Mission Mission

Or perhaps they’re just preparing parrot pizza.

Well, perhaps they’ll serve it again at some point.  But at any rate, despite the consistently transcendent deliciousness of Arizmendi pizza, the only thing preventing it from attaining “best pizza in SF” status is the lack of tomato sauce.  Perhaps I’m going overboard here, but I’ve come to realize lately that my favorite component of a good slice is the tangy sauce (which is why Escape from New York has gained traction on my list recently–did they change their sauce recipe in the last year?  It’s damn good now!).

Over at Arizmendi they’ve perfected the chewy yet firm consistency of the crust and have excelled at complementing pungent mixtures of cheese with fresh and sometimes whimsical toppings, but I have longed to taste that potent combination in conjunction with some zesty tomato sauce since the day they opened.  I’ve even gone so far as to straight-up call my cousin Nushin a liar when she claimed that she had eaten a saucy Arizmendi pizza in the past.

So you can understand my jubilation upon finding out that yesterday’s pizza contained this compelling ingredient.  Sadly however, I don’t work in the city anymore so I didn’t get to try it.  Did any of you get a chance to check it out?  Was it THE GREATEST PIZZA YOU HAVE EVER HAD???  That lady in the picture seems to think so.

[Photo by Helen]

Previously:

• Arizmendi Opens For Realz
• Arizmendi Is Done
• Best Arizmendi pizza I’ve had in a while

Just when you thought that today couldn’t get any better, you hear something like this from our favorite neighborhood sauce-less pizza purveyors:

We wanted to let you know that this Monday, the 17th, we will be celebrating our one year anniversary.  In honor of the day, we will be giving away a free slice of pizza with a purchase of $2 or more (while supplies last).  Giveaway will be from 12-4 only.

Has it really been one whole year already?  I guess it has!  So anyway, you’re telling me all I have to do is get something delicious like this mint chocolate chip cookie and I get a free slice of pizza?  This is what I have to say to that!

[Photo by Mike Chino]

Previously:

Arizmendi Opens For Realz

Arizmendi Is Done

Best Arizmendi pizza I’ve had in a while

A cute stowaway pizza package to serve as a reminder of what propels Arizmendi above and beyond your normal everyday saucy pizza shop.

Previously:

• Best Pizza in the City

Arizmendi proudly demonstrates DARPA‘s latest in K-9 repelling technology.

The pear pizza pie they had on Sunday kicked ass, by the way.

Man, remember when this place was cool?

[via Blair C.]

I know we’ve all been waiting a long time, but the day is here at last and Arizmendi is finally ready to serve you delicious savory and sweet pastries (in addition to the best tomato-less pizza around) all day, every day.  Even though we’ve been stopping by for free samples the past few weeks in hot anticipation, we just had to check out the official opening ourselves to see what the scene would be like.

Savory

And what a scene it was!  A friendly milieu of fixies and strollers, everyone happy to have the opportunity to finally enter the bakery on such a wonderfully sunny day.  There was even a video camera crew from a local food blog asking one of the workers (soon to be co-owners–that’s the beauty of this place) about the elusive “Chocolate Thing” that seems to be such the favorite that it sells out within an hour of morning opening.

Sweet

While we were definitely drawn to the tempting display of both sweet concoctions (the tantalizing brioche knots and pecan rolls) and savory treats (especially the zampano, a roll sprinkled lightly with cheese and pepper), we just had to get our first try of their ever-changing but always delicious pizza.  It had that chewy yet firm consistency that has become the trademark of the cooperative bakery, topped with a pungent mixture of cheese that complemented the baked mushrooms nicely.  Truly worth it despite the scorching weather.  Can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s pie will be!

Pizza Time!!!

Still haven’t decided what to get for lunch yet and happen to be in the Mission area?  Why not stop by the new Arizmendi Bakery on Valencia by 23rd, where the friendly staff is currently dispersing free samples of their delectable pastries and pizza to anyone who happens to be walking by.

Although they’re not really opening until next week or so, the crew was hard at work in the back training to make sure they make it out of the gates as flawlessly as possible.  This is a great opportunity to get taste why we’re so lucky to have this awesome Co-op in our neighborhood!  Favoring the savory over sweet this morning, I opted for one of their signature ‘potatoes on pizza’ focaccia  and was not disappointed.  Give it a shot!

I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when it first arrived in the mail.  Being a neighbor living within 500 feet of the new proposal, I received a letter from owner Jeff Segal about his ambitious plans to open a wine bar just around the corner, right next door to my landlord’s laundry place (damn–I knew there was  a reason why there’s no washer or dryer in my building!).

It was full of well-intentioned statements like (paraphrasing) “I live in the Mission, and I saw a really big need in the community for a place that brought wine and food to a place that makes it accessible,” and “I’ve been waiting my whole life to start a wine bar and restaurant like this.”  My roommates and I each rolled our collective eyes and thought “here we go again . . .“  Who needs another douche-and-yuppie magnet on Valencia Street?

Well, it’s finally here.  Furthermore, I think I might actually go check it out.  Perhaps Rosumunde and Pi Bar have softened me up to the idea of the casual eat-and-drink spot, but I find myself kind of rooting for this place a little bit.  The collaberation with Kitchenette might explain some of that, since so far every time I’ve biked out to the Dogpatch to try them out for lunch I’ve been greeted by an hour-long line.  Now maybe I’ll finally get to taste one of their beef & pork polpette sandwiches with amatriciana sauce (tomato, fatted calf bacon, chile flakes) and parmesan cheese or their sautéed chinese broccoli leaf and roasted butternut squash side salads with sultana raisins, slivered almond, chili oil.  They really know how to title entrees.

And it doesn’t look that bad in there!  I don’t know.  Am I misguided?  Do we really need a place like this on Valencia?  I do know one thing however:  the fact that co-op Arizmendi Bakery (whose mission is basically to bake delicious bread while training its staff how to own and operate their own bakery) is also opening a location right next door is a damn good thing for Valencia.

UPDATE:  MissionMission reader Mike Z. saw it go down:

i got a burrito at papalote yesterday and the crew that were putting up the sign on that place were punk/metalheads.  they had just finished and were drinking beers out of bags.  outside the wine bar.

[exterior photo from SFoodie]

[interior photo from Judy Parker]