Why: Family-owned Pinheads Pizza Espresso is coming up on its first anniversary. The driving force behind its pizza is its sauce, made in-house, which can also be purchased by the jar. Located on 119th Street in Vancouver, the restaurant is out of the bustle of commerce, but its atmosphere and pizza make it worth the side trip.
Atmosphere: Every inch of the restaurant, from floor to ceiling, is covered in cheerful colors, which are then topped off with a colorful mix of randomly drizzled paint that appears almost like Silly String — and that’s applied on everything.
Tall tables and bar stools provide seating. An Italian chef motif lends a sensible edge to the otherwise zany decor.
There’s room for only a dozen or so diners.
What I tried: I created my own pizza with pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms and bell pepper. I also purchased a jar of the sauce to take home and experiment with.
After the pizza leaves the oven, the crust is lightly brushed with melted butter, garlic and a blend of Romano and Parmesan cheese. This keeps the edge from getting dry and gives the pizza gourmet appeal.
The crust is thin and holds up well under the ingredients. The homemade sauce has intense flavor that truly gives the pizza its character. It was rich, with a sweet roasted flavor.
I had a few pieces left over, which I sampled the next day and found to be delicious cold as well.
When it came time to experiment with the sauce I decided to use it as a soup base in the slow-cooker. I added ground turkey, vegetables, olives, beans and pasta in addition to water and garlic. I was concerned that the sauce’s flavor would be diluted too much with the amount of water I added and I fully expected to have to doctor it, but that wasn’t the case at all. After several hours of cooking, the flavor was perfect.
Highlights beyond what I tried: If you don’t mind ordering a day ahead, you can feed the whole family on lasagna made with Pinhead’s delicious sauce. There are also Calzones, Stromboli, a Meatball Mozzarella Sandwich and Spaghetti, to top off the Italian offerings.
Other observations: Though space is limited, Pinheads provides a whimsical reprieve and its pizza is worth a return trip.
Cost: Pizzas are available in small, medium, large and extra large and range from $8.75 to $28.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Telephone: 360-566-9000.
Where: 1804 N.W. 119th St, Vancouver.
Health score: Pinheads Pizza Espresso received a score of 15 on Oct. 18. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants that score 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
