“That’s delicious,” my two friends and I announced almost simultaneously as we sipped on Campfire Cucina’s maple old fashioneds, made with Buffalo Trace, fresh orange juice, maple syrup, bitters, and soda.
That d-word would get repeated again and again during the meal that followed, starting with the new Sunriver restaurant’s special salad – romaine, strawberries (macerated in sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt), maple walnuts, feta, and a light, refreshing prosecco dressing.
Before I go any further, a disclaimer. Owner and executive chef Gary Zendell loves to share his food, and he shared way more of it than we could ever eat in one sitting. So, we got to try a lot.
We started out somewhat modestly, with two appetizers. The Icky Sticky chicken wings in a tangy garlic-ginger sauce were perfectly sweet and crunchy, with a lovely Thai chili kick. Just as memorable, the tender, robust beef and pork meatballs shone in a rich, thick, perfectly balanced marinara sauce. Next time, I would just make sure to order the garlic bread or ask for a spoon so I could scoop up every drop.
Next came the pastas. Gary took pity on us and brought over a plate of his Speziata (spiced) Shrimp without the penne. Talk about the star of the show! I’ll be traveling to Sunriver for those plump, firm Baja offshore shrimp in Gary’s spicy jalapeño cream sauce, which one of my friends described as “a little explosion in your mouth.” Mind-blowingly delicious.
Uncle Frank’s Bolognese – oregano-forward chianti meat sauce over penne with a dollop of ricotta on top – didn’t disappoint. The garlic, sautéed mushroom fettuccini was downright lovely – perfectly cooked noodles, once again, this time in a roasted garlic cream sauce.
We could have been done at that point. We should have been done at that point. Instead, Gary brought out three of his 11- to 12-inch pizzas.
Quality pizza, it turns out, isn’t the easiest thing to make, especially at altitude. Gary has solved the problem of baking crust at 4,500 feet in a dry climate with his hybrid Neo-Neapolitan concoction – an 80-20 blend of double-zero flour for lightness and high-gluten flour for elasticity. Winner, winner, pizza dinner! We tried the Buona Terra white pie with melty gorgonzola, mushrooms, and caramelized onions; the Primo Pepperoni (I never knew dry-aged pepperoni existed); and, even though I’m firmly against pineapple on a pizza, the salty-sweet Bender with pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon, and pineapple pico de gallo. All three pizzas were, yes, delicious.
There was more to come, and more to love. The Italian take on churros drizzled with Nutella was dangerous enough, but the warm, triple-chocolate fudge s’mores brownie, topped with a layer of scorched marshmallow and flanked by graham crackers, took things to a whole new level.
“That’s a problem,” said my friend, Dave, after a single bite.
Sign me up!
Campfire Cucina // Pizzeria // Bar
The Village at Sunriver
57100 Beaver Dr., Building 18
541-318-7004 • PizzaSunriver@gmail.com
Thursday-Tuesday 4-8pm