Kitchen Kat: Gladstone Pizza and Coffee Shop

Welcome to Kitchen Kat!

I love writing. I love food. Those are two interests that have stayed constant throughout my life. So why not combine the two? Perfect! Trying out different food is like almost like traveling; you get to experience different smells, tastes, and atmospheres. It brings a bit of the culture to you, even if you didn't leave your home. This blog explores Portland restaurants (plus any notable ones I encounter on vacation), recipes that worked out exceptionally for me, plus any other epicurean delights that come my way. Put any reservations aside, now it's time to chow down on some food for thought....

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Gladstone Pizza and Coffee Shop

I love living in a big, old farmhouse in SE Portland, but I do miss the hustle and variety of NW. Specifically, I miss the option of getting a slice of NY style pizza from Escape From New York. But that problem might be solved, at least to a degree.
Last night, at my request, my delightful roommates and I had dinner at Gladstone Pizza and Coffee. I had been there once before, on moving day, but just for coffee. They have great coffee, by the way, Stumptown, and they know how to prepare it.
Last night was the test. By day it's a laid back coffee shop that, for whatever reason, reminds me of one I went to in Toronto. At night, the bagels and coffee halt (or at least the bagels do), and the pizza oven gets fired up. It's still chill, but with the added coziness of candles. It's a family-run place, which always makes things nicer. The pizza is excellent--NY style, thin, floppy crust, and like Escape From NY, their topping options are limited, but appropriate. It's mostly classics, such as pepperoni, onions, etc. with a few gourmet options thrown in, such as chevre and andouille sausage. But nothing weird like peanut sauce.
We stuck with the classics: half pepperoni, half green pepper and onion. I heartily approved, and I think my friends all enjoyed it too. They have a few beers on tap; Joe and I chose a Belgian-style ale that was caramelly-colored and almost thick. It went really well with the pizza, but was pretty strong for a beer: alcohol content was around 10%. At the end of our meal, the owner came over with four little slices of pizza for us to try. He was developing a new variety of pie and wanted to test it out on us. I love that. It was good too: a bright, fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Pizza Margarita, in other words.
We all left happy. I'm not sure if they have pizza by the slice at night, but if they do, then it's probably the perfect place. And, bonus bonus, it's only a couple blocks from our house. What a relief.
Go there for coffee or pizza. Either way, you'll enjoy it.