sorrento

we've been fans of sorrento's since i was a kid in the late 70's. i grew up down the street on carriage dr. and went to school right next door at bancroft elementary. sundays nights after 5:30 mass at most precious blood (now st. francis of assisi) meant a large cheesepizzafrom sorrento's, artichokes and 60 minutes. watching sports on tv was also a regular occasion for picking up sorrento's pizza.

sadly, i don't live in walnut creek any more - i'm way down in las vegas, nv. i got an email from my dad this morning that he had fallen. he got 22 stitches in his chin and a few on his hand. hearing things like this is one of the scariest things for an adult child. this is that time of life where i have my own kids and i still keep an ear an eye out for my parents.

fortunately, dad's okay. but the picture and the story just hurt my heart. i wanted to do something to let him know i was thinking about him. so i called sorrento's to see if i could buy a cheese pizza. one of the owners, paul, said he'd love to help but they don't take credit cards on the phone. i asked if there was any chance he'd take a check - knowing what a leap of faith that would take on his part. he hesitated for just the briefest of moments then said, sure, he'd pay for thepizzaout of his own pocket and take me on my word that i'd send him a check.

this really made my night. dad will get hispizzaand we'll watch the warriors set the record for the most wins in a season "together" via facetime. many thanks, paul. the check is in the mail (seriously!).

soggy vegetable pizza. we ate at sorrento this week for the third time--this time for pizza. we ordered a vegetablepizzawith sausage added. service was very courteous, prompt, and accurate. the toppings were ample-- all top grade except the tomatoes. the crust was only a "b-" thepizzawas a "c-" despite the quality toppings. the problem was the tomatoes.
thepizzawas very soggy--so much so the juicy run-off (mainly from tomatoes we think) soaked the take-home cardboard box and onto the car seat. a mess! avoid tomato topping for sure. we enjoyed the restaurant before and hope this is an aberration.

mambo italiano!. had an order of the vegetarianpizza(~$23): mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts (instead of onions). also had an order of the calzone (~$10): mushroom and black olive wrapped in a warm, doughy crust. food was delicious, staff was authentic, and the ambiance was rich (live music tu-sa 7-9 pm)!

love it. one of my favorite restaurants. the this crustpizzais the best and the spaghetti meatballs is delicious too. not to mention the amount of food you get for the price is very reasonable.