Green, Leafy Pizza

Back when God was a child, pizza was simple. Dough on the bottom, tomato sauce over that, then cheese, mushrooms and, sometimes, pepperoni. Satisfying, filling and fun to eat with the fingers. Right?


Now, pizza has gotten a lot more complicated.


And, happily, a lot more interesting.


Witness the pizza I had a few days ago at the Left Bank in Larkspur when my friend Maria and I had a girls' day out. We caught up on each other's lives, shared photos and stories, poked through a few little shops, and had a splendid lunch.


An inspired combination, my pizza had sweet onion, salty bacon, slightly bitter arugula, earthy mushrooms, unexpected artichoke, and rich, slightly sour creme fraiche with a very thin, crisp crust. The hot ingredients were slowly wilting the greens and gently melting the creme fraiche as I ate. 


When I was a kid, had I been presented with a green, leafy pizza, I'd have turned my nose up at it. Luckily, I have grown up - this time, I just ordered a nice glass of sparkling wine to go with the pizza and leaned forward to hear more of Maria's stories.