RESTAURANT: Choices are dizzying at Damgoode Pies
By Jennifer Christman (Contact)
Damgoode Pie’s Garlichoke pasta includes fettuccine, garlic butter, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes and ricotta.
|
|
|
LITTLE ROCK — As you might expect from its name, Damgoode Pies isn’t the most demure of pizza places - in spirit or in menu.
Not only do they serve a pie called the Funky Chicken (“Delivering you to Funkytown, Jack. Char-grilled chicken, Green Peppas, Shrooms, Onions & Black Olives”), they urge customers to try it and “Get some ‘wah-ka-chick-a’ fo dat mouth. Dig?”
Shtick aside, the eatery that now has three locations - two eat-in restaurants (Kavanaugh and Cantrell) and one deliverycarryout only (Rodney Parham Road), does take its food quite seriously. It serves perhaps the best, and definitely the most interesting pizza in Little Rock.
Pizza options are limited only by the imagination at Damgoode, where diners select not only the toppings (11 meats, 15 vegetables), but also the cheese (three options), the dough (three options - hand-tossed, thin or “Stuffy”) and the sauce (nine options). And don’t forget to select a size (cheese pizza prices begin at $3 for 6-inch, $7.25 for 10-inch and $10.75 for 14-inch; topping prices vary).
While it’s perfectly fine to commission a custom thin-crust anchovy, dill pickle, feta and Alfredo masterpiece to suit your crazy cravings, anyone overwhelmed by the choices can always select from the restaurant’s varied signature pies ($4.50 for a 6-inch Greek up to $19.75 for a 14-inch Shrimp Pesto).
That’s what we did during a recent trip to the original Kavanaugh Damgoode, housed in a wedge-shape two-story structure. We requested a handtossed The Club ($4.95, $10.95, $18.95), featuring smoked turkey, baked ham, crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese, and a Spicy Five ($4.50, $9.45, $16.95), featuring ricotta, cheddar, feta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses with a spicy white sauce.
While waiting for the pies to bake in the downstairs kitchen, we sipped domestic beers - served in bottles without an offer of glasses - and munched on decent Mixed Leaf salads ($3.75 small, $6.75 large): greens, mushrooms, tomatoes and black olives, sprinkled with mozzarella and croutons.
At least we did when we finally got a fork; the friendly server who promised one disappeared for a while, as he did when we later needed plates to go with our pizzas. As for napkins, we couldn’t run out of those with a roll of paper towels perched on our table - a big round, vibrantly colored one that didn’t quite fit with the booth seating.
Ordered “mild,” the still zesty and greasy Wings ($4.95 for six, $7.95 for 12) that we requested as an appetizer did not come out until our pizzas did.
The unsubtle Club pizza was certainly salty - how could it not be with so much processed meat - but in a way we found smoky and gratifying on a chewy handtossed crust. On the recommendation of our server, we went the Stuffy route (a $1, $3 or $5 upgrade based on size) with the Spicy Five.
That involves more filling and a second layer of dough, taking the already lush cheesy pie coated in a zippy ricotta-based sauce to an even more indulgent level.
Although we might have missed out on some good tunes, we were happy to be finishing our dinner as a music act was setting up to replace Pearl Jam and Michael Jackson albums. The small dining room, casual with beer signs and pizza ingredients painted playfully on walls, might have seemed even cozier with live entertainment, but we feared it could have seemed more cramped.
More roomy is the restaurant’s Cantrell location, where we took advantage of Damgoode’s weekday lunch special (served 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.) - $6.99 for a 6-inch pizza (signature or threetoppings) or half-sandwich, plus a small Caesar salad and a drink (soda, tea or even a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer), and where we could have taken advantage of outdoor seating.
The pacing and the number of check-ins by our helpful server was perfect for a workday lunch. Our salads - Romaine with parmesan and croutons served with the dressing on the side as requested - were quick to arrive, with our food not far behind.
My Veggie sandwich, a colorful collection of red, yellow and green peppers, mushrooms, jalapenos and spinach that I ordered with all the standard fixings (mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise and mustard), was messy and more than a mouthful, served on toasted focaccia and with a bag of Lay’s potato chips. A friend reported that her 6-inch Greek pizza, layered with a befitting combination of spinach, feta, sliced tomatoes and black olives, was just the right size.
Those who don’t want to eat in can call in or computer in orders for pickup. We used Damgoode’s easily navigated Web site to order dinner from the Rodney Parham location, tucked ina back corner of Trellis Square Shopping Center.
We were pleased that the order was ready and waiting in a heated bag when we arrived; we were, however, somewhat put off by the stone-faced employees who presented it to us. We were more bothered by the burned garlic bread sticks that were packaged with our Styrofoam boxes of pasta. (Such issues put the sign above the location’s entrance - hiring all positions - in perspective.)
As for the pasta, the generous portion of the B.A., which standsfor Bad Attitude ($8.75), was wellreceived, featuring fettuccine in a slick, clingy Alfredo sauce with bacon, spinach, onions and mushrooms (meats like grilled chicken or shrimp are $2 upgrades).
The plentiful Voodoo Pasta ($9.50), fettuccine with marinara sauce, shrimp, chicken, onions, roasted red bell peppers and Tabasco, had a good amount of flavor and heat.
Perhaps the chicken, which was too black for our liking, had been hit with too much heat.
Damgoode Pies Address: 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock; 6706 Cantrell Road, Little Rock; 10720 Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock (the latter is carryout/delivery only) Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday Cuisine: Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads Credit cards: AE, MC, V, D Alcohol: Beer, wine Wheelchair accessible: Dining at Kavanaugh location requires climbing stairs; Cantrell location is accessible Carryout: Yes, and local delivery for $1.75 charge (501) 664-2239 (all locations) www.damgoodepies.com
For more restaurant reviews, visit:
www2.arkansasonline.com/restaurants/
This article was published Friday, April 25, 2008.
Weekend, Pages 63 on 04/25/2008
