I got on a pizza kick about a month ago during an impromptu visit to Pizzeria Delfina down in the Mission District (the Bi-Rite Creamery, also near 18th and Dolores, was my overt destination). It may sound a little backwards, trekking into San Francisco just for a scoop of ice cream, then deciding to stop in for a quick Margherita pizza, since I was in the 
neighborhood. But I’m an opportunistic eater, and these are the diversions that I’m likely to take. Although the pizza at Delfina was pretty good, the salted caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery remains my number-one reason to venture down to 18th and Dolores. Bi-Rite, according to my taste buds, produces what I like to call “destination” ice cream — something that’s worth going out of your way to track down.
With Pizzeria Delfina having been trumped by Bi-Rite’s frozen offerings, I began to wonder: is there any pizza in the Bay Area that I would label as “destination” pizza? It was an interesting question, since I feel that the Bay Area is a good spot for pizza, although I probably wouldn’t label it as a pizza mecca. To be fair, the Bay Area does boast far more great pizzerias than Los Angeles, but maybe not as many great places as some East Coast cities. Growing up in California, but attending chef school in New York, I have eaten lots of pizza on both coasts. When I was living in New York, a simple slice of pizza was one of the few things that I could afford whenever I ventured out of Hyde Park and into the Big Apple (or to visit an old friend in New Haven, CT).
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If had to bestow the honor of “destination” pizza on any pie in the Bay Area, I would probably select Diavola Pizzeria in Geyserville. I really admire everything about their pizza, from the crispy, slightly bubbly, slightly charred crust to the perfectly melted Mozarella cheese, which retains the slightest hint of bite. To me, Diavola is pizza with character, which really distinguishes it from many of the others. Although I can get a decent pizza at Pizzeria Azzurro or at Uva Traittoria in Napa (both places being in view of one another), Diavola gets me thinking about reasons to head over the Dry Creek Valley to go wine tasting, so that a trip into Geyserville becomes a natural pit stop for lunch. On the right day for a nice scenic drive, this journey will always be tempting.
