(humming)
- What do you know about that cabbage patch?
(laughing) Huh?
I'm Nicole Wilhelm, your Bay Area host for "5 Buck Lunch."
I'm Nicole Wilhelm, your Bay Area host for "5 Buck Lunch." Having lived in the Bay Area my whole life
Having lived in the Bay Area my whole life
some would call me a unicorn.
As a real native should,
I've got all the Bay Area spots for cheap eats.
Let me take you on a magical journey
from hangry to happy in five bucks or less.
Fancy meeting you here.
I use food as my portal to my happy place.
So I'm gonna take you to one of my favorite pizza spots
where we'll find Bay Area, Oakland-style pizza.
Before we head over to Bushrod, let's hit the street
to see what people think of Oakland-style pizza
versus New York or Chicago.
So if you had a choice between New York-style
So if you had a choice between New York-style versus Chicago or Oakland, which style would you go for?
versus Chicago or Oakland, which style would you go for?
- Oakland of course, I have to represent.
- I don't know what Oakland is,
but this New York pizza, that's it.
The other stuff is thick, crusty Chicago-style pizza
and I don't care for that.
- What I like about the Oakland-style pizza
is the thin crust and the sourdough.
(humming in agreement)
- When I came out to Oakland, it was the first time
I'd ever tried some Oakland pizza.
I think it's better than New York style.
(record scratches) - Cody, you hear that?
We're winning out here.
I don't know what you're doing over there in New York
but The Bay is killing it.
Pizza makes me wanna dance.
So do you have a happy dance that you do
when you have some really good pizza?
- She's gotta twerk for some pizza.
- I twerk for food all the time.
(laughing) Can I get a free pizza?
Have you flossed before?
- Yes. - Yes?
Like this?
- No, I usually do my teeth, not my butt.
Have you heard of the Q-tip?
- No I have not.
(laughing) - You have now.
- May I borrow that?
- Your ears are gonna be so clean.
OK Oakland, I see you.
I see why so many people are making their move.
Now we're in Bushrod and we're going to Nick's Pizza,
one of my favorite pizza spots.
Now, I don't know what they're gonna have on their menu
since they change it monthly.
But I know they'll have some great pizza on deck.
Hey, how are you? - Good.
For those people who haven't been to Nick's Pizza,
what's so special about it?
- We make sourdough thin-crust pizza.
We make some really nice salads and desserts.
We like to highlight fresh produce on a lot of our pies.
The food that's grown here in California.
- Is that why you change your menu so often?
- Absolutely, every three weeks.
We always have our classic pizza with the cheese
pepperoni and spinach and mushroom.
The rest of the menu changes on a rotation
based on what's available at the market,
what I'm excited about eating that week.
What I would really recommend,
Sourdough is leavened by a combination of natural
bacteria and yeast that exists in the area.
So, here in the Bay Area we have specific strains of bacteria
that coexists with the wild yeast that lives here.
What I would really recommend,
is our seasonal vegetable special right now.
It's the Japanese sweet potato pizza.
- Tell me more.
- So Japanese sweet potatoes.
Some Bulgarian Feta on it.
Scallions and then it's finished with lime vinaigrette.
It's salty sweet, a little acidic.
It's delicious.
- OK, let's try the Japanese sweet potato slice.
That sounds great.
- Awesome, Japanese sweet potato it is.
- Yes please.
- It's gonna be $3.29 out of $5.
Here's $1.71. - Thank you.
- I'll have that right out for ya.
My precious.
- Enjoy. - Thank you.
Wow, you see it glistening?
Unicorns get hangry too.
So I'm just gonna go ahead and take a little bite.
(moaning with satisfaction)
That's good.
Man, there is so much going on with this pizza,
but the great thing about it is not competing.
Totally complementary.
The sourdough gives it that crunch that you're looking for
and a little bit of tang that you can only really get
out here in the Bay Area.
The feta cheese complements the mozzarella
mixed in with the scallions, it's amazing.
The sweetness from the Japanese sweet potato
mixed in with the lime vinaigrette,
it blends the sweetness and the savory together
in one happy family.
I'm gonna have to have you leave stage left,
because I need some alone time with the pizza
so we can really get down and I can get my grub on.
Excuse me.
Thank you so much for watching.
Remember to subscribe, comment, like, and share.
And if you have any tips on any "5 Buck Lunch" spots
in the Bay Area that I missed,
leave them in the comments below.