Hidden Gems
PIZZA IS HARDLY RARE. You can’t swing a salami in this town without hitting a middling cheese-and-grease parlor. But serious sleuths seek out the hidden pies—those that live quiet existences in the cozy corners of our fine-dining scene. They may not scream for attention with neon signs or toppings piled high, but these creations from some of the area’s savviest chefs certainly deserve notice.
Serratto
THE PERFECT PIE: The pizza bianco, which often features mozzarella, Mornay sauce, prosciutto, and roasted artichoke hearts
Planted on a bustling corner in Nob Hill, where eateries scramble for the attention of dapper passersby, Serratto has reeled in diners in with toothsome pastas and roasts for 25 years. And the consistent, assured execution that keeps them coming back extends to a handful of Italian-style pizzas. The secret? A four-year-old sourdough starter—a batter of flour, water, living yeast, and bacteria that gives life to each and every pie. The pizza bianco is a standout, with a heady blanket of Mornay sauce—béchamel thickened with a blend of five cheeses—encircled by a perfectly tangy, flame-kissed crust.
2112 NW Kearney St; 503-221-1195; serratto.com
Grüner
THE PERFECT PIE: There’s just one: the dreamy tarte flambée, with sweet onions, bacon, crème fraîche, and chives.
Sure, it’s unlikely that you’d hightail it to Portland’s stylized sanctuary of spätzle, goulash, and saucisson for a dose of Italy’s street food staple. But Grüner’s deeply satisfying pizza, in all of its rich, German-French-Alsatian glory, is anything but provincial. Chef Christopher Israel tinkers with the essentials to deliver a more piquant and complex meal: thick, smoky bacon plays nicely with caramelized onions against a backdrop of luscious crème fraîche, all brightened with a smattering of chopped chives. A pillowy, flavorful crust offers a definitive statement that this is no mere pizza—this is “tarte flambée.”
527 SW 12th Ave; 503-241-7163; grunerpdx.com
Firehouse
THE PERFECT PIE: Fennel sausage, onions, and mozzarella
Chef Matthew Bussetto tasted his way through Naples—and it shows. The rustic restaurant he opened in the historic firehouse on Northeast Dekum Street focuses on the rustic, pure flavors of that culinary cradle. True to the trattoria tradition, pizza is just one phase of a meal here—but it’s hard not to fixate on the sumptuous wheels emerging from Firehouse’s Tuscan wood-fired oven. The ingredients are simple—San Marzano plum tomatoes with a touch of sea salt and fresh mozzarella—but when combined with carefully proofed, quickly stretched dough and slid into an oven roaring with Oregon oak, the result is a Neapolitan masterpiece.
711 NE Dekum St; 503-954-1702; firehousepdx.com
Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom
THE PERFECT PIE: Handmade sausage, onion, and mushroom
A post–Gorge adventure pit stop at Double Mountain’s woody, friendly taproom in downtown Hood River brings a welcome surprise: some of the finest pizza within dough-tossing distance of Portland. Double Mountain’s pies feature a light, chewy, coal oven–fired thin crust beneath flavorful but uncomplicated combinations. Portland’s most exacting pizza arbiters (Brian Spangler of Apizza Scholls among them) have endorsed Double Mountain’s efforts—but what matters is that it’s just what you need: belly-warming road fuel that won’t lull you to sleep at the wheel.
8 Fourth St, Hood River; 541-387-0042; doublemountainbrewery.com
Published: March 2011
After a few years in Boston, I think I know me some pizza & I gotta say, Kenton’s Pizza Fino is one of my top 3 favorites in Portland. Where’s the mention, PM!?! These guys do it well & consistently – tasty cheese, spicy pepperoni & that delicious, thin foldable crust. The best part is that it’s always available. Feel like having a pie? Hop on down to Denver & pick one up – easy peasy. None of this “Oh, we’re only open from 5-9pm every other day, but not Sundays, carry out only on the occasional Wednesday and please start to form a line at 9am for some friggin pizza.” The restaurant has a nice mood to it, the beer selection is amazing & the staff is always friendly.
As much as I love Gruener, I think that including the restaurant’s tarte flambee, which is served as an appetizer, on the list of “hidden gems” alongside restaurants that serve a wide selection of pizzas as a main course is a little silly. Seems like you might be reaching a little far to fit Gruener on another list.
Oh you included us out in the Gorge! Feels good to get the recognition and all, but while I love Double Mountain, a short jaunt over the bridge to Bingen, Washington, would have brought you to Solstice Wood Fire Cafe. Imported Italian wood fire oven, local organic ingredients, and creative pizzas to die for…one of which was named best pizza in Washington State, no less. Amazing! Come out here again, it is worth the drive, and 75 cent bridge toll. :)