16050 SE 82nd Dr.
Clackamas, OR 97015
(503) 655-5094
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| [Photographs: Adam Lindsley] |
Dangling from the far southeast corner of Portland, the
suburb of Clackamas receives little but derision—if not outright
indifference—from “serious” eaters to the north. But while its culinary
reputation may not be as impeccable as Portland's, I can attest that Clackamas
is taking major steps in the right direction, if my visit to Pronto Pizza was
any indication.
Pronto’s website touts a “local twist” on three classic
pizza styles: New York, New Haven, and Neapolitan. Eschewing the increasingly
popular wood-fired oven for one powered by gas, Pronto’s owners aim to fill a
gaping void in the Clackamas food scene by bringing quality pizza to an area
long bereft of it. Chris Whaley helms the kitchen with an impressive pedigree,
having earned his stripes as pizzaiolo in San Francisco’s Zero Zero and
Pizzeria Picco.
Unlike the traditional pizza at either of those heralded
restaurants, the pies at Pronto are an amalgam of the aforementioned trio of
styles. The Margherita arrived with a strictly Neapolitan sauce, bright
tomatoes unadorned with anything other than salt that I could detect. Also
traditional: fresh mozzarella and basil, though the use of a basil chiffonade
was unfortunate, as slicing basil into shreds has the peculiar effect of
reducing its flavor and impact, especially on pizza. On the plus side,
thin-sliced garlic (think Goodfellas) was a nice addition.
The crust is where we step off the Neapolitan Express.
Strikingly blond with little char, I automatically assumed the pie was
undercooked, but the first bite revealed a crisp crust the texture of New York-
or New Haven-style pies, more than sturdy enough to support the carefully
proportioned toppings. Too bad that crust didn’t taste like much. Handsome Pizza owner Will Fain was along for the ride to help me plow through all these
pies, and he guessed the dough was a bit young and didn’t have time for much
flavor to develop.
Despite the unusual presence of roasted zucchini slices, the
Sellwood was more flavorful than the Margherita and a stronger pizza overall.
In addition to zucchini, this white pie is topped with roasted red peppers,
mushrooms, caramelized onions, and arugula. While veggie-centric pizza isn’t
typically my bag, the toppings were deftly applied without one item
overpowering another. The arugula in particular worked well to cut the richness
of the cheese and really made this pie for me.
Whenever I see housemade sausage on a pizzeria’s menu, a
seven-nation army couldn’t stop me from ordering it. Pronto’s was crumbled over
the pizza rather than placed in chunks and tasted appropriately porky, though I
do wish some fennel seeds had been added for the notes of anise I cherish. Lack
of fennel aside, the sausage paired delightfully with Pronto’s Calabrian
chiles, which brought a pleasantly warm level of heat. On Pronto’s
“build-your-own” pies, like this one, aged mozz comes standard instead of
fresh, so the comparisons to Neapolitan pizza don’t really apply here.
Unfortunately, the crust on this one was twice as thick as the other two,
resulting in limp slices, but the char on the end crust was a welcome sight.
Pronto isn’t making earth-shatteringly great pizza; not yet,
anyway. But when it comes to pizza in Clackamas, beggars can’t be choosers, and
the fact remains that you won’t find a better pie in the whole town. A few
tweaks here and there (a longer ferment on the dough, more even crust
formation, a pinch more salt) will take them to the next level. Until then,
this is still solid pizza worth stopping for if you need a bite in the area.
OVEN: Gas
RECOMMENDED: Sausage and Calabrian Chile Pizza
Addendum (10/16/13) - Michael Russell of The Oregonian reports that pizzaiolo Chris Whaley acted only as a consultant at Pronto Pizza and is not actively in the kitchen there. In fact, he will be opening a restaurant on SE Division called The American Local in the former Caffe Pallino space. Hopefully he'll be serving pizza there, and if so, I'll be there to check it out!
Addendum (10/16/13) - Michael Russell of The Oregonian reports that pizzaiolo Chris Whaley acted only as a consultant at Pronto Pizza and is not actively in the kitchen there. In fact, he will be opening a restaurant on SE Division called The American Local in the former Caffe Pallino space. Hopefully he'll be serving pizza there, and if so, I'll be there to check it out!
