Are you ready to report for pizza patrol? Opening tomorrow, Wednesday July 28th, is ~ZERO ZERO~, the SoMa pizzeria and restaurant from executive chef/owner Bruce Hill (BIX, Picco, Pizzeria Picco) in the former Azie space. The Bay Area is no stranger to Hill’s stellar pizzas at Pizzeria Picco in Larkspur, so SF diners are pretty fired up to have his “Calipolitan” pies (Neapolitan pizzas with California ingredients) so close by.
A few details: the mozzarella is housemade, and the custom Mugnaini oven will be cranking so hot that nicely blistered pies will come out after only 90 seconds or so. In case you’re wondering about the name, it refers to the ultra-finely ground flour (tipo “00”) used in traditional Neapolitan pizza dough. And what a list of pizzas it is, ten in all, from classics like a margherita ($10.95), to a variety of pizzas named after different neighborhoods in the City, like the Fillmore, with hen of the woods mushrooms, leeks, mozzarella, Parmesan, pecorino, Fontina, garlic, and thyme ($15.50), and the Market, with housemade mortadella, Padrón peppers, mozzarella, roasted garlic, and oregano ($13.50). (You can read about all the pizzas here.)
The menu (co-created with chef Chris Whaley) also includes a range of starters and antipasti, like a variety of crudos for $9.75 each (e.g. albacore tuna, Padrón pepper, sea beans, and coriander aioli), and bar-friendly bites for $6.95, like Fontina and spinach-stuffed arancini with black garlic aioli, plus a few bruschetta choices, salads, and hello there, crispy fried chicken thighs with chili sauce, crisp basil, and caraway yogurt ($9.95). Some pasta dishes will round out the menu, including sweet corn agnolotti, pickled peppers, country ham, Straus butter, and capers ($12.50), and bucatini with cherry tomatoes, garlic chives, chile, breadcrumbs, and bottarga ($11.95). You can view the entire menu here.
And of course Hill’s signature organic soft-serve Straus Dairy ice cream will be on the menu—in fact, it has its own menu, with a variety of options, from a base of olive oil cake or cinnamon waffle, to toppings like pine nut brittle or his classic Da Vero olive oil and sea salt combo. There’s a full bar (actually two), with farm-to-glass cocktails created by Joel Teitelbaum, recently of Credo. You’ll also be able to order punch service in vintage bowls, à la Rickhouse. The wine list will focus on Italian varietals grown in California, with up to twelve wines available on tap, while the by-the-glass and bottle choices are primarily from Italy. There will also be a selection of small-production beers. You can view the cocktail and wine list here.
Michael Brennan redesigned the two-level and 135-seat space, formerly designed by Cass Calder Smith, which includes details like flame-inspired sconces and hanging lights, booths on the first floor, a central staircase adorned with old-fashioned metal-work, red-brown woods and leathers, and a second floor with a communal table and room for groups. Oh yeah, and quite the mural about the story of pizza, featuring Pinocchio. Dinner will be served Sun-Thu 5:30pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm, and lunch launching in late August. Note: reservations only for parties of five or greater.
Photo by Blair Sneddon Photography.
