Pizza Napoletana

Sorry the picture is a little blurry but I was so excited to eat the pizza that I forgot to take a picture before I started eating and did it in a rush! Now onto the details!

Naples is the birthplace of pizza. I'm not exactly sure when it was birthed but "Google" pizza and I'm sure a Wikipedia article will show up explaining it all. In my opinion pizza is one of the greatest culinary dishes of all time because it's base is dough and and you can literally add anything you want on top and call it pizza. Nowhere in the world does this better than Europe. I remember my third night in Sweden where I went to dinner with my friends and we were going to split a pizza until a swede informed us that it may be better to share two since these pizzas were thin. If we wanted thick crust they had it but it was called Americansk pizza. Yes thats right, pizza wasn't intended to have thick crust, that was one of America's takes on this dish. Anyways, they have so many different types of pizza that it's impossible to choose because of the random combinations but there is nothing compared to the classic Margherita pizza. A Margherita pizza is just mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce; it's simple but sensational! Naturally since Naples is the birthplace of pizza when I visited Naples in December 2008 I HAD to try pizza Napoletana. Ironically, when I visited Naples with my friends Leah and Alex we stayed with some Americans in the Navy so we got an Americanized Naples experience. This also made it difficult to try some pizza because we were busy enjoying all the American amenities we missed the past 4 months. Finally, on our last night we got that taste of Neopolitan pizza. We hopped in the car, sped down the highway because people drive like maniacs in Naples and took a turn toward the country. As we traveled down this country rode I started thinking about how many people the mafia has buried here because I recognized this area as being out in the boonies. We continued along and passed a castle the French had built when they occupied that part of Italy and drove until we saw this sign for a farm. This farm also had a restaurant and all the food served there came straight from the farm. Every single dish was delicious and in true family-style fashion, the portions were made to share. Yet the pizza was devoured by Leah and I mostly because we were so excited for it and it was worth every carb. I am happy to say I have found another pizza closer to me that is also worthy of being true Neopolitan Pizza.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana is in North Beach in San Francisco, Ca. This restaurant opened in 2009 and had high expectations since Tony's pizza has won awards in the Pizza World Cup, in Naples Italy for several years. The restaurant opened to rave reviews and last Friday I went home to try it. By the way, even if you don't live in San Francisco this pizza is so amazing that it is worth the drive. The prices range from $17-$51 dollars for a pizza but that is expected for delicious pizza. The ambiance didn't bring me back to Naples but the people at the restaurant were friendlier than the people of Naples so it makes up for it. Besides nowhere in the world is like Naples so I doubt anywhere could recreate that ambiance. The pizza is perfectly thin and the crust is not too thin. Through the flavors of the pizza it is easy to tell that all ingredients used are fresh. In addition to trying the margherita pizza, I tasted the truffle pizza (the most expensive pizza on the menu) that featured truffles imported from Italy and Cowgirl Creamery cheese. It was delicious as well, but it was a rich pizza. Overall I say that on your first trip order the margherita pizza because it's amazing and it's important to try the pizza's from the wood-burning oven. Also be sure to get there early because it get's packed reallll fast.

FIka at Della's!

Imagine going from America a fast paced, high strung society to Sweden the land of patience and relaxation. Talk about culture shock. Imagine my surprise when I found out they even have a name for the task of doing nothing but drinking coffee and eating pastries. In case you aren't familiar with European culture, all European countries have variations of drinking coffee or tea, eating delicious pastries, cakes or cookies and sometimes smoking cigarettes. The difference is that the Scandinavian countries created a name for it, Fika. Well its not actually fika in all of the countries but its some variation of the word and I will refer to it as fika for the rest of the post.

Anyways Fika literally means "to take a break" or "take a coffee break" but it has changed over time to become longer than a regular break and often entails spending hours at a coffee shop over a long brunch or lunch. And trust me nothing is better on a hungover morning then sitting in comfy antique chairs and trying to piece together memories of the previous night over sandwiches, coffee and cake. Now you may be thinking to yourself what exactly is so special about fika? I can sit at my local coffee shop for hours and do the same thing with my friends but this my friend is where you are wrong! Unless your BFF's with the owner or barista at your local coffee shop chances are you can't sit there for hours, without getting the stank eye and ordering 3 cups of coffee. In Sweden you can sit in the same chairs for at least 3 hours before getting a second glance from the waitress that brought you your food. O Ya that's another thing you get in Sweden customer service. Restaurant service without the tipping. How many times has your Starbucks barista brought your coffee to your table? But the greatest difference between your local coffee shop here and your local coffee shop in Sweden is the delectable foods! Yummmmm.....

This is why I'm here to introduce you to Della Fattoria. If you already knew about Della's then lucky you, you've been experiencing fika without even knowing it. Della's is located in downtown Petaluma on a cute main street that reminds me of the main street in Uppsala with its blend of corporations and boutique stores. This gives you the opportunity to walk off the calories of deliciousness you will consume and if you doubt you will eat a lot then just try sitting next to the pastry case. I dare you!

First we started off with lattes that come in large cups with no handles and and the cups show their age which is exactly how it is in Sweden. Those people do not waste a thing and their cups are probably used for decades before finally being tossed and thats only because the coffee has started to leak from it. Even though we were all starving it was nice to relax and enjoy our lattes before our lunch was brought out to us. We were able to tell our friend Katie about della's and how its actually a farm and everything used in the restaurant is and either local, organic, or off the farm. They even make their own breads which is one of the best parts. It's the of quality of food that sets certain coffeeshops apart from one another, especially when their pastries are baked on premise rather than be delivered at 5 a.m. in a white box. In Sweden they serve sandwiches, salads or paj (quiche) for lunch at their coffeeshops and the quiches are probably what I miss the most. At Della's I ordered the egg salad and salmon sandwich that came on semolina bread but my friend leigh and I trade half of what we order. So I also got to try the mushroom and gruyere sandwich and it made me think of an adult grilled cheese. Both sandwiches were amazing and the best part was that we were left alone to enjoy them while we dined and talked. It also gave us a chance to admire the knicknacks that decorate Della's and make it unique. It's the little trinkets placed in places and mismatched chairs that give it a relaxed homey feel. It's even more relaxing when your hiding from the rain outside. After finishing our sandwiches and conversation we debated whether or not to grab some pastries but after two hours of sitting next to it, it's impossible to say no. So I walked out of there with the cheesecake featured in my welcome post and Leigh left with a muffin. But most importantly we left feeling more relaxed after taking a two hour break from our lives and that is the beauty of fika!

Welcome!

There are three things every person must experience when traveling to a new place; the shopping, the nightlife and the cuisine. I guess you should try to see the sights as well but the other three just take up so much time and they are all worth it. Traveling to a new place and sampling their delicacies, specialties, national or local fare is one of the best ways to learn about city, region or country. In Barcelona I sat with three friends for hours enjoying tapas and sangria and thinking, “God I wish I could do this forever” because I appreciated the leisurely life and delicious food. I wish I had the time or the money to go to Barcelona every year and recreate those relaxing afternoon, but why shouldn’t I be able to do that here? There has to be restaurants, bakeries and cafes that make all the fabulous foods I enjoyed during my travels, right? We should all be able to enjoy the amazing cuisine these countries have to offer even if we can’t travel there. Well that is what my blog is here to do. To find the best eateries in Northern California whose food brings me back to the place I first tasted it and share it with others so that can they create their own memories over amazing food from around the world.