Foodhoe's Foraging

5008 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland 94609 | 510. 652.4888l | website

Hours: M-Th 5:30 – 10 | Fri-Sun 5:30 – 10:30
coffee, toast & donuts M-Sat 8a – 12p

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since my visit last June 08 to this cozy neighborhood restaurant with the famously delicious pizza.  The fellow next to the pole is chef-owner Charlie Hallowell who lives with his family on the 2nd floor of the restaurant.  I hear that they are now serving breakfast, so it’s a good thing he doesn’t have to commute very far!  We asked if they had any tables outside and were seated in this cozy back annex that had the windows and door open to let in fresh air.  There are seats outside, but I’m still not sure whether they belong to Pizzaiolo or to Dona Tomas next door.  The tall windows also let in some very lovely natural light which I always appreciate for picture taking purposes.

The menu is changed every day to reflect the best offerings from local food purveyors.  Mr. K wanted a plain salad, so we shared the Star Route Farms Garden Lettuces ($7.50) which was full of crisp, tender leaves tossed in a simple vinaigrette and sprinkled with salt and freshly ground pepper.

We shared another salad of Green Bean and Frisee with roasted beets, toasted almonds and pecorino $9.  The beets were so sweet and juicy, it was a delicious combination of flavors, sweet and salty and crispy textures.

Although we were there for the pizza, I was curious about the Buttermilk fried Hoffman Farm Chicken ($14) which we shared as a first course.  It was served over a light chickpea ragu, with turnips and fava beans.  The batter was crisp and pretty spicy – you can see a good sprinkling of chilies on top.

The interior was juicy and succulent with a silky texture that was so tantalizing and compelling that it disappeared instantly.

Prior to the pizza arriving, our server dropped off salt and pepper.

We shared the Margherita $13 which is as good as I remembered, simple, rustic and flavorful.  The crust is thin and chewy and crispy on the edges.  It is especially delicious because of the sea salt sprinkled overall, so I found myself finishing Mr. K’s discarded crusts.

Casey always asks for the Wild arugula ($4) so that we can pile it onto our pizza, adding fresh crisp vegetation that is refreshing and very good.

Feeling adventurous, we ordered pizza with Manila Clams, Calabrian peppers, green garlic and parsley $18.  The clams were chewy and sweet and unexpectedly delicious with cheese and roasted peppers.  The fresh parsley was a nice touch.

I walked over to take a look at the wood-fired oven, which has some fancy brickwork on front.  I caught the chef and crew hard at work who looked like they were having a good time.

We finished with coffee ice cream topped with crisp bittersweet chocolate cookies. It was a simple and sweet finish to the meal.

I read that there are plans to open another location near Grand Lake, which is slightly closer to us so I am excited to check that out.  This meal actually began my recent pizza binge and I am hard pressed to say which is best, A16, Tony’s Napoletano or this…  of the three, Tony’s crust was the most mesmerizing, but the rest of his menu doesn’t compare (but perhaps I am biased after the ho-hum salad we were served at his original Pyzano’s location in Castro Valley).  I’d say that all three serve great pizza and enthusiastically recommend them all, although A16 gets my vote for best overall, Pizzaiolo a close second and Tony’s needs to work on the other non-pizza details.