The Culinary Works

As a long time fan of chef Rick Mahon and The Waterboy restaurant in downtown Sacramento, his newest venture, One Speed Pizza in East Sacramento was a must try. Though it opened back in the summer, I have been stalling, hoping to find an opportunity to avoid the very busiest hours (I heard it has been packed since he opened the doors) and go with a large group so we could sample more items. When we were trying to decide where to have our TCW staff meeting, it was quickly decided, kind of a ‘no brainer’, that One Speed was it. We also thought it would be an opportunity for all of us to review the same restaurant so you could hear, in our own unique voices, what we each thought.

Me first!

Jen

Looking at the menu online had me all jazzed. I love love love gourmet pizza! I also loved the idea that they do lovely salads, small plates and a few delicious sounding entrée’s for those who may want something other than pizza. Best of all, it’s a very relaxed and casual atmosphere, quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite. The décor is warm and un-pretentious. The hot line is right out in the open, making you instantly feel at home and/or part of the action. The vibe is energetic but relaxed at the same time. The bonus here is that you can get excellent food while not feeling foolish for wearing flip flops to dinner. I LOVE THAT!!

After almost an hour wait, we were hungry almost to the point of grumpy, but determined to have our chance, there are no quitters in food writing! The specials board had a few items that sounded great including a cauliflower soup. I think cauliflower is one of the most under appreciated vegetables around so I couldn’t wait to try this. BUT, I was to be disappointed…they ran out! A bit surprising since it wasn’t even 7pm yet, but it sounded good so I’m guessing everyone seated before us was smart and ordered it for themselves. Darn them.

Instead, I ordered the beet salad, which was a winner. The baby beets were perfectly cooked and the goat cheese paired nicely with the tangy vinaigrette. At first, the vinaigrette seems almost to tart, until the sweet from the beets balances it out. The olives in the salad were also a nice touch. I enjoyed Rachel’s starter which was steamed artichoke heart, fennel and spicy cauliflower (he must feel the same as I do about cauliflower) with a salsa verde. I was surprised it was served cold, but it was very nice, a bit crisp and refreshing.

For dinner, I ordered the Ricks Pizza, which had bacon, caramelized onion, Gorgonzola cheese and potatoes with some fresh arugula sprinkled on top after it was cooked. It was FAB! The crust was heaven, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, just how I like it. The crispy salty bacon, the sharp biting Gorgonzola cheese, the sweet onions and creamy/crispy potatoes were all perfectly balanced. Mark had the Frito Misto, which was really heaven. I have had this at The Waterboy and it was equally as good here. The combination of seafood and veggies, including olives, fried crisp in a light batter with a lemon aioli for dipping was really lovely.

He also had a saffron Risotto, which was done perfectly. I admit at first, I thought it looked rather plain, but it was beauty in simplicity, full of flavor with a lovely creamy texture and just the right ‘al dente bite to the rice. Really well done by the cooks on that one! Rachel had the short ribs, which were really luscious, falling apart goodness with a beefy sauce over creamy potatoes and Stu had the same pizza I did but added Prosciutto to that…nice call Stu! He didn’t talk a lot during dinner so I guess he really enjoyed it.

We all agreed the food was great, except Sam. He ordered the burger and, well, it wasn’t that great. He asked for it plain with just cheese cooked medium well and it seems not a lot of care went into it. The meat lacked flavor, seasoning and was a bit dry/overcooked. A shame because a great burger is a powerful thing! If you decide to go visit, there are lots of items to choose from and we all had begun thinking about what to order next time. To me that says a lot.

We did decide to try a few dessert items and I’m sorry to say I wasn’t impressed. The chocolate cake was pretty average, dare I say tasted frozen/thaw, and the crème caramel had an unpleasant overcooked rubbery texture. The apple tart was dry partially cooked apples covered in a lattice crust, it wasn’t warmed and the apples had no moisture in them at all…there was none of that wonderful fruity goo in the dish. A knob of butter and a tour through a sauté pan before baking would have done the apples a world of good.

So, after a long meal, really great service and a lot of great food…I have to say even though the dessert and the burger wasn’t a hit, I do strongly recommend you go try it. The pizza’s are really heaven and they have some interesting offers…Duck Salami, house-made sausage, not to mention a mixed grill of chicken, pancetta and sausage with cannellini beans entree…yum! My plan is to take advantage of the take out option and pick up a pizza or Calzone once a week until we have had the opportunity to try them all! For around $13-15, they will feed two people and paired with a salad and a bottle of good wine will make a great Friday night meal.