Thick & Thin Pizza

Anyone who knows me knows I am crazee nutz about pizza. This is what happens when your family owns a pizzeria when you're a kid. Heck, it was seriously in the family genes--even my dad's brother had a pizzeria (anyone in the East Bay remember Frankie G's?)! I'm blessed to have Little Star Pizza merely a block away from my apartment--then again, that would be considered unlucky by some. I never even knew I was a deep dish-pizza lover until trying the namesake Little Star (but I ask them to go easy on the garlic).

I have found another lover. And who knew it would be in the Castro? Heh. The next time I'm in the neighborhood and hangry, you just might find me happily perched up in THICK & THIN PIZZA, located in the Lookout, AKA the former Metro Bar and Restaurant--it's right above the (tragically named) Squat and Gobble.

Back in the day, I remember as you'd walk up to the second-story Metro Bar, there was some serious wafting of Chinese food from the adjoining restaurant. Then it became Tapeo, and now with the new bar owners, it's a pizza place, Thick & Thin Pizza. Now, I wouldn't necessarily drive from the Outer Sunset for this dining experience, but the pizza is damned good, and a no-contest winner for killer take-out.

We started with a hefty winter salad ($7) of fresh spinach, with dried cranberries, blue cheese, and walnuts, with a good citrusy vinaigrette. Dressed perfectly. And now, the pizza! Sharon Ardiana of Gialina consulted on the crust, and dude, it's mighty tasty. With the large cornicione (lip of the crust), you'll also note it as a distinct Gialina cousin.

Naturally, I couldn't resist the charms of the Italian Stallion ($15), a 12" "thin crust" pie topped with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized mushrooms, Italian sausage (great kick and nice fennel taste), bacon, pepperoni, and provolone. I know, dude. It was a mountain of meat. Personally, a few too many toppings for me--next time I'll go much simpler because I wanted to taste the spicy sweet sauce, and fab crust. There are four other kinds of thin-crust pizzas, including quattro formaggi, chicken pesto, vegetarian, and tomato basil.

I totally hearted the deep-dish pizza--a 9" pie is enough to feed three, seriously. We did the Castro Queen ($18), with chicken, mushrooms, spinach, skim mozzarella, and tomato sauce. The chicken was juicy, and had a tasty tang from its tequila-lime marinade. The cheese was totally ooey-gooey, and there was just the right ratio of sauce to cheese. The cornmeal crust was cooked evenly, and had lovely flavor and texture. And boy, did this warm up nicely the next day for lunch. Meow.

There is also a s'more pizza for dessert, a huge house-made graham cracker cookie topped with Belgian chocolate and toasted marshmallows. Such a stoner dessert. Get someone to share it with (we're talking about the dessert, babe--sorry, but the doobie is completely up to you), a glass of milk, and you're all set.

The space is a little short on ambiance--there are classic red-and-white-checkered tablecloths, and that's about it. The bench seating along the wall needs a ledge for your feet, so go for one of the high-top tables with stools instead (which are weirdly the old Metro stools with the "M" still on the back--maybe I should buy them?). Perhaps you'll find a few other people dining--I don't think enough folks know how good the pizza is here. Yet.

Or, if you're craving a cocktail and bar ambiance, just order your pizza while boozing next door in the Lookout bar. There are a bunch of other bar snacks you can order that will conveniently help counteract the hefty pours from the hottie bartenders, like curly fries, calamari, burgers, and the like. If you live in the neighborhood, welcome to your new take-out treasure! It's also open for late lunch on the weekends, at 3pm!

Thick & Thin Pizza
3600 16th St.
Cross: Market St.
San Francisco, CA 94114

415-431-0306

Mon-Thu 5:30pm-9:30pm
Fri 5:30pm-10pm
Sat 3pm-10pm
Sun 3pm-9:30pm

Apps $3-$8
Pizzas $8-$19
Dessert $9