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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2015)
Marzano’s Th is Manzanita eatery serves good ol’ pizza, but at artisan prices M Marzano’s is the odd pizza joint that doesn’t sell slices. Part of the reason, I imag- ine, is EecaXse the restaXrant has a dif¿ cXlt enough time keeping up with demand for full pies. Waits are common. I showed up on a Friday evening. It would be 25 minutes for a table. Alternatively, take out would be ready in 40. Now, this was in Oc- tober, in crummy weather. (I can only assume that on a nice summer evening one could grow a full beard in the time it takes to be served.) The bottleneck is the size of the dining room (and probably the ovens). It’s rather small, a collection of about eight booths, only two of which could comfortably accommodate more than four adults and a large pizza. It’s dimly lit and starkly dressed — sharp, clean and mostly devoid of any intriguing character. I opted for take out. From the three calzones on the menu — Vegetable, Roasted Vegetable and Carne — I selected the Carne ($13.50), though I wished for some middle ground — why not offer one with meat AND veggies? (And, for that mat- ter, there’s not a whole lot of variance between the vegetable and roasted vegetable options, garlic-herb sauce be darned.) The round pock- et arrived with a porthole, the dough gold- en-brown. The crust, mostly soft, was thin, save for one thick edge where it was sealed. Though some corners were À eeting, the ¿ ll- ings — mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Canadi- an bacon and Marzano’s house-made sausage — were, for the most part, evenly distribut- ed. The sauce was sweet, and there could’ve been more of it. Ditto for cheese; every bite should see the cheese stretched to its breaking point. Against the sauce and Canadian bacon, the salty sausage, with a consistency similar to ground beef, evened things out. Still, I longed for a bit of brightness: peppers, onions, hot sauce, etc. The calzone came with a small Tossed Green Salad, and the mixed baby greens were fresh. Also along for the ride were thin shreds of carrot, red onions and cherry toma- toes. There were two house-made dressings: vinaigrette and ranch, and the counterperson offered me one of each. The Insalata Grande Salad ($12.75) uses the Tossed Green Salad as a base before add- ing sun-dried tomatoes, Niçoise olives, feta crumbles, pine nuts and two pepperoncinis. 14 | October 22, 2015 | coastweekend.com (All salads are served with a sliver of chewy focaccia bread.) I split the dressings, ranch on one half and vinaigrette on the other. Though the ranch was a little thin, I appre- ciated it more than the vinaigrette, whose ol- ive-y essence only exacerbated the bitter, oily Mediterranean-inÀ uenced À avors. It needed smoothing, creaminess. The Insalata Grande is offered as a meal, and that’s mostly true. The size was nothing to scoff at, but a little more protein — like garbanzo beans or more hearty nuts, for instance — would shore up the foundation. On a return trip I tried the Caesar ($7 small $10 large). While I enjoyed the À avor, I remain wholly dismayed by the price. The serving was meager and featured little more than romaine lettuce, dressing and a sprin- kling of parmesan cheese (and a sliver of fo- caccia). There were no croutons, no lemon to squeeze — just a bowl of damp lettuce. Again, The Combo Traditional is loaded with mozzarella, provolone, pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, black olives and green peppers. the dressing was ¿ ne: an even mix of lemon, garlic and anchovy, none speaking louder than the rest. But I just can’t reconcile the price. We’re talking about lettuce. And we’re also talking about presentation. But this is, after all, a pizza joint, and sal- ads won’t make or break it. To that end, Mar- zano’s cruises straight down Main street. It’s not old-fashioned, doughy or greasy, nor is it boutique-y, artisan or innovative. It’s a medi- um-thin crust with wholly acceptable, largely familiar ingredients that won’t bowl you over. Marzano’s offers two sauces: tomato and gar- lic-herb olive oil. They also have a gluten-free crust (available on small pizzas only). With standard crust and their standard to- mouth OF THE COLUMBIA COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com Marzano’s Pizza Rating: 60 Laneda Ave. Manzanita 503-368-3663 HOURS: 4 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Thurs- day; 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday PRICE: $$ – the only game in town and it shows. SERVICE: Slow but cheery, staff ed like the bunkhouse for camp counselors ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS: Vegetarians should do well; gluten-free crust is available DRINKS: Soda, beer and wine mato sauce, the Combo Traditional (10-inch- es $15.75; 14-inches $25; 18-inches $31), pretty much brought the house with mozza- rella, provolone, pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, black olives and green peppers. Between the salty meats and sweet sauce and bright veggies, there was balance. The top- pings went nearly to the edge, and the crust was crisp. Nothing to scoff at, though nothing to write home about either. I had the Roasted Vegetable (10-inches $15; 14-inches $23.75; 18-inches $31) on gluten-free crust (add $1.50, only available in small). Instead of tomato sauce, it came with garlic-herb olive oil sauce, which I found to be rather minimalistic: more of a hint or sub- tle spice than a base. The roasted veggies — red peppers, zucchini, onions and tomatoes — were sweet, supple, oily and covered with cheese that was just beginning to brown. The gluten-free crust was crisp on the edge but chewy and seemingly undercooked in the piz- za’s center. After ¿ nishing one small piece, my jaw muscles said hello. While it’s an ap- preciated option for those with restrictions, the gluten-free dough could use a few more tests in the lab. (Perhaps the dif¿ culty of even cooking is what prevents it being used in larg- er pies?) There are other pizzas on the menu I feel as if I might as well have already tried as exten- sions of the calzone (the Carne Amore pizza) and the Insalata Grande (the Roma). In hind- sight I would’ve tried the Smoked Prosciutto Ham instead of the Roasted Vegetable. But nothing in particular is really drawing me back to Marzano’s. In a way, it comes back to the restaurant not selling slices. Size concerns aside, I wonder why Marzano’s can’t — or won’t — make that happen. (Could the calculation be cynical and pro¿ t-driven?) Furthermore, why can’t I get a Caesar as the side to a calzone? Then there are some odd, seemingly arbitrary discrepan- cies in price between pizzas and sizes. (Why, for instance, does it sometimes cost more to go from a small to a medium on some pizzas when others cost more to go from medium to large?) Most of my qualms come down to value. That’s what happens when the tastes are ac- ceptable but don’t knock your socks off. There are no superb ingredients, surprises, earnest classicism or innovation. Just good ol’ pizza — at artisan prices. KEY TO RATINGS poor below average good & worth returning excellent outstanding, the best in the Columbia-Pacific region
