Remember what pizza was like before people starting putting coal in their ovens and charring paper-thin crusts? That pie you remember still exists down in the Rio Vista neighborhood at New River Pizza, where the dough is thick, the mushrooms come from a can, and the garlic knots are buttery remembrances.
In an era where pizza gets piled on with truffles and broccolini, there's something
comforting about a place that puts salami under its "premium" toppings
section. The place looks the part too - order at the counter and then
take your slice to the counter that runs under the windows, just like
you used to do.
My calzone came with those canned mushrooms,
slices of Italian sausage reminiscent of gyro meat, and a layer of
mozzarella so thick it oozed out and created a cheese force field on
the paper plate.
"Traci's
favorite" salad is a veritable salad bar of ingredients, covered in
toasted, garlicy croutons and crunchy sunflower seeds.
While
the pizza is a terrific throwback to those old pies, stay away from the
veggie lasagna, a runny, flavorless pan of mostly noodles.
Instead, the meatball sub comes toasted, covered in a blanket of cheese and sauce, and filled with well-seasoned meatballs.
New River Pizza
706 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-618-7000, or visit newriverpizzaonline.com.
