Says Granite

Two of my favorites, two new locations. Win!

Check out my article on sdnn.com, San Diego’s 8 Great Pizza Pies.

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-06-24/restaurant-food-wine/8-great-san-diego-pizza-pies

Although i grew up in North County, i’d never ventured downtown to truly explore until i was on my first professional writing assignment post-college. Lefty’s was one of the first meals i had, and it was also my first taste of Chicago-style pizza. i could not get enough of that crunchy cornmeal crust, chunky tomato sauce and divinely creamy mozzarella cheese. i was in love. But aside from the amazing pizza pies Lefty’s had to offer, i was also smitten with the vibe of the place; seemed everyone knew everyone within Lefty’s walls. Loyal customers returned again and again, the people working behind the counter knew their names, and everyone said hi to Lefty who, most days, was back behind the pizza table slinging pies. This independent business-customer relationship was something so charming to me, and after i moved to the area, i too became a regular at Lefty’s, propped at a counter seat at least 3 times a week.

When i found out several months ago that a second location was opening in the old Phil’s BBQ building, i talked with Lefty for a few. When i asked about the close proximity of this new location to Bronx Pizza, Lefty revealed that when he and family first moved to San Diego, Bronx was the only place they’d eat their pizza. He went on to say that Bronx crowds gave him hope, and inspiration, to open a Chicago-style pizzeria; that  there was in fact a market for regional style pizza here in SD.

Spinach and ricotta pie with gravity defiant crust at Luigi’s in Golden Hill.

i suppose my loyalty to Lefty’s prevented me from ever seeking out other pizza joints in town. Even though i’d driven, or rode my bike past it many times, i never stopped in at Pizzeria Luigi in Golden Hill until last summer. Just as Lefty’s had been my first experience with Chicago-style pizza, i consider Luigi’s pie my first real taste of New York. i couldn’t get my head around how thin and perfect this crust was, and how in the hell it could hold so many toppings and still remain crisp and erect.

The white pies at Pizzeria Luigi are definitely my favorite. The mushroom and ricotta is tops; one day i asked the man himself why his ricotta tastes so good. Come to find out, it’s his favorite kind, imported from New York. Order the lasagna if you get a chance… best I’ve had since my Nana was alive.

Since i live in North Park, i was elated to find out that Luigi was opening his second store just blocks away from my house. Luigi #2 opened this week, and i went in to snap some shots, found here. Luigi’s partner, Leonardo, was telling me he worked for years at Trattoria La Strada in the Gaslamp, but was tired of fine dining hence the partnering up with Luigi. With Leonardo came Carlito, a former La Strada chef, who whipped me up a lovely pasta dish of rigatoni, red sauce, olives, bell peppers and sausage. Leonardo said ordering a homemade pasta dish shouldn’t set a person back 20 bucks… now us humble North Parkians can enjoy authentic Italian food on the cheap- 7 bucks will buy you a fantastic pasta dinner with a side of rustic bread. Fuck yeah!

My dear friend asked me to lunch and suggest we hit up The Linkery. As we approached the rust red building on the corner of North Park Way, something sweet filled the air. Right in front of the building near the sidewalk, we spotted a whole pig suckling away on a spit fire. This porker smelled so amazing with its crackling flesh, popping and juicing with every turn of the rotissery. Dear Linkery, please have this item on your menu at least once a month so i can sucker some lucky gentleman(s) into treating me for roast piggy dinner. kthx!

It’s no secret that San Diego is a dog friendly town. But these days, shit’s getting out of control- literally. This blog comes as a response to a dog taking a crap on coffee house floor just feet from where i sat. Gross, right? Rounding a corner at Border’s Books, shoe shopping at Nordy’s, and yes, drinking a beer at some of my favorite local bars, all too often i come across dogs where they DO NOT BELONG. So let me ask you this: What is the difference between a woman accompanied by her pooch, and a man puffing on a cigarette, inside a public business? Both pose health risks, right? A dog bite might not cause cancer, but i hear rabies is a bitch, as are the painful series of abdominal shots one must get to avoid an Old Yeller-like demise. A less extreme analogy: people have a right to breathe smoke-free air, and i’d like to think that these rights extend to people with animal allergies. i also think that given these ‘tough economic times’ it would really suck for a ‘dog-friendly’ establishment to get slapped with a health code violation, or worse- shut down because an animal related incident occurred on their premises. Dogs are the new children, and somehow this insane notion has become socially acceptable. Is this a case of tolerant business owners being taken advantage of by irresponsible dog owners ? (i.e. cool if you patronize with leashed dog in a timely manner, not so cool if you lounge around with your mutt and treat the place like it’s your living room)…

Here’s the tale of one bad parent. Laugh about it, it’s all you can do, but i hope you can sniff out the bigger issue(s). Fucking stinks in my opinion!

Says the barista, ‘excuse me, mam, your dog just messed the floor over there.’ i looked up from my laptop monitor to observe the scene.

The woman was creaming her tea far from where the dog unloaded.

‘No!’ said the woman in a loud, British accent. ‘Oh, dear, Shadow!’ she confronted the dog. ‘Shadow! You have been a bad, bad dog! How could you, Shadow?’ She went on.

‘I am so sorry- I had no idea!’ she blabbered on, dragging the medium-sized dog behind her towards the dump-site.

‘Would you like a bag to pick that up?’ the barista put one on the counter. All the while this old bat scolded her dog, ‘No, bad, NO! SHADOW, how could you do this!!??’

The woman did her best to scoop the load into the baggie. Now because this woman had her tea, personal items and dog on a leash, the only place to put the bag of shit was on the pastry counter. She was extremely fast about getting herself situated, and was right to scold the dog loudly at least 2 more times.  The shit bag was promptly removed from the counter after approximately 30 seconds.

Madame and Shadow took a seat on the patio to continue their afternoon tea party. When she pulled Shadow onto her lap for a cuddle, i couldn’t resist the call of my digi-cam.

Madame’s blatant disregard for her fine white trousers was disturbing to say the least. i could tell by the smell wafting through the coffee shop that this poo was a wet one. Did she wipe Shadow’s backside at the creamer station? The kind North Parkian (totally on meth) also photographed here was quite fond of the dog, bouncing from side to side, taunting and slapping it playfully, all the while Shadow’s ass skidded across Madame’s leg and crotch region. (due to a shaky camera hand, the photo did not process. sorry.)

Madame and Sir North Park had such a lovely time, they exchanged numbers. As she approached the doorway to return her tea cup, the barista barked, ‘Mam, do NOT bring your dog back in here.’ (likely unhappy that he handwiped Shadow’s poo from the floor). Walking to the counter, Shadow in tow, she said over and over, ‘I am so sorry. It will not happen again!’

If you see this woman and her dog, watch you shoes and nearby belongings. The mutt has no sphincter control and could go anywhere.