While looking for a place to eat dinner after attending an art exhibition at the Perpich Center for Arts Education I did a "search nearby" and found that there was a D'Amico & Sons location at 7804 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley, MN 55437, about a mile away. Looking at the reviews on Trip Advisor for the restaurant, I saw one where it mentioned "wood fired oven" so that restaurant location seemed worth a try.
This time I didn't have my camera with me, so there are no pictures.
There is a menu that you can download from their page. The actual selections available in the restaurant were a bit broader.
The good news: They really do have and use a wood-fired oven to bake their pizza.
The bad news: They run their oven at a comparatively low 500 degrees or so.
As a result, their wood-fired pizza is just OK.
I ordered their Neapolitan (a highly ironic name considering the temperature of true Neapolitan pizza ovens), which had fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil. The pizza was thin crust, not overloaded, and had a bit of char on the bottom. It would have definitely benefited from some attention from a bubble popper. A couple of big bubbles had pushed the sauce and cheese away from substantial portions of my pizza.
Even with those problems, it was a pretty tasty pizza, and one I would order again.
Showing posts with label fieldreport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fieldreport. Show all posts
Friday, October 26, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Third Street Deli, Pepin, Wisconsin Field Report
On the third day of our field trip to Wisconsin, we had dinner at the Third Street Deli in Pepin. I had checked with them about some questions I had, so that when I arrived, I was recognized. We actually stopped by twice, once before they were heating the oven and later after they started serving food out of the oven.
The oven was built last year. It was more massive than they were expecting.
The oven is part of an outdoor kitchen with some counter seating and an outdoor patio. There is some shelter from the weather while still being out of doors.
It's a pretty big oven. It looks like a relative big barrel-vault oven instead of a hemispherical oven more typical of a pizza-only oven.
They have some of the tools that I would expect for a wood-fired oven, but not all of them. (It's enough for what they do.)
Once the oven is heated up, they keep a fire in the back to keep the temperature up. That takes some practice to regulate and to cook with.
Here are a couple of calzones in the oven.
One got a little charred. This is apparently a rare problem, and they remade the item (for free of course) for the people who ordered it.
This is a "before" picture of my margherita pizza.
This is the "after" picture of my pizza. It pretty much comes out of the oven and then to the table. (It was only about 5 minutes before the pizza going in and me taking the after picture. Part of that was remembering to get my camera out before I ate the pizza.)
I thought it was a very reasonable price for the pizza ($8). Unlike A to Z Produce (the Pizza Farm), the Third Street Deli does not specialize in pizza; they have a lot of other offerings. (My wife really liked the roasted beet salad.)
The next time I'm in the neighborhood of Pepin on a day when A to Z is closed and Third Street Deli is open (Thursday through Sunday), I would happily go there again for pizza or for something else on the menu.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Rabbit's Bakery, Lake City, Minnesota Field Report
One the second day of a vacation at Stockholm, Wisconsin, we crossed the border back into Minnesota to visit Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City. We got there just before noon, so that baking for the day was over, but the wood-fired oven was being heated up for the next day's baking.
There were lots of tasting things in case waiting to be chosen. We saw lots of people coming in to buy things or to have lunch at the bakery cafe.
There was some breads of the day on the rack waiting to be taken, a menu for drinks on the wall. You can also see a sign for pizza (lower right), which they currently make once a month.
They have their distinctive sign hanging outside their door.
Here you can see the chimney stack and cinder block addition for their wood-fired oven. It looks like they also added some additional venting.
Just in case you can't find it going by the address, they also have a distinctive sign on the exterior wall of their bakery building.
Everything we bought was good. I'll certainly stop by again if I'm in the area.
There were lots of tasting things in case waiting to be chosen. We saw lots of people coming in to buy things or to have lunch at the bakery cafe.
There was some breads of the day on the rack waiting to be taken, a menu for drinks on the wall. You can also see a sign for pizza (lower right), which they currently make once a month.
They have their distinctive sign hanging outside their door.
Here you can see the chimney stack and cinder block addition for their wood-fired oven. It looks like they also added some additional venting.
Just in case you can't find it going by the address, they also have a distinctive sign on the exterior wall of their bakery building.
Everything we bought was good. I'll certainly stop by again if I'm in the area.
Monday, August 27, 2012
A to Z Produce, Stockholm, Wisconsin Field Report
For my wife and me, if the weather is good, and the day is Tuesday, the usual question is, "Can we go to Stockholm, Wisconsin for pizza?" A to Z Produce is, as far as I know the original pizza farm.(I have collected many links about them here.)
When my wife and I visited on August 21, we got there early so we could avoid the wait, but there was already a great throng of cars. Still, I think we were still only pizza 38. We found a place to park pretty close to the ovens.
We were amused by the signage they had posted. The rules are few, but important. I told my wife that "Fences zap" is a warning most places would never post and most people would never see. It's a useful warning though because the location is a working farm with cattle, and the cattle fences have to work as intended, meaning live electric fences. (We arrived about 4:45.)
Since A to Z remodeled a few years ago, there is now more shelter over the ovens and for people waiting for their pizza. It is not so important on a pleasant summer evening, but when it's raining or cold, the shelter is very welcome.
The way to order is simple. They list the pizzas they are making, and you pick the kind you want. They will make you a pizza that half one kind and half another, but you need to accept what you get. It seems like every time we have gone there recently, the person taking order simply takes your order and says, "That will be 10 minutes."
Robbi operates the ovens herself. (People were not obeying the "NO FLASH PLEASE" writing over the ovens.) There are two ovens; there is basically a three-stage pipeline. About once a minute, Robbi moves a pizza from the second oven to a pizza box where the cashier will slice it. She then moves and rotates the pizza from the first oven into the second oven. Ted will carry a new pizza from the kitchen and put it into the first oven. When they are operating at full speed, they produce a new pizza in less than one minute.
So, when the person taking the orders says to everybody, "That will be 10 minutes," it is pretty much the truth. (If you come later, you may have to wait longer. The key is not how fast pizzas are made, but how fast people arrive. If a big crowd appears, the back up happens, but it's mainly handling the orders, not making the pizzas. One time when we got there later at 6:25 in the evening they were serving pizza 135 or so. Still faster than one per minute.)
This is the original oven, now used for the second minute of cooking.
They keep a lot of pizza boxes ready, but having them ready to go prevents a delay in boxing up the pizza. If you bring your box back, they knock a dollar off the price of your pizza.
This is Robbi turning a pizza before transferring it.
After we got our pizza home, I forgot to grab the camera to take a picture of it before getting slices out of the box. According to the time stamp on the picture, I took this picture at 5:16, which means we ordered the pizza, received the pizza, drove to where we staying, and then served the pizza all in 31 minutes.
This is the place that got me hooked on wood-fired oven pizza and the benchmark against which I compare all other wood-fired pizza places.
When we left, I checked the vehicles parked on the road around the farm. There were licenses representing five states, mostly Minnesota and Wisconsin, but also Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio. This is a place that doesn't care if you find them or not; they already have enough business. (This was highlighted in a recent blog post by Mark Leslie that he called "Old MacDonald had a ... Pizza Farm??")
We are already fans, but we enjoy reading about how other people react when they discover "the Pizza Farm."
When my wife and I visited on August 21, we got there early so we could avoid the wait, but there was already a great throng of cars. Still, I think we were still only pizza 38. We found a place to park pretty close to the ovens.
We were amused by the signage they had posted. The rules are few, but important. I told my wife that "Fences zap" is a warning most places would never post and most people would never see. It's a useful warning though because the location is a working farm with cattle, and the cattle fences have to work as intended, meaning live electric fences. (We arrived about 4:45.)
Since A to Z remodeled a few years ago, there is now more shelter over the ovens and for people waiting for their pizza. It is not so important on a pleasant summer evening, but when it's raining or cold, the shelter is very welcome.
The way to order is simple. They list the pizzas they are making, and you pick the kind you want. They will make you a pizza that half one kind and half another, but you need to accept what you get. It seems like every time we have gone there recently, the person taking order simply takes your order and says, "That will be 10 minutes."
Robbi operates the ovens herself. (People were not obeying the "NO FLASH PLEASE" writing over the ovens.) There are two ovens; there is basically a three-stage pipeline. About once a minute, Robbi moves a pizza from the second oven to a pizza box where the cashier will slice it. She then moves and rotates the pizza from the first oven into the second oven. Ted will carry a new pizza from the kitchen and put it into the first oven. When they are operating at full speed, they produce a new pizza in less than one minute.
So, when the person taking the orders says to everybody, "That will be 10 minutes," it is pretty much the truth. (If you come later, you may have to wait longer. The key is not how fast pizzas are made, but how fast people arrive. If a big crowd appears, the back up happens, but it's mainly handling the orders, not making the pizzas. One time when we got there later at 6:25 in the evening they were serving pizza 135 or so. Still faster than one per minute.)
This is the original oven, now used for the second minute of cooking.
They keep a lot of pizza boxes ready, but having them ready to go prevents a delay in boxing up the pizza. If you bring your box back, they knock a dollar off the price of your pizza.
This is Robbi turning a pizza before transferring it.
This is the place that got me hooked on wood-fired oven pizza and the benchmark against which I compare all other wood-fired pizza places.
When we left, I checked the vehicles parked on the road around the farm. There were licenses representing five states, mostly Minnesota and Wisconsin, but also Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio. This is a place that doesn't care if you find them or not; they already have enough business. (This was highlighted in a recent blog post by Mark Leslie that he called "Old MacDonald had a ... Pizza Farm??")
We are already fans, but we enjoy reading about how other people react when they discover "the Pizza Farm."
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Roma Restaurant, Bar and Market, Willernie, Minnesota Field Report
I made a lunchtime visit to the Roma Restaurant, Bar and Market, Willernie, Minnesota. They are located at 460 Stillwater Road, Willernie, MN 55090. (Note that they also have a Restaurant page on Facebook.) They are on my map of wood-fired oven businesses in Minnesota.
The outside of the building is directly in front of its narrow parking lot. From what I could see of the interior, it looks like they added the oven and expanded next door to their original location in 2008.
The oven is tucked into the front corner of the original space, back behind the counter and by the kitchen. You can barely see it from their dining room.
One can really see that this is a wood-fired oven. (A small image of one appears on their home page.) They don't really explain where the oven comes from (or why they wanted one), but it certainly does its job.
The menus for Roma Restaurant are available for downloading. I took my wife there for lunch, and we ordered the Balsamico (without the proscuitto, since we are vegetarians). Service seemed attentive and fast. My wife and I both thought it was delicious.
We found the crust to be very tender, not the hard, chewy crusts we often find with any pizzas, but especially with WFO pizzas.
There were several other pizzas on the menu we wanted to try, plus there are lots of other tasty-looking items that are not wood-fired oven pizzas.
There is a sign in their window that says they can par bake their pizzas so you can finish baking them at home. That would be an interesting option to try.
It's certainly not in our neighborhood, but if we happen to find ourselves in that corner of the Twin Cities Metro again, we will stop in for another visit.
The outside of the building is directly in front of its narrow parking lot. From what I could see of the interior, it looks like they added the oven and expanded next door to their original location in 2008.
The oven is tucked into the front corner of the original space, back behind the counter and by the kitchen. You can barely see it from their dining room.
One can really see that this is a wood-fired oven. (A small image of one appears on their home page.) They don't really explain where the oven comes from (or why they wanted one), but it certainly does its job.
The menus for Roma Restaurant are available for downloading. I took my wife there for lunch, and we ordered the Balsamico (without the proscuitto, since we are vegetarians). Service seemed attentive and fast. My wife and I both thought it was delicious.
We found the crust to be very tender, not the hard, chewy crusts we often find with any pizzas, but especially with WFO pizzas.
There were several other pizzas on the menu we wanted to try, plus there are lots of other tasty-looking items that are not wood-fired oven pizzas.
There is a sign in their window that says they can par bake their pizzas so you can finish baking them at home. That would be an interesting option to try.
It's certainly not in our neighborhood, but if we happen to find ourselves in that corner of the Twin Cities Metro again, we will stop in for another visit.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Queen Margherita, Seattle, Washington Field Report
I had previously posted about a news item that led me to the home page for Queen Margherita in Seattle.
I actually had a chance to visit and try the place out.
Two old friends of mine took me to the wilds of the Magnolia neighborhood in Seattle. We found a cozy storefront with a garage-style door and a nice sit-down space inside.
While they are not a VPN-certified pizza place, they do make pizzas in a similar style.
I discovered they do have a Facebook community page.
This is a place I can highly recommend.
I actually had a chance to visit and try the place out.
Two old friends of mine took me to the wilds of the Magnolia neighborhood in Seattle. We found a cozy storefront with a garage-style door and a nice sit-down space inside.
I chatted with one of the owners while we were waiting (just a short while) for our pizza. If I remember correctly, the oven was imported from Naples.
While they are not a VPN-certified pizza place, they do make pizzas in a similar style.
We ordered a couple of pizzas off of their pizza menu. I wasn't thinking about writing this report at the time, so I didn't happen to take pictures of the pizzas. I think we got the Queen Margherita and a pizza with white sauce instead of tomato sauce. Both were excellent.
I discovered they do have a Facebook community page.
This is a place I can highly recommend.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Alder Wood Bistro, Sequim, Washington Field Report
I had the opportunity to actually visit and try the Alder Wood Bistro in Sequim, WA.
They are actually located on Alder Street in Sequim. That puts it a few blocks north of the main street through town, so you probably would not find it by accident if you were just driving through Sequim.
Their restaurant opened about 5 years ago. Based on my limited experience, you would be well advised to make reservations.
I believe I read that the oven was built by one of Alan Scott's apprentices.
The inside of the oven is 4 feet by 6 feet. It seems to be a typical Scott barrel vault design.
We got their roasted vegetable pizza.
Their menu contains a lot more than wood-fired oven pizza.
In this case, I can recommend a visit.
They are actually located on Alder Street in Sequim. That puts it a few blocks north of the main street through town, so you probably would not find it by accident if you were just driving through Sequim.
Their restaurant opened about 5 years ago. Based on my limited experience, you would be well advised to make reservations.
I believe I read that the oven was built by one of Alan Scott's apprentices.
The inside of the oven is 4 feet by 6 feet. It seems to be a typical Scott barrel vault design.
We got their roasted vegetable pizza.
Their menu contains a lot more than wood-fired oven pizza.
In this case, I can recommend a visit.
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