If there is anything in the culinary world more centering than pizza I don’t know what it is. We all have our favorite toppings, styles, and even ways to eat it. Folded in half, the way all true New Yorkers do, maybe two pieces on top of each other, or even eating it backwards crust-to-tip.
No matter what kind of pizza you like, you will always hunt down your favorite style no matter where you go in life. I remember when my brother moved from New Jersey to South Dakota (don’t ask). He had a laundry list of things he missed in New Jersey. On the top of that list was, of course, pizza.Kyle Slattery says that his family often picks up a few pies of their favorite pizza in a completely different state to take it home on the plane to warm up later!
My favorite style is New York style. Thin crust, tons of grease, served with attitude. When I was in San Francisco in July of 2007 for Wordcamp I searched my then newly purchased iPhone for "pizza" on the Google Maps app. The moment I saw "New York Style pizza" pop up I practically jogged the few blocks to Arinell Pizza.
Upon entering Arinell Pizza I knew I was in the right place. The line was out the door and halfway down the block. The music playing in the background was some sort of late-80s hard rock. The guys behind the counter only accepted cash, rarely washed their hands, and had hair well below their shoulders. Oh, and they gave you about 8 seconds to make up your mind about what you wanted.
A woman in front of me had called in her order. Two large pies with a single topping each. "Twenty five bucks." said the longer haired guy taking the money after he had just tossed a new, fresh batch of dough into the air for the next few pizzas. The guy behind me, who hadn’t gotten his pizza yet, asked a few questions and was kicked out. Literally. I knew I was right where I needed to be for good pizza.
I was not disappointed. The pizza was delicious and I plan on stopping at Arinell Pizza every time I visit San Francisco and have a craving for really good, New York style, pizza.
I’m not sure what reminded me of this photograph I took with my iPhone of the sign at Arinell Pizza, or why I wanted to be sure I posted about it on my blog. But something did and so now I’ve done just that.
Arinell Pizza is at 509 Valencia St. in San Francisco, California. I highly recommend you have a slice. Bring cash and order quickly.