Pizzeria Cortile's Nutella Rolls are made of pizza dough filled with a mixture of Nutella, marshmallow and buttermilk, coated with a dusting of powered sugar.If you go
› Where: Pizzeria Cortile, 4400 Dayton Blvd.› Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Tuesdays› Prices: Pizzas $8-$10› Alcohol: Draft beer› Phone: 423-682-8278
For me, pizza usually means a quick dinner delivered to my home or fast food I pick up after work. Those pizzas are OK and fill a need, but they don't challenge the limits of what dough, tomato sauce and cheese can be.
That's why I got excited when a new place opened a few minutes from my home. Pizzeria Cortile started serving its unique pizzas a few months ago on Dayton Boulevard, and it really fills a need for handcrafted food in the area.
Normally, my wife isn't too crazy about the heavy corporate pizzas we usually get, and she was leery when I told her I wanted to try out Pizzeria Cortile. But the fresh ingredients and wood-fired pizzas won both of us over.
THE SPACE
Pizzeria Cortile has reclaimed a building at 4400 Dayton Blvd. that previously was home to a veterinarian clinic and later a carpet store. The building has been stripped down for an open layout. Diners can choose from light-wood tables, or they can sit down at a bar next to the open kitchen where they can watch pizza magic happen.
The restaurant's kitchen is minimalist - a prep station and a large wood-burning oven is all Pizzeria Cortile needs. Now that the weather is improving, pizza lovers also can sit at several outside tables in the restaurant's covered courtyard.
Large picture windows take up most of the front of the restaurant, which allows for a lot of natural lighting and lends a sense of warmth beyond the inviting wood and wood-burning oven.
THE MENU
Pizzeria Cortile's menu is dominated, of course, by made-from-scratch pies. The restaurant's slogan is "Flour. Water. Yeast. Salt." It lets patrons know everything on the menu is fresh and handmade.
The pizzas range from the simple (cheese, pepperoni and Margherita) to more original offerings such as Brussels and Bacon and the Sweet Thai Chicken, which combines peanut sauce, roasted chicken, cilantro and green onions. The Hot Chicken blends Alabama white sauce, roasted chicken, onions, wing sauce and bleu cheese for another unique pie.
The pizza oven burns mostly oak at 800 degrees, which gives a nice smoky flavor that is not overpowering.
THE ORDER
My wife opted to try the Chattanooga Salad and flatbread, knowing, of course, that I always share my pizza. The salad's vinaigrette contained pomegranate, which gave it a sweet flavor. The flatbread was made with Pizzeria Cortile's light, fluffy pizza dough, and the chef sprinkled freshly grated Parmesan on top. The dish came with warm red sauce drizzled with olive oil. It was the perfect pre-pizza snack. Well, that and the arancini.
I decided to try the arancini, which are risotto balls that are breaded and fried. They come with a choice of three fillings: mozzarella, Tennshootoe and pimento cheese. I went with the Tennshootoe, which is locally sourced prosciutto and a perfect pick to bring all the other flavors together.
I'm a sucker for sausage, so the Sausage and Peppers pizza was perfect for me. It sported red peppers and onions roasted in the oven, which the restaurant calls embered onions. The sausage was rich and slightly sweet, and I will definitely be back to satisfy regular cravings for this pizza.
The restaurant's dough is light and fluffy. It holds up to the ingredients, but I love that it wasn't greasy like a lot of other pizzas. So did my wife, who managed to pry a slice or two from me.
It was just $10 for the 12-inch pizza, which is comparable to prices I pay for chain pies. Pizzeria Cortile is on my way home, so I can see stopping by often.
For dessert, there was no way I was going to pass up the Nutella Rolls ($4). They are like beignets made with the restaurant's pizza dough, filled with a mixture of Nutella, marshmallow and buttermilk, and coated with a dusting of powered sugar. The filling was warm and oozing out of the crust when it arrived at our table. The marshmallow and buttermilk make the Nutella more mellow and tone down the hazelnut flavor.
THE SERVICE
Our waitress was attentive, and the food came out pretty quickly. She answered all our questions and was knowledgeable about the menu. The general manager stopped by too, and I got jealous when he said he eats at least a pizza a day there. But with such fresh ingredients, that's not a bad plan.
THE VERDICT
The Red Bank and Hixson areas really needed another good, unique pizza place. Our food was perfect, and there are a lot of pizzas I am looking forward to trying soon. The crust will bring us back often.