Address: 316 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA, 94939
Phone Number: (415) 945-8900
Cuisine: Pizza, Italian
Date Last Visited: October 2, 2010
Dining Partner: Bub
Don’t you just hate it when it looks like this:
San Francisco has the strangest weather patterns. One week is 80+ degrees out and the next, it’s foggy and drizzly. When you leave San Francisco and go 15 miles in any direction, the skies are blue and the temperature are 15 degrees higher. When Bub suggested we go “out of town” for an afternoon I was all for it, even if it was just across the Bay to Marin County.
Pizzeria Picco is in the beautiful town of Larkspur. I am so used to “Downtown” as being busy and fast-paced, like in San Francisco, but the same term here is quite different. Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur’s main drag, is busy but no where near SF’s. Daly City’s is probably even busier. I just remember saying, “I wouldn’t mind living here…” while we were driving into town. The weather is gorgeous. The folks are just plain nice. The scenery is lovely with the lush, tree-covered hills.
We got to the pizzeria, and there was parking right in front. We noticed that majority of the diners were sat outside. Not that I mind since it was so nice out. You can sit at the counter inside and watch them make your meal, but there were only 3-5 seats, probably even less since we weren’t allowed inside the building.
Arugula, Roasted Beets, De Varo Olive Oil, Sea Salt, ACME Batard Crostini
I love burratta and if it’s on the menu, I am getting it. Something about it’s fresh, creamy texture, and a flavor that is so lush, but clean and refreshing. The peppery arugula salad was a good counter to the cheese. The roasted beets were perfect and sweet. Simple and delicious.
Butternut Squash, Sausage, Peppers, and Three Cheeses
As we were looking on the menu, we were set on ordering the “Specialized” which had Hobb’s pepperoni, house made sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil…then our server mentioned this pizza. We just had to try it since it would most likely not be here at a future visit. It sounded like the perfect “Fall” pizza.
Check out the full menu HERE.
As we were eating, we enjoyed the blistered crust, typical of a good Naples-style pizza. Then Bub said something I never thought I would hear him say, “This is how pizza is SUPPOSED to taste like.” Was it really happening? Has Bub finally graduated from the everyday phone-an-order-have-it-delivered-to-your-door-in-under-30-minutes-or-less pizzas? Okay, maybe not, but just hearing him say that was “wow.”
This is how pizza is supposed to taste like. Mind you, there was no tomato sauce or pepperoni or tons of artificial cheese product. We had tender slices of sweet butternut squash accompanied by their house made sausage and a trio of good cheese. The first two were fresh mozzarella (which we all should know) and Crescenza, a soft mild cheese, which acted almost like the pizza sauce as it melted into a molten layer on the crust. The third cheese escapes me, and since it was the pizza of the day, it wasn’t printed on the menu. The type of peppers also escapes me, but don’t fret, I’ll find it out for you! Bub said this was his favorite pizza of all time and even said he had to bring his dad here. That says a lot about his pizza. Fantastic!
with De Varo Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt
I just had to have this dessert. My friends @teenycake and @nom_nom_nom_nom turned me on to it when I tasted a cupcake from @teenycake inspired by this unique concoction. At first, I was skeptical. Ice cream and oil. Hmmmm. Then we took our first bite. It’s unusual at first, but like your first crush on someone, it’s a strange sensation and then you just find yourself falling for it. Each bite got better and better. The salt was a surprising taste, but went well with the ice cream, which was creamy as can be. The olive oil was fruity and just fabulous. Everything about this dessert was remarkable. It’s one of those desserts that makes you wonder, “why didn’t I think of that?” Consider me inspired, as well.
Pizzeria Picco was just what we needed. We hardly eat al fresco because the weather in our neighborhood is awful most of the time. It was a nice change of pace for us and a nice way to get away…but but…the food. The ice cream. Must we really drive all the way to Marin for it?
Luckily for us SF folks, the wonderful people at Picco opened up a joint in the City, so that we don’t have to cross the bridge to have some of their fabulous food. The new restaurant, which just opened this August, is called Zero Zero and is located on Folsom and 4th. Very easy to get to if you take public transportation! Thank goodness! I can now have my ice cream, olive oil, and sea salt dessert and eat it, too! Check out Zero Zero’s dessert menu. Can we just say: to die for? Build your own desserts? Count me in! Ciao!
xoxo,
Jo
