Friday Night is Pizza Night!

It’s funny, I’m not working full time, or part time for that matter, but when Friday rolls around I am still doing the happy dance and singing ABC networks old TGIF tune!  Technically everyday is a TGI day for this unemployed girl, but here Friday means pizza, and it’s really something to be excited about. 

Pizza is just as popular in Zadar as it is in the States.  There are dozens of pizza delivery joints, and almost every restaurant has pizza on the menu. The difference, is in the pizza my friends.  Pizza sort of lost its ability to amaze me after my personal pan Pizza Hut days in middle school.  Don’t get me wrong, I still ate and craved the stuff, but I never seemed to be satisfied with taste, or delivery service.  Who can forget my screaming match over the phone with Irving Pizza for getting my address wrong?  There was always a problem.  Too saucy, too cheesy, too thick, too chewy, TOO FUSSY.  I would like to make a quick shout out to Tommaso Ristorante in North Beach.  They make exceptional pizza, except still not as good as it is here in Zadar.  Sorry Tommaso. 

So what makes the pizza so good here?  Is it the tap water, as some believe that’s what makes Manhattans pizza the best?  No, what makes it so delicious is its simplicity.  The dough is never too thick and it’s always made in an authentic pizza oven so the crust is perfectly crisp.  A thin layer of sauce that is not overly seasoned or zesty, and just enough cheese to cover the slice, makes it my kind of pizza.  Not to mention it costs only $7 for a whole pie! 

We typically get it delivered, and have made a habit out of it on Friday nights.  My favorite place to order from is Mama Rina’s because the crust is just a little crispier and their dough is perfect.  They even use it to make bread.  Their take out menu includes everything from hamburgers to squid to tripe, but their pizza is what I go for (menu below).  We typically order the Capricciosa pizza, which has ham and mushrooms, and that’s it!  Sometimes we get crazy and get the Frutti di Mare, which means fruit of the sea, all seafood.  Other than Mama Rina’s, Pizzeria Giardin, just on the other side of the foot bridge from old town, is an ideal restaurant for its pizza and scenery.  The side terrace houses its brick pizza oven and I love watching it bake under the fire. 

One of the may things I love about this city is I know that I can go just about anywhere to get a good slice.  It may seem boring in appearance, but the taste is anything but.