat in the dish.

And of course we have to mention the phenomenal pizzas that are cooked in a 900 degree stone pizza oven for a minute to get the crust bubbly and lightly charred on the edges.  We tried three different pies; of course the classic Margherita was a hit with the beautiful, fresh tomato sauce and simple ingredients.  The Vallejo is their twist on a white pizza using a fennel puree, goat milk feta, and mozzarella as the main components along with roasted chicory and caramelized onion.  Last but certainly not least, the "meat" pizza is very much like the Margherita but they add Sopressata and house made sausage.

Be sure to also check out the creative scratch cocktails as well as the premium wines on tap.