I originally thought that I would be able to get away with just posting a couple pictures of the pizza we had at Simone’s Plain and Simple on Saturday evening, but since I’m still reliving the meal in my mind this morning, I figure that’s a sign that I ought to provide a bit more detail to you, my faithful readers.
As you can see from the chalkboard sign in the post below, Simone and her assistant Melissa made five pizzas for us in Simone’s brick oven. It was very cool to get up from my seat with a glass of wine and stroll over to the oven to see our pizza baking. But one had to hurry, as it only took two minutes for the pizza to bake in the ~800 degree oven.
Before the pizzas, we had appetizers and a Champagne toast out in the yard as the sun went down under a mostly cloudy sky. Then, after we moved to the porch, more wine and a fantastic potato-leek soup. Simone’s cold soups are always such a revelation. She never fails to perfectly capture the delicate flavors of her ingredients, and every spoonful presents the palate with a dazzling array of distinct, fresh tastes.
But the pizza is the real deal at this event. The regina featured pine nuts and fontina. The flamme kuche was my favorite, I think. It has bacon, onions, and creme freche. Man, is it good. Next up was a new pizza for 2007: Snail. It was outstanding. It took a lot of cajoling to get Leah and Rachel to try it, and I don’t think they were sold. Then margherita, a classic with fresh plum tomatoes. Lastly, the berbere, with baby eggplants. What an amazing flavor. We finished the meal with a delicious salad of fresh greens and a poached pear covered in chocolate, topped with a sprig of mint. And as satisfying as the food was, the real treat was spending time with our friends. I wish we could get together with them like this every weekend. I wish I had an oven that would hit 700 degrees, too.