tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72484661926154984432024-03-18T06:45:20.779-07:00This Is PizzaImpressions and reviews of the best pizzerias in the world, with a focus on the pizza made on America's west coast, most especially Seattle and Portland.Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-57000448066976589102015-09-08T22:41:00.000-07:002015-09-09T08:08:46.523-07:00Impressions: Scottie's Pizza Parlor<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.scottiespizzaparlor.com/scottiespizzaparlor/Scotties_Pizza_Parlor.html" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Scottie's Pizza Parlor</span></b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2128 SE Division St.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Portland, OR 97202</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(971) 544-7878</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD661fgmgV0aeYUrPQN7qHtwQEulpG7KorxudeAU95KrRx7LgC1W0V-QNiG-XAWs4fkmg2ThvKbvMt47Wrsh3UF5K4ohnuortU-ojPEi0MdAW_oSAmUStdRWHQmtw_d8ajn2i_4ehwbnk/s1600/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD661fgmgV0aeYUrPQN7qHtwQEulpG7KorxudeAU95KrRx7LgC1W0V-QNiG-XAWs4fkmg2ThvKbvMt47Wrsh3UF5K4ohnuortU-ojPEi0MdAW_oSAmUStdRWHQmtw_d8ajn2i_4ehwbnk/s400/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Interior.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Almost always, slice shops are destined to disappoint. That's because pizza by the slice, typically a parbaked pie cut into slices and then baked again upon order, is inherently a weaker product than a fully cooked pizza served hot and fresh. It simply isn't wise to cook a whole pie in its entirety and hope that you can sell all 8 slices immediately after its egress from the oven. Some places, like DiFara in New York City, can do that because of the sheer demand for anything touched by the fingertips of Dom DeMarco. But most can't claim that kind of zealotry or draw those kinds of crowds.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCom3qM13jbyaHfAiqGdUWtO-vEVbbMQUR0hcm-DN5S5_di-CXMUd0lAQHtiJGcOYKlc6bTvjCgSRrOHzTL2nca1kX8GJb9ZyQlOyAAoJeeWrxdQBrWdrsOSfANMnxFL18vTImT8oIVfw/s1600/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Pepperoni+Green+Chilies+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCom3qM13jbyaHfAiqGdUWtO-vEVbbMQUR0hcm-DN5S5_di-CXMUd0lAQHtiJGcOYKlc6bTvjCgSRrOHzTL2nca1kX8GJb9ZyQlOyAAoJeeWrxdQBrWdrsOSfANMnxFL18vTImT8oIVfw/s400/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Pepperoni+Green+Chilies+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My apologies to Scottie's Pizza Parlor for starting off this little write-up on a negative note, but my point is that while most slice shops aren't really putting out a good product, Scottie's Pizza Parlor </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, in both slice and whole-pie form.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxW4TiRSfOOxQYWxKbfPiCHIfI1IFQxAOZzyEC8_eg9iLHB_crRWheDLNxveqbPD0bZvOmqLpKn1E3cJECFbpnVJC4FYK4hQJaf9zIjNXrFTaGbLri6akWrB2BU_oEpb4_542ovdLWnDI/s1600/Scottie%2527+Pizza+Parlor+Menu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxW4TiRSfOOxQYWxKbfPiCHIfI1IFQxAOZzyEC8_eg9iLHB_crRWheDLNxveqbPD0bZvOmqLpKn1E3cJECFbpnVJC4FYK4hQJaf9zIjNXrFTaGbLri6akWrB2BU_oEpb4_542ovdLWnDI/s400/Scottie%2527+Pizza+Parlor+Menu.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Proprietor Scott Rivera has worked in a few notable pizzerias around Portland, including Baby Doll, East Glisan Pizza Lounge, and Handsome Pizza. Rivera brought that same sensibility to his new shop in the old Spielman Bagels spot on Division, which joins those pizzerias on the very short list of the city's best pizza by the slice.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaPNLqCkAyGfLX0Fg-7VmIGeK0CDRcV7WDUkdXgIsFeVrXyU7Sc2EWQtkEAlQg8osm2nMf1LgLQMfkrOFg7fEnp11zjNMnqG32SlmaW6bHzz_W5Gc8CpGmP-8MOK4iRlykf_8xkaHMU8/s1600/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Sourdough+Starter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaPNLqCkAyGfLX0Fg-7VmIGeK0CDRcV7WDUkdXgIsFeVrXyU7Sc2EWQtkEAlQg8osm2nMf1LgLQMfkrOFg7fEnp11zjNMnqG32SlmaW6bHzz_W5Gc8CpGmP-8MOK4iRlykf_8xkaHMU8/s320/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Sourdough+Starter.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The sourdough starter</i></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Automatically putting him ahead of the game is the fact that Rivera's dough is naturally leavened by a sourdough starter, which gives the crust a whisper of tang after a two-day ferment. He uses a flour blend that's partially unsifted, and that contributes to additional flavor that most crusts just can't muster.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8K9uQ85Ogp3_0HCtRd_6iCRB7dpXVBbnrr8Jbh0GJdIL0vTUbT66EwDxB0zogU7u4Nxb6VNYKwI8R52OsxxQdVceLQ-ClGj9AOD5bFaSr3sRLqBw9pEoKCxgZtpJueoHP-APsMcizBQ/s1600/DiNapolo+Bianco+Tomatoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8K9uQ85Ogp3_0HCtRd_6iCRB7dpXVBbnrr8Jbh0GJdIL0vTUbT66EwDxB0zogU7u4Nxb6VNYKwI8R52OsxxQdVceLQ-ClGj9AOD5bFaSr3sRLqBw9pEoKCxgZtpJueoHP-APsMcizBQ/s320/DiNapolo+Bianco+Tomatoes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The quality doesn't stop at the crust, though. A ladleful of impeccable crushed Bianco (yes, </span><a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/impressions-pizzeria-bianco.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Bianco) DiNapoli tomatoes and several fat dollops of creamy house-pulled mozzarella help the Margherita sing after a quick trip to the electric deck oven cranked to 685 degrees F. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBmN_r08f0Dsjnyu8IWvne_EU2QHgPwnUOs72XfNn6KLBiRxmWNw6vQawAv5CKx60Ui8szoEyKKCZRfPot8g8vHIYeSJYKD1OI1YokzPsvur9n46pLKL2C_DoGDd_gFhls3v8hOzm7N0/s1600/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Garlic+Knots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBmN_r08f0Dsjnyu8IWvne_EU2QHgPwnUOs72XfNn6KLBiRxmWNw6vQawAv5CKx60Ui8szoEyKKCZRfPot8g8vHIYeSJYKD1OI1YokzPsvur9n46pLKL2C_DoGDd_gFhls3v8hOzm7N0/s400/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Garlic+Knots.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Garlic knots</i></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, electric deck, the harbinger of most bad pizza in this or any country. That's because most businesses that own them have no idea what to do with them, thinking that a twist of the dial to 500 degrees will do the trick. Well, it will, if your trick is to serve pizza with a blond, biscuit-dry crust. I became an electric deck convert after discovering that Portland's best pizzeria, </span><a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-apizza-scholls.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apizza Scholls</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, uses one and praises its ease of use compared to finicky wood-fired ovens. Scottie's is making smart use of its electricity and turning out pies with gorgeous char with nary a stick of kindling in sight.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUA_hVumfC7xXKiB8VCESLU0HRhjLeMADSVshX4UXF3aXQx-ucYMc4XG3CvWRWu1dhXIwqgaQw-GXpucVPgoNW4ubHehTR4ksEClBheC7Hk5J7Ff3JX5roPz5csRcyYsavUFWdYt0hq2I/s1600/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Italian+Ice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUA_hVumfC7xXKiB8VCESLU0HRhjLeMADSVshX4UXF3aXQx-ucYMc4XG3CvWRWu1dhXIwqgaQw-GXpucVPgoNW4ubHehTR4ksEClBheC7Hk5J7Ff3JX5roPz5csRcyYsavUFWdYt0hq2I/s400/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Italian+Ice.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Italian ice from Mita's Italian Ice in Gresham, OR</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I mentioned before that Scottie's serves some of the best pizza by the slice in Portland. That's true, but these New York-style pies really shine when you order them whole. The crust has more life, the sauce hasn't started desiccating, and the flavors are rounder, fuller, brighter. That said, if you're running solo and on a tight budget, two $2 plain slices are damn hard to beat (and markedly better than anything you'll get from Atlas Pizza down the street). </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGFmS3ux2qtILSOmeDHOgnDGnD2rZ1Am9VVIeCKIgW7Wd2kdLXLVtiMXcxd59kahUFlLqHFswztCCJYFDrCo3jP1c2MlPlCvZNjTWYLE52UtsylGJLrELqGln0pKOR9y6ZPBHBRC8iIs/s1600/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Slices.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGFmS3ux2qtILSOmeDHOgnDGnD2rZ1Am9VVIeCKIgW7Wd2kdLXLVtiMXcxd59kahUFlLqHFswztCCJYFDrCo3jP1c2MlPlCvZNjTWYLE52UtsylGJLrELqGln0pKOR9y6ZPBHBRC8iIs/s400/Scottie%2527s+Pizza+Parlor+Slices.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Scottie's Pizza Parlor is still young and has plenty of room to grow. But this is such a promising start, and a welcome addition to the SE Portland pizza scene.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>OVEN:</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Electric</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>RECOMMENDED:</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Pepperoni pizza w/green chilies</span></span></div>
Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-7759300456663124472015-03-20T10:46:00.001-07:002015-03-20T10:46:45.174-07:00Quick Impressions: Old Town Pizza<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.oldtownpizza.com/">Old Town Pizza</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">226 NW Davis St.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Portland, OR 97200</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(503) 222-9999</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKng9OKMNj0maXprernmynU45dJT3uBSQOccEPzOZexSi2pP_H9K9lRErz8BWfGaeksejzPvDda4Qc_ZZxyVqF1Iy4A4tbn4aWYuuty8H9Pg2sln2LpgNGWJ0kAydsZ2baxuHEutYQrQ/s1600/Old+Town+Pizza+Adam+Lindsley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKng9OKMNj0maXprernmynU45dJT3uBSQOccEPzOZexSi2pP_H9K9lRErz8BWfGaeksejzPvDda4Qc_ZZxyVqF1Iy4A4tbn4aWYuuty8H9Pg2sln2LpgNGWJ0kAydsZ2baxuHEutYQrQ/s1600/Old+Town+Pizza+Adam+Lindsley.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If memory serves, the first pizzeria in Portland I visited was Old Town Pizza. I'm sure I read about raves about it in some Chowhound thread, back when that was a thing. So I went. I vaguely remember being unimpressed by whatever I ordered, decided it wasn't for me, and ignored it thereafter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Flash-forward several years and Old Town Pizza came back up on my radar, though the exact reason why escapes me. I recalled my less-than-positive feelings about the pizza from my initial visit, but decided to give them another shot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, it's the same old humdrum "pizzeria-style" pizza they've always served.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The main offender is their crust, which is just awful. <b>Dense as a pretzel but far less flavorful</b>, it's a leave-it-on-the-plate affair. The sauce is a touch on the sweet side, <b>but their Italian sausage was even sweeter</b>, too sweet for me. I will say <b>I approve of their pepperoni</b>, which curled into glorious little grease goblets, as all the best pepperoni does (see <a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/12/the-pizza-lab-why-does-pepperoni-curl.html">here</a>). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is one redeeming factor for visiting Old Town Pizza (or at least their Old Town location): they're located in a fantastic old building with all the juicy Portland history that goes with it. Great atmosphere. Mediocre pizza.</span>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-77791320450820434252014-07-27T09:46:00.000-07:002014-07-27T09:46:22.154-07:00Division Street Pizza Crawl<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9rUtvntX3gi1rUc8MKZg_2R8oNZRaPROhGwbmadEj3TGrd1MMajaxyLS7GTPagAV3-0AfWTx2HyXELGq0EVqUcRei7Zgl_EOd0rrIC3VlrFdOSpsNTLuNUrR_iCyJwmqIUK1EJxaAFY/s1600/20140720-cibo-margherita-buffalo-mozzarella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9rUtvntX3gi1rUc8MKZg_2R8oNZRaPROhGwbmadEj3TGrd1MMajaxyLS7GTPagAV3-0AfWTx2HyXELGq0EVqUcRei7Zgl_EOd0rrIC3VlrFdOSpsNTLuNUrR_iCyJwmqIUK1EJxaAFY/s1600/20140720-cibo-margherita-buffalo-mozzarella.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Besides evolving into Portland's latest Restaurant Row, Southeast Division Street (west of Cesar E Chavez Boulevard) upped its pizzeria count to 8 this year with the addition of Atlas Pizza and Pizza Maria. And that's not counting the Domino's on 20th. Nowhere else in the city is there such a concentration of good pizza, so if your stomach can handle it, here's a pizza crawl to put your might to the test.<br />
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Check out the story over at <u><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/07/southeast_division_pizza_crawl.html">The Oregonian</a>.</u>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-86704530293644027402014-07-21T09:43:00.000-07:002014-07-21T09:43:45.051-07:00Breakfast Pizza in Portland<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xjkfd9YgFJI9b-agQktHbYIYbS3Twujp35_kJWRKE5DEQpct3q7t22BfaSRL-RBBZ9Ez_GV3OrRuweUPTcWAN_Y9X2sTvri3_YM49-lXGfA8zRP49iCjlZd_uZjhZZFbBiGdrfAgTtk/s1600/Maple+Pie+from+Oven+and+Shaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xjkfd9YgFJI9b-agQktHbYIYbS3Twujp35_kJWRKE5DEQpct3q7t22BfaSRL-RBBZ9Ez_GV3OrRuweUPTcWAN_Y9X2sTvri3_YM49-lXGfA8zRP49iCjlZd_uZjhZZFbBiGdrfAgTtk/s1600/Maple+Pie+from+Oven+and+Shaker.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photography by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Portland has a sad paucity of breakfast/brunch pizza, and it's only gotten worse over the years. To my knowledge, there are only five spots still serving it, and one doesn't even serve it before noon.<br />
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Head on over to <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/04/where_to_find_breakfastbrunch.html">The Oregonian</a> to see my rundown of the last bastions of breakfast pizza in our fair city.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-5373821289797011502014-03-15T08:41:00.003-07:002014-03-15T08:41:50.837-07:00Impressions: East Glisan Pizza Lounge<a href="https://eastglisan.squarespace.com/"><b>East Glisan Pizza Lounge</b></a><br />
8001 NE Glisan Ave.<br />
Portland, OR 97213<br />
(971) 279-4273<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6a_C5QiXJDUhGoQOBWAs_ytza5EqKvbjVLcOzZ8M7UykfhgVjrPrQxeid4yIhIF4idkgojFYFtdiwsMOAyX0dTolTqbCJ6Jb5oHzW286p8oO7UREM1EwgNE1jlpdMgbT_9gD65HhfE/s1600/east-glisan-pizza-lounge-meatball-pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6a_C5QiXJDUhGoQOBWAs_ytza5EqKvbjVLcOzZ8M7UykfhgVjrPrQxeid4yIhIF4idkgojFYFtdiwsMOAyX0dTolTqbCJ6Jb5oHzW286p8oO7UREM1EwgNE1jlpdMgbT_9gD65HhfE/s1600/east-glisan-pizza-lounge-meatball-pie.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The only really good new pizzeria to emerge in Portland lately, East Glisan Pizza Lounge comes courtesy of the former sous chef of NW Portland's Oven & Shaker (which I really need to get around to reviewing one of these days, because they're pretty great). It's certainly the only good pizza in the Montavilla neighborhood.<br />
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<a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/03/cheap_eats_quality_pizza_final.html">Read my impressions of the pizza at East Glisan Pizza Lounge at <i>The Oregonian</i>'s website, OregonLive.com.</a>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-68347704021600415342014-03-15T08:35:00.002-07:002022-02-22T13:06:43.375-08:00Impressions: Pinky's<a href="http://www.pinkyspizzeria.com/"><b>Pinky's</b></a><br />
3990 N. Interstate Ave.<br />
Portland, OR 97227<br />
(503) 282-1259<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxZfmE-59S3bXg8-fWv-y77cyWtnBtCF7U6rWsgp3zpLoSLxM70CmedobDa6zzGUw5FkOORQdpUiytvaGzus0mbH9-ryWFtpvqZLolbIzMLwvvmQf8GSPZSKb7Jzr89GnZi1NOFTkt-g/s1600/pinkys-white-eagle-slice.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxZfmE-59S3bXg8-fWv-y77cyWtnBtCF7U6rWsgp3zpLoSLxM70CmedobDa6zzGUw5FkOORQdpUiytvaGzus0mbH9-ryWFtpvqZLolbIzMLwvvmQf8GSPZSKb7Jzr89GnZi1NOFTkt-g/s1600/pinkys-white-eagle-slice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Pinky's attempts to generate buzz about its pizza by offering all kinds of wacky toppings, from kimchi to shrimp ceviche. Unfortunately, none of it is very good.<br />
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Not to rub salt in the wound, but Pinky's has 5 stars on Yelp. If that isn't an indicator of how useless Yelp is for valid food recommendations, I don't know what is.<br />
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<a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/01/cheap_eats_unusual_pizzas_and.html">Read my impressions of Pinky's pizza over at <i>The Oregonian</i>'s website, OregonLive.com.</a>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-26745705818948070692014-03-15T08:27:00.000-07:002014-03-15T08:44:25.725-07:00Impressions: Kerns Kitchen<b><a href="http://www.kernskitchenpdx.com/">Kerns Kitchen</a></b><br />
2935 NE Glisan St.<br />
Portland, OR 97232<br />
(503) 477-7779<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMAITR0xUl4s7roKHpgWe_3U8Y_3ze7Kv6U5Ecd0bp7sRM7RQ8WIXuqwSZeCHxjQgHl30AMAqsULjPc4fJHxdK_Ih0G3eUBZdNqYdWSSbTgrie7gT3FJ1YZNiy-GvO2rdxFhfPMQKU7I/s1600/kerns-kitchen-two-pizzas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMAITR0xUl4s7roKHpgWe_3U8Y_3ze7Kv6U5Ecd0bp7sRM7RQ8WIXuqwSZeCHxjQgHl30AMAqsULjPc4fJHxdK_Ih0G3eUBZdNqYdWSSbTgrie7gT3FJ1YZNiy-GvO2rdxFhfPMQKU7I/s1600/kerns-kitchen-two-pizzas.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Kerns Kitchen recently replaced the beloved brunch spot Bakery Bar on NE Glisan. The pizza isn't amazing but it'll do in a pinch (for example, if you're drinking at Migration Brewing across the street and don't feel like Pambiche takeout or sitting down at <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2012/09/impressions-dove-vivi.html">Dove Vivi</a>).<br />
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<a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/01/cheap_eats_kerns_kitchen_bring.html">Read my take on Kerns Kitchen over at <i>The Oregonian</i>'s website, OregoneLive.com.</a>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-56374517638181869682014-03-15T08:16:00.003-07:002014-03-15T08:37:08.363-07:00Impressions: Life of Pie<a href="http://www.lifeofpiepizza.com/"><b>Life of Pie</b></a><br />
3632 N. Williams Ave.<br />
Portland, OR 97227<br />
(503) 719-7321<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWJffTjBSZcFcSRz7Oi9Bng_XJN_qrF63HrhfIMNLzkgxhiRsugfot84GY9cbpj1usZPdMy11keHw2KFXihaX6PAl6EyNp1j4u91OO4Z-dF_m-3ze8h1bDOZjiFuOtllMA7Ykg97MyGM/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-margherita-mushroom-leeks-garlic-confit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWJffTjBSZcFcSRz7Oi9Bng_XJN_qrF63HrhfIMNLzkgxhiRsugfot84GY9cbpj1usZPdMy11keHw2KFXihaX6PAl6EyNp1j4u91OO4Z-dF_m-3ze8h1bDOZjiFuOtllMA7Ykg97MyGM/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-margherita-mushroom-leeks-garlic-confit.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Life of Pie is the new pizzeria located at the north end of the same building on N. Williams housing the excellent Tin Bucket growler fill station/taproom/bottle shop and What's the Scoop? ice cream shop.<br />
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<a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/11/cheap_eats_wood-fired_pizza_an.html">Read my impressions on Life of Pie over at <i>The Oregonian</i>'s website, OregonLive.com.</a><br />
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Additional photos from my meals there:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uF2uflDCU2J5ary_0fdAKK1G8QM1LUOO5j670KBAMA55rwVud_9lNip9cZJpnrVmaAR04Hk42eGIh5nqZnx4kd3bazHE3CCUjY5zqnRsUvtXPGkT9MK2GEaFaG-hvom5KNMaj11pYFE/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-sausage-peppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uF2uflDCU2J5ary_0fdAKK1G8QM1LUOO5j670KBAMA55rwVud_9lNip9cZJpnrVmaAR04Hk42eGIh5nqZnx4kd3bazHE3CCUjY5zqnRsUvtXPGkT9MK2GEaFaG-hvom5KNMaj11pYFE/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-sausage-peppers.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sausage & peppers pizza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsn4mNOFqGuBnE5p-kPVXkZJZaiqJfZwkHAyN0Dp6YfKwE-rnxifvW-CCjp2kuk0hzvKax3wKc8xpKxaNM9i4rkr7Ac_A3NH8l_6iAjVvQrP2GHGJux5xMylEsTjQ1y6BS3PW42u0QCE/s1600/life-of-pie-mushrooms-leeks-garlic-confit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsn4mNOFqGuBnE5p-kPVXkZJZaiqJfZwkHAyN0Dp6YfKwE-rnxifvW-CCjp2kuk0hzvKax3wKc8xpKxaNM9i4rkr7Ac_A3NH8l_6iAjVvQrP2GHGJux5xMylEsTjQ1y6BS3PW42u0QCE/s1600/life-of-pie-mushrooms-leeks-garlic-confit.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushroom, leek, and garlic confit pizza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypyCx3sK0vR9Xtzm-hApDeR84yWam8fQhxhmkSOce47AiR_aNeLueX45aRLbd8MbGy-6_UzjFTrmojPpQgm_l0COP8mymcO3MmJHCkY1uRUv4YWMx7lk3qUVx_1iQbvXIL3LWpNd_31A/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-undercarriage-crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypyCx3sK0vR9Xtzm-hApDeR84yWam8fQhxhmkSOce47AiR_aNeLueX45aRLbd8MbGy-6_UzjFTrmojPpQgm_l0COP8mymcO3MmJHCkY1uRUv4YWMx7lk3qUVx_1iQbvXIL3LWpNd_31A/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-undercarriage-crust.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Undercarriage shot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJddKXV1tT87tSfXqECCo0endG3_4CafUuD2jpT51UutrdELxnCV6iW6UR7crLKY6BgA5eDI6ciH8Ffk72KJLl9zWOCQGiOpQYCYdBYNs_EpVGJvLsQDIeMqlssJ8G8ZUZFL0dmIdfNk/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-caesar-salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJddKXV1tT87tSfXqECCo0endG3_4CafUuD2jpT51UutrdELxnCV6iW6UR7crLKY6BgA5eDI6ciH8Ffk72KJLl9zWOCQGiOpQYCYdBYNs_EpVGJvLsQDIeMqlssJ8G8ZUZFL0dmIdfNk/s1600/112213-life-of-pie-caesar-salad.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caesar salad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14192684394028491122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-29577139181848845862013-10-09T23:21:00.000-07:002013-10-16T22:31:01.408-07:00Impressions: Pronto Pizza<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.prontopizzabar.com/">Pronto Pizza</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">16050 SE 82nd Dr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Clackamas, OR 97015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(503) 655-5094</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bMOKWawJfxvHAYUY2P1rhjKABFGvJkhx6OwMNbBu9wW19NiJMnvyjvO0QjDmCaCrAH1TJaShVpK3AZZFL7cAw83RqcaFWHj93kO-vLzUNQ1mRWmkFYvDysUTGBmoK8k1P7TzObq0-RV4/s1600/pronto-pizza-sausage-calabrian-chiles-overhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bMOKWawJfxvHAYUY2P1rhjKABFGvJkhx6OwMNbBu9wW19NiJMnvyjvO0QjDmCaCrAH1TJaShVpK3AZZFL7cAw83RqcaFWHj93kO-vLzUNQ1mRWmkFYvDysUTGBmoK8k1P7TzObq0-RV4/s400/pronto-pizza-sausage-calabrian-chiles-overhead.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs: Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">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 <b>Pronto Pizza</b> was
any indication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">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 <b>powered by gas</b>, 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. <b>Chris Whaley</b> helms the kitchen with an impressive pedigree,
having earned his stripes as pizzaiolo in San Francisco’s Zero Zero and
<a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2010/04/impressions-pizzeria-picco.html">Pizzeria Picco</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unlike the traditional pizza at either of those heralded
restaurants, the pies at Pronto are an amalgam of the aforementioned trio of
styles. The <b>Margherita </b>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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQhBfRDd6GM">Goodfellas</a>) was a nice addition. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">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 <b>a crisp crust the texture of New York-
or New Haven-style pies</b>, more than sturdy enough to support the carefully
proportioned toppings. Too bad that crust didn’t taste like much. <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2011/10/impressions-pizza-depokos-ala-will-fain.html">Handsome Pizza</a> 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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite the unusual presence of roasted zucchini slices, the
<b>Sellwood </b>was more flavorful than the Margherita and a stronger pizza overall.
In addition to zucchini, this white pie is topped with <b>roasted red peppers,
mushrooms, caramelized onions, and arugula</b>. 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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whenever I see <b>housemade sausage</b> 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 <b>Calabrian
chiles</b>, 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 <b>twice as thick</b> as the other two,
resulting in limp slices, but the char on the end crust was a welcome sight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">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 <b>you won’t find a better pie in the whole town</b>. 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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>OVEN:</b> Gas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Sausage and Calabrian Chile Pizza</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Addendum (10/16/13) - Michael Russell of The Oregonian <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/10/the_american_local_restaurant.html#incart_river">reports</a> 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!</b></span></div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-73920017721133817492013-07-03T12:21:00.001-07:002013-10-21T20:49:52.091-07:00Impressions: Baby Doll Pizza<a href="http://www.babydollpizza.com/"><b>Baby Doll Pizza</b></a><br />
2835 SE Stark St.<br />
Portland, OR 97214<br />
(503) 459-4450<b id="docs-internal-guid--21fa72e-a5eb-2ab5-2298-1bcd727f2be8" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLF3Z16l0X2bWL2hRNmIaSu1EOKh2vCi63D8qJEPsZNDSR1AO-WSwq-gL5LQYtI7eNu1PJMbfx0j9rqxEK9Jy-kJ6m_3duoXTyonfpY9-QzDpWv9crlE-lHjIfkT749LiqgIDkG8WE_xHW/s800/Baby+Doll+Cheese+Half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLF3Z16l0X2bWL2hRNmIaSu1EOKh2vCi63D8qJEPsZNDSR1AO-WSwq-gL5LQYtI7eNu1PJMbfx0j9rqxEK9Jy-kJ6m_3duoXTyonfpY9-QzDpWv9crlE-lHjIfkT749LiqgIDkG8WE_xHW/s400/Baby+Doll+Cheese+Half.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs: Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I gave up on New York-style pizza in Portland years ago. The big slices, the thin crust...no one in town bothered to strive for anything above mediocrity (Hotlips, Pizzicato), and even some of those I found mildly worthwhile (Sizzle Pie) have nose-dived in quality lately.<br />
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Then along came Baby Doll Pizza.<br />
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What separates this place from the myriad other NY-style pizza joints in the city? Could it be owner Travis Miranda’s training at the Culinary Institute of America (which has turned out such nationally renown chefs as the Michaels Symon and Ruhlman)? Maybe, although culinary training has in no way proved a direct corollary to excellent food. You have to have the fire in you, the refusal to be satisfied with the status quo, and the drive to produce something of real quality. That’s what I think’s running the ship at Baby Doll, which makes the best NY-style pizza I’ve had in Portland.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIUGa8WqIbAH_jOanv3pBJkJ_EzvArqeo7dcA5wampvMBOLbe43J2mEfR-egLO5dDFXQk1M1rQsOF7T5lISo5gvdn4T3lYYWFGBvSqZntwujiPwfri1axiUsSwjnUdHHNxAzXYuqLEtkz/s800/Baby+Doll+Cheese+Pepperoni+Sausage+Whole.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIUGa8WqIbAH_jOanv3pBJkJ_EzvArqeo7dcA5wampvMBOLbe43J2mEfR-egLO5dDFXQk1M1rQsOF7T5lISo5gvdn4T3lYYWFGBvSqZntwujiPwfri1axiUsSwjnUdHHNxAzXYuqLEtkz/s400/Baby+Doll+Cheese+Pepperoni+Sausage+Whole.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of the big things that sets this pizza apart from its local competitors is the sauce. It's the first thing I tasted when biting into one of Baby Doll’s cheese slices, and it's excellent. Most other sauces on NY-style pizzas are too sweet, too salty, or overherbed (like most canned versions). Baby Doll prefers a sauce closer to fresh tomatoes. There's a little salt, fresh garlic, and basil in there, but not much. The organic California tomatoes really shine on their own, which is good, because most of the saltiness is delivered via the grated parmesan and the potently cheesy whole-milk mozzarella (which contains a small amount of buffalo milk, incidentally). I will say that the herbacity of the sauce has varied somewhat from one day to the next, but luckily never too far from the perfect notes hit on my first visit to the pizzeria.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk7HrT7bUQcLnEqoX-ASAn6veGaJnHDYBCgkkTIDoIsym9yPcrg7p2P5XBb14g9vqSgiZt6Tl6TBj02e01A1FtwVMtd55pzRs7lSA2VwIES9Yswy4KgFPABwBtK7pOXx5q-HsJBFCF6ZM/s800/Baby+Doll+Pepperoni+Sausage+Slice.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk7HrT7bUQcLnEqoX-ASAn6veGaJnHDYBCgkkTIDoIsym9yPcrg7p2P5XBb14g9vqSgiZt6Tl6TBj02e01A1FtwVMtd55pzRs7lSA2VwIES9Yswy4KgFPABwBtK7pOXx5q-HsJBFCF6ZM/s400/Baby+Doll+Pepperoni+Sausage+Slice.jpg" /></a></div>
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My order on that inaugural visit (which produced the photos you see here) included a whole pie: half cheese, half pepperoni and house sausage. While I preferred the cheese slices (if for no other reason than the sauce had less to compete with and therefore shined all the more), the meaty half of the pizza was no slouch. Their pepperoni was a bit on the mild side for me, but I liked their house sausage; it won’t give Apizza Scholls’s a run for its money, but it’s pleasantly porky and crumbled to cover the pie more evenly. A little more fennel seed would improve it further, because the best bites included that unmistakable hit of anise. This half of the pizza wasn't all that greasy, which really surprised me. Not even the curled-up pepperoni turned into the typical chalices of oil in the heat of the oven. It was nice not having to worry about a stream of grease running off the back of the folded slice and down my arm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzagR1Tne7uUtEjLRNPWylsjr_HRJ7re2Qwbtzox-qkAXIOq6P84R3U09btv3Wf7QoxNgmXaf8SzI898HC9qXxmCN5DX48bQAZCssAayNr6OQjh48ITo4Uyrja6oAw-lCX8OEA2KUECkO/s800/Baby+Doll+Side+Crust.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzagR1Tne7uUtEjLRNPWylsjr_HRJ7re2Qwbtzox-qkAXIOq6P84R3U09btv3Wf7QoxNgmXaf8SzI898HC9qXxmCN5DX48bQAZCssAayNr6OQjh48ITo4Uyrja6oAw-lCX8OEA2KUECkO/s400/Baby+Doll+Side+Crust.jpg" /></a></div>
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The weakest aspect of Baby Doll Pizza is clearly the crust, which is a standard, dense, bland affair. I wouldn't salt it any more than they already do, though, because the saltiness level of the pizza as a whole is pretty perfect as is. However I wouldn't blame you for not finishing these end crusts, because they're very bready and just not that interesting. The crust is the one thing keeping this pizza in the “very good” category instead of “great.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw9zXSKAErejPnd9EdMqx3O5Dhv_QV8EGeSRTmy7bj3dgnYUCkfy01dqn5jsttTMRU3NouljPTB0zGNAs782QnHb9Q1UB-vf9WIAcF7o9u3FVwY9fTSiB1qY-JChfGC8SL0sc5I_HyZhg/s800/Baby+Doll+Garlic+Knot.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw9zXSKAErejPnd9EdMqx3O5Dhv_QV8EGeSRTmy7bj3dgnYUCkfy01dqn5jsttTMRU3NouljPTB0zGNAs782QnHb9Q1UB-vf9WIAcF7o9u3FVwY9fTSiB1qY-JChfGC8SL0sc5I_HyZhg/s400/Baby+Doll+Garlic+Knot.jpg" /></a></div>
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Apparently, if you order a whole pizza, Baby Doll places a free garlic knot on the center of the pie to prevent the box from bowing and dipping into the cheese. I almost never order garlic knots because I want to save room for more slices, but I liked this one, mostly because it didn't taste like it was infused with garlic powder. A nice (and functional) addition to an already delicious meal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgDvTzBafcL5s-6M50bJqeVMSYIaPBexcWUU4X6Ym6DpUuBT6M0-bFbkTvUboc6TX11FD63OSiKFvJ3vlJiWJlXPXi9XMDKu5oRgN04vBAGy-jY2u-PJbH_5xjg5BGEjjeNGzrwIC4u9M/s800/Baby+Doll+Undercarriage.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgDvTzBafcL5s-6M50bJqeVMSYIaPBexcWUU4X6Ym6DpUuBT6M0-bFbkTvUboc6TX11FD63OSiKFvJ3vlJiWJlXPXi9XMDKu5oRgN04vBAGy-jY2u-PJbH_5xjg5BGEjjeNGzrwIC4u9M/s400/Baby+Doll+Undercarriage.jpg" /></a></div>
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Like pretty much all pizza, Baby Doll’s slices suffer considerably once they’ve cooled down and been reheated. The sauce in particular takes the biggest hit; once it reaches room temperature it comes off far more herbed than it does hot. But that’s a weakness of every pizza I’ve ever eaten, so Baby Doll should not be singled out for it. To-go slices are similarly less impressive than slices from a freshly baked whole pie, so go big when you can, and remember the words of someone wiser than myself (I’m paraphrasing here because I cannot remember where it originated): “Pizza starts dying as soon as it leaves the oven.”<br />
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New York-style pizza is not a rarity in Portland, but good New York-style pizza? That’s something special. Baby Doll Pizza, even with a boring crust, has raised the (admittedly low) bar on this style of pizza here. If you’re ordering a whole pie, it worth going out of your way for.<br />
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<b>OVEN:</b> Gas<br />
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<b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Cheese pizza, house sausage pizza<br />
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<b>Addendum (10/21/13): Many subsequent visits to Baby Doll have proved just how wildly inconsistent it is. Some days the pizza is terrific, other days very mediocre. More often than not the pizza's good, but I recently took some pizza-loving friends on their inaugural visit and our pie was really disappointing. Over-cheesed, limp crust...just not the Baby Doll I tout as the best NY-style pizza in Portland. I really want you to succeed, but you gotta step it up, guys.</b></div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-28458441793423349362013-04-09T12:26:00.003-07:002013-04-12T15:22:12.847-07:00Impressions: Lovely's Fifty-Fifty (ala Sarah Minnick)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><a href="http://lovelysfiftyfifty.com/">Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty</a></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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4039 N Mississippi Ave<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Portland, OR 97217<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
(503) 281-4060<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2G3VVyE6MTyGbrpLtHOA5SVCFvjHRp7ZRsBXxI7UVasvJvYEPV7cAD5Uz8iJNO8QGFgAO3zXyXa-vb9a6T2LD2ZP_FaNFX9kvSKBZfq8TXQfFyrM9ugQA-MQ5D8J9I86iZUEfWJOLHws/s1600/IMG_3057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2G3VVyE6MTyGbrpLtHOA5SVCFvjHRp7ZRsBXxI7UVasvJvYEPV7cAD5Uz8iJNO8QGFgAO3zXyXa-vb9a6T2LD2ZP_FaNFX9kvSKBZfq8TXQfFyrM9ugQA-MQ5D8J9I86iZUEfWJOLHws/s400/IMG_3057.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i>(NOTE: This is an update of a previous review; see the original <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2010/01/impressions-lovelys-fifty-fifty.html">here</a>.)</i></div>
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You may or may not know it, depending on how obsessively
you follow restaurant news, but longtime Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty (and prior to
that, Lovely Hula Hands) chef <b>Jimmy Albee</b> left his heralded post last year,
much to dismay of those who, like me, considered the restaurant one of the
finest pizzerias in the city. The big question on my mind: <b>Would the quality of
the pizza at Lovely’s suffer in his absence?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Early reports from friends and colleagues answered with a
resounding YES. I’ll spare the specific invectives, but suffice it to say that
my hopes for keeping Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty on the list of can’t-miss pizzerias
in Portland were on life support at best, and six feet under at worst.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few months later, I started hearing a different tune on
the wind. <b>“The pizza’s good. Real good,”</b> a friend assured me. “You’ve gotta go
try it again.” Through <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2011/10/impressions-pizza-depokos-ala-will-fain.html">Handsome Pizza</a> owner <b>Will Fain</b>, I met a young chef named
<b>Matt Kedzie</b>, who has been manning the oven at Lovely’s for quite a while. Matt
informed me that Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty co-owner <b>Sarah Minnick</b> was heading up the
kitchen now and that the crust had undergone a major transformation: it was now
<b>100% naturally leavened</b>. Specifically, Minnick was using a sourdough starter
(also known as a “levain”) in place of commercial yeast. True sourdough crusts
in Portland are a rarity, so I knew it was time to take the Lovely’s
Fifty-Fifty Mark II plunge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What a relief, then, that the pizza actually turned out
to be great. While quite different from Albee’s (both the crust and sauce have noticeably changed), Minnick’s pizza is still very much worthy of your time
and money.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclWW1JizGGR-FFjVTLDkLh-2dsrEEgQaobt1wcs3OD-SaBnjBliixLLMHJhgA8d9pbol3HhJxfFVMkX7RJ37AZo9naUpnI2CX2fIdn639g974xleUkbumg99tHJuthpoBTZB1Pspr2HWv/s1600/IMG_3060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclWW1JizGGR-FFjVTLDkLh-2dsrEEgQaobt1wcs3OD-SaBnjBliixLLMHJhgA8d9pbol3HhJxfFVMkX7RJ37AZo9naUpnI2CX2fIdn639g974xleUkbumg99tHJuthpoBTZB1Pspr2HWv/s400/IMG_3060.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Take the crust, the biggest step in evolution from the Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty
of old. By the end of his tenure at the restaurant, Albee’s crust had evolved
into an enormously puffy thing around the rim, filled with gaping caverns and
tenuous strands of gluten stretching from top to bottom like stalactites and
stalagmites meeting in the middle. Minnick’s crust, by contrast, is far less
airy, though by no means flat or dense. Break it open, hold it up to your nose,
and inhale, and you’ll catch the <b>faintly sour scent of the levain</b>; it’s quite
wonderful. Bite into it and the sourdough makes itself known without slamming
your tongue with a vinegar freight train like, say, a loaf from any bakery
along San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Profoundly different from their
previous crust, but just as good, for separate reasons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While the crust has increased in complexity, the tomato
sauce has been simplified. The previous iteration was a blend of San Marzanos
and California 6-in-1s, along with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Minnick scaled
back to just the San Marzanos, olive oil, and salt, resulting in a <b>brighter and
lighter sauce overall</b> that pairs better with the new sourdough crust.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UdsTqIaOcaYg4OnxJKkORUoi95N13lxk_GB8l78g1ulkz0vCmk-0KTgmHc27WR6n7fnmdUVmYZu3EGQ_1rIBLP8fAYBa44VQKvEr0TVUlZMdnRFADQVTb1TPrvo3neh4vY8f6LpjN4a3/s1600/IMG_3056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UdsTqIaOcaYg4OnxJKkORUoi95N13lxk_GB8l78g1ulkz0vCmk-0KTgmHc27WR6n7fnmdUVmYZu3EGQ_1rIBLP8fAYBa44VQKvEr0TVUlZMdnRFADQVTb1TPrvo3neh4vY8f6LpjN4a3/s400/IMG_3056.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Were I a bottomless pit of cash I would have tried every
pie on the new menu, but because I’m still waiting for a financial windfall I
only tried the <b>housemade fennel sausage pizza with braising greens and rosemary</b>
($16). It was excellent. World-class sausage spiked with pepper and fennel
seems to be a particular strength of Portland pizzerias (see Apizza Scholls and
Kindle Kart for just two phenomenal examples), and Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty’s
version maintains this high standard. I’ve had rosemary on plenty of white pies
before, but never to my knowledge on a red sauce pizza, and I
thought it was a splendid foil for the rich, porky hunks of sausage. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The big surprise of this pie came from the braising
greens, a mix of various leafy vegetables such as collard and mustard greens.
Collard greens from most barbecue joints are a good comparison, as <b>certain bites
were dominated by the flavors of that classic Southern dish</b>. Again, not a
flavor I would have expected to find on a sausage pie with red sauce, but one
that made me wish more pizzerias would give it a chance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Minnick’s creativity with toppings and her desire to
branch out from the norm has sparked some controversy in the decision whether
or not to include a Margherita on the menu. In an <a href="http://pdx.eater.com/archives/2012/05/08/lovelys-fiftyfiftys-sarah-minnick-and-jimmy-albee.php">interview with Eater PDX</a> last
May, she stated, “We have an ongoing debate about the Margherita, and I’m so
tempted to take it off the menu. It’s one of the most ordered pizzas, but I
feel bad when people order two Margheritas because it’s so sad, I want them to
get a different one, there are so many other delicious pizzas to get.” In the
absence of Albee, the presumed dissenter here, <b>the kitchen has gone ahead and
cut the Margherita from the menu</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
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While I fully sympathize with Minnick’s frustration
toward diners who order two of the same pizza, I do wish the Margherita hadn’t
been stricken from the menu entirely. The Margherita is the benchmark pizza
many pizza geeks like me measure against other pizzerias’ versions, and I’m
sure I’m not the only one who’ll be disappointed to see that it’s been banished
here. That said, <b>I’ll wager the kitchen will make you one if you ask nicely for
it.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
I worried Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty would forever falter with
former pizzaiolo Albee’s departure, but based on this meal, the kitchen is in
very good hands. If you’ve been putting off a return visit here, or even a
first visit, wait no longer. Lovely’s is great once again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>OVEN:</b> Wood<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Housemade fennel sausage with braising greens and rosemary<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-14757567668435028772012-09-26T11:45:00.001-07:002013-04-12T15:22:31.028-07:00Impressions: Dove Vivi<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><a href="http://dovevivipizza.com/">Dove Vivi</a></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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2727 NE Glisan St.</div>
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Portland, OR 97232</div>
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(503) 239-4444</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0WmoScmoPUzfd9cNawc0dTDdFCaSS71ctaJuPIxIywW5VTHoPzYgK6TCXLl729_ENX8hvVXVGregDoQt1k5r_xiLlUDgSR4JMZ6nkszMrbCQsIqewzfSeYngFrIQi9IYzCBDVhPJCTbD/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Front.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0WmoScmoPUzfd9cNawc0dTDdFCaSS71ctaJuPIxIywW5VTHoPzYgK6TCXLl729_ENX8hvVXVGregDoQt1k5r_xiLlUDgSR4JMZ6nkszMrbCQsIqewzfSeYngFrIQi9IYzCBDVhPJCTbD/s400/Dove+Vivi+Front.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs: Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Typically, using the words “cornmeal” and “pizza” in the
same sentence is a surefire way to send my attention scurrying elsewhere. It
isn’t that I dislike deep-dish pizza, it’s just that I’ve never had one that I
thought was anywhere near comparable in quality to pizza made with a dough of
traditional wheat flour and yeast. Part of the problem comes with comparing the two in
the first place, the crowbar separation between conventional pizza and
deep-dish pies--particularly those of the Chicago persuasion--and the
generalization of lumping it all together. And while Dove Vivi doesn’t
revolutionize cornmeal crust pizza, it takes it in a direction that, for the
most part, I find preferable to most deep-dish gut bombs and their ilk.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Perhaps the most important distinction between a regular
cornmeal crust pizza and the crust served at Dove Vivi is that Dove Vivi’s
crust is not, in fact, strictly cornmeal. Rather, it’s a blend of cornmeal and
Shepherd’s Grain wheat flour, well-salted and buttery in flavor. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41Mq4bXL4LPu8Y1fCvIi3kkoYF55ZXeYgec1gV0wlImPaHcLpz-JIGGV4fqFSD78uaa7hkYQxDNzEpvMwUS09gpwuTDuZC9NYgjDHrUNN6fB2wmFjnxl7HrFOXatxPKAWfRnO7sN5jDer/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Crust+Side.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41Mq4bXL4LPu8Y1fCvIi3kkoYF55ZXeYgec1gV0wlImPaHcLpz-JIGGV4fqFSD78uaa7hkYQxDNzEpvMwUS09gpwuTDuZC9NYgjDHrUNN6fB2wmFjnxl7HrFOXatxPKAWfRnO7sN5jDer/s400/Dove+Vivi+Crust+Side.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yoG5gk5Ima99c1xT7_tZA3vAYNfhyphenhyphenIlomTDrQX1dXdlpjjLkr9sw7cwI3Y4Zey44CtP50ADmWecZjWEcmdT4Gjj77ZCDR4oLSCFcU0GKyw7oyp1gu65RQJlh4DNpik0rywDVs6N-38ps/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Crust+Cross+Section.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yoG5gk5Ima99c1xT7_tZA3vAYNfhyphenhyphenIlomTDrQX1dXdlpjjLkr9sw7cwI3Y4Zey44CtP50ADmWecZjWEcmdT4Gjj77ZCDR4oLSCFcU0GKyw7oyp1gu65RQJlh4DNpik0rywDVs6N-38ps/s400/Dove+Vivi+Crust+Cross+Section.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSr8UfMqFtDOjJ-uv1yi8of-FR2jmL1FP8HTQx0GIoZrCnnjaq9Tvdj5dJMVMY6uLNjEguJxEDBUGkBpJE0z7TKv11qDdMPdz_gL_ZeHAGu0QxmAC-eegDk0eChvOC8Ir25VJ_iihKilVy/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Crust+Bottom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSr8UfMqFtDOjJ-uv1yi8of-FR2jmL1FP8HTQx0GIoZrCnnjaq9Tvdj5dJMVMY6uLNjEguJxEDBUGkBpJE0z7TKv11qDdMPdz_gL_ZeHAGu0QxmAC-eegDk0eChvOC8Ir25VJ_iihKilVy/s400/Dove+Vivi+Crust+Bottom.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
It’s a great crust. And it should be, given that owners
Gavin and Delane Blackstock are the third generation to make use of it; it has
been passed down to them after serving time in San Francisco’s Vicolo and
L.A.’s Zelo restaurants. Dove Vivi parbakes over 100 of them (which start out
as 19-ounce balls of dough) in an oven cranked to 600 degrees ahead of the
dinner hour, as you can see when you walk in the door:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA77W0ungTONLbq-kCq7Cq9hZt2LWsMutAfTKHlDTIZmuImmOeO46PWAbXK2dwbJ8KzNftMuBKvEIY3_pBi4NUzLqiouZi6rv2SCKnkjbwbN0QUEnY0hk-_yPcFbVcoYDmMMJxWpXav0IY/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Parbaked+Crusts.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA77W0ungTONLbq-kCq7Cq9hZt2LWsMutAfTKHlDTIZmuImmOeO46PWAbXK2dwbJ8KzNftMuBKvEIY3_pBi4NUzLqiouZi6rv2SCKnkjbwbN0QUEnY0hk-_yPcFbVcoYDmMMJxWpXav0IY/s400/Dove+Vivi+Parbaked+Crusts.jpeg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Those beauties then get baked for up to 15 additional
minutes when the toppings are piled in. The result has the soft, chewy interior
of homemade shortbread and the crunchy exterior of cornbread cooked in a
cast-iron skillet. It doesn’t crumble like cornbread, though, maintaining its
structure and withstanding the not-insubstantial payload of toppings admirably.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
So now that we’ve established that this is a crust worthy
of your time, what about what goes in the crust? Is that any good? Well, it
really depends on the pizza.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAJaegdO79fbqgt5xACekGBC4X9KHycER8XpaFLVxMlylFdWFAhcjIvCJL7F0Qzdf0mUfnlrcKt_gXQek57CXIw5w0yuBJfrS4_1Aojty2Fvm3N3yByoiHUgX1yJJOV6yYLH9a740DENZ/s1600/dove-vivi-pizza-in-pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAJaegdO79fbqgt5xACekGBC4X9KHycER8XpaFLVxMlylFdWFAhcjIvCJL7F0Qzdf0mUfnlrcKt_gXQek57CXIw5w0yuBJfrS4_1Aojty2Fvm3N3yByoiHUgX1yJJOV6yYLH9a740DENZ/s400/dove-vivi-pizza-in-pan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
What sounded great on paper but didn’t come off nearly as
well as I’d hoped was the Sausage & Peppers pizza (all pizzas are 12” and
are priced at $4.25/slice, $11.50/half, $22.50/whole). For this pie, Dove Vivi
fills that wonderful crust with aged mozzarella, house-made fennel sausage,
caramelized onions, marinated green peppers, and tomato sauce. I wasn’t kidding
when I said it sounded great, was I?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTzVhMrptdhJ14_2NZwLnsDNhr54ToPqJ-mdtAjQh2f4A1oBLmRu3cSL5nj_bdfED9MR4HIPLZFJVkftwCg9gFPo1Gm0s5JfAt1kG7cj2Ho45E7gIUNMNSyTPdhNYhdTJq9c3-f3jyM5_/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Sausage+Peppers+Slice.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTzVhMrptdhJ14_2NZwLnsDNhr54ToPqJ-mdtAjQh2f4A1oBLmRu3cSL5nj_bdfED9MR4HIPLZFJVkftwCg9gFPo1Gm0s5JfAt1kG7cj2Ho45E7gIUNMNSyTPdhNYhdTJq9c3-f3jyM5_/s400/Dove+Vivi+Sausage+Peppers+Slice.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
Unfortunately, the pie, as prepared on this visit, wanted for flavor. The large,
bright red hunks of tomato that comprised the “sauce” were heavily herbed and
had a stewed quality to them, but I was surprised to find that they really
didn’t taste like much. It felt as though everything about the flavors in the tomatoes--the
acidity, the brightness, even the herbs--had been toned down. Same goes for the sausage, which despite the ample
presence of fennel seeds could barely shout over the competing toppings. The
onions, when plucked and eaten separately from the slice, had a nice softness
and mild sweetness to them, but caramelized they were not; more like heavily
sweated (see the fennel sausage & onions pizza at <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-kens-artisan-pizza.html">Ken's</a> for properly
caramelized onions). I liked that the green peppers were marinated to lessen both the crunch and the sometimes-too-bitter-for-me overtones of raw green
peppers, but yet again, there just wasn't much flavor there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK66H-Eqa3Tsf0fWCrvXWLSyQ5a8yL04ZQq-6q0wuSiNumiWqNBBVE2FtqV7KLRucYrSqGx8sLUb7H6QYr4443w2dN-GungEXQoFaI3xWo28dAGcqUFoz5IySM5BUY2jzSVkfQDTH7CRfq/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Goat+Cheese+Slice.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK66H-Eqa3Tsf0fWCrvXWLSyQ5a8yL04ZQq-6q0wuSiNumiWqNBBVE2FtqV7KLRucYrSqGx8sLUb7H6QYr4443w2dN-GungEXQoFaI3xWo28dAGcqUFoz5IySM5BUY2jzSVkfQDTH7CRfq/s400/Dove+Vivi+Goat+Cheese+Slice.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
The same could not be said for the Goat Cheese pizza,
which got just about everything right. Goat cheese and mozzarella comprised the
bulk of the toppings, and while that sounds like the very definition of rich
& heavy, it wasn’t overwhelmingly so. Sure, there’s quite a lot of goat
cheese on each of these slices, but it pairs very well with the crust and its
richness is cut by the acids in the huge slab of marinated tomato resting over
the slice. That tomato triumphed where the tomato “sauce” on the Sausage &
Peppers pizza failed: it was juicy, bright, and a little sweet. A
better foil for thick, creamy goat cheese you couldn’t ask for. The marinated
green peppers made a second appearance here, bringing only the same muted
flavors they brought to the Sausage & Peppers pizza, but the addition
of rosemary was a subtle touch that added some complexity to this pizza’s
flavor profile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH8ZVBnhUbkzPVnNCFhrQBg_jHDXriQoiij8s-uijebmhIEx2dLqzOdT00JTLKlTLSE5EU068Nj5W7pY1JHlJdRNM0mB1vv5zr4Ng2KdzSNwh8G6gIDbZ15-WhPG65ZmOkBto7-GvoCHo/s1600/Dove+Vivi+Sign.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH8ZVBnhUbkzPVnNCFhrQBg_jHDXriQoiij8s-uijebmhIEx2dLqzOdT00JTLKlTLSE5EU068Nj5W7pY1JHlJdRNM0mB1vv5zr4Ng2KdzSNwh8G6gIDbZ15-WhPG65ZmOkBto7-GvoCHo/s400/Dove+Vivi+Sign.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
This is hearty, hearty pizza, about half the thickness of
Chicago-style pizza but just as filling (two slices will do most people in). I
appreciate the way Dove Vivi embraces unusual toppings, because let’s be
honest, this is unusual pizza that probably won’t scratch your “pizza itch,”
although it is certainly satisfying. I for one am looking forward to returning
for the pie with fresh sweet corn and smoked mozzarella.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>OVEN: </b>Gas<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>RECOMMENDED: </b>Goat Cheese pizza<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p><i>Additional Reading: <a href="http://pdx.eater.com/archives/2012/05/07/dove-vivis-delane-blackstock-deep-dishes-on-crust.php">Interview with Delane Blackstock on Eater PDX</a></i></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-30002488330340572822012-09-08T19:15:00.003-07:002013-04-12T15:23:21.008-07:00Impressions: Serious Pizza Plus<br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>Serious Pizza Plus</b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
244 Robert Gray Drive SW</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Ilwaco, WA 98624</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
(360) 642-3060</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJwfCtwCWODmt9AjS2_ONOZrv-WKRL2C5ByFIqd_AKjZ5rtnw3sdgiGaVt2lON-mOurOiOxxjHx85Kdx6W_gdBMvZCUHWwIih2J8AEa1rWMMiH1WndgbWucQhk0VJDnSoNWvWSAGhtH-K/s1600/IMG_4564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJwfCtwCWODmt9AjS2_ONOZrv-WKRL2C5ByFIqd_AKjZ5rtnw3sdgiGaVt2lON-mOurOiOxxjHx85Kdx6W_gdBMvZCUHWwIih2J8AEa1rWMMiH1WndgbWucQhk0VJDnSoNWvWSAGhtH-K/s400/IMG_4564.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs: Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Growing up in a small town in the southwest corner of
Washington State on a 28-mile finger of land known as the Long Beach Peninsula
meant one thing as a pizza-lover: <b>pure misery</b>. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Many tried to bring pizza to our tiny string of hamlets
over the years, but no one did it successfully, and only one spot (Chico’s,
which maybe I’ll review someday if I’m bored) has really survived the harsh
economic reality of business on the Long Beach Peninsula: three months of feast
thanks to summertime tourists galore and nine months of famine in a cold
rain-and-sea-spray-soaked vellum. In fact, with the exception of the inimitably
good maple bars at the Cottage Bakery in downtown Long Beach, I have zero
recollection of any great <i>food </i>ever being served to me in a restaurant on the
peninsula during my youth, let alone great <i>pizza</i>. The sad fact is that a drive
across the river into Astoria, Oregon, was a real treat, because it meant a
visit to Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut! That’s how dire the culinary scene was (and, to
a large degree, remains) in Long Beach.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWRT01ZA3n52eBTujiiaC6_m1xvJkMabimGx_4DGJzEf6jAN1toEQibl76-iNSXfH7yVDas_2yQOHnVbcONoa4ek1R_L98nRKCx7Hke7h0lKU8OoUWo4R0Vkflqg3oyRsJXbax4b6-8jO/s1600/IMG_4611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWRT01ZA3n52eBTujiiaC6_m1xvJkMabimGx_4DGJzEf6jAN1toEQibl76-iNSXfH7yVDas_2yQOHnVbcONoa4ek1R_L98nRKCx7Hke7h0lKU8OoUWo4R0Vkflqg3oyRsJXbax4b6-8jO/s400/IMG_4611.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
So imagine my surprise when I heard that someone had
opened a tiny food stand in my old hometown. And not just a food stand, but one serving pizza. And not just any pizza, but wood-fired pizza. My mind
could barely compute this information; black was white, up was down, left was
right. I knew I had to try Serious Pizza Plus as soon as possible.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyoyNFyD0PxSMTqzNG3UVCUFadHwr-aLPwFW8oi8yYWyPKQ3-0weVYNTuXW6CjWM-MqqNhrufPKha69kyUQDKAnxZJRA6NmCnDhnemAAtCOZR2C8Fa3Lid6SZi67QGNhhal2FmiNdBbno/s1600/IMG_4546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyoyNFyD0PxSMTqzNG3UVCUFadHwr-aLPwFW8oi8yYWyPKQ3-0weVYNTuXW6CjWM-MqqNhrufPKha69kyUQDKAnxZJRA6NmCnDhnemAAtCOZR2C8Fa3Lid6SZi67QGNhhal2FmiNdBbno/s400/IMG_4546.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
My first attempt did not go successfully; Serious Pizza
Plus is not open in the winter months, which makes sense, given that it’s smack
dab in the middle of beautiful <a href="http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=cape%20disappointment">Cape Disappointment State Park</a>’s campground.
Its business relies mainly on walk-up orders from the surrounding campers, and
few visitors prefer to spend their Decembers shuddering in a tent a stone’s
throw from the frothing maw of the Pacific Ocean.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
A recent July afternoon visit, however, proved fruitful,
with owner Jim Chrietzberg and his wife Chi taking orders and
making pies as fast as they could for the impressive crowd out front. While I
stood around snapping photos, I can’t tell you how many people came up to Jim
after finishing their meal to tell him how wonderful the food was and how they
were going to return that evening for dinner. The Chrietzbergs have done a
fantastic job of culling the affection of park regulars (this is their third
year at the site) with their relaxed and friendly demeanor, the obvious
pleasure they take in what they do, and their actual pizza, of course.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4k5ZNzt3PYvDjUhtSwyJYXXW1SE0quxtszIFmUN9kSypUQFzC5GxLvNypj_mqgbwpEjHkzxcL1C6Pbm1FvbMV8p1pOTc1VFfyEWI-lOADqBzR_lVOwWfOTbuwRrSvbRc3UgXORYELVv8_/s1600/IMG_4570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4k5ZNzt3PYvDjUhtSwyJYXXW1SE0quxtszIFmUN9kSypUQFzC5GxLvNypj_mqgbwpEjHkzxcL1C6Pbm1FvbMV8p1pOTc1VFfyEWI-lOADqBzR_lVOwWfOTbuwRrSvbRc3UgXORYELVv8_/s400/IMG_4570.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Oh yes, the <i>pizza</i>, that’s what you’re here to read about,
isn’t it? Well rest assured, this pizza stand in an out-of-the-way state park
is no mere gimmick: Jim and Chi are putting out the real deal. This is good-quality wood-fired pizza made from a properly salted, fermented dough that gets a
lightly charred and crisp exterior that crackles audibly as it gives way to its
soft crumb. The tomato sauce has a bright quality to it and a hint of
garlic, and the fresh mozzarella is appropriately milky and properly melted
(a point I note after my experience at <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2012/07/una-pizza-napoletana-210-11th-street.html">Una Pizza Napoletana</a>). With the final addition
of basil chiffonade this becomes one solid <b>Margherita </b>($20), not just good for
a state park, but good for anywhere. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH1OwrwzH9ukv1wal4LBuZgXMkVnM0viHy6hen1l9uSHAXfOgCoAxQFYlxseS1dVvGPLt9I5FwfoLFAIYI5q2WtFl6Mc1W-gQ4iyBBUyvbzRyTRq84OdnuZtZKbhtI_7UI2SCDddcN7Kd/s1600/IMG_4582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH1OwrwzH9ukv1wal4LBuZgXMkVnM0viHy6hen1l9uSHAXfOgCoAxQFYlxseS1dVvGPLt9I5FwfoLFAIYI5q2WtFl6Mc1W-gQ4iyBBUyvbzRyTRq84OdnuZtZKbhtI_7UI2SCDddcN7Kd/s400/IMG_4582.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pies come in two sizes: single-serving 8-inch and
feed-the-family 15-inch. Most of the larger pizzas run $20-$25, and yes, they
can do half-and-half. Unless you have a favorite, half-and-half is the way to
go if you want to have any hope of getting through the substantial menu before
the season ends. Also, the 8-inch pies, quite frankly, are only going to leave
you hungry and send you back in line for a second pizza.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUwAFQ_i46AXZUbmfAAIFsXY8LZFY3qQnlXo7oowow0FRs5M9z1V72ujIR4IUFwNGS5xvQzeBtKWhFOXKuhC0mtZCJ70lzJPKOqX8Ja5izlrGHqDPx7CAOOobMdfnMWaGukqm3K_5ryYW/s1600/IMG_4658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUwAFQ_i46AXZUbmfAAIFsXY8LZFY3qQnlXo7oowow0FRs5M9z1V72ujIR4IUFwNGS5xvQzeBtKWhFOXKuhC0mtZCJ70lzJPKOqX8Ja5izlrGHqDPx7CAOOobMdfnMWaGukqm3K_5ryYW/s400/IMG_4658.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Beyond the Margherita, I also sampled the Earth Pie, the
Pepperoni, and the Meat Lover. The <b>Earth Pie</b> ($23) would never have been my
first choice at any pizzeria, simply because of the addition of raw sliced
tomatoes, but Jim gave it his strongest recommendation, so I bit. The thickly sliced tomatoes adorn a base of garlic, olive oil,
balsamic vinegar, gorgonzola, red onions, and basil. With Jim’s suggestion
to sprinkle a little sea salt over the tomatoes, the pie became more than
palatable; it was actually quite delicious. Texturally I still find it somewhat
awkward to eat sliced tomatoes on a pizza, but the palate of flavors presented
with them on this pie makes it worthwhile.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOiBHOPZ2CwIW3yJujANKjRj3p_zoaDlcHSl1iYz0YFlZpyBxKclRl0T0i_lonOu1fl0RMnc9XiFRoy3_bNnTGFQ1GIaD-_GGHhd2fqbYnnPvb7mmFGyX79XSS7voA4ePx1I71_DoImXW/s1600/IMG_4664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOiBHOPZ2CwIW3yJujANKjRj3p_zoaDlcHSl1iYz0YFlZpyBxKclRl0T0i_lonOu1fl0RMnc9XiFRoy3_bNnTGFQ1GIaD-_GGHhd2fqbYnnPvb7mmFGyX79XSS7voA4ePx1I71_DoImXW/s400/IMG_4664.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It’s been a while since I've had as good an interpretation
of the classic <b>Pepperoni Pizza</b> ($21) as the one I had at Serious Pizza Plus.
The key here is good pepperoni that actually has some heat to it, without being
overwhelmingly spicy. I also prefer my pepperoni sliced paper thin; that way it
crisps up in the oven and doesn’t transform into goblets of grease (I also like
that kind of pepperoni, by the way, just not as much). There’s a lot of flavor
packed into those salty, oily discs, which is why this was far and away my
favorite pie of the day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ8CtQkp7QtkUFOgzFvQ7Q5Vqq7es9oLHdO4wbMiNzPzv0R3oTIhcoaW_GuyhQj3L3XpjExy3KFQNQ3-ecgGQLL93hUhu3XvX7DdsZsZXwH9x02KcJfy7f1LqS33JEan12a_5m4u7D6zP/s1600/IMG_4671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ8CtQkp7QtkUFOgzFvQ7Q5Vqq7es9oLHdO4wbMiNzPzv0R3oTIhcoaW_GuyhQj3L3XpjExy3KFQNQ3-ecgGQLL93hUhu3XvX7DdsZsZXwH9x02KcJfy7f1LqS33JEan12a_5m4u7D6zP/s400/IMG_4671.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The pepperoni makes another appearance on the <b>Meat Lover</b>
($25), though it’s half-hidden beneath a smattering of sausage, Canadian bacon, red
onions, olives, and fresh mushrooms. I don’t mind “supreme” pizzas but they’re
never my favorite, and while I think the simplicity of the Pepperoni pizza
surpasses this pie, it’s still well executed and very much worth your time and
money, if this is the style you crave.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGOuySz6gf_D7TIIbVRiuz3xmL-nNW0eZc7LRK23BBaOOTBh1im91pOSKSi6wiF-3oHsRXTEDZ7fXpz7tUT5mMvBYY6Hm2OEcCtnmm3rkzaI6mny_Q_lFtgMRGhOlwHGsrMOEGRiX5KZ3/s1600/IMG_4673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGOuySz6gf_D7TIIbVRiuz3xmL-nNW0eZc7LRK23BBaOOTBh1im91pOSKSi6wiF-3oHsRXTEDZ7fXpz7tUT5mMvBYY6Hm2OEcCtnmm3rkzaI6mny_Q_lFtgMRGhOlwHGsrMOEGRiX5KZ3/s400/IMG_4673.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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A perusal of the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/serious-pizza-plus-ilwaco">User Reviews</a> on Yelp (a site comparable
to a rupturing wart but the only source of online information I could find for
this place) reveals that “the best pizza I’ve ever had” is not an uncommon
reaction to Serious Pizza Plus, especially for Southwest Washingtonians. It’s
obvious why. Long Beach set the bar ludicrously low long ago, but the
Chrietzbergs weren’t content with maintaining the status quo, and they have
singlehandedly surpassed decades of competition without batting an eye.</div>
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<b>OVEN:</b> Wood</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Large Pepperoni Pizza</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>NOTE: A <a href="http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/">Discover Pass</a> is required for parking in Cape
Disappointment State Park, but if you’re only there to order/pick-up pizza, don’t bother stopping at the ranger’s station; just drive right through, park
in the short-term parking, grab your pie, and split.</i></div>
<br />Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-15900900240048398342012-07-04T09:17:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:23:47.148-07:00Impressions: Una Pizza Napoletana<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><a href="http://www.unapizza.com/sf/">Una Pizza Napoletana</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">210 11th Street<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">San Francisco, CA 94103<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(415) 861-3444<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaa3UU2UpJyC0LyUCGCEsk6u1qR7c98IJQDM-YT3zaZkDu36YWHaQa8jV68aBmPhBTJNIKLNv7F13ONspYQJjXJj6be260tUvrJybrvxu8aKQqHoRy6ST7s9ChwK7toXmzQQcCTCqUEpX/s1600/una-pizza-napoletana-exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaa3UU2UpJyC0LyUCGCEsk6u1qR7c98IJQDM-YT3zaZkDu36YWHaQa8jV68aBmPhBTJNIKLNv7F13ONspYQJjXJj6be260tUvrJybrvxu8aKQqHoRy6ST7s9ChwK7toXmzQQcCTCqUEpX/s400/una-pizza-napoletana-exterior.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs: Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I briefly met Anthony Mangieri <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-ny-pizza-adventure-part-1-piemans.html">in 2009</a>, right after he
sold the New York location of the much-lauded Una Pizza Napoletana (UPN) to
Mathieu Palombino (he of <a href="http://motorinopizza.com/">Motorino</a> fame). Mangieri was manning the oven for a
Serious Eats event while Palombino made the actual pies, so despite being in
the same room with him, I still hadn’t had his pizza, not really.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fast-forward to a 2012 trip to San Francisco (my
honeymoon, actually). Mangieri had by then moved UPN to the West Coast and
continued to reign as undisputed king of the United States’ Neapolitan pizza
scene. On this particular visit, I wanted to eat at Una Pizza
Napoletana more than any other restaurant, and it finally happened. Yes, it was
good. Great, even. <b>But I couldn’t help but leave disappointed.</b> And I’ll tell
you why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQw-xjZLoY-dYITfn4c-4kCy-_iiJAbRUVilJQeWhXwRRwsBgHFiHVfgPek15XCXljr1SOhA6VuPSM1R-x6DJoPASVNbqvBGau0M_ILyw9i9-VNnSqJfClgbHTGV2JrhzbHfeNSf_AsBNH/s1600/una-pizza-napoletana-anthony-mangieri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQw-xjZLoY-dYITfn4c-4kCy-_iiJAbRUVilJQeWhXwRRwsBgHFiHVfgPek15XCXljr1SOhA6VuPSM1R-x6DJoPASVNbqvBGau0M_ILyw9i9-VNnSqJfClgbHTGV2JrhzbHfeNSf_AsBNH/s400/una-pizza-napoletana-anthony-mangieri.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the years between 2009 and 2012, I have eaten a lot of
authentic Neapolitan pizza. And I mean a lot of it. There are certainly degrees
of quality from one location to the next, but generally most places attempting
to do authentic Neapolitan pizza hit pretty close to the mark. But even the
very best places I tried (<a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-ny-pizza-adventure-part-3-keste.html">Keste</a> in New York City comes to mind) couldn’t
definitively best my favorite non-Neapolitan pizzas across the country
(<a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/impressions-pizzeria-bianco.html">Pizzeria Bianco</a> in Phoenix, <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-kens-artisan-pizza.html">Ken's</a> or <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-apizza-scholls.html">Apizza Scholls</a> here in Portland, or <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-ny-pizza-adventure-part-2-di-fara.html">Di Fara</a> in New York, for example). Given that
UPN receives so much praise from pizza aficionados year after year while Keste
receives far less, I
assumed that Mangieri must put out a product that's clearly of a much higher
caliber.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Based on this visit, <b>I would have to say he doesn't.</b> At least not in 2012 with all of today's competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before you spew your cola all over your keyboard, let me
first assure you that the pizza at UPN <i>is</i> of the highest caliber. By that I
mean that it was as good as any Neapolitan pizza I’ve ever eaten--<i>but no
better</i>. Everything about the pizza was excellent, but then so is the pizza at
Keste. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What I’m trying to say is that I had hoped with all my
heart that Mangieri would take Neapolitan pizza to a higher level, and he
didn’t, and because of that, I was disappointed. I was disappointed because it
confirms for me, at least without leaving the country, that <b>Neapolitan pizza has flown as high as it can go</b>. It is not
the zenith of pizza.*</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With all that said, let’s talk about the actual pizza.
Make no mistake, it is very, very good. At <b>$20 a pop</b>, I couldn’t really afford
to try more than two, but two pizzas are plenty for two people, especially
because most of the pizzas on the menu are only slight variations of the
others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZHYFO6ICEcMVWcFILHKitUtvMTbGeTMzXkUgsqT5b5ePiAOGCWDHEIKdQHUmi5LM2Lp84y4khasoKw6TEfPNYmr2sFaiCuzemAv-g3EqqAOa8cWbi6N-ah3_w6fV3o_Hs2ohQVmQZAnI/s1600/una+pizza+napoletana+margherita+top.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZHYFO6ICEcMVWcFILHKitUtvMTbGeTMzXkUgsqT5b5ePiAOGCWDHEIKdQHUmi5LM2Lp84y4khasoKw6TEfPNYmr2sFaiCuzemAv-g3EqqAOa8cWbi6N-ah3_w6fV3o_Hs2ohQVmQZAnI/s400/una+pizza+napoletana+margherita+top.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I started with the <b>Margherita</b>, and a gorgeous Margherita
it was. Beautiful blistered cornicione, vibrant and fresh-tasting tomato sauce,
and milky buffalo mozzarella. I do wish there was more basil, but what was
there accomplished its given task. It arrives uncut, one of my pizza pet
peeves, but given that Mangieri is aiming for the authentic target here, it’s
hard to complain too much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd30eeTfZ9BWtds_ZROvesBOno5I4G56kGN0EuQi9DnwpODM1UFMNY1OGfSspTiyFy6lE8C4555mqsJkcJkzAEiRSF1QXSwI730gOdz4qYR0wOoPzzYSUVwoMZB_3NVqsa1boN_0tnots/s1600/una+pizza+napoletana+margherita+crust.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd30eeTfZ9BWtds_ZROvesBOno5I4G56kGN0EuQi9DnwpODM1UFMNY1OGfSspTiyFy6lE8C4555mqsJkcJkzAEiRSF1QXSwI730gOdz4qYR0wOoPzzYSUVwoMZB_3NVqsa1boN_0tnots/s400/una+pizza+napoletana+margherita+crust.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I will say this about Mangieri’s dough: <b>it is more
flavorful than the dough served at 90% of competing Neapolitan pizzerias.</b>
There’s a distinct flavor of fermented yeast in the crust, and coupled with the
carbonized mottling it really is a pleasure for the palate. The intense heat
from the wood-burning oven promises a thin, crisp exterior to the dough and a
soft, airy inner crumb with ample elasticity. I’ve eaten better-tasting Neapolitan crusts
before, but not many.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2Bhlg0Nwqp6jHq2TRGkR5Uaeuq-puh17jcfBDb-XN37m5GmIaGDlr01vQK7_k2rGuGmwyrwDfAOxkzWWY-a3eZ3CsKL4IM5284ze3ZCgUDfZ0uJse0AiNFpULBQ9iWb1pSWlQjdBF1te/s1600/una+pizza+napoletana+margherita+cross+section.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2Bhlg0Nwqp6jHq2TRGkR5Uaeuq-puh17jcfBDb-XN37m5GmIaGDlr01vQK7_k2rGuGmwyrwDfAOxkzWWY-a3eZ3CsKL4IM5284ze3ZCgUDfZ0uJse0AiNFpULBQ9iWb1pSWlQjdBF1te/s400/una+pizza+napoletana+margherita+cross+section.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Besides the meager application of basil, my only modest
complaint with the pizza was that <b>the buffalo mozzarella had not quite fully
melted. </b>Typically, melting isn’t a problem with buffalo mozzarella; it’s much
creamier than cow’s milk mozzarella, and in my experience often ends up a little soupy on the
finished pie. But here it was just shy of rubbery, in that buffalo mozzarella
purgatorial zone between cold lump and cheese pool. Probably an unavoidable
misstep given that any longer in the oven may have burned the crust, so perhaps
the oven wasn’t cooperating fully that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Much has been said of the fruity olive oil Mangieri uses
to finish off his pizzas, but I honestly couldn’t pick it out among the other
flavors on the Margherita. If this is a major contributing factor to the $20
price tag on these pizzas, then I would humbly make the suggestion to find
something just as good but less expensive. Because--tangent alert--<b>I think $20
is too much to pay for this pizza.</b> Sorry, but it’s how I feel. Even considering
San Francisco rent prices, this feels high to me. Pizzeria Delfina sells an
excellent Margherita about a mile away for only $13. Delfina may not be using the imported ingredients Mangieri uses, but if the end product is nearly as
good (or just as good, depending on who you talk to), those seven extra dollars are hard to fork over. You could make the same
argument for Di Fara in New York, which charges $5 for a slice of pizza, except
in that case I really do feel like the pizza is superior to just about everyone
else’s. At UPN, the pizza’s not head and shoulders above everyone else’s, so
the premium isn’t worthwhile to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Okay, rant over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdoRQJGg2P5uH34EmuDKaqbA5rWTYU58VDeN40UWHt-GRGQRRrKA1XxO4L43VAy0FXmecFDdpqolWJkVDgiiGOCNi4_lSjl5k5rXjgO3w9cYmdadO6ErL73x4iqz1xrQLZe12YbSL2lZy/s1600/una+pizza+napoletana+filetti.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdoRQJGg2P5uH34EmuDKaqbA5rWTYU58VDeN40UWHt-GRGQRRrKA1XxO4L43VAy0FXmecFDdpqolWJkVDgiiGOCNi4_lSjl5k5rXjgO3w9cYmdadO6ErL73x4iqz1xrQLZe12YbSL2lZy/s400/una+pizza+napoletana+filetti.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The flavors on the <b>Filetti</b> were a bit more muted than I
would have liked (in pretty stark contrast to the <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-ny-pizza-adventure-part-1-piemans.html">Filetti I had at Motorino in 2009</a>), but it was still a well-executed, delicious pie. No tomato
sauce here, just buffalo mozzarella (again, not quite melted, as you can see most
clearly in the chunks near the top of the photo above), olive oil, sea salt,
basil, garlic, and cherry tomatoes. The key to using fresh tomatoes on a pizza
is to cook them, either on the pizza in the oven or beforehand and added to the
pizza post-oven. These were fantastic. They burst with sweet juices. The garlic
also came through quite strong, and those are really the dominant flavors on
this pizza: tomatoes and garlic. Again, I felt it came across a little muted,
but far from bland. I liked the Margherita better, but this is an interesting
take on a white pie nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrodQTgVRv4IPP0cIu2p94RFJbkI5j5eNpKmNXzYNcDJ8m_Yrg1FsoScPtqEEkSkQemdErYgsIe9EAVyYGArxETs2Eumtnc4_tbgrZY0kDr30Hh_aamsbnoc7yNKHFhyphenhyphen1d3jupD2g8aqU/s1600/una-pizza-napoletana-oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrodQTgVRv4IPP0cIu2p94RFJbkI5j5eNpKmNXzYNcDJ8m_Yrg1FsoScPtqEEkSkQemdErYgsIe9EAVyYGArxETs2Eumtnc4_tbgrZY0kDr30Hh_aamsbnoc7yNKHFhyphenhyphen1d3jupD2g8aqU/s400/una-pizza-napoletana-oven.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’m aware these opinions differ somewhat from the
established collective response to Una Pizza Napoletana. I think it’s important
to note that these are only one person’s thoughts, and they’re based on <b>one
visit</b> to UPN (which is why this write-up is just an “Impressions” rather than
an authoritative “Review”). Anthony Mangieri’s Neapolitan pizza is as good as
I’ve had, and if Neapolitan pizza is all you’re seeking, you won’t be unhappy
(although the price might make you think twice about fully exploring the menu). UPN is
proof that you can only take rigidly defined authenticity so far, and as good
as it is, I think this country has taken pizza to farther and better places.
Anthony Mangieri can’t be faulted for making Neapolitan pizza, though, and I wouldn't want the Neapolitan style to go away, because sometimes it's what I crave. Mangieri making something he loves, and he’s not advertising it as anything other than
real Neapolitan pizza, so how can anyone (like me, for example) expect otherwise?</span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>OVEN:</b> Wood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Margherita<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">*I say this knowing full well that I haven’t visited
Naples yet, but given the opinions of many people whose palates I respect, I
don’t believe they’re making it any better over there. Watch, someday I’ll eat
my words...</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-30754681758215834792012-06-11T22:51:00.001-07:002013-04-12T15:23:57.406-07:00Impressions: Kindle Kart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.kindlekart.com/" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kindle Kart</span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">NW 27th & Vaughn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Portland, OR 97210</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">(503) 893-5049</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJNNMQ5DX0261hLxIFvmptlFVqDDhF4fUv2-mVcifcRp1GqyVt8eFYVgM-zbwZRIFy9FlgAh4zhGnCwexa-Tr_IZUQMi6r-7qd0yc0s64UiTshSTg1LoulCOvlmtOYBFD51aF2N18erHY/s1600/kindle-kart-exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJNNMQ5DX0261hLxIFvmptlFVqDDhF4fUv2-mVcifcRp1GqyVt8eFYVgM-zbwZRIFy9FlgAh4zhGnCwexa-Tr_IZUQMi6r-7qd0yc0s64UiTshSTg1LoulCOvlmtOYBFD51aF2N18erHY/s400/kindle-kart-exterior.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[Photographs: Adam Lindsley, unless otherwise noted]</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Anyone
who enjoys good pizza has to appreciate living in Portland today. Not only has the
city’s overall pizza scene climbed steadily in quality within the last
five years or so, but so have the food carts stepped up their game when
it comes to putting out quality pies. Carts like <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/impressions-wyeast-pizza.html">Wy’east</a>, <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2010/09/impressions-la-pizza-pela.html">La Pizza Pela</a>,
and <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/11/impressions-pyro-pizza.html">Pyro</a> are all making solid pizza without the need of a
brick-and-mortar location. Now there’s a cart making better pizza than
almost any of them, and it’s <b>Kindle Kart</b> up on NW 27th, across from the
iconic Montgomery Park building.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Helmed
by proprietor Kevin Hutchinson, Kindle Kart sports a domed wood-fired
oven that quickly blisters the 24-to-36-hour fermented dough, giving the
crust of his Neapolitan pies a great outer crunch and a tender, open
crumb. No surprise that Hutchinson’s set the bar high for himself, given
that he’s been making pizza for over 15 years. His cart used to live
over on North Mississippi, but he hated the oven there so much that he
sold it (to <a href="http://www.nedluddpdx.com/">Ned Ludd</a>) and built this one:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-jdqisOv24nhYVJxISBoZqC4xER6AX63tvK3yYg-zyl-q9gjmZuMtVAYjAoGvgeVffWSE5z8LFKqEPQFy2oZI72mg3It7rY_gp2WI03eP35MIdFpYpEJF6c-BEytcusRtr1A5G83M1ZV/s1600/kindle-kart-oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-jdqisOv24nhYVJxISBoZqC4xER6AX63tvK3yYg-zyl-q9gjmZuMtVAYjAoGvgeVffWSE5z8LFKqEPQFy2oZI72mg3It7rY_gp2WI03eP35MIdFpYpEJF6c-BEytcusRtr1A5G83M1ZV/s400/kindle-kart-oven.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Not
the best photo, I know, but you get the idea. Here’s a different angle
from the Willamette Week with a shot of Hutchinson in-frame:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ePaUm6Kyl076fELyFmQ3i9E3I0x5bOCvrtf4KvtdfT2KmUYUHXj2FXJI8Gp-OS3hQeTKALEBoNBz72ca0uTZccyBtwBDTOVYwpzsdXWtRJssRSLREufdNxMbOgGrxSPKwestMFNGhlz5/s1600/Kindle+Kart+Willamette+Week+Vivian+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ePaUm6Kyl076fELyFmQ3i9E3I0x5bOCvrtf4KvtdfT2KmUYUHXj2FXJI8Gp-OS3hQeTKALEBoNBz72ca0uTZccyBtwBDTOVYwpzsdXWtRJssRSLREufdNxMbOgGrxSPKwestMFNGhlz5/s400/Kindle+Kart+Willamette+Week+Vivian+Johnson.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[Photograph: Willamette Week/vivianjohnson.com]</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Looking
at the menu (online <a href="http://www.kindlekart.com/">here</a>), I was struck first by how inexpensive
everything is: There isn’t a pizza over $8. Sharp contrast to most
pizzerias around the country, which seem to be pushing the agenda of
disproportionately increasing the price of pizza every year. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Is it any good, though?</span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> I wondered, worrying that the low prices would translate to a commensurate level of quality.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPCl3sVeg8NFwTiD1giXppWXimXhxbX9yVZFzTG4InwqJLT6pS38lD3dqj6sjXRbjJvI_w0TDkABjObtHWWc-sWSkHyQ3CSJ_5_Mc09JmDgLg-Rb5kqQSocDu7WBzqaJEuHl2xZ1S-NMA/s1600/kindle-kart-margherita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPCl3sVeg8NFwTiD1giXppWXimXhxbX9yVZFzTG4InwqJLT6pS38lD3dqj6sjXRbjJvI_w0TDkABjObtHWWc-sWSkHyQ3CSJ_5_Mc09JmDgLg-Rb5kqQSocDu7WBzqaJEuHl2xZ1S-NMA/s400/kindle-kart-margherita.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">The </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">Margherita</span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">
($7.50) put those fears to rest on the first bite. With the exception
of the confusing addition of fresh grape tomatoes, which have no place
on any pizza as far as I’m concerned, this was a sterling example of the
classic bread/tomato/cheese/basil pizza that showcases a perfect
harmony between few ingredients. As I mentioned before, the dough is
fermented for at least a full day and often longer, depending on the
weather. Fully cooked, it contains a proper (read: generous) amount of
salt and elicits decent char, although my Margherita was a little too
blackened on one side. It happens.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6XwY4lErEOkbTbg3jvU92g5hAB9yeMou-buRTmcg9ZYjou5H87hoRPCY_O_gFLdjh5lVS_a3q_bDD5aI_OhQV0Dwttt7Tfzk74Th8es3iiXrbe477cgLWvG1gOYTjx6yHBBrhrU_I9oU/s1600/kindle-kart-margherita-close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6XwY4lErEOkbTbg3jvU92g5hAB9yeMou-buRTmcg9ZYjou5H87hoRPCY_O_gFLdjh5lVS_a3q_bDD5aI_OhQV0Dwttt7Tfzk74Th8es3iiXrbe477cgLWvG1gOYTjx6yHBBrhrU_I9oU/s400/kindle-kart-margherita-close.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">The
tomato sauce feels thicker than the sauce on a VPN-certified
pie, and it’s visibly augmented with a few dried herbs. The fresh
mozzarella came properly melted (you have no idea how many times a
wood-fired pizza comes with not-quite-melted mozz...or maybe you do) and
was nicely salted to bring out the natural milky flavors. Again, the
only misstep was the raw grape tomatoes, which, next to the sauce and
cheese, didn’t offer enough flavor to warrant their inclusion. Now, if
they were baked on the pie like the Filetti at Una Pizza Napoletana or
pre-semi-dried and added afterward like this, it’d be a different story,
but as is I just ended up picking them all off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0mXmxP6RjpHsFYmaPqlJYTV8PceEkl8GL6zqH8SvE5kPM38Pbl1GO20N9Gd0B9H4wKyg-4WuTjVWTGuwzy2biFj04pVZXOt7_DDQWj3hrulgAb0VzB3QWIOVn0BDG5BIB_Eym3Mw5zej/s1600/kindle-kart-sausage-onions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0mXmxP6RjpHsFYmaPqlJYTV8PceEkl8GL6zqH8SvE5kPM38Pbl1GO20N9Gd0B9H4wKyg-4WuTjVWTGuwzy2biFj04pVZXOt7_DDQWj3hrulgAb0VzB3QWIOVn0BDG5BIB_Eym3Mw5zej/s400/kindle-kart-sausage-onions.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">I’d have to slap your hand if you picked off anything from Hutchinson’s </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">Sausage pie</span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">
($8), though. His homemade sausage, studded with fennel seeds and laced
with five different types of pepper, is among the best in the city,
rivaled only by Brian Spangler’s at <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-apizza-scholls.html">Apizza Scholls</a>. It’s spicy and meaty
and salty and packed with flavor. Just look at these craggy boulders of
pork and try to keep your mouth from watering:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZZ01SfxBmXCbasItr5QBQWd6-y2QfP8G4YzzPR0f-yhwvCdJ3UPFxmw2-onMTDZK8CPfrZ6fjfMVv_Or07fKtObOnFNdJi7I1nGRFlI-NiMjcwJ1I1Ncd_rUhxhlUt96-m9NZ-zKx-Ji/s1600/kindle-kart-sausage-close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZZ01SfxBmXCbasItr5QBQWd6-y2QfP8G4YzzPR0f-yhwvCdJ3UPFxmw2-onMTDZK8CPfrZ6fjfMVv_Or07fKtObOnFNdJi7I1nGRFlI-NiMjcwJ1I1Ncd_rUhxhlUt96-m9NZ-zKx-Ji/s400/kindle-kart-sausage-close.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Add
to that the sweet, delicate onions Hutchinson grills on his flat top
beforehand and you’ll be hard-pressed not to finish one of these pies
singlehandedly in one sitting. It’s the ideal marriage of sweet and
savory and you’d be certifiably insane not to order it (unless you’re,
you know, vegetarian).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzE0lzImWXkxnMlEL8yjKEZm_TT7DSJUNPNasURYU5YCgBaxV-JjKCZHGe8tzVw1oSGr_aelHO-OPBwXb9bnr55j-2NHFCzzxbpaUiuT0gWRNBVNKtPjyOlh3nsrluXm-pdS9UtPR4tk-P/s1600/kindle-kart-crumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzE0lzImWXkxnMlEL8yjKEZm_TT7DSJUNPNasURYU5YCgBaxV-JjKCZHGe8tzVw1oSGr_aelHO-OPBwXb9bnr55j-2NHFCzzxbpaUiuT0gWRNBVNKtPjyOlh3nsrluXm-pdS9UtPR4tk-P/s400/kindle-kart-crumb.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">What’s
even more amazing about the fantastic pizza coming out of this cart is
that Hutchinson’s menu isn’t even completely devoted to it; burgers and
fries take up a full half of the offerings. As I haven’t yet ordered a
burger from Kindle Kart I can’t comment on them, but I’m looking forward
to trying one in the near future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmthOKDS2kiFRGUFMplH5BN5w8F-yipSC14ScB_QzDJ8zsJYG7YtH7OlpkANQvchIyzS7o-9ifnznwiJx-sEpZ5ESkN_GT1P3LvvGKdpXnlmI9asa9HEj3Kbbe-TbJoQGkBE415EKLSCF6/s1600/kindle-kart-undercarriage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmthOKDS2kiFRGUFMplH5BN5w8F-yipSC14ScB_QzDJ8zsJYG7YtH7OlpkANQvchIyzS7o-9ifnznwiJx-sEpZ5ESkN_GT1P3LvvGKdpXnlmI9asa9HEj3Kbbe-TbJoQGkBE415EKLSCF6/s400/kindle-kart-undercarriage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kindle
Kart raises the bar for cart pizza in Portland. The out-of-the-way
location might seem like a trek, but I think it’s a trek worth taking.
Don’t let this one fade like so many carts; it is absolutely worth your
time and money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">OVEN:</span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Wood</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">RECOMMENDED:</span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sausage pie</span></span>Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-50734589264901817642012-02-29T16:48:00.000-08:002013-04-12T15:24:17.533-07:00Impressions: Double Mountain Brewery<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><a href="http://doublemountainbrewery.com/">Double Mountain Brewery</a></b></div>
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8 Fourth Street</div>
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Hood River, OR 97031</div>
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(541) 387-0042</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaFjc1Tt6jXzXZiwiX6sK4vyxx2VQxpRWd2Kv0eKmzQ4TKheVj-sb5vOw_kF8TslC-tRWpKTJ8CqrPPjK6bjQBPmk0ayGrpvTVeDJmbfOndaz94g9ui3A3XnXL_UO91hiaynnfg47rwVq/s1600/double+mountain+exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaFjc1Tt6jXzXZiwiX6sK4vyxx2VQxpRWd2Kv0eKmzQ4TKheVj-sb5vOw_kF8TslC-tRWpKTJ8CqrPPjK6bjQBPmk0ayGrpvTVeDJmbfOndaz94g9ui3A3XnXL_UO91hiaynnfg47rwVq/s400/double+mountain+exterior.jpg" width="373" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo courtesy Double Mountain; all others by Adam Lindsley]</td></tr>
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One of my biggest frustrations about living in Portland is that no brewery has food to match the quality of its beer. Even the breweries with more skilled chefs in the kitchen, like Hair of the Dog, are really hit-and-miss when it comes to the cuisine. On the non-brewery side, you're stuck with either a place with great food and not-all-that-interesting tap selection (<a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-apizza-scholls.html">Apizza Scholls</a>, <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-kens-artisan-pizza.html">Ken's Artisan</a>) or one with a great tap selection and awful food (<a href="http://belmont-station.com/">Belmont Station</a>, <a href="http://www.horsebrass.com/">Horse Brass</a>). <i>[Editor's Note: To clarify, you'll always find great beers on tap at both Apizza Scholls and Ken's. I just mean that at either establishment, you're there for the food first and the beer second.]</i> Another problem with the good food/limited taps restaurants is just that: they're restaurants, and you're not encouraged to be leisurely with your time there, which for many (including me) defeats the purpose of drinking beer in the first place. </div>
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What the city really needs is a joint making delicious pizza that also brews several fabulous beers. A place like...<b>Double Mountain Brewery</b>.</div>
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I first caught wind of Double Mountain when my friend Jim Bonomo <a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/hood-river-oregon-double-mountain-brewery-taproom-new-haven-style-pizza.html">reviewed it for Serious Eats</a>. In his very positive review (from which I'll be stealing freely), he noted the pizza's heritage as thoroughly <a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/01/a-list-of-regional-pizza-styles-slideshow.html#show-85726">New Haven</a>. For Portlanders who may not immediately know the style, the closest approximation is Apizza Scholls. If that hasn't lit your fuse, then perhaps you should stop reading right now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQt57Y64IgjqqEiJPUtkhWHy8zLewGwfQ1fecVFSxlZ31T27rCXgosVFdqtcr0-QStrXE79MI86KqvMjvboyWxYJIu6kmaO8Pf4ryJdM699a29BbBW13-Ia813WY6uvPqneXmQHNxk63f/s1600/double-mountain-pizza-underside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQt57Y64IgjqqEiJPUtkhWHy8zLewGwfQ1fecVFSxlZ31T27rCXgosVFdqtcr0-QStrXE79MI86KqvMjvboyWxYJIu6kmaO8Pf4ryJdM699a29BbBW13-Ia813WY6uvPqneXmQHNxk63f/s400/double-mountain-pizza-underside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Double Mountain's pizzas are 16 inches in diameter, with the end crust lightly charred in places by the 700-degree oven. The bottom of the crust gets the nicest charring, with leopard spots aplenty. Like a good New Haven-style apizza, the bread hosts a nice chew beneath a crunchy exterior. It feels even thinner than the crust at Apizza Scholls, so the front end tends to submit to gravity; just fold it in half lengthwise to avoid unsightly sagging.</div>
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The <b>Margherita </b>($17) is excellent. A bright and fresh-tasting tomato sauce (which you can smell from a block away as you approach the brewery) is applied liberally and topped with both aged and fresh mozzarella. Ample basil and garlic finish off the pie. The flavor profile volleys primarily between the saltiness of the aged mozz and the vibrancy of the tomato sauce, with lots of garlic coming in on the palate at the end. This is a wonderful pizza, and it should not be passed up on any visit to the brewery. Among the five best pizzas in Oregon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1aV_5DQ2OHDdU-euSOWfSDHmNin-5QmaHHKrqgPrLObXabSG65NoLJ5fxEqlgUBe7d0-4SPtmq3MMEKQu-JucM_lLp6C7qsDvTTjs8hDvcg7MGFxebwBT0YR_LldeNf9JVZ4sFY73abr/s1600/double-mountain-jersey-pie-close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1aV_5DQ2OHDdU-euSOWfSDHmNin-5QmaHHKrqgPrLObXabSG65NoLJ5fxEqlgUBe7d0-4SPtmq3MMEKQu-JucM_lLp6C7qsDvTTjs8hDvcg7MGFxebwBT0YR_LldeNf9JVZ4sFY73abr/s400/double-mountain-jersey-pie-close.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also sampled the <b>Jersey Pie</b> ($18), which may not be quite as successful as the Margherita but is still supremely satisfying. Here, the tomato sauce base gets a heavy crown of provolone, hot capicola (a cured pork salume), and the always-pleasant <a href="http://www.mamalils.com/">Mama Lil's</a> pickled goathorn peppers. My only real complaint with this pizza is that the capicola is sliced too thick, so it doesn't really crisp up in the oven like it should (or rather, like I'd like it to). The provolone isn't noticeably different from the mozzarella on the Margherita, and it's clearly not the sharper piccante version of the cheese, but something much younger. Both the capicola and the Mama Lil's peppers provide a medium level of heat to the pizza, so spicy food haters need not fear breaking out in a sweat over this one. <br />
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<b>ADDED 4/22/12 -- It has come to my attention that one of the key reasons Double Mountain's pizzas are so great is because none other than Brian Spangler of Apizza Scholls serves as a sort of "unofficial consultant." In Brian's words: <span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I
want to make sure that people understand that Charlie and the team at
DM deserve a lot of credit for what they do. I didn't give them a
formula and say "follow this." They care about the product and really
took ownership of the program. They watched what we were doing at Apizza Scholls,
asked questions, I gave pointers and they ran with it."</span></b></div>
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I would be remiss not to mention the brewery's excellent lineup of beers, including its stunning Devil's and Rainier Krieks. These cherry sour beers have a higher alcohol content than your typical kriek, and both offer a wonderful balance between the sourness of the yeast and the fruitiness of the cherries (from the brewer's own orchard!) the beers meld with for several months. The current version of the Devil's Kriek on tap is the more sour of the two, with the tang coming from the Brettanomyces wild yeast applied to a brown ale base. A deep cherry red, it's a gorgeous ale, and a very drinkable one. The Rainier Kriek is even easier to drink, with a milder sour body and a golden ale base (fair warning, the ABV for this one sits at around 10%). I sincerely hope Double Mountain continues to brew both of these for the foreseeable future, as I think sour ales are the most exciting beers out there right now. They're certainly among my favorites.</div>
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So it was with a frown on my face and a tear in my eye (all right, perhaps I'm exaggerating) that I bid Double Mountain Brewery farewell. Portland has nothing on this scale of great food and great beers in one location (I don't know anywhere else you can order this level of pizza and a sour ale), so we clearly need a Double Mountain outpost as soon as is humanly possible. Naturally, one of the (extremely) unfortunate side effects of moving a place like Double Mountain to Portland is that you would never <i>ever </i>be able to get a table. It's like trying to go out for brunch in this town; you absolutely cannot do it without an agonizing wait no matter where you go. Even in Hood River, with its miniscule population of 7,000 or so, every seat in Double Mountain's taproom was filled at 4:45 on a Thursday afternoon except for one table, which my fiancé and I were lucky enough to snag. That isn't to say I'm <i>not </i>encouraging Double Mountain to set up shop here. I just want them to make sure that, if such a miracle were to occur, that they purchase a gigantic warehouse for the inevitable throngs of people like me who will come knocking on their door night after night after night.</div>
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<b>OVEN:</b> Gas-fired brick</div>
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<b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Margherita</div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-79638131760783013642012-01-03T23:02:00.000-08:002013-04-12T15:24:43.605-07:00Impressions: Hotlips<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><a href="http://hotlipspizza.com/">Hotlips</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mquk5mt0Weg/TwP4PebOQBI/AAAAAAAAAxw/nOTT_dVOPSI/s1600/hotlips-half-cheese-half-pepperoni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mquk5mt0Weg/TwP4PebOQBI/AAAAAAAAAxw/nOTT_dVOPSI/s400/hotlips-half-cheese-half-pepperoni.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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Frankly, I don't have a lot to say about Hotlips. Their strawberry soda is one of the best nonalcoholic beverages I've ever quaffed, but their pizza is, much like fellow <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city> chain <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/11/impressions-pizzicato.html">Pizzicato</a>, aiming low and hitting the target dead center.</div>
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Let's quickly run through the components of the recent half-cheese/half-pepperoni I ordered, one by one:</div>
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<b>Crust:</b> Thin, little-to-no rise on the outer rim (thanks to sauce and toppings that go right to the edge of the dough), dusted heavily with semolina on the underside, with not much discernable flavor. Surprisingly, not all that crispy, although I imagine that will change once these slices are reheated.</div>
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<b>Sauce:</b> More a tomato paste than sauce, with that dull canned-tomato flavor to it. Not nearly as salty as the Pizzicato sauce, though. Liberally applied.</div>
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<b>Cheese:</b> Again, not as salty as whatever Pizzicato is using. The cheese-only slices were almost bland, which surprised me. This aged mozzarella doesn't have much pull to it, either.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LZFHs5qVJQ/TwP4n9H5tCI/AAAAAAAAAyU/CeVNCUOKjdo/s1600/hotlips-pepperoni-close-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LZFHs5qVJQ/TwP4n9H5tCI/AAAAAAAAAyU/CeVNCUOKjdo/s400/hotlips-pepperoni-close-up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Pepperoni:</b> Pretty decent pork/beef flavor, but limp and uncrisped by Hotlips's oven. Again, reheating these slices should rectify that.</div>
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<b>Price:</b> Outrageous! An 18-inch cheese pizza here is $21.75. Compare that to the indescribably superior 18-inch Margherita at <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-apizza-scholls.html">Apizza Scholls</a>, which comes in at $21, and you'll be left scratching your head at the disparity in quality. The flipside to this coin is that you can get your pizza quickly at Hotlips no matter the hour, which makes it good primarily for children's or office parties, or for a quick (but, notably, not cheap) dinner. It's totally fine New York-style knockoff pizza, but completely unmemorable.</div>
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Thankfully, Hotlips does sell individual slices, and I think that's the way to go here. Even their small pizzas are grossly overpriced (they start at $15.50 and just go up and up from there). None of the ingredients are particularly noteworthy, so what is it you're paying for? According to the Hotlips website, it's sustainability and community. Commendable, to be sure, but I only have so much cash budgeted for eating out, and sustainability and community aren't enough to get me to open my wallet for them again.</div>
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<b>OVEN:</b> Convection</div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-35792654633329246722011-10-24T23:09:00.000-07:002015-09-09T08:12:02.478-07:00Impressions: Handsome Pizza<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><a href="http://pizzadepokos.com/">Handsome Pizza</a></b></div>
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1603 NE Killingsworth St.</div>
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Portland, OR 97211</div>
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(503) 247-7499<br />
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<i>NOTE: These impressions, while written about Handsome Pizza's original location farther west on Killingsworth, still apply to their new location at the address above. </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALYPUf6iNmAPgn5ewk3bcsPjGFO8JUrfIXvXX1M0S1HS9q1GfY2GbitAn53BHq7EF6jAwwnFV8wpCYqZq1vVa87mDL2mCuozf7-CFqg2-p9iBIV03Ri9D4r2gInWrAoacRLrqVhXb1LzM/s1600/IMG_1640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALYPUf6iNmAPgn5ewk3bcsPjGFO8JUrfIXvXX1M0S1HS9q1GfY2GbitAn53BHq7EF6jAwwnFV8wpCYqZq1vVa87mDL2mCuozf7-CFqg2-p9iBIV03Ri9D4r2gInWrAoacRLrqVhXb1LzM/s400/IMG_1640.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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Oh how things can change in a year and a half. Pizza Depokos, one of the city's bright and shining beacons of quality (and sometimes Greek-themed) wood-fired pizza, recently underwent a change of ownership. Dough guru and all-around nice guy Ethan Welt is out, and Will Fain, formerly of <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2010/09/impressions-portobello.html">Portobello</a> and a bona fide <a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/02/pizza-obsessive-will-fain-pizza-recipe.html">Pizza Obsessive</a>, is in. And lucky for us, Pizza Depokos--rebranded as <b>Handsome Pizza</b>--is still a bright and shining beacon of quality (but not really Greek-themed) wood-fired pizza.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWSbHmYpcCdh-8PTl7V3Re72T2FPEq-Zta9aX6uqRnG3wRJ-E4sCy8plOs06wqTZ-kz2mNWsGPRWPoD5A6rGJAlKr24ky1lbOGfVK9KcRK-CLG9s3xI0eY_mvwNlTx7trxQ4k0l7hL9zS/s1600/IMG_1623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWSbHmYpcCdh-8PTl7V3Re72T2FPEq-Zta9aX6uqRnG3wRJ-E4sCy8plOs06wqTZ-kz2mNWsGPRWPoD5A6rGJAlKr24ky1lbOGfVK9KcRK-CLG9s3xI0eY_mvwNlTx7trxQ4k0l7hL9zS/s400/IMG_1623.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fain's take on the pizza itself isn't an enormous departure from Welt's, but there are some key differences. The Greek-inspired pies are off the menu, with the za'atar (a Middle Eastern blend of thyme, oregano, and other herbs) relegated to a garlic herb flatbread. The menu now consists of six basic pies: marinara, Margherita, cheese, pepperoni, the Rico Suave (with ricotta, aged mozz, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and cracked pepper), and the Sausage y Fromage (aged mozz, fennel sausage, hot peppers, and roasted onions). He also offers a specialty pie or two, which changes daily.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QO8J4u4M1BqNZ-zZ4mJYPGPjet_NpX_p_x0XvAy-noeNo3AiLqN7tEpeYqlCuDUxel9LFG5qd2pz5Zb9dHCD7ESJNEeCSMHNy4Khu0Zln39LJ3I5cm2PZzm3vbR3KuZzJS6DaobR8rIC/s1600/IMG_1624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QO8J4u4M1BqNZ-zZ4mJYPGPjet_NpX_p_x0XvAy-noeNo3AiLqN7tEpeYqlCuDUxel9LFG5qd2pz5Zb9dHCD7ESJNEeCSMHNy4Khu0Zln39LJ3I5cm2PZzm3vbR3KuZzJS6DaobR8rIC/s400/IMG_1624.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was curious to see how close Fain's pizzas hewed to the excellent vegan ones he put out at Portobello, and quite rightly I expected the quality to surpass even those with the addition of real cheese and meat. My expectations were certainly met (and exceeded) in the second regard, but in their current form the pizzas have taken a striking shift in identity that will most likely change and change again over the next year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvWh7_KQgNBzgdjnxQO4e2Y3GrpY2p7927c3l-QEHqlZpCWACfl49-oHHvrYz-VnvzqqURwGtaVKbMay9GcTcMZt1Epji4WvXwSXGp6R4wg72rN45Xhu8Y53a2RtfdHD-JbdS7_YQ9GOW/s1600/IMG_1628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvWh7_KQgNBzgdjnxQO4e2Y3GrpY2p7927c3l-QEHqlZpCWACfl49-oHHvrYz-VnvzqqURwGtaVKbMay9GcTcMZt1Epji4WvXwSXGp6R4wg72rN45Xhu8Y53a2RtfdHD-JbdS7_YQ9GOW/s400/IMG_1628.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The current pies are Neapolitan in style. That's certainly due to the drastic switch from Portobello's gas-fired oven to the wood-devouring monster at Handsome. The Portobello pizzas were more of a Neapolitan-New York hybrid, a larger-sliced and crispier-crusted version of an otherwise classic Naples pie. Fain's still learning his new oven and experimenting with the types of wood used to heat it, so the pies coming out of it right now have that traditionally soft Neapolitan crust (<i>UPDATE 4/9/13 - The pies now more greatly resemble New York-Neapolitan pizza than straight Neapolitan</i>). Easily foldable for quick consumption, but lacking the crunch imparted by the gas oven, which ran at a much lower temperature than this wood-burning oven and therefore dried out the dough more as it cooked longer. </div>
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Which isn't to say the lack of crunch means this isn't great pizza, because it absolutely is. In fact, it's pretty much perfect Neapolitan pizza. So if that's what you want, get to Handsome Pizza ASAP, because Fain's continued tinkering could mean a new style in a day, a week, a month...who knows? Crunchy or soft, Fain knows how to make a good, simple crust from a good, simple dough. The oven blisters and chars the crust beautifully, making for one of the prettiest undercarriage shots I've seen in a while. Look at that thing. Gorgeous, isn't it?</div>
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His sauce is chunkier than most, almost salsa-like in texture, though certainly not in flavor. Nay, it tastes of bright, crisp tomatoes and lots of wonderful garlic. And Fain doesn't skimp on it, judging by the particularly saucy <b>Margherita </b>($12) I ordered. He doesn't skimp on the basil, either, a concept many more-renowned pizzerias across the country seem to be fighting tooth and nail against. The result was a balanced, sterling example of the Margherita, but with a pronounced garlic element. I loved it. Eat it as fast as you can once it emerges from the oven for maximum pleasure.</div>
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Since Fain makes his own sausage, I had to try the <b>Fennel Sausage y Fromage</b> ($14). That sausage came out ground a little finer than most, and even though it was studded with fennel seeds, it tasted more strongly of pepper. Fain wasn't particularly pleased with this particular batch, but I liked that it lacked the gristly texture of many a homemade sausage. The softer nature of the sausage contrasted nicely with the sweet, crisp onions, which yielded an audible snap between the teeth. The fiery red and yellow banana peppers packed a quick wallop of heat in every other bite, which paired splendidly with the richness of the meat and islands of milky mozzarella.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rwg0todSAEcaFnbMk5qbPqY2PpGyKBC876r52rNgBGZBlDzW6Z3EHD4WTWhghHQ3JLU6_40Jlttvq6Z_bZ2dUPeIbrUErhkvDKidVHaOChFvBQ7gCxSIPm5YOJVbteOssgYnPa2SGzvU/s1600/IMG_1643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rwg0todSAEcaFnbMk5qbPqY2PpGyKBC876r52rNgBGZBlDzW6Z3EHD4WTWhghHQ3JLU6_40Jlttvq6Z_bZ2dUPeIbrUErhkvDKidVHaOChFvBQ7gCxSIPm5YOJVbteOssgYnPa2SGzvU/s400/IMG_1643.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fain stressed that the pizzas are still a work-in-progress, but even so, they're of high quality and absolutely worth a visit. They cook ridiculously fast in that oven, so you can satiate your pizza cravings however quickly you can get yourself to the Killingsworth & Greeley North Station cart pod. The best part about it this particular pod? Handsome Pizza is housed in an old garage heated not only by the wood-burning oven but by overhead heat lamps, so rain, sleet, or snow, you'll never find yourself shivering as you eating your pizza. Shivering with pleasure, maybe, but not from the cold.</div>
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<b>OVEN:</b> Wood</div>
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<b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Margherita, Fennel Sausage y Fromage (probably the others as well, but I haven't tried them yet)</div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-44557287966539935112011-09-09T23:14:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:25:06.747-07:00Impressions: Sunshine Tavern<br />
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<b><a href="http://sunshinepdx.com/">Sunshine Tavern</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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3111 SE Division St.</div>
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Portland, OR 97202</div>
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(503) 688-1750</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_Nh6I8n_F2n1lWfqzkFsfP75ceZ3Mrl7YOgXaOkizo_GrpBpdUAhZ5yfHyquiPpYTuDrki80YeMy4TGt3OBLLE8Yj9vvbEl5zd8u2cWY_Gwoy1Qsc9tP6scGF6vhotFDUpfbPuMeqOUJ/s1600/sunshine+tavern+ext.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_Nh6I8n_F2n1lWfqzkFsfP75ceZ3Mrl7YOgXaOkizo_GrpBpdUAhZ5yfHyquiPpYTuDrki80YeMy4TGt3OBLLE8Yj9vvbEl5zd8u2cWY_Gwoy1Qsc9tP6scGF6vhotFDUpfbPuMeqOUJ/s400/sunshine+tavern+ext.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photo: <a href="http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/sunshine-tavern/Location?oid=3809716">Portland Mercury</a>]</i></td></tr>
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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.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXGT3ird877VCRkyNdtEHd95z1lK-2-6CytndftFXbBRnQAlEudDURUK5ihjsp2t_1extlbKA3ud6EZeVBRDp6bOCLi9OjcGyoletxtn-cshdkWXIt0jfvXaJ-Te6GjrZ0s7n_9skUElR/s1600/sunshine-tavern-side-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXGT3ird877VCRkyNdtEHd95z1lK-2-6CytndftFXbBRnQAlEudDURUK5ihjsp2t_1extlbKA3ud6EZeVBRDp6bOCLi9OjcGyoletxtn-cshdkWXIt0jfvXaJ-Te6GjrZ0s7n_9skUElR/s400/sunshine-tavern-side-view.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[All remaining photos by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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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.</div>
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The tomato sauce on the <b>pepperoni
pizza</b> ($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 <a href="http://www.molinarisalame.com/">Molinari
Salame</a> 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.</div>
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I liked the <b>NY white
pie</b> ($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 <a href="http://www.uprightbrewing.com/?page_id=39">Upright
Brewing Four</a> and you are set, my friend. </div>
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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?</div>
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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 <a href="http://www.fifty-licks.com/">Fifty Licks</a>
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).</div>
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<b>OVEN:</b> Gas</div>
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<b>RECOMMENDED:</b> NY
White Pie (and don't forget that ice cream!)</div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-19903362973829042822011-08-20T21:24:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:25:21.099-07:00Impressions: Sizzle Pie<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.sizzlepie.com/">Sizzle Pie</a></b></div>
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624 E Burnside</div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Portland</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">OR</st1:state> <st1:postalcode w:st="on">97214</st1:postalcode></st1:place></div>
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(503) 234-7437</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijFhD4vkCuybseewWtnHJXpKRSZxuVaT863RMo2cA_Eh4X7aou3Y0KOHff1MwFCVNhG32QaGafI1UOwTYmAfxul6ymQgWgEpQq9lmhEmDw36f_C5aj9uHGVE3Hy4Yn4y0et3wgIAgs0RF/s1600/sizzle-pie-exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijFhD4vkCuybseewWtnHJXpKRSZxuVaT863RMo2cA_Eh4X7aou3Y0KOHff1MwFCVNhG32QaGafI1UOwTYmAfxul6ymQgWgEpQq9lmhEmDw36f_C5aj9uHGVE3Hy4Yn4y0et3wgIAgs0RF/s400/sizzle-pie-exterior.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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With so many good pizza options in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city>, it's rare for me to go out of my way for a New York-style slice. Finding a good example of the form outside NYC itself is like rooting for treasure in a piranha tank: you might strike gold, but more often than not, you're just going to get bit. <i>(Wow, my analogies are really getting rusty.) </i>So far I've found one, count it, <i>one</i> great slice joint in the Pacific Northwest (Giannoni's in West Seattle) and a lot of totally fine if unremarkable ones serving completely acceptable pizza. <b>Sizzle Pie is one of the latter.</b></div>
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For hangover food, it's prime. Greasy crust, salty cheese, and processed meats; it gets the job done. The crust itself has good flavor. Early reports found it lacking salt, but based on my recent meal there, they solved that little problem.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yCfSzzJa_QDvhyphenhyphenJ-Q615l8_kYkgq4iFTz-TeCpLJvS-FlqNDbu1h7QAfY4O8JbkSv-WjfXLLiSob3ytdbpLlPMqNvzqxWd9NYWQWOmAWnxTWkkU8_Sj0ZIXknV5mPjakbo8V85zYAgzX/s1600/sizzle-pie-display-case.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yCfSzzJa_QDvhyphenhyphenJ-Q615l8_kYkgq4iFTz-TeCpLJvS-FlqNDbu1h7QAfY4O8JbkSv-WjfXLLiSob3ytdbpLlPMqNvzqxWd9NYWQWOmAWnxTWkkU8_Sj0ZIXknV5mPjakbo8V85zYAgzX/s400/sizzle-pie-display-case.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sizzle Pie sells whole pizzas, as well as pizza by the slice. As an added bonus, they also sell half-slices (called <i>cuts</i>), making it a ridiculously inexpensive prospect to sample several types of pizza on any given visit. Tonight I ordered cuts of the D-Beat (cheese), Ace of Spades (pepperoni), and Francesca (jalapeños, pineapple, and smoked mozzarella).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxylRosu_8Dc09gH5P7zaVOJNJ-ihtnIPh56wa1Dj7K3iwSSNMzSKqZXI-tbzuiwgC6ew2Vt8q93Osr_Mh1i_gu0FgUgWHApXnFI9YZ7TnVrRSpe0WtPRCQKvmphxdX0bR0SaHRzHKPne/s1600/sizzle-pie-francesca-ace-d-beat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxylRosu_8Dc09gH5P7zaVOJNJ-ihtnIPh56wa1Dj7K3iwSSNMzSKqZXI-tbzuiwgC6ew2Vt8q93Osr_Mh1i_gu0FgUgWHApXnFI9YZ7TnVrRSpe0WtPRCQKvmphxdX0bR0SaHRzHKPne/s400/sizzle-pie-francesca-ace-d-beat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've thought long and hard about how to describe the <b>D-Beat</b> ($1.50/cut) and <b>Ace of Spades</b> ($1.75/cut), and after hours (okay, seconds) of contemplation the only word that comes to mind is <i>fine</i>. The pizza is just <i>fine</i>. It's good for what it is, which is cheap thin-crust pizza with minimal sauce and cheese. Surprisingly, the flavor of the pizza could almost be described as slightly muted, which is why I highly recommend dousing your slices in <a href="http://www.secretaardvark.com/">Aardvark sauce</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBN9K8eUTv6DKqoeM78eWsaR-yPsZXXg3GOZsjBRgBXdMl3wjlIBxjL5nxFoM_Iv-Jyd-sM1FmEteUtwB4KH4-y-tIjkSHKPVE_6uIe3xtAs2JaI5yMezfNQiPNuicH6wZYuF2sHwx6iN/s1600/sizzle-pie-undercarriage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBN9K8eUTv6DKqoeM78eWsaR-yPsZXXg3GOZsjBRgBXdMl3wjlIBxjL5nxFoM_Iv-Jyd-sM1FmEteUtwB4KH4-y-tIjkSHKPVE_6uIe3xtAs2JaI5yMezfNQiPNuicH6wZYuF2sHwx6iN/s400/sizzle-pie-undercarriage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I do wish the slices hadn't been so limp, though if I had ordered whole slices instead of my half-slices, I could have folded them (will have to remember that next time). And I wish the cheese element would have been stronger. But the crust itself is pretty tasty, which is a huge hurdle Sizzle Pie has overcome. It gets some nice char in their deck oven, though char really isn't what you're tasting. It's just a well-salted, crunchy-rimmed wedge of salt and flour. And it's good like that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjXh2Ij_CKow6k-6gOnIuNf3JHsbF89U_NiNX9cz8rlQWKH35KhVLHRYBhzVXN-ciWYyne4_s-wLzWhydwKsxy9UkhlzGkNRu5Iif3Fzupvpi3e2WMcN3zDriNnqDIZmC9mvG8ESqX9ok/s1600/sizzle-pie-side-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjXh2Ij_CKow6k-6gOnIuNf3JHsbF89U_NiNX9cz8rlQWKH35KhVLHRYBhzVXN-ciWYyne4_s-wLzWhydwKsxy9UkhlzGkNRu5Iif3Fzupvpi3e2WMcN3zDriNnqDIZmC9mvG8ESqX9ok/s400/sizzle-pie-side-view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>The Francesca</b> ($1.75/cut) was a little more interesting. The jalapeños come with plenty of seeds intact, so they go off like firecrackers in your mouth. For those who laugh at the thought of food being too spicy, by all means give this one a shot. Me, I had to ditch some of my peppers to keep my entire jaw from going numb. The downside to the steel-toed kick of the jalapeños is that they completely overpowers any subtlety in the smoked mozzarella; you could have told me it was <a href="http://www.daiyafoods.com/">Daiya</a> and I would have believed you.</div>
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Speaking of Daiya, Sizzle Pie does offer vegan options for those of that persuasion. On this matter I will speak no more.</div>
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Is Sizzle Pie the Great Portland Hope for New York-style slices? No, unfortunately it's not. But if you're in the neighborhood it's a no-brainer, and they're open until 4 a.m. on the weekends (!) for the hardcore night owls. If I lived within short walking distance I'd hit it up all the time for the bargain aspect alone. As it stands, I'm much closer to Straight from New York Pizza, which is actually a bit better.</div>
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<b>OVEN:</b> Gas</div>
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<b>RECOMMENDED:</b> Ace of Spades and a squeeze bottle of Aardvark sauce</div>
Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-755682321486135642011-06-16T18:19:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:25:41.631-07:00Impressions: Pritty Boys Family Pizzeria<b>Pritty Boys Family Pizzeria</b><br />
1430 34th Ave<br />
Seattle, WA 98122<br />
(206) 257-1319<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWpYXyxVFrcFd77rhf0tIF3VGsLHUmr0ZJfhhmAPs9BuZP-FD76LKDaJFRLsozjFRT9bJnoYI2e1uAlkCRqOccpLsVbr0BzpJrcUCWlmjdxCDMPNL4pU42iwhtE0YL2p-rR_yfsmTAjDG/s1600/20110615-156921-pritty-boys-the-craver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWpYXyxVFrcFd77rhf0tIF3VGsLHUmr0ZJfhhmAPs9BuZP-FD76LKDaJFRLsozjFRT9bJnoYI2e1uAlkCRqOccpLsVbr0BzpJrcUCWlmjdxCDMPNL4pU42iwhtE0YL2p-rR_yfsmTAjDG/s400/20110615-156921-pritty-boys-the-craver.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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If you don't mind eating with a bunch of rug rats turning plastic toys into percussion instruments in the dining room playpen, <b>Pritty Boys Family Pizzeria</b> is a good spot for anyone in the neighborhood to grab some well-executed pies thanks to pizzaiolo <b>Byron Hummel</b>, formerly of <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2011/01/phoenecia.html">Phoenecia</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/06/daily-slice-pritty-boys-family-pizzeria-seattle.html">You can read my impressions of their meatiest option, The Craver, over on Slice.</a><br />
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What you won't find there is a quick word about the other pizza I tried there, the <b>Aloha</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrX4a2LVtoBnbeAqsawHe5f2XTupma9-HgJbclkkGfD7JScaRB1KDoX1KlZTAePjBxI3xX_vO9aiI-76VROyMyeUA8QNgZgY_uYqRZQfHaHXvuo8bGBFgzZ2IjtW7zfIsEqjPmzEoYCww/s1600/pritty-boys-aloha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrX4a2LVtoBnbeAqsawHe5f2XTupma9-HgJbclkkGfD7JScaRB1KDoX1KlZTAePjBxI3xX_vO9aiI-76VROyMyeUA8QNgZgY_uYqRZQfHaHXvuo8bGBFgzZ2IjtW7zfIsEqjPmzEoYCww/s400/pritty-boys-aloha.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is Pritty Boys' version of the Hawaiian, with the addition of sun-dried tomato. Unfortunately, neither I nor my dining companions could find any trace of sun-dried tomato on the pizza. It's possible it was ground into the sauce, but it tasted so similar to the red sauce on The Craver that I doubt that's the case (and if it is, there's no point in having it in there in the first place). Probably just an oversight. A pity, because some extra flavor would have been nice here. <b>The Aloha was just flat-out bland</b>, especially in comparison to the salty goodness of The Craver.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGaAVhuS3kE2SvjyReKpOgj6yBggsNWXyjC5FKWW3MzRruyJCYYR1r8vaXw5W79qUI7z1SLl0dSvd5_B7YTp82D0yKr7dFvJREhXQ0o0g-JUXGzBEFqrLwXFv3YREWMSxxDmKeo7rHTt_/s1600/20110615-156921-pritty-boys-craver-side-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGaAVhuS3kE2SvjyReKpOgj6yBggsNWXyjC5FKWW3MzRruyJCYYR1r8vaXw5W79qUI7z1SLl0dSvd5_B7YTp82D0yKr7dFvJREhXQ0o0g-JUXGzBEFqrLwXFv3YREWMSxxDmKeo7rHTt_/s400/20110615-156921-pritty-boys-craver-side-view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Conclusion: <b>Stick with The Craver.</b> With its crispy pepperoni and crunchy (yes, crunchy) sausage, it'll leave you with a smile on your face. Especially if it's in a box on your way out the door.Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-2858260597759597172011-06-03T07:26:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:25:54.274-07:00Impressions: Filiberto's<b><a href="http://www.filibertositalianrestaurant.com/Filibertos_Cucina_Italiana/Filibertos.html">Filiberto's Cucina Italiana</a></b><br />
653 SW 152nd St<br />
Burien, WA 98166<br />
(206) 248-1944<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4rYG5qUNV73tkqa0XVejdVfJjjIncrK8ZDE42WEI7zmT7jO2iguU0VfXJI9R3SsAUEKEFqMrZdeC35q9cg5xMk3Z1xHvXttLVI1tjOOwGKHQHooC0qQVKn4uzj9yEOI8dI7QWQbh4wOQ/s1600/filibertos+margherita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4rYG5qUNV73tkqa0XVejdVfJjjIncrK8ZDE42WEI7zmT7jO2iguU0VfXJI9R3SsAUEKEFqMrZdeC35q9cg5xMk3Z1xHvXttLVI1tjOOwGKHQHooC0qQVKn4uzj9yEOI8dI7QWQbh4wOQ/s400/filibertos+margherita.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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There are long-venerated establishments that manage to live up to their colossal reputations, and there are those that do not. Filiberto's in Burien falls somewhere in the middle, with adequate pizza that could really use a hotter oven and about half the cheese.<br />
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To find out how to make the pizza here ten times better by ordering one specific side dish, <a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/06/seattle-meatballs-make-everything-better-at-filibertos-cucina-italiana.html">read the full review on Slice.</a>Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-80978910793261195612011-05-06T02:06:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:26:49.707-07:00Impressions: Tico's Pizza<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Tico's Pizza</b></div>
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<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=vicente+guerrero,+baja+california,+mexico&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.690438,80.771484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Vicente+Guerrero,+Baja+California,+Mexico&z=15">Colonia Vicente Guerrero</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVqHeFXgKUQANNciq1sM2oloNPF_oPAreRzhtkJiDr_DWdxOZs93fYe4H_KeDQkeeO63pqPivrkqLG14XaHE7ji0r4Vd7Mg_oL6WLWgk02z4KwCXOubbEH9jdjpB2tnG9vbfVeeh2wEKh/s1600/IMG_0964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVqHeFXgKUQANNciq1sM2oloNPF_oPAreRzhtkJiDr_DWdxOZs93fYe4H_KeDQkeeO63pqPivrkqLG14XaHE7ji0r4Vd7Mg_oL6WLWgk02z4KwCXOubbEH9jdjpB2tnG9vbfVeeh2wEKh/s400/IMG_0964.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photographs by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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In the dust-choked town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colonia Vicente Guerrero</st1:place></st1:city>, about 180 miles south of the border, there aren't a whole lot of options available when it comes to varied cuisine. Typically, the entire peninsula, let alone this poverty-stricken village, wouldn't even register as a blip on my radar of food destinations (Michoacán is really the place I want to eat my way across). But when you have a girlfriend you love and adore working and living there, well...you look at things in a different light.</div>
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I've gotten to try a lot of the food in the area (feel free to check out the Portlandfood.org forums for a <a href="http://portlandfood.org/topic/11996-baja-california/">complete rundown</a> of my culinary exploits there). And since there happens to be pizza served in Vicente Guerrero, and this is first and foremost a pizza blog, my curiosity had to be satisfied. For you, dear readers. I do it all for you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CvEvk1C_Q9cPCAb_72bBWzU51_I18lKw-rpzQKbCuSCIiba3eByBUG5jBLNSchQ4S3CRkA02DatDUlQzB3PflDDibMRY2rc1-yUFHdeMY_SNi8myueE64W5t0VRywgQvTRz7Fsr21Mza/s1600/IMG_0957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CvEvk1C_Q9cPCAb_72bBWzU51_I18lKw-rpzQKbCuSCIiba3eByBUG5jBLNSchQ4S3CRkA02DatDUlQzB3PflDDibMRY2rc1-yUFHdeMY_SNi8myueE64W5t0VRywgQvTRz7Fsr21Mza/s400/IMG_0957.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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No, I didn't really expect to find good pizza in Baja, but the locals liked this place enough to recommend I try it. And you know what? Despite being pretty mediocre, it's better than a lot of pizza I've eaten in the States. Not most, but a lot. Certainly better than <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2011/04/impressions-operacaffe.html">the last pizza I had in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">San Diego</st1:city></st1:place></a> and the <a href="http://thisispizza.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-impressions-apizza-safeco-field.html">crap slices I had at Safeco Field. </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFLR4LqdFdOFoJpKGgHLtMLwV2BSd-LzKbS7mwUZs_FSt0llwo7J-2nQOm4qKngiW9WMgFt-QqrE0y-5lWhBgN8OCgqoOqii0tKyQSqywWJDIkM0oUUQdGGGu5UrF0bSwjuCU9Ocsght9/s1600/IMG_0963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFLR4LqdFdOFoJpKGgHLtMLwV2BSd-LzKbS7mwUZs_FSt0llwo7J-2nQOm4qKngiW9WMgFt-QqrE0y-5lWhBgN8OCgqoOqii0tKyQSqywWJDIkM0oUUQdGGGu5UrF0bSwjuCU9Ocsght9/s400/IMG_0963.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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That said, there's nothing particularly special about it. It's dough from a mix (<st1:place w:st="on"><a href="http://bsm.com/">Bay State</a></st1:place>), it rises uniformly across the pie, making it very close to thick-crust pizza, and the toppings aren't high quality. But I liked it well enough.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq318RiNWx_GI40K1kuziKv9YL5sGxs8f3E7gRHZaui5Fq6oBrgn6v52oDNihlV_xsH5ro9uyxy-22ilByebnAc1E1inAS8DoYovjKncl85opWWOhyJqk6_MhLbQe_DvsLvea4rXr6cBCZ/s1600/IMG_0959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq318RiNWx_GI40K1kuziKv9YL5sGxs8f3E7gRHZaui5Fq6oBrgn6v52oDNihlV_xsH5ro9uyxy-22ilByebnAc1E1inAS8DoYovjKncl85opWWOhyJqk6_MhLbQe_DvsLvea4rXr6cBCZ/s400/IMG_0959.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The <b>Mexicana </b>was surprisingly agreeable. It's topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, bacon, chorizo, pinto beans, and jalapeños. Couldn't really taste the sauce; it was applied in too thin a layer. But the bacon and chorizo was salty enough to make up for the fairly bland dough. I wasn't sure I'd like beans on pizza, but they weren't distracting at all, and they actually worked well with the other toppings. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNMunEaDbHeMBaPZSnKThyphenhyphenWJHN4RIZMmDHdC7GKNFbBu5qZDiKPyApQVCsN-2xOTnkakl7yJdSZB4iS7c4TPlXcst_5o970onMnNiamjTlc7KwfObNMdRRYeE8qHnFXmJfBu5kVEVjVZg/s1600/IMG_0958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNMunEaDbHeMBaPZSnKThyphenhyphenWJHN4RIZMmDHdC7GKNFbBu5qZDiKPyApQVCsN-2xOTnkakl7yJdSZB4iS7c4TPlXcst_5o970onMnNiamjTlc7KwfObNMdRRYeE8qHnFXmJfBu5kVEVjVZg/s400/IMG_0958.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Didn't care for the <b>Mixta</b>. It's topped with pepperoni, ham, olives, onions, jalapeños, mushrooms, green peppers, and canned pineapple. Too many toppings, and they fell off too easily when you picked up a slice. Not horrible, though. Just a veggie explosion.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v6K9SUxaQ2kpATZUlC5wnjJ4_BaPmVDW6wT9jy-rWobXHYjszmTlDw1ydbFuTe4X2sl5CL3xzPkCaXnW5G0ulNA4V2N5k7ho3VE0qec1QtG2YLnNitWAvC1vtzNQGkbBi-eucAu3jvQe/s1600/IMG_0961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v6K9SUxaQ2kpATZUlC5wnjJ4_BaPmVDW6wT9jy-rWobXHYjszmTlDw1ydbFuTe4X2sl5CL3xzPkCaXnW5G0ulNA4V2N5k7ho3VE0qec1QtG2YLnNitWAvC1vtzNQGkbBi-eucAu3jvQe/s400/IMG_0961.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When you live in a town this poor, you take your dinner options where you can get them, and as a pizzeria, Tico's is far from the worst you'll find. I'd still take it over Domino's any day of the week. While it won't impress you, it acquits itself nicely as a passable example of the highly Americanized version of this staple. And it may make you a pinto-beans-as-toppings believer, as it did me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0F0NHmQetBnQx_YKROOtUZcC-ZAGLrzx39Q_mNUgR1gRuCwFt7mFFx_K7MhoppVO0i5BRhO7TsshPbvUbNLKXDeZlp58T8OewiYgPBZBaZFJ5XKynv_s_YFyl5D_4wz1IsAtRQDrK597/s1600/IMG_0960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0F0NHmQetBnQx_YKROOtUZcC-ZAGLrzx39Q_mNUgR1gRuCwFt7mFFx_K7MhoppVO0i5BRhO7TsshPbvUbNLKXDeZlp58T8OewiYgPBZBaZFJ5XKynv_s_YFyl5D_4wz1IsAtRQDrK597/s400/IMG_0960.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-53592861905363831082011-04-21T11:40:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:27:01.664-07:00First Impressions: Apizza @ Safeco Field<b>Apizza @ Safeco Field</b><br />
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1250 1st Ave S</div>
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Seattle, WA 98134</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFWqPFmujlSVR09uWX_sJokyd4fcjnHLIm0XULQU3wdzAPfB_6EyeIKf_y68gYNFFrkb7zl9a1N4tIB1vl9AjQIFLGtIXulJ20TUEqdS7VB6uty6FaTNTlei_w2kUDKjkp9VBg53PXynD/s1600/20110412-147068-apizza-seattle-slices-primary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFWqPFmujlSVR09uWX_sJokyd4fcjnHLIm0XULQU3wdzAPfB_6EyeIKf_y68gYNFFrkb7zl9a1N4tIB1vl9AjQIFLGtIXulJ20TUEqdS7VB6uty6FaTNTlei_w2kUDKjkp9VBg53PXynD/s400/20110412-147068-apizza-seattle-slices-primary.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://www.modernapizza.com/">Modern Apizza</a></b> is well known to pizza fanatics. The <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Haven</st1:place></st1:city> institution goes head-to-head with the two "big guns" in town: Pepe's and Sally's, and often comes out ahead. Its owner, Bill Pustari, recently opened a pizza concession stand in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city></st1:place>'s Safeco Field, dropped the "Modern" and just called it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apizza</b>. Last week I slipped in to try it.</div>
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The verdict? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pretty terrible.</b> Still, it's early (they just opened a few weeks ago), so I've got my fingers crossed that Pustari will turn it around (please, please turn it around). </div>
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<a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/modern-apizza-seattle-safeco-field-review.html">You can read my full write-up over on Slice.</a></div>
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Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248466192615498443.post-2844435692001555592011-04-07T18:18:00.000-07:002013-04-12T15:27:13.537-07:00Impressions: Mioposto Caffe e Pizzeria<b><a href="http://www.seattle-eats.com/mioposto/">Mioposto Caffe e Pizzeria</a></b><br />
3601 S McClellan St<br />
Seattle, WA 98144<br />
(206) 760-3400<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Photograph by Adam Lindsley]</i></td></tr>
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Breakfast pizza. Sounds crazy, right? Well it happens to be the best thing on the menu at<b> Mioposto Caffe e Pizzeria</b> in the Mount Baker neighborhood of Seattle. Thanks to the pureed Calabrian chiles serving as the sauce, this thing is a kick in the mouth. What makes it breakfast pizza? Pancetta and eggs, of course! Oh, and the crust tastes like Wonder Bread toast.<br />
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Want to learn more about the rest of the pizzas they serve? <a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/seattle-mioposto-caffe-pizzeria-review-breakfast-pizza.html">Check out the full review on Slice.</a>Adam Lindsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012112411668336019noreply@blogger.com0