Salsiccia pizza made with fennel sausage, Jimmy Nardello pepper, grana padano, fior di latte, garlic, and chili
Shishito Pepper with anchovy-lemon sofrito and bread crumbs
Left: Chocolate Budino Tart with bitter chocolate mousse, sea salt, and olive oil
Right: Basil Panna Cotta with roasted pears and honeycomb
Every few months or so, I meet up with my friend Moriah VanVleet, the blogger behind butter, sugar, flowers, to continue our dessert tour of the East Bay. Previously, we've tried ice cream at Gadani, elaborate shaved ice concoctions at Berkeley Social Club, and velvety chocolate pies at A Dora Pie, all in Downtown Berkeley. This time we mixed it up and visited A16 Rockridge, an upscale pizza place on College and Hudson in Rockridge, for pizza and dessert.
We started with the Shishito Peppers, which are topped with anchovy-lemon sofrito and bread crumbs. These peppers are mild and the bread crumbs give them a nice crunch. Next was the main event: the Salsiccia pizza made with fennel sausage, Jimmy Nardello pepper, grana padano, fior di latte, garlic, and chili. This pizza was definitely a hit: I really liked the sausage and the delicious cheeses. Moriah ordered a side of dressed arugula that we added to the pizza as well as the side of chili sauce to give it even more flavor and dimension.
We concluded our meal with two delicious desserts: the Chocolate Budino Tart and the Basil Panna Cotta. Sprinkled with sea salt and olive oil, the chocolate mousse tart was bigger than expected and will satisfy most chocolate lovers. The panna cotta really tasted like basil—in a way reminiscent of the Basil Ice Cream at Tara's Organic Ice Cream further north on College—and featured roasted pears and sweet honeycomb.
Next time I want to try the Bomboloni donuts with pistachio, lemon curd, and chamomile. If you've visited A16 Rockridge recently, what did you try?
A16 Rockridge
5356 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618
Open: Tuesday - Sunday 4 - 8pm
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