Emilia’s Pizzeria opened in the fall and from the friends & family opening onwards has been gathering the kudos. It’s a small shopfront (still no sign, although I think I saw it leaning up against the wall when I picked up my pie tonight) and Keith Freilich, the owner, mans it by himself, from answering the phones (it’s a good idea to order your pizza ahead of time if you expect to get one) to making each and every pie.

And the pizza? It’s a large 18″ pie with thin crust (sort of NY style) with the edges have that great  crisp bite followed by a satisfying chewy denseness. Because the crust is thin, it’s a little weak in the center (especially after a drive home), but still makes the grade. The sauce is one of my favorites, bright and sparkling, light but with character, that elevates the pizza and provides an excellent accompaniment for the mix of cheeses (including fresh mozzarella — love it). We got pepperoni, mushrooms and red onion, which tasted great, but I’m thinking next time I’ll get a bare pie so I can revel in the sauce and cheese.

And when will be the next time? Emilia’s has vaulted to the front in the running for the large-thin-crust-take-home pizza race, leaving Cheeseboard and Gioia in the dust. I can’t stop thinking about that brilliant sauce.

I’ll be calling some time next week to place my order. Plain cheese pizza please! Or maybe that Italian sausage, which, rumor has it, he makes himself.

Emilia’s Pizzeria
2995 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA
510.704.1794

And Keith? If you’re out there, it’s nice to see you on Twitter. But Twitter really becomes more interesting with two-way communication, so you might want to reconsider that “Not planning on reading direct messages or @replies” policy.

On our anniversary this year we had dinner @ Pizzaiolo in Oakland – our first visit after I heard lots about them. We actually really like that neighborhood, which also has the great yarn store Article Pract, Dona Tomas, etc. I’ve been teasing Gus that we should have bought a house over in Oakland since so many of our favorites seem to be over there (e.g., Camino, Dona, adesso, Wood Tavern).

And Pizzaiolo did not disappoint – serving up the kind of daily menu and fresh ingredients we love. We will go again soon. Just look at the crust on that pizza. And I loved the tagliatelle with the pork ragu. That may have been my favorite. And did I mention the avocado toasts with pancetta? Did I show you a photo? We will be back. Soon.