quote:

Originally posted by paranoid123

I hate to make or support generalities, even though I’m from Los Angeles, I have to agree. At least this is true in Southern California. We tend to have more chains like Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, etc. And the few smattering of local Mom & Pop pizzarias, aren’t very good. Perhaps this is because not as many Italians settled on this side of the coast.

Although I had a pizza at Lombardi’s Pizza in New York, and I can’t say I enjoyed it very much. One day I’d like to try the stuff in New Haven.

My criteria is on the crust. Anyone can throw toppings on a pizza, but if you can’t make good crust, it’s not a good pizza. I prefer a crisp crust.

The best pizzas in California I’ve had are incidentally in the Bay area, two of them at cooperative bakeries. Arizmendi Bakery in San Francisco, Cheeseboard in Berkeley, and Chez Panisse Cafe in Berkeley. All these places only have one type of pizza each day. Always vegetarian.

Haven’t found anything I really like in LA. I can’t speak for Oregon or Washington.

This New Yorker who lived in Berkeley for a brief spell would second this comment: the Cheeseboard in Berkeley, besides baking up some absolutely delicious breads, also makes a fantastic pizza, just incredibly delicious (and you can get a glass of wine to go with it; gotta love those liberal laws about serving wine in California). The only problem is, when I was there in the nineties, the pizza was only made on one day of the week (Thursday?) and would sell out by late afternoon. But it still remains a very fond memory, and yes, their pizza could stand up very well to an awful lot of pizza served on the East Coast.