South Creek Pizza, 45 Foothill Rd., may no longer be South Reno’s best-kept secret. On a recent Friday evening, droves of diners dug into beautiful, Naples-style pizzas handmade from fresh, local and international ingredients.
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| The busy dining room at South Creek Pizza in South Reno |
About a month earlier, on our first visit to South Creek Pizza, my husband and I were surprised when the hostess asked if we wanted to sit at the bar. There were lots of empty tables, but the hostess explained that we’d be able to watch the kitchen staff prepare our food. “It’s fun for first-timers,” she promised.
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| The bar at South Creek Pizza |
Sitting at the bar was indeed fun and informative. The friendly young pizza artist working directly in front of us explained that the pizzas are baked in 90 seconds in a 900-degree, wood-fired, brick oven imported from Italy.
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| The special 900-degree oven at South Creek Pizza |
Our server presented us with a small, complimentary dish of CeCi, which the South Creek Pizza menu describes as “chickpeas prepared with EVOO, SarVecchio Parmesan, onions, basil, cracked black pepper and chili flakes.”
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| CeCi at South Creek Pizza |
We also ordered an appetizer of Fire Roasted Fresh Green Beans ($6), tossed with bread crumbs and chili oil. These were extraordinary green beans!
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| Fire Roasted Fresh Green Beans at South Creek Pizza |
I know, it sounds kooky to rave about a common vegetable, but the preparation was quite interesting. The chili oil seemed like something you’d find in an Asian eatery, yet our "pizza whisperer" suggested that we save it as a dipping sauce for our pizza crust. He didn’t steer us wrong. It was so delicious that we ordered the green bean dish again on our next trip to South Creek Pizza.
As for entrees, on our initial visit to South Creek Pizza, I chose a Spinaci Pizza ($16) while my hubby opted for the Classic Pizza (also $16), both of which are listed on the menu as South Creek Originals.
The Spinaci features tender spinach, fresh mozzarella, Gruyere, ricotta, SarVecchio Parmesan, garlic, cracked black pepper and sea salt.
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| Spinaci Pizza at South Creek Pizza |
The Classic is topped with tomatoes, Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, shiitake mushrooms, basil, garlic, ricotta and sea salt.
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| Classic Pizza at South Creek Pizza |
Both were delightful, even though we’re forever hooked on Chicago pizzas, which have radically different types of crust. Whether you’re talking about thin-crust, deep-dish or stuffed, Chicago pizza crusts are not at all “bready,” but crisp and often underscored by cornmeal. Toppings on Chicago pizzas are also much more generous than on those of the Neapolitan ilk.
By contrast, South Creek Pizza’s menu notes, “Our artisan Neapolitan-style dough is made from type ‘00’ flour imported from Italy and is cold fermented for at least 48 hours. This technique produces a soft, chewy crust … .”
So for me, as a native Chicagoan, and my husband, who didn’t grow up in Chicago but lived there for 20-some years, eating Naples-style pizza with soft, chewy crust seems almost blasphemous. But life is all about trying new things and in the absence of a Chicago pizza restaurant in South Reno, we can be flexible.
On another trip to South Creek Pizza, this time accompanied by our college student son, we also tried a traditional Margherita Pizza ($14).
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| Margherita Pizza at South Creek Pizza |
The Margherita was dressed with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, EVOO and sea salt.
Simple, but tasty — and my slight objection is that the toppings were definitely skimpy, as compared to the pizzas to which I’m accustomed. (More cheese, pretty please?)
Other pizza offerings at South Creek include Originals topped with items such as meatballs, bacon or sliced pears, as well as Guest pizzas inspired by restaurants in New York, New Jersey and right here in Reno (Campo, located downtown).
Also available are cheese and salumi plates, a number of salads, a few desserts, beer and wine. A couple seated near us, the other night, split a lovely-looking salad. It appeared to have been the Daggi Salad ($9) with mixed greens, smoked blue cheese crumbles, bacon, grape tomatoes, avocado, red onion and blue cheese dressing. I’m eager to try that on a future visit.
For more information about South Creek Pizza, visit http://www.southcreekpizza.com/
