The flair of fine dining appealed to friends Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, so much so they decided to open one of Boulder’s most cherished treasures known as Frasca Food and Wine. The duo knows the core of food and dining comes from the community that is built around it, and what better way to share than with the Italian favorite of a thin crust pizza. With bubbles and blisters from the wood oven, the cheese creates a pull chain from one piece to the next. They are bringing this Neapolitan artform to brick and mortar pizzerias set up around Colorado such as Pizzeria Locale.
They missed the opportunity to hold an honorary ribbon-cutting ceremony, as they just opened up their newest location in Congress Park on Colorado Blvd. In order to bring a pizza party citywide, there are locations on Broadway, up in the highlands and over in Central Park.
Pizzeria Locale preserves the simplicity that Italian cuisine is known for. Their pizza crust requires only four ingredients—the fifth is their oven which is able to toast the pizza in minutes. The crust is immensely thin, so the ratio of the sauce and toppings is not overpowered by dough. But, the fluffiness of the dough comes through on an outer crust that tastes like a pillowy breadstick. This is not a pie to leave half-eaten in the box.
Their service style is vastly different from the white tablecloth-experience offered at Frasca next door to their Boulder location. It caters well to a fast-casual lunch where patrons can watch their pizzas being built on the assembly line in front of them. During the difficult times of COVID-19, Pizzeria Locale developed an online app to make their prep line pop up anywhere ready for your order.
The line is decorated with a vast array of colors and toppings. Toppings can be a point of controversy, but with their personal pies, there are no questions. Everyone can paint their pizzas to their own liking.
Pepperoni and vegetables like green peppers and onions would appease any guest, but Stuckey and Mackinnon-Patterson do not want this to be a pizzeria that gets mixed in with chains. Their dedication to crafting a heartfelt pie stems from the hospitality that Jordan Wallace, Culinary Director, experienced whilst integrating into life in Naples, Italy. In doing so, it allows for more diversity throughout their menu.
Their pizzas can have earthiness from artichokes or mushrooms, which are common toppings. Broccoli can often be found roasted on a sheet pan with a grassy and semi-bitter finish, but Pizzeria Locale features broccolini on their menu. Broccolini has the same freshness of regular broccoli but is mildly more sweet. People can spice up their pizza with heat from chili flakes or fruitiness from vinegary banana peppers, or they can combine the two by using Calabrian chilis. These native Italian peppers will offer a slight tingling of warmth, but from a taste perspective, they are mild enough to radiate more of a sweet note. It is as Italian as they come since.
It is easy to become overwhelmed with all the amazing options available, but Pizzeria Locale offers up a variety of examples as a guide for indecisive eaters.
Their red pizzas are quick to bring a kick. A Hawaiian pizza may sound mellow with the predictable ham and pineapple must-haves, but with a layer of smoky mozzarella, it amplifies the ham to have the flavor of roasted pork and brings in a luau element. In addition, their jalapeños go into the oven raw but leave looking like roasted hatch green chilis. Their diavola is definitely devilish as it combines two classics: Margherita and pepperoni. No devil is complete without a little heat, which is why in addition to pieces of ripped basil on top, there are chili flakes. With every little flame, there comes some smoke.
The other end of the spectrum has white pies where cheese and cream reign supreme. Their four-cheese and mushroom tastes like a rich risotto with the robust flavor of the gorgonzola. The final addition of garlic oil ties the pizza together like the last drizzle of olive oil on hummus. Their mais pizza seems far from Italy with flavors of country ham and cornbread. The sprinkling of the corn kernels brings back memories of summer farmer’s markets. This dish gets even more unique with its creaminess factor that comes from the tang of crème fraîche.
There is no short supply of their dough, as they also offer cheese bread and Nutella pizza to decorate their humble crust. The cheese melts off the dough and spills onto the box, demonstrating that it is the perfect amount. Their dough is still a bit warm prior to the Nutella cascading across the pizza crust; it melts just a little. The only thing missing would be some roasted marshmallows for a s’mores dessert. The universality of the dough is why they offer it in raw form to guests, so they can try their hand at being on the assembly line in their own homes.
A touch of Italy is just another necessary addition to creating a diverse food scene in Denver. Pizzeria Locale goes beyond not only what is being served, but how it is being served.
