Mission Mission

Relatively new pie pusher Mission Pizza has finally published their menu and boy the choices are overwhelming! Three types of Mission themed pies plus a Mexican Mariachi to boot. Somehow though they’ve amazingly been able to procure all toppings at the same cost. No matter your slice, you pay the same price! The only variable in price seems to be pie size. Any theories as to this egalitarian pricing scheme?

Forget Popeye’s Two for Tuesday. Unless Pizza Love has painted a couple of extra digits since Friday, this is looking like the end of world hunger (or at least the end to hunger when you’re totally slizzered and starving on a Saturday night).

[Pizza Love on 18th and Mission]

Stellar speller slice joint Galaxcy Pizza has begun its intergalaxctic takeover of the Mission, with their recent doorknob menu campaign leaving very few streets untouched. While no one is sure if the extra “c” is intentional, Galaxcy promises pies from our solar center to Uranus and beyond.

A quick glance at the menu and it is evident that ingredients and planets rarely align. The Neptune sort of makes sense, as he was the god of the sea (“anchovies, shrimps, green onions and fresh garlic”) but Mercury (“pesto sauce, spinach, green onions, and feta cheese (no red sauce)”) is a bit greener than one would think. Uranus is hodgepodge of uncomplimentary ingredients (“BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, bacon, and red onions”) and is tied for most expensive pie. Whether or not any planets make the cut for most heinous slice is up for debate.

Not to be outdone, some cycle-centric staff at Arizmendi have taken the time to set up their own little spot and are handing out delicious cookies to anyone riding by!  Even better, attached is a very stylish coupon that grants you a buy-one-get-one-free deal on some of the best pizza slices around!

Free pizza and cookies?  Sold.

Previously:

Best Arizmendi pizza I’ve had in a while

This certainly goes against the Zeitgeist. Instead of following the trend of a new pizza place opening every other month, Papa Potrero has closed its doors for good.

Surprising, sure, but at the same time I suppose that unlike this place, no one has ever been gunned down at Delfina.  But they sure came close!

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!

Whoever ordered clearly did not get enough for everyone.

Brainslip paints a sobering alternate history of a Mission under the influence of LA foodstuffs. Carne asada fries are a slippery slope, my friends:

First it started with the dreaded droopy carne asada fry invasion.

Then they took pizza. How could we lose pizza? Well, we did, to a cardboard tasting menace called Dominos, which began to infiltrate the Mission block by block from 30th to Division, Guerrero to Potrero. Heroes fell one after the other – Papa Potrero, Serrano, Cybelle, and perhaps remembered most fondly- Zante.

You can take my Indian pizza from my cold, dead hand.

Next up: tacos – soon deep fried was all they tried – Baja style. No more boiled chicken, shredded pork, sauteed fish, etc.

Scared?  You should be.  It gets worse:

After a year of sensory dullification we lost the only thing that mattered: burgers. In-N-Out opened at 20th @ Valencia. A bikes only drive-thru , how could we resist? Free air, free water, valet bike parking: all so delightful.

First they came for the pizza. And I didn’t speak up because there was too much bufala.

Then they came for the taquerias.  And I didn’t speak up because there was too much pollo asado.

Such SoCalized medicine flooded the streets. Everywhere were carts, huts, & shacks – all shaped in the like of their foodstuffs. A nonstop barrage of fried chicken, chili fries, and pastrami became too much for neighborhood morale. Defeated, they gave up what mattered most, and signed over the rights to their BART tube for conversion to a freeway tunnel.

Oh dear.  Food has consequences. The Great War of the Californias indeed.

Mission Loc@l posted a video (well, audio slideshow, really) behind the scenes at Arinell.

If you’re still on Windows 95, here’s the gist: employee Neil Aviles talks about eating “tons” of pizza (“like 3 slices… in 4 hours”… I’m pretty sure Andrew Sarkarati has broken that record), dudes passing out in the store, failed crank deals, mission gentrification, and yuppies.

Oh no he didn’t just drop the Y-bomb! Careful Neil… I got in trouble for that this week.