Opening: Nicli Antica Pizzeria

[Photo courtesy Scout Magazine]

When I visited Vancouver, B.C. last year, I went to the food boards and asked locals where to find the best pizza. Most of the posts directed me to Marcello, which was a crushing disappointment. But then I heard about a place that was going to open soon that was going to be Vancouver's first authentic Neapolitan pizzeria. That place was Nicli Antica Pizzeria in Gastown.

Well, I just received an email from owner Bill McCraig that Nicli opened today, Tuesday, February 7, 2011. They'll be open from 5pm to close, no reservations (even though there's a reservation form on their website, oddly enough). An early review from Scout Magazine is very positive, so now I can't wait to get back up there to try it!

Nicli Antica Pizzeria
62 East Cordova
Vancouver, B.C.

ADDED 2/15/2011 - TIP Reader "Lindsay" sent these photos along. She noted that they still have a few kinks to iron out.

News: New Wood-Fired Pizza on Alberta?

So says the sign hung on the enclosed space next door to the Grilled Cheese Grill at NE 11th and Alberta. See for yourself:

(photo by Adam Lindsley)

I asked the guys at GCG about the new establishment, but they knew nothing of the goings-on taking place behind the red-and-white tarps.

If any of you out there know anything about it, please write in and let us know!

News: Pizzicato Employees Chase Down Thief

According to an article on kgw.com, a would-be thief entered the Pizzicato on East Burnside Thursday night, snatched the tip jar off the counter, and bolted into the street.

Well the employees didn't take too kindly to that and decided to chase the bastard down and disable him until the police arrived on the scene for the arrest.

Pizzicato employees, I salute you.

News: Domino's Revamps "Classic" Recipe

From a story on CBS News:

After nearly 50 years, Domino's Pizza is changing its core recipe. A recent survey placed Domino's at the top of service and delivery among chain pizzerias, and at the bottom for taste. This new recipe changes their "classic" pizza in three ways:

1.) The crust will now be seasoned with garlic and parsley.

2.) The sauce will be sweeter and include red pepper flakes.

3.) The cheese will be a mix of shredded mozzarella and provolone.

Now, I've always found Domino's pizza to be an abomination, an affront to all things good about pizza. It's worse than Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Lil' Caesars...any of the chains, really. And worse than most frozen pizza. I'll still eat it if someone is clueless enough to order it, but probably not more than a slice or two. That crust is just too gummy for me, and the sauce too sweet (which really makes me question whether making it even sweeter is a wise decision).

I'm curious to see how the Domino's-loving public responds to this. In the CBS story, they allowed some random people to try it, and their reaction was quite positive. So were the reactions from the talking heads on the CBS Early Show. I just can't help but recall the disaster that befell Coca-Cola when they decided to change up their classic recipe in the '80s for "New Coke," and sure enough, CBS mentions it in their report.

Can you believe that survey? I for one find it very hard to swallow the idea that the #1 chain pizza people prefer comes from Papa John's. Over Godfather's? Please.

Anyway, there's a less-than-1% chance I'll be trying this new iteration of Domino's in the foreseeable future, so if any of you get your hands on their new pies, do write in and tell us about it.

News: Lovely Hula Hands Owners to Open Pizzeria

(photo courtesy OregonLive.com)

Well well. It would seem that the owners of Lovely Hula Hands, a highly praised restaurant in North Portland, is closing its doors in January and moving next door to open a wood-fired pizzeria called Lovely's Fifty Fifty. Having never eaten at Lovely Hula Hands (perhaps I should while I still can...), I have no idea what to expect, but news of another wood-fired pizzeria opening in the area always puts a smile on my face. So yeah, I'm looking forward to this.

Here's the press release from Lovely Hula Hands' owners, Sarah and Jane Minnick:

Hello friends and fans of Lovely Hula Hands- Our new wood fired pizza restaurant, Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty, should be open sometime in January. There have been a lot of construction setbacks since the beginning of the project, but we are finally awaiting the arrival of the wood oven, ice cream case and other exciting things.

Also, at the end of this month, Lovely Hula Hands will be closing. The reasons for this are many, but in the end it comes down to one thing above all. When we first opened the restaurant six years ago, a family member was our chef. As time went on and this changed, we found ourselves in the position of running a restaurant from the front of the house. That is, we relied on someone from outside the family to direct the kitchen. As you know from the loyalty of our customers and the critical reception that Lovely Hula Hands has received, we have always been lucky with the talented people we’ve chosen. But now it just makes sense for us to focus on our new venture 100 % and have more of a hand in the production of the things we serve.

We plan to have a great final month at Lovely Hula Hands and finish strong with the same seasonal menu, cocktails, etc. New Years Eve will be our last night open. We hope to see many of you this month at least one more time and we hope to keep seeing you next door at Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty. It will have a lot of things in common with LHH- a seasonal menu, buying exclusively from local farmers and ranchers, a hefty list of salads and starters, and even one or two wood fired entrees along with the pizza offerings. We will also have six flavors of seasonal homemade ice cream in a big case up front and people can get a scoop or a pint to go. Our current staff will stay with us and work next door, so no one is being put out of work in this economy.

We want to deeply thank all of our loyal customers and staff for the last six years. It has honestly been a pleasure running this restaurant.

Finally, please note that we will be honoring Gift Certificates for Lovely Hula Hands next door at Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty. If you have one and can’t get in this month, please use it there.

Sincerely, Sarah and Jane Minnick

Delancey Finally Opens

After months of delays, setbacks, and plain old bad luck, Brandon Pettit's Neo-New York-style pizzeria Delancey finally opened on August 12, 2009, in the Ballard neighborhood in northwest Seattle. The buzz surrounding this pizzeria has reached a fevered pitch as of late, with nearly 2,000 eager fans following the restaurant's snail's-pace progress on Twitter. Their current menu can be seen here, and you can bet we'll be checking Delancey out very soon.

Good luck to Brandon and his wife on their new venture!