3111 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 688-1750
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| [Photo: Portland Mercury] |
While much talk has been made in the early reviews about how
much Sunshine Tavern isn't much of a tavern at all (true), virtually no
attention has been paid to the pizzas. And while they're not like to swear
anyone off Ken's or Scholls, I have to say that they're quite fine, and better
than expected for a place that doesn't even specialize in pizza.
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| [All remaining photos by Adam Lindsley] |
Let's start with the crust. It hits the table hot from the
gas deck oven with a crisp, bubbly shell that crackles nicely when bitten into
or folded, yielding to a somewhat dense, bready center. Co-owner Jenn Louis experimented
with the dough until settling on a version using high-gluten flour, salt, water,
yeast, and a little olive oil. It's not the absolute most flavorful crust you'll
ever eat, but it's far from bland, and that alone puts Sunshine Tavern above 75%
of everyone else slinging pies in this town.
The tomato sauce on the pepperoni
pizza ($14) wasn't memorable, and spread pretty thin. Thankfully the creamy
fior di latte (that's fresh cow's milk mozzarella to you) has plenty of rich milky
flavor, and the pepperoni from Molinari
Salame is cut paper thin, crisping up in the oven and offering a both
crunch and a little kick of spice. The sliced red onions are a nice little
touch, imparting even more crunch and, occasionally, that unmistakable onion
flavor into the cheese and sauce. Altogether it's far from a blow-your-mind
pepperoni pizza, but it's a wholly solid one.
I liked the NY white
pie ($14) even more. The ricotta isn't spread on too heavily, as is often
the case with many white pies, and the same great fresh mozz makes a
reappearance. But the best thing about this pizza? The sprinkling of fresh
thyme. It really cuts through the richness of the cheeses and balances out the
fats. Pair it with a pint of Upright
Brewing Four and you are set, my friend.
Sunshine Tavern features two other pizzas on their current
menu: one topped with parmesan, wild oregano, olive oil, and a hen egg, and one
topped with zucchini, oil-cured olives, red onion, tomato, and fontina. Both
sound good, and on my inevitable return to this establishment, I will
absolutely order them. Unless of course they've been replaced by something
else, in which case I won't, now will I?
Proprietors David Welch and Jenn Louis have a great little
place here with Sunshine Tavern. They make a good burger, and the soft serve
honey ice cream from Fifty Licks
they're serving right now is out-of-this-world delicious (I would avoid the
housemade chocolate "magic shell," though, which tastes strongly of chemicals
to my palate). Service was spot on and very friendly. And they have
shuffleboard! A welcome addition to the neighborhood (as if you didn't have
reason enough to dine out on Division).
OVEN: Gas
RECOMMENDED: NY
White Pie (and don't forget that ice cream!)
