Restaurant evaluate: Marin natives’ ardour for pizza felt at Oliver’s Pizzeria – Marin Independent Journal

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The speakeasy vibe of Oliver’s Pizzeria is as engaging as its meals and drinks. It’s straightforward to seek out the tackle for the pizzeria’s again entrance on-line. But when ascending the entrance steps subsequent to Vin, its sister restaurant, I felt like I used to be “in the know.”

On the touchdown, I arrived at an off-the-cuff lounge space the place a number of individuals have been seated, glasses in hand. Looking round for my companion and never seeing him, I continued on into the primary space the place the tables towards the uncovered brick wall have been packed. On my left was the glistening white-domed pizza oven, and past it was the bar. All the bar seats have been full, too. The again door was open, so I went out on the touchdown and was met with a superb view of Mount Tamalpais. Turning again towards the kitchen, I requested one of many employees members if I may put my identify down for a desk. That executed, I circled to see my pal climbing up the again stairs. We walked again to the lounge space and took a bar menu from a slot on the wall. All cocktails are $15. There have been 12 crafted cocktails plus an inventory of the classics. A separate listing of amari, standard Italian bittersweet liqueurs, was priced from $8 for the world’s oldest amaro, Ramazzotti, to $15 for Nonino, certainly one of my favorites.

A server arrived, and my pal ordered Bee La Bamba, a tequila-mezcal concoction with an natural hit of rosemary served in a coupe. I wished one thing tall and cooling, so the spritz-like Borgogna Bubbles regarded proper. The drink, with strawberry Aperol and barely fizzy Lambrusco pink wine, served in an extended glass, was glorious.

Cider and beer ($8 to $9), soda and different nonalcoholic choices ($4 to $8) and several other attention-grabbing wines ($12 to $24 a glass and $46 to $96 a bottle) full the beverage listings. Italian vineyard Fattoria Moretto’s Lambrusco ($12) will not be typically seen on menus. It’s a scrumptious, dry pink wine from Italy, barely bubbly and served chilled. I ordered a glass realizing it could have good construction and be refreshing. It was!

Shortly, we have been comfortably seated on the bar with a view of the pizza oven — good action-watching seats.

This pizza place had been the dream of Mike Heffernan and Carroll Oliver since they have been in highschool collectively at Drake High School — now Archie Williams High School — in San Anselmo. Since then, Oliver has frolicked studying as a lot as he may take up about cooking and baking. Before he and Heffernan opened Oliver’s, he labored in a number of eating places and bakeries, gathering information and expertise. He discovered glorious academics and assist at Marla Bakery when it was nonetheless in San Francisco on Balboa Street. During the time when Marla Bakery was relocating to Windsor, Oliver was in a position to do a pizza pop-up on the weekends at their Balboa tackle utilizing Marla’s wood-fire oven.

There’s a deliberate depth about Oliver’s. The stimulation created by the placement, steep steps, twin entrances/exits, restricted seating (31 seats), restricted pizza per day (75) and brief and attractive menu makes it a spot to be.

The Celery and Date Salad ($12) was much like the one I wrote about in my evaluate a number of months in the past of the restaurant downstairs, the extra formal Vin. Oliver’s Pizzeria shaves ricotta salata over the salad somewhat than Parmesan, and it tastes extra closely dressed. It was nonetheless flavorful however much less texturally thrilling.

When our Little Gem Caesar ($16) was positioned in entrance of us, my pal exclaimed, “Wow, it’s like the ‘Odyssey’ film I saw: too much of a great thing.” The little gem leaves, piled excessive and draping over the sting, have been lavishly coated with grated Parmesan and toasted breadcrumbs. It was a sight to behold: crispy leaves with a tart dressing, an abundance of umami taste and the correct quantity of crunch from the breadcrumbs. Some salads I contemplate finger meals, and this was undoubtedly certainly one of them. There was definitely sufficient for the 2 of us to share.

Now it was time to style the wood-fired sourdough pizza. Since we have been seated in entrance of the oven, we had been watching Oliver working in an orderly, nearly fixed movement. Puffy mounds of dough have been on the counter to his proper. Oliver flipped then unfold and flattened a mound to the sides of the pan. He added the remainder of the substances earlier than sliding the pan into the oven, and with a jerk of his wrist, the dough flew off the peel onto the blazing scorching flooring of the oven. He used the pizza peel to softly flip the pizza a pair occasions, then slid it below the pie, rapidly eradicating it from the oven. The pizza solely spends 90 to 100 seconds within the oven!

Two pizzas have been far an excessive amount of to order, however I wished to style a few completely different flavors. I in all probability ought to have ordered the Margherita ($22), the basic baseline Neapolitan pizza. But the Sweet Salami ($24) and the Napoli ($24) received me over. I regarded ahead to the soppressata that got here with the Sweet Salami, and the Napoli’s Calabrian chiles swayed me. The barely candy warmth these chilies add is so scrumptious.

Both the Sweet Salami and the Napoli pizzas had spottily charred, puffy crusts with all of the toppings distinctly flavorful and complementary. This Neapolitan type of pizza with its tender backside crust is for consuming folded over or with knife and fork and normally isn’t overwhelmed with toppings, letting what’s there make a higher hit.

Oliver’s Pizzeria has restricted kitchen area, so the menu is brief in size however lengthy in taste. There’s no dessert, per se, so that you would possibly get pleasure from ending your meal like an Italian: with a glass of amaro.

Ann Walker is a contract meals author. Email her with options, feedback and questions at [email protected].

Oliver’s Pizzeria

Address: 833 Commercial Place, San Rafael, for the again entrance

Phone: 415-213-2185

Website: oliverswoodfiredpizza.com

Cuisine: Pizza bar

Noise stage: Fairly loud when full, however dialog is feasible

Seating: Inside

Liquor choice: Full

Vegetarian dishes: Yes

Vegan dishes: Limited

Gluten-free picks: No

Dog-friendly: Service animals

Parking: Street and lot behind with again entrance to restaurant

Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays by means of Saturdays

Prices: $10 to $25

Reservations: Walk-ins

Summary: Oliver’s Pizzeria provides a novel ambiance with scrumptious drinks and pizzas created by individuals who have true ardour for what they’re making