I've got a confession to make, my dearest piglets, so brace yourselves for something shocking: I hate pizza. Oh shut your gaping mouths! It's not that shocking. And anyway, I should clarify my confession by saying that I don't hate all pizza, I just hate most pizza, what most people think of as pizza, that dreck from Domino's, Papa John's and Pizza Hut. Blech! When I was in college our coffee shop had a little Pizza Hut outlet where we could get personal pan pizzas with our meal plan cards. Woo hoo! Free pizza! Boy did that fun not last. I got sick of those greasy, doughy, bland Frisbees after a week and even now the smell of one makes me queasy.
Industrial pizzas just plain suck. That rubbery cheese, the mystery meat nuggets, the heartburn-inducing red sauce that you know came straight out of a can. Hate it! But you know what I do love?
Real, handmade pizza with a thin, imperfectly shaped crust and just a little bit of toppings here and there. Pizza isn't supposed to be a pound of cheese and a pound of sausage with a little bread hidden somewhere underneath; it's supposed to be about the crust, highlighted with some fun ingredients lightly sprinkled on top. You know?
Jeff Jinnett knows what I mean. He's the guy behind Rooftop Pizza (60 E. San Francisco St., 984-0008) and the president of Santa Fe Dining, the company that owns Rio Chama Steakhouse, La Casa Sena, Sleeping Dog Tavern and Albuquerque's Chama River Brewing Co. Asked why he decided to get into the pizza business, Jinnett said simply, "Well, we had a space and we wanted to put a restaurant in it," adding, "We figured that in this location, with the size of the kitchen we could have, and with
a niche we thought wasn't being represented downtown, we'd do an upscale, gourmet pizzeria." He means the kind of pizzeria people like me would like.
The pies here are thin-crusted, made with a regular dough or one dough that incorporates a bit of blue corn meal. The pizzas come in three sizes and cost as much as $20 for a large, but the toppings include options like smoked duck, lobster, crab and crawfish. Of course there are more familiar toppings, too, but snobby gourmet pizza eaters like me appreciate the opportunity for adventure and we're willing to pay for it. And Jeff Jinnett knows that.
The most popular pie so far, Jinnett says, is one with creamy Alfredo sauce, roasted chicken, green chile, piñons and asadero and cotija cheeses; the 12-inch version costs $12. Another popular pie called the BLT comes with red sauce, applewood bacon (oh hells yeah!), tomatoes, mozzarella and provolone. The hot pizza is then topped with cold avocado and lettuce ($13 for a 12-incher). At lunch (from 11 am until 4 pm) you can get a big slice, salad and drink for $8. This is the kind of pizza I could really love!
Of course there are other places to find pizza downtown, although Jinnett is right when he says none is trying to do the same thing as he is. Several other restaurants in the neighborhood have pizza on their menus, but the few that focus on pizza do a different style of pie. I say try them all, if you haven't already, and figure out exactly which kinds of pizza you love.
Atomic Grill
(103 E. Water St., 820-2866) isn't known for pizza, but they do have five on the menu. Their grilled chicken pesto pizza is also topped with caramelized onions and fresh tomatoes ($10.50). Their vegetarian pie is topped with tomatoes, green chile and mushrooms ($9.50). And they're open late!
Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza
(321 W. San Francisco St., 986-8700,
) offers 14 thin-crusted pies heaping with toppings. The Angeli comes with balsamic marinara sauce, mozzarella, roasted chicken, portobellos, artichoke hearts, Gorgonzola and rosemary ($8). The white pizza comes glistening with spicy oil and sprinkled with mozzarella, capocolla ham, portobellos, caramelized onions, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, fresh tomatoes and rosemary ($7.50).
Pizza Etc.
(151 Paseo de Peralta, 986-1500,
), across from DeVargas Center, has a unique, free-form crust. Their New Mexican pie comes slathered with refried beans and topped with green chile, salsa, corn, cheddar and onions; the Pizza Trifolati comes with sautéed portobello, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, garlic and green onions. If you want to design your own, you can choose from toppings like soy or goat cheese, Italian sausage, jalapeños, pineapple and buffalo meat. They'll also sell you an unbaked pie to take home and finish in your own oven.
Pranzo Italian Grill
(540 Montezuma Ave., 984-2645,
) serves a half-dozen pizzas at lunch and dinner, including a simple one topped with basil, tomato and mozzarella; another comes with sausage, artichoke hearts, olives and roasted peppers; or try the Pizza al Pera, topped with extra virgin olive oil, roasted pears, Gorgonzola, pine nuts, spinach and prosciutto ($12).
Upper Crust Pizza
(329 Old Santa Fe Trail, 982-0000) is more of a traditionalist's joint, serving unpretentious pizzas on regular or whole-wheat crusts. The Grecian (with feta, kalamatas, bell peppers, onion and garlic for $11) and the Meat Treat (with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage and one vegetable of your choice, also $11) are both popular specialty pizzas, but you can also design your own pie. Plus, they deliver!
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
