Hard as it may be to believe, I find the toughest restaurants to review are pizza parlors.
For starters, this simple dish has spawned a seemingly endless number of variations. Comparing one pizza-maker’s pie to another’s is bit like comparing apples and oranges. And not only does every chef have his or her own view as to what constitutes the perfect pizza, but pretty much every diner does as well.
Chef Michael Lander, whom we first met when he was executive chef at The Moorings Club, is no exception. After extensive tinkering with recipes, Lander last fall opened what was billed as Vero’s first gourmet pizza parlor in a remodeled gas station on Old Dixie Highway.
Eight months later, is Lander producing the town’s best pizza? Some diners say yes; some say no.
What I would say is that the Garage Woodfired Pizza and Pub is producing interesting pizzas, and doing it well enough that when we visited again last Thursday, the smallish restaurant (seats 24), along with the tables under a canopy outside, was filled to overflowing.
For starters on this evening, our companion and I decided to try one of the Garage’s newest specialties: wings. The Garage offers four types of wings (6 for $7.50): naked, Buffalo, extra hot, and Carolina BBQ, served with celery and a choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping. We tried the Carolina BBQ and the Buffalo. While the wings were OK, we would not rate these the best around.
My husband (not a wings enthusiast) actually made the better choice of starters, opting for one of the Garage’s salads, the green goddess wedge (small plate, $6; full, $10). The green goddess, with sweet gem lettuce replacing the usual iceberg wedge, was excellent. On previous visits, I have also enjoyed the Garage’s burrata (small plate, $6; full, $10), served with arugula and a crostini from the nearby patisserie. My recommendation: go with the great salads.
For pizzas on this visit, we ordered the Minus the Trip ($16), the Carbonara ($17), and the All Wheel Drive ($18).
The crust of all three pizzas was close to perfection. The Minus the Trip – a white pizza with mozzarella, ricotta crème, a nice selection of foraged mushrooms, and charred onion topped with a mound of wonderful fresh arugula – was a consensus choice at our table as the best of the three pies.
But the Carbonara, with two farm fresh eggs set atop the tomato sauce, bacon, pecorino romano and cracked pepper, ran a close second. Even the All Wheel Drive, a tomato pizza with house sausage, meatballs, braised pork, red onion, mozzarella, and basil, got good marks.
From previous visits, we also can recommend the classic Margherita ($14) and the Local ($14), with sweet sausage and charred red onion joining the tomato sauce and mozzarella topping.
The Garage has a nice selection of cold beers, and offers a choice of wines by the glass or bottle.
Our servers were extremely attentive.
Prices for 12-inch pizzas ranged from $14 to $18 – a bit on the high side but the fresh ingredients Lander uses really make a difference (and discounts are available on various items Tuesday through Thursday, with a plain cheese pizza only $8 on Sunday).
With a drive up window, the Garage also does a brisk take-out business.
So has Lander succeeded in his goal of producing the perfect pizza? I’ll leave that decision up to you. But for an evening meal sure to be a hit with kids – that lets you start with a garden fresh salad, finish with a tasty dessert, and enjoy a brew or a glass of wine along the way – Lander seems to have found the recipe for a casual-dining winner.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.
