Eating Right Coast Pizza in Greeley

Greeley, Colorado has slowly been trying to become a real, grown-up town.  We've got a population of about 100,000, a gang problem, and crappy schools--how much more urban can you get?  The Downtown Development Authority has also been trying to fill all of those charming brick storefronts that have remained empty for so many years.  Enter a new brewery (WeldWerks, the only place to go for local brew), a tap house sporting 60 taps of Colorado proud beer (Brix), and now, Right Coast Pizza.

The downtown Greeley location is Right Coast's second, following their flagship restaurant in Wheat Ridge, in suburban Denver.  They specialize in New Jersey style pizza, which seems to be exactly the same as New York Style--thin, floppy crust that's best eaten folded.  When I went to the grand opening a few weeks ago, they were giving out free Tivoli lager (better than free Coke!), but an hour after the party was supposed to start, they had already run out of pizza crust, so there was nothing to eat.  Rookie mistake, except it's their second store.  Perhaps they underestimated Greeley folks' capacity for free pizza and beer. 

So, I was happy to see the place already starting to fill up at 5:30pm a couple of weeks ago.  Service was very attentive (more on that later) and pizza came out promptly.  There was some confusion about who had ordered which beer when they came to the table, which the waitress explained by confessing she "wasn't a beer person" (that was also her explanation for her ignorance over the item on the menu titled "hopped coffee", which I'd still love to see, but they were out). But the pizza came out very quickly, and it was hot and crisp.  

We got an Elmer, which is a white pizza with spinach, bacon, and tomato slices. It was good.  The crust was lightly charred on the underside, blonde but perfectly crisp above. It was really garlicky, tomatoes and spinach were fresh, and the finely chopped bacon was crisp and plentiful.  There was just enough grease to seem like proper pizza.  At $15 for a 14" (medium), it wasn't exactly grungy college food, either. 

Let's talk about the service, because I find it to be a constant, and very puzzling, problem in Greeley.  It's almost like there's some kind of central training office for wait staff in this town being run by a clown. Literally a clown.  There were way too many people working on a Thursday late afternoon, and so they were all hovering pathetically, looking for things to do.  That's a problem with management's decisions, though I have no idea who that would have been, because every staff person in sight could have all been members of the same sorority.

It was a little bit awkward when the hostess walked us so very slowly to our table while trying to make inaudible small talk over our shoulder and asking us how our day was going.  She later came over repeatedly to make sure there weren't any spare beer menus laying around, which she seemed very eager to collect immediately after the first order was placed.  (PS--this is a bad business move!  Wouldn't you sell more beer if we could see your fabulous, long list of taps all night?)

Then came our sweet, though unapologetically ignorant, server.  She couldn't answer any questions about the drinks, but she was certainly chatty.  After we had ordered our pizza and were working on our beers, she actually came over to ask what we had done all day (Again with this? Why does everyone ask me this now? Starbucks has not been a good influence on the service industry.). When I (not) jokingly said that was pretty personal, she proceeded to tell us about the four fillings she got at the dentist that day, including describing the effects of the novocaine as it wore off. It went on and on, and I think it's fair to say we were all avoiding her eye contact by the end, but she continued unperturbed.  When she brought the pizza after her speech, she complained that it was her favorite pizza and that now she was hungry from having to bringing it to us. 

This is a trend I have noticed, particularly in the downtown area--young, socially awkward girls who don't know much about the products they are serving try to make up for their lack of expertise by chatting us up, far too long and too in-depth, in order to make a personal connection.  I don't know how my fellow patrons feel about this; perhaps they find it delightful.  I can handle a little chit-chat, but at some point I feel obligated to entertain them, and that's too much pressure.  Either Greeley restaurants need to start hanging "extroverts only" signs on their doors, or they need to monitor their young, inexperienced wait staff more and tell them when to cool it on the BSing with the customers. 

This is the big problem right now with Right Coast, and if they can correct it, it'll be a great restaurant downtown.  They seem to know what they're doing in the kitchen, but more oversight and thorough training in the front of the house is definitely needed right now. I'm not sure if the owners are dividing their time evenly enough between their established Wheat Ridge location and their fledgling Greeley spot, but if not, it would be worth the investment to hang out a little more up here for a while. 

But I will repeat, the pizza was good. 

You say pizza, I say flatbread...

Call this whatever you want.  It's some stuff spread out on a thin bread-like crust with cheese on top. If you always have some homemade pizza dough on hand  (it freezes--and thaws--very well) and keep some little baby potatoes boiled in the fridge to make salads more interesting (seriously, you should consider this), then this is a pretty quick put-together for surprise guests or just when you feel like an elevated pizza.  Yeah, I said that. My pizza is elevated.  Also, it's a pizza.

Potato, Rosemary, and Kale Flatbread

Serves 4-6

1 homemade whole wheat pizza crust
About ½ pound small red potatoes, boiled and then thinly sliced
1 cup chopped kale
¼ cup sliced kalamata olives
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
½ cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Roll out the pizza dough, stab it with some fork holes, and preheat that baby for about 10 minutes, or until the top of it starts to feel firm and not sticky.

Meanwhile, make the paste: in a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), grind the garlic, salt, and olive oil into a smooth paste.  Add the red pepper flakes and rosemary leaves and grind a little more.  Stir in the lemon juice.

When the pizza dough is ready, smear the paste evenly over the top, leaving a ring of naked dough al around to serve as a handle.  Whatever, you know what a pizza looks like.  Next, sprinkle the kale evenly across the top, do the same with the onion slices, and then lay the potato slices on top of that in a single layer.  Scatter the olives on top, then sprinkle with the cheeses evenly over the whole thing.  Bake until the exposed potato slices and the cheese start to turn brown, about 25 minutes.

pre-cheese...

fresh out of the oven

ah, just right!

Recipe test: butternut squash and caramelized onion galette

Yes, it's another recipe test from Smitten Kitchen's new cookbook, and it's another keeper.  (It's also available on her blog here). With a side salad, this makes a terrific lunch or dinner, and there is something wonderfully romantic about its rustic nature alongside mismatched glasses of a funky French white wine.  Am I getting too Anthropologie on you?

I made a couple of adjustments: I used acorn squash instead of butternut, and I also used a homemade sourdough pizza crust my husband had made and put in the freezer.  I also threw in some smoked paprika because I thought the squash needed a little something-something. So, I've included those changes to the recipe pasted below; click on the above link for the original. 

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette

Serves 6

For a similar version of the sourdough crust, click here.

For the filling:
1 medium acorn squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 cup fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated or cut into small bits
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves

Make pizza crust following link above. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Lightly salt the flesh and place cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet.  Add water to the baking sheet until it's almost full and bake for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender. Set aside to cool slightly, then peel away the skin and cut into bite-sized pieces.

While squash is cooking, melt olive oil in a heavy skillet and cook onion over medium-low heat with the one teaspoon of the salt.  Stir occasionally and cook until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, smoked paprika, and herbs together in a bowl.

On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a pizza tray or baking sheet lined in parchment paper. Spread squash, onions, and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Sprinkle cheese on top, hitting some of the folded-over crust.

Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.

Hummus Pizza

This recipe combines some of my favorite things: pizza, cheese, hummus, and a short ingredient list.  And surely this is healthier for you than a big pile of oil poured underneath the tomatoes, right?...



Hummus Pizza

Makes 8 large slices

1 pizza crust (here's my recipe)
1 cup hummus (here's my recipe)
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, cored and thinly sliced
1 ball smoked buffalo mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced



Roll out the pizza crust as thin as possible and prebake in the oven at 425°F for 8 minutes or until it starts to get slightly crisp on top.  Remove from oven.  Spread the hummus in an even layer on the crust, then scatter the red onion and lay down the tomato slices.  Lay mozzarella slices evenly across the top and bake in the oven 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Caramelized onion three ways

Did we, as a culture, first learn about those browned, impossibly sweet slithery ropes of onion in French onion soup, that greasy favorite from the '60s?  Well, a trained cook probably knows the answer to that, but I don’t really care.  I love caramelized onions and think they make many things better--nay, totally different--dishes.  And don’t forget, kiddies--onions are a vegetable.  And they go well with red wine…


Caramelized Onions: basic recipe

4 yellow onions
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or dry red wine
Salt to taste

To prepare each onion: chop off both ends and peel away the paper and tough outer layer of skin (the yellow part).  Cut the onion in half, then pay each, flat side down, on the cutting board.  Thinly slice across the width of each half of onion and break apart the individual half-rings that result.  You should have a big pile of half-rings of onion.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  When the oil shimmers, begin adding batches of onion and stir constantly so that they soften and shrink.  Continue adding onions to the pan when there’s room until they’re all in there.  Sprinkle with a dash of salt if you like, stir, cover, and reduceto medium-low heat.

Visit your onions occasionally and give them a stir--you want them to stay soft and oily.  If they are getting crunchy, lower the heat more.  You can cook the onions in this way for about 20 minutes.  In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the vinegar or red wine and stir until it reduces.

Now, here’s what you can do…



Caramelized Onion, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Pizza

Yields 8 slices

1 freshly rolled pizza crust (here's my recipe)
1 batch caramelized onion (see recipe, above)
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
½ cup walnut pieces
3 cups fresh spinach
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Prebake crust at 400°F for 10 minutes or until it starts to feel crisp on the bottom.

Remove crust, lower oven temperature to 350°F, and build your pizza: sprinkle the garlic on the crust first, then spread around the caramelized onion.  Follow with spinach, walnuts, mozzarella, and gorgonzola.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until spinach is dried and cheese gets a little bit golden.




Brie mini-tarts

Makes 12


1 sheet puff pastry
6 ounces brie cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into thin half-rings
1 tablespoon raisins or dried cranberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Thaw puff pastry at room temperature about 30 minutes.  While you’re at it, leave out the brie so that it’s easier to work with, too.

In a medium skillet or medium heat, pour in the olive oil.  When it shimmers, add the onion, raisins, and brown sugar.  Stir well and sauté until onion and raisins are soft and the brown sugar is dissolved, about 8 minutes.  Add the vinegar and cook on medium high, stirring occasionally, until it reduces, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Lay thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 (3-inch) squares.  Place in a mini-muffin tin.  Place a 1-inch cube of brie into each pastry cup and them top with about 2 teaspoons of the onion mixture.  Bake about 15 minutes or until pastry is light golden brown.



Pasta with Caramelized Onion and Broccoli

Serves  6

1 box linguine
1 batch caramelized onion
1 large head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces (use the stem too)
1 tablespoons capers
Salt and crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add linguine and cook according to package directions, but about 5 minutes before it’s done, add the broccoli.  Drain and return to pan.  Stir in caramelized onions, capers, salt and red pepper and serve with crusty bread and a nice Sangiovese.