We wanted pizza and thus finding ourselves on Divisadero in the Lower Haight why not check out Ragazza. It's been open for awhile now and gotten lots of good press so why not. It's run by the same folks who own Gialina in Glen Park, a place I've been to some time ago but remember vaguely enjoying it back then. When we get there the place is crowded and we didn't make reservations which doesn't really matter since it's one of those places where they don't take them and you have to wait. I don't mind a small wait, 30 minutes or so, but an hour, no frickin' way. Fortunately you can get their pies to go which is exactly what we did.
The first pie had wild nettles with portobello mushrooms, pancetta, onions and provolone. The second pie was roasted cauliflower with fava greens, red onions, thyme and smoked mozzarella. They come half-baked so when you get them home they instruct you to brush the crust with a little olive oil then bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes then slice and serve.
Right off the bat I'm going to say I liked these pizzas a lot and most of that has to do with the crust. I like a thin crust and these have just that and they do it right, even getting them half-baked they still held up well. It was crispy, light, flaky, buttery, crunchy and downright tasty and when they crust is good that's half the battle. As for the toppings I really enjoyed the first pie even with the nettles. Mixed the the generous pancetta and mushrooms they gave a green earthy flavor highlight to this pizza and if I had not been sharing I would have scarfed down the whole thing. And the buttery tanginess of the provolone only compliments the overall taste--it's good you should get it.
The second pie I sort of liked and mostly because I wasn't a real fan of the roasted cauliflower and feel it just didn't work on the pizza. I do like cauliflower--fried, dipped in Ranch, mashed like potatoes with butter, etc.--but here it had a weird texture and funny taste. I just pulled it off after a few bites and enjoyed the rest of the toppings especially the smoked cheese--an item I generally in most any form.
The upshot of all this is a big yes you should go try their pizzas---but take my advice-either be there when they open to get a table or just order one to go to enjoy in the comfort of your own home--without all the loud noise yelling children.
