Rally Pizza revs up county’s dining scene

Why: Rally Pizza recently opened up in the newly remodeled shopping center called The Mill on Mill Plain Boulevard. The family-friendly restaurant is open for dinner seven days a week on a first-come, first-served basis. Local ingredients and in-house creations combine to bring Neapolitan-style pizza and frozen custard to the table, offering a one-of-a-kind dining experience in Clark County. A portion of the restaurant is dedicated to a full bar that also allows for dining.

What I tried: From the salads and small plates, my dining companion and I tried the mixed greens salad. We also had the roasted vegetables and the cheesy baked polenta. I settled on the Tocco di Verde pizza, and my dining companion had the Little Gina pizza. For dessert, I sampled the Campfire frozen custard sundae.

The salad was wonderfully fresh and featured roasted beets, which was a welcome surprise. It reminded me of one of my favorite salad combinations, which also includes goat cheese.

The roasted vegetables consisted of potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower — all separate from one another and garnished with hazelnuts. They were seasoned just right and provided a tasty start to our meal.

The cheesy baked polenta consists of soft polenta bathed in tomato-roasted pepper sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and salsa verde. I found the dish was surprisingly mild in flavor, and it had a smooth texture that was occasionally interrupted by the stringy quality of the mozzarella cheese.

Both of the pizzas were delicious. Each crust was simple, thin, and possessed the fresh character of classic Neapolitan-style pizza baked fast in high heat. The Tocco di Verde is made with house-made ricotta, hand-pulled mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, an oil that combines fennel, chili and garlic, all topped off with a spiral application of salsa verde. The flavor was wonderfully balanced, and I especially liked how the oil imparted a consistent garlic flavor with just a touch of chili and the occasional presence of fennel. The Little Gina pizza consists of hand-pulled mozzarella, tomato sauce and the same oil as is on the Tocco di Verde. We also had prosciutto added to this pizza. This pizza was equally impressive, and the prosciutto was generously added.

The Campfire sundae is made with thick, rich vanilla bean custard (ice cream), graham cookie crumbles, chocolate fudge sauce, gooey-burnt marshmallow and whipped cream topped with a bing cherry. The result is a decadent, dense concoction that is sweet and super rich and aptly named for the campfire essence the burnt marshmallow brings to the dessert.

Menu highlights beyond what I tried: The Piggy Back pizza consists of house-smoked Canadian bacon and belly bacon, tomato sauce, mozzarella, pickled smoked jalapenos and Monterey Jack cheese. The Calabrian Sausage pizza sounded intriguing. The pizza combines house-made sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and house-smoked mozzarella cheese, sweet and sour onions and breadcrumbs. Pizza additions include fried duck egg, prosciutto, olives, anchovies and pickled smoked jalapenos. Among the sides are crispy potatoes with warm prosciutto cracklings. A Caesar salad is available. The frozen custard comes in a plain version; sundae varieties that include topping, whipped cream, and a cherry, and concrete varieties that blend the custard with a dessert such as chocolate cake.

Atmosphere: Light tones of wood have been used on the ceiling, furniture and interior dividing walls. The wall at the rear of the space is painted dark teal, which attractively offsets the decor with a dramatic effect. Several up-light, amber-colored strips have been used to define the back bar as well as a wall bench that stretches the length of the dining room. Wall-mounted perforated shades and a potpourri of hanging pendant fixtures add interest to the space in addition to string art that resembles a bridge on an interior wall that separates the bar from the family dining. Rally introduces a different and welcome new look among the other choices in Clark County.

Other observations: I found the wait staff to be friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is unique and comfortable, though I thought it was a bit too warm on the evening of my visit. The menu’s parameters allow for focus on excellency instead of volume. Rally has a to-go service and separate pick-up counter for convenience.

Cost: Pizzas are 12 inches and cost $14 to $18. Kids pizzas come in a cheese version for $8 and pepperoni for $9. Additional toppings are $2 to $4. Salads and small plates range from $7 to $13. Frozen custards are $3 to $7.