Red Sauce - Visit #5

    We couldn't pass on getting out to try some pizza on Pi Day (3/14)! Since it was a Tuesday, we chose Red Sauce Pizza because we have been hearing good things and they serve pan baked slices/pies this night of the week.

    Red Sauce has been open a bit less than two years, but already has quite a following. The place was at capacity by the time we left. Think about getting there early to avoid a possible wait. 

     Red Sauce Owner, Shar Dues brings a ton of experience to the place. Shar managed Portland pizza heavyweight, Appizza Scholls, for four years. I definitely noticed some similarities in style, bake, and dough to Appizza Scholls, but Red Sauce is definitely doing their own thing. 

Pan Baked Pepperoni with Pesto Sauce

       We kicked things off with a pan baked slice. I went with the Pep Pesto and my friend (Vegetarian Doughboy) the Veggie Pesto. We both felt the crust was a bit dry and lacked flavor compared to other pan baked slices we have tried this year. We agreed the melted cheese char on the outside of the crust was great, as is the case with any good pan baked pie. I liked the slice and would order it again, but Veggie Doughboy was pretty disappointed with his. He kept comparing it to Pizza Jerk's pan cheese, which set the bar for him with this style pie, earlier in the year.

Half Fern, Half Michael Demarco

     After sampling the pan baked slice, we each ordered a large pie. The large is the only size you can halve. I went with the half Fern and half Demarco. The Fern had spinach, mama lil's, red onion, and goat cheese, and the Demarco included cotto salami, pepperoncini, and chili flakes. As you can see in the picture above, the char was perfect. The dough really stood out for me. The crust was crunchy, bouncy, and perfect texturally. I can't recall better crust this year. It did lack flavor though. I would be curious to learn about their proofing method.

    The topping combinations worked, but didn't blow me away. The biggest disappointment with this pie was the sauce. Some bites, it was like it wasn't even there. Overall, the two choices were pretty average compared to what I have tried so far this year.

Half Cheeeeeeeese, Half HOT Nancy

      Veggie Doughboy, ordered the Cheeeeeeeeese and Hot Nancy. It looked great on the table, but he was not a big fan of either. He was actually quite critical. He felt the sauce was bitter, the cheese wasn't fresh, and crust was bland. He went on and on about how the Hot Nancy flavor combinations didn't work. The Hot Nancy has ricotta, red onion, house hot honey, and sea salt. These are all toppings I love, so I had to give it a try. I had one slice, and I thought it was far and away the best slice of the night. One of the better slices I have had this year, as well. It was definitely rich, so I don't know that I could eat more than one slice, but I thought it was excellent.

      We may have to chalk this up to personal preference I suppose. Good news though! We are still friends!

Michael Demaro

    As I mentioned in the prior Bureau of Pizza Investigation blog post, I really like Red Sauce's pizza. At that particular event (Bureau of Pizza Investigation) they put out my favorite slice of the night. Based on how I felt then, I think Red Sauce may have had an off night tonight.

Fern 

    Definitely give this place a try, and catch them on a Tuesday to try the pan baked. I will be back again, but I don't think Veggie Doughboy will.