Racca’s Pizzeria Napoletana
House Sausage, Pesto, Pistachio and Mozzarella Flatbread
Meatball Sliders
Campania – Bufala Mozzarella, San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Piemonte – Fresh Mozzarella, Pecorino Sardo Truffle Spread, Mushrooms, Prosciutto di Parma, Fresh Basil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Tiramisu, Strawberry Tiramisu, Cannoli
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta
Formerly titled Marco’s Coal Fired Pizzeria, but choosing to rebrand as Racca’s Pizzeria Napoletana when national chain Marco’s invaded the Denver Metro, it was on the advice of Las Vegas pizza legend John Arena that I sat down to lunch at Mark Dym’s restaurant steps from Coors’ Field, the owner himself joining me at a spacious four-top and happy to tell his tale.
Not a restauranteur nor Colorado native by history, his New York roots running through a period of Real Estate in Florida, Dym’s pursuit of the perfect pizza is actually a relatively recent development but speaking with passion, a word displayed on the menu with prominence, there is little doubt that Mark’s career change had been a long time coming with time honored recipes reminiscing his Italian Heritage while top-tier ingredients enliven each plate.
An intense man with smiling eyes, his stories and opinions well worth hearing for any fortunate enough to see him at one of his slowly expanding number of stores, it was after several attempts to have Mark guide my order that he finally suggested an off-menu special before insisting that I select anything that caught my interest, the subsequent appetizers, pies and desserts all speaking volumes about his generosity as well as a staff-wide commitment to the craft.
Improvising on the traditional wood-fired pizza concept by featuring a second oven that burns with coal in addition to Pecan logs, it was shortly after sharing an elongated pesto-topped crust garnished in crushed pistachios plus housemade sausage that a duo of Meatball ‘sliders’ were presented, the buns themselves outsourced but the meatballs Dym’s own recipe with a supple texture plus rich flavor featuring both beef and pork.
Given a chance to sample Racca’s Tomato Sauce with the sliders, a pure and unmanipulated base with bright acidity and perhaps a pinch of added salt, it was with great anticipation that the “Campania” was presented with Bufala Mozzarella still bubbling, the DOP Margherita absolutely textbook in its execution, the “VPN” standard met or exceeded with Fresh Basil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil perfuming the San Marzano’s atop a charred yet pliable crust.
Helped out by Mr. Dym, though there was still plenty of pizza leftover for later, a second Pie from the all-wood oven was presented with even more blister than the one before, and although rare to take the bait of a “truffle upgrade” the Piemonte Pizza presented the coveted fungus far more elegantly than usual with Fresh Mozzarella and imported Prosciutto atop Pecorino Sardo spread, each bite imbued with rich aromatics but treading carefully so as not to disrupt the overall balance.
Smartly offering desserts as whole portions or as a sampler it was on Mark’s recommendation that nearly every sweet on the menu was brought last, and although Cannoli Shells are brought from outside the fresh filling is all blended in house, a duo of ladyfinger cakes each light yet fulfilling while the panna cotta eats more like pudding than gelatin, all as great as would be expected from a passionate owner running such a great program, a tour to end the meal showing in-house filtration installed specifically to replicate New York’s water while also adjusting flour to account for high altitude cooking.
http://www.raccaspizzeria.com/
