valencia pizza and pasta: a value-oriented italian diner

By Caroline Carter
March 15, 2004

My sweetheart has been dying to go to Valencia Pizza and Pasta ever since we moved to the inner Mission because there’s inevitably a group of people outside the door waiting for a table to free up.

Though a line is normally the surest sign that a restaurant is worth checking out, I could never muster the same enthusiasm as my honey -- with only 8 tables in the restaurant and a posted menu that didn’t seem all that exceptional, I wondered if maybe this place has been fooling the whole neighborhood. I can imagine a scenario where people see the long lines out the door and then come and check it out for themselves. When they come, they’re forced to wait in a line outside because of the small number of tables, which incents other people to come to the restaurant, and so on. Yes, it’s far-fetched, but in a country that believes Sadaam Hussein was somehow responsible for the 9/11 attacks, maybe I just don’t wholly trust the opinion of the public-at-large anymore. But I digress.

We were fortunate to arrive at the restaurant early enough on a Monday night so that we didn’t have to wait for a table outside after all (though everyone who came after us did). The interior is very cozy in a diner-sort of way, with several small metal tables covered in plastic tablecloths, and a giant piece of artwork that dominates one of the little walls. About a dozen daily specials are listed on a chalkboard, with a constellation of tired-looking construction-paper cut-out stars advertising other specials taped up around it. I’m not sure what the difference between the construction paper specials and the chalk-board specials is – for whatever reason I figured I’d stick to the chalkboard and the main menu and leave the forlorn-looking stars to themselves.

V. P. and P goes ahead and gives you what you really want by providing pre-toasted and buttered bread, kind of like the bread you used to get in your high school cafeteria (but better, because it’s fresh). They’ll happily keep your basket filled, no matter how many times you empty it – surely one of the attractions of this place. I found it refreshing that this bread is served free of charge – at most other Italian restaurants, you’re charged a couple of bucks a plate for the same thing.

Our group ordered a plate of fried calamari to share and got the standard dish with both an aioli and a tomato-based cocktail sauce for dipping. The pieces were small, but nicely breaded and fried without many spices to take away from the taste of the calamari. I found it a little oily, and the light color of the pieces leads me to believe that they might not have fried it at a high enough temperature. I'm guessing on this, but if the oil is hot enough, it should sear the flour coating without transferring much of the actual oil to the piece of food. If the oil isn’t hot enough, it can soak into the flour coating while it’s cooking, and leave the food greasy.

Every dish comes with a soup or salad appetizer. The salad is a basic plate of greens with a single slice of tomato and what tasted like store-bought dressing. Nothing special. The minestrone soup was a little more tasty, though it still left me thinking of the canned variety.

Pasta with tomato and basil comes with a full side of broccoli, carrots and asparagus that are sautéed nicely in garlic and oil. The pasta itself, however, was very bland – the cubes of tomato had no flavor, and the basil was too sparsely infused to add much flavor. I was more impressed with the house steak – a large strip of peppered meat with a decent sauce. Again, not the most tender cut of beef that you’ve ever tasted, but passable enough for a weeknight supper. It also comes with the same side of sautéed broccoli, carrots, and asparagus.

The arrival of the check unearthed the real reason why Valencia Pizza and Pasta seems to be so popular – our party of four shared an appetizer and four large entrees with soup/salad, several baskets of buttered bread, and a glass of wine for the paltry sum of $40. Though the food itself leaves much to be desired, the price of what you get provides the seasoning that must keep people in the neighborhood coming back for more. If you’re searching for a good value and a lot of Italian food, this place is worth checking out. Just don’t bring anyone you’re looking to impress.

Food: * 1/2
Service: **
Atmostphere: * 1/2
Price: $
Overall: * 1/2

Valencia Pizza and Pasta
801 Valencia St (at 19th St.),
San Francisco, California 94103
(415) 642-1882

Hours:
Mon - Fri 11 am - 3 pm,
5 - 9:30 pm, Sat 9 am - 3 pm,
5 - 9:30 pm, Sun 9 am - 3 pm

Accepts Visa, Mastercard, cash.

Food: * 1/2
Service: **
Atmostphere: * 1/2
Price: $
Overall: * 1/2

All rankings out of a total of 4 stars.