Visible from just about any front window is a bright orange wood-fired pizza oven; its glowing red embers and flickering flames beckon you in for a slice.
Wood-fired pizza oven
As you step inside Via Farina, you’re greeted with the warm, comforting aroma of sourdough crisping at high heat. The rustic-yet-modern décor – vibrant and colorful with beams, shelves and tables made of natural wood – lends to a hip vibe that feels comfortable and warm at the same time.
Chef Rea joined Via Farina in 2017, just 15 months after the restaurant’s opening. He has some significant culinary chops, having graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis in 2002. He also worked as executive chef at both V. Mertz and M’s Pub.
Jennifer and I visited on Friday evening, this time with our 19-year-old son, Alex. The dining area was packed, and the only available table was the one reserved for us.
We sensed they were a tad understaffed that evening, but the servers were valiantly hospitable and rarely skipped a beat.
Smooth operator
During our first visit, Jennifer and I started with the smooth operator and anguria cocktails. We agreed on the calamari as an appetizer. For the main entrees Alex selected the pepperoni pizza, Jennifer ordered the egg yolk raviolo, and I went with the salsiccia pizza.
The smooth operator is made with Basil Hayden dark rye, cynar liqueur (an Italian bittersweet amaro made from artichokes) and walnut bitters. It has a similar sweet, bitter profile as a negroni with the bourbon resemblance of a Manhattan.
Jennifer’s anguria, found on the weekend specials menu, was made with watermelon-infused tequila, prosecco rose, orange liqueur, lime and jalapeno simple syrup. It’s a playfully inventive spritzer with the natural agave in the tequila balancing the watermelon infusion and the moderate heat from the jalapeno.
Calamari
The calamari was presented as thick strips properly battered, expertly fried and completely fork-tender. The accompanying Calabrian aioli offered the delicious, smoky spice Calabrian chilis are known for and added a complex flavor profile to the calamari. Another dipping option was green goddess, a cool, creamy herbal dressing, which added a welcome creaminess that countered the aioli’s heat. Finding calamari this tender is somewhat of a rarity, so we savored every bite.
Before I get into the pizzas, let’s talk about the crust, because it deserves to be noted separately. As the sign outside the restaurant states, this pizza crust is carefully crafted. Each pizza is 12 inches, a Neapolitan specification. Because the crust is sourdough, it’s full of flavor, but it’s the structure that really caught my attention. The outside is nice and crunchy, with a little cornmeal dusted around the edges for extra texture. Inside is deliciously soft but just the right amount of chewy. It just might be a perfect pizza crust.
Pepperoni pizza
Until Via Farina, Rea had little experience with fresh pasta and sourdough pizza. The opportunity allowed him to branch out and try something new. He and his staff have become students of pizza.
“We’ve tweaked the pizza dough so much over the last few years,” Rea said. “I don’t think we will ever view our pizza crust as something that’s done. It’s always going to be a work-in-progress. There’s always going to be a way to make it better.”
Spoken like a master pizzaiolo.
It would be easy to take a pepperoni pizza for granted, since it is almost an assured staple on any pizza menu. The Via Farina pepperoni is topped with fresh oregano, pecorino and mozzarella. When combined with the amazing crust, that extra kick of oregano makes it very memorable.
Salsiccia pizza
The salsiccia pizza has a red sauce base with house sausage, fennel, arugula, sun-dried tomato, pecorino, truffle salt and chili. Off the bat, there was a bit too much arugula for my taste. The arugula overpowered the sun-dried tomatoes and sausage and disguised the fennel. Removing some arugula made it much more balanced. The slightly sweet-yet-savory sausage popped through with notes of fennel. The sun-dried tomato further elevated an already delicious red sauce. The chili added a welcome kiss of heat.
Egg yolk raviolo is technical, a difficult dish to pull off. As such, there are currently only two Via Farina chefs who prepare it. It’s a fried raviolo, a large single ravioli with lots of fried sage sprinkled throughout the plate. There were a couple of disappointments here, the brown butter and sage were both heavily salted, as was the accompanying toast. The outer edges of the raviolo, from corner to center, were a bit denser and chewier than expected. That said, cutting into the center of the ravioli causes the yolk to run out exactly as expected; the nuttiness of the brown butter, along with the pecorino, made for a wonderful bite.
“It’s a very popular one, especially in the winter because it is a pretty rich dish,” Rea said of the raviolo. “We get people ordering multiples for the table, we’ll get people that order them as appetizers. When winter rolls around, they move pretty good.”
I certainly recommend trying it, if just for the technical requirement to keep the yolk intact while forming the pasta around it without overcooking the yolk.
Tiramasu
We capped the evening with the tiramisu. It’s an easily shareable dessert, especially for two, and was the perfect size for the three of us. The tiramisu is traditional with alternating layers of mascarpone mixture and coffee-soaked ladyfingers. The mascarpone was nice and creamy, but I would have liked a little more of it between the layers. The ladyfingers had that extra punch of coffee I always look for in a tiramisu yet rarely find. Nitpicking aside, it’s a very nice dessert.
On our second visit, with reservations at 4 p.m. on Monday, we arrived in time for happy hour. This was a pleasant surprise as there was very little advertising for happy hour. It’s something they started a few months ago, and at present, goes from Sunday through Thursday from opening to 6 p.m.
Come on, Italicus
Jennifer and I ordered two spritzes, the hugo and the “come on, Italicus.” For an appetizer we had the arancini and for entrees the forbidden fruit pizza and shaved brussels salad.
Both spritzes were fantastically refreshing. The come on Italicus, made with Italicus (a light citrus liqueur with hits of rose and lavender), apricot liqueur, prosecco rosé, simple syrup and soda. It’s a very enlivening fruity spritzer that balances the slight sour of the rosé.
The hugo is made with St. Germain (a sweet liqueur made from elderflower petals), mint, prosecco, simple syrup and soda. The cocktail has a lively floral spritzer with a pleasant mint aftertaste.
Arancini
The arancini were perfect – four stuffed rice balls placed on top of freshly made pomodoro sauce with pecorino and parmigiano. The rice stuffing is basically a risotto, providing a delightfully savory and creamy tenderness inside. The pomodoro is a natural accompaniment.
The shaved brussels salad with an oregano vinaigrette, sprouted wheat, pecorino and candied walnuts was fantastic. The slight bitterness of the brussels sprouts was complimented by the savory acidity of the vinaigrette. The candied walnuts added a welcoming sweet flavor and crunchy texture. It’s a fairly simple salad, yet elegant and packed with flavor.
Pappardelle
The pappardelle is a white chicken bolognese with pecorino, Calabiran chili and topped with breadcrumbs. This is a wonderfully savory dish that’s nice and creamy and absolutely delicious. It’s more than just a tasty pasta dish. It’s literally a warm hug to the soul.
Forbidden fruit pizza
The forbidden fruit packs a bit more heat than most pizzas, made with roasted pineapple (I don’t care what anyone says, it is 100-percent okay to put fruit on a pizza), sweet onion, smoked prosciutto, chili and fresh mozzarella. It’s a magnificent blend of sweet, spicy and savory in one delectable bite.
We went a bit lighter for dessert. I had the pistachio affogato, where you pour espresso on top of the accompanying gelato. It was a welcome alternative to my traditional after-dinner coffee. Jennifer tried the basil lemon, one of the rotating sorbets from Centi. We’ll be reaching out to Centi to see how we could get more, because it’s a wonderful sorbet.
Pistachio affogato
Via Farina puts a major emphasis on craft cocktails. That makes sense because the restaurant is owned by Maven Social whose repertoire includes Alice, Wicked Rabbit, Laka Lono, Barnato and The Berry & Rye.
“We certainly take the cocktail and beverage program just as seriously as our food,” Rea commented. “It’s nice to have all those resources within our company to help us with that.”
He credits his dedicated team for the restaurant’s success.
“For the long hours, and the long days and the crazy days and standing in front of an 800-degree oven when it’s 100 degrees outside and 80 degrees inside,” Rea said. “I’ve got an awesome crew. Some of these guys have been with me for years.”
It’s safe to say it’s working. Pizza Today listed Via Farina as one of the top 35 pizzerias to watch this year.
In addition to its packed Little Italy dining room, Via Farina offers a mobile, wood-fired pizza oven available for catering. They plan to open a new location this fall but have not yet announced the location. You can bet I’ll check it out when it opens.
Oh, did I mention how fantastic the crust is?
