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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2017)
14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Coast Weekend’s local restaurant review AVENUE Q PIZZA Just killer pizza at Avenue Q Review and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM FACEBOOK.COM/MOUTHOFTHECOLUMBIA W ith rigorous, laser-like mastery of the basics, Seaside’s Avenue Q Pizza excels humbly. For owner/operator Matt Kaffer — aka the “one man pizzeria” — the ethics of minimalism, reverence and austerity are all-encompassing. Avenue Q, which opened in mid-Ju- ly, is almost Zen-like — a pizza monastery. “I think simplicity is a big part of it,” said Kaffer of what makes a great pie. “And that’s something that a lot are missing.” In pursuit of such sublimity, Av- enue Q eschews distraction. There are no salads. No buffalo wings. No twisty-breads. Just pizza. Killer pizza. Kaffer approaches bread-sauce- cheese bliss after years of study and practice. He said he’s worked at something like eight or nine pizzeri- as over the years and distilled those varying styles and techniques into something all his own. It starts with the crust. And no matter your preference, pizza is only as good as its crust. Avenue Q’s is essential and deliberate. Kaffer employs a slow-fermentation process that hearkens back to early bread-making. Yeast is used, but not that much. In paraphrasing influential food writer Michael Pollan, The Guard- ian summarized the science: “a long fermentation process allows bacte- ria to fully break down the carbohy- drates and gluten in bread, making it easier to digest and releasing the nutrients within it, allowing our bodies to more easily absorb them.” According to The Guardian (and Pollan), that’s a rarity these days. “Speeding up of the bread-making process for mass consumption has so radically altered what we know as bread in the last century that it’s Rating: 1575 S. Roosevelt Drive Seaside, Ore., 97138 503-739-7396 Hours: noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday Price: $ – terrific value Service: humble, devoted Vegetarian / Vegan Options: Margherita not to be over- looked Drinks: soda, water KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM Below average Average Good Excellent Best in region Clockwise from top: Canadian bacon pineapple, margherita, capocollo, pepperoni pillowy, texture and a crisp edge. no longer as easily digested.” And while hewing to old-coun- Slow-fermented breads are also try bread making serves Avenue lighter, airier, less-dense. The gly- Q’s crust, so, too, cemic content is does restricting reduced. In short: what goes on top They’re healthier, KAFFER of it. The tomato less bloating and, APPROACHES sauce is basic, most important, sharp, unsweet- they taste better. BREAD-SAUCE- ened. Cheese is As Kaffer put CHEESE BLISS a combination it, his is “more AFTER YEARS of wet and dry like hearth bread.” OF STUDY AND mozzarellas. The wheat comes PRACTICE. Toppings are through. curbed in such You’ll notice a way that it’s slow-fermented actually possible to list them all and properly-cooked pizza by the here: pepperoni, sausage, Canadian “leopard spots” — that is, a few bacon, capocollo, mushroom, red charred ovals contrasted against an onion, black olive, basil, arugula otherwise light crust. Those spots and pineapple. indicate big airy pockets inside If you had to classify Avenue Q’s the dough, bubbles ensuring light, pies beyond Kaffer’s own, classic Italian would be the most appropri- ate comparison. (New York-style is much floppier, overwhelmed by oceans of thick, greasy cheese. And, compared to Kaffer’s thin crust, Chicago-style might well be a savory cake.) There are a few pre-made slices ready to go after a brief re-heat. They vary a bit but usually in- clude something like Canadian bacon and pineapple (and with the unsweetened sauce, the sugars of the Canadian bacon and pineapple really sing); pepperoni (though I prefer the capocollo, a salty, rich, thin-sliced cured pork); and a few vegetarian riffs on margherita that you shouldn’t sleep on (finished af- ter heating with fresh-cut basil and a drizzle of olive oil, the margherita has entrancing depth). Also fitting of Avenue Q’s uncomplicated aesthetics, all pies are 16 inches. (No small, medi- um, large). Slices — or, rather, one-quarter of a whole pie — are a great deal at just $4. Whole pies run from $13-18, which is also a strik- ingly fair price (not to mention a far cry from the offensive $30-plus affronts that have become common in the region). There are some limits to his restraints, though. And while I’ve never walked into a pizza joint then walked out for lack of BBQ’d chicken, white sauce, artichoke hearts, or pine nuts, there were times at Avenue Q I sure would have liked a beer to go along with my slice. (As I understand it, an ap- plication for a beer and wine permit is underway.) And while I find an odd charm in the completely undecorated, almost barren interior, some may find it less than inviting. But don’t let the liquidation-sale furniture or the towering sign out front featur- ing long-bygone tenants (“Herb’s Burger’s”) fool you: Avenue Q isn’t flashy, but the pies are fabulous. With more time and resources, there’s no reason to think Kaffer won’t perfect the environment, too. CW
