The Gossiping Gourmet: Pizzas and more in a casual setting

Pizza Bar has recently opened in the space vacated by Arkopolis on West Balboa Boulevard in Newport Beach.

The owners have done a good job of remodeling this small restaurant, and I was delighted with the food.

The walls of the casual eatery have been painted taupe. The ceiling is open, but an attractive wooden grid sits below it, and pretty lights hang above the tables. Large, attractive steel fans keep the place cool.

Customers can opt to sit at a long wine bar, where they can eat, drink and watch TV, but the place also has tables and banquettes and two more TV sets.

The menu is extensive. Thirteen variations of pizza in two sizes are offered, and a separate kids menu lists cheese pizza, chicken nuggets, spaghetti and macaroni and cheese. Pizza Bar also has three kinds of flatbread, as well as appetizers, soups, salads, gyros, grilled sandwiches, handcrafted burgers and four entrees.

My dining companion and I had a hard time choosing but decided on the signature chicken wings and the boom boom shrimp to begin our meal. Both were excellent.

The wings and drumettes were juicy and had a nice brown skin. They were served with carrot and celery strips and a choice of Buffalo or Thai chili sauce. We chose the latter, which was a perfect complement to the chicken, adding a bit of heat and sweetness.

Equally good were the boom boom shrimp, with crisp golden skin and an in-house aioli sauce that was not like regular aioli but one that was sweet and creamy. The shrimp were just yummy.

For our entrée, we wanted to try the gyro beef and lamb plate, which was served with good warm pita bread, big French fries and a salad. Tzatziki sauce came on the side.

The meat was thinly sliced and incredibly tender. A sandwich could be made out of it with the bread. The side salad was good as well, with baby tomatoes, olives, cheese, onions and cucumbers in a light vinaigrette.

I think our favorite dish of the day was the flatbread. We chose the one with fig and Brie cheese. I think it was the best flatbread I have ever eaten. The crust was thin and the edges were crisp. The combination of Brie and figs was luscious; the creamy cheese and the sweet figs were a perfect marriage.

Appetizers that sounded good were the lobster macaroni and cheese with creamy penne and fusilli pasta and the special cheese sauce, and homemade meatballs on garlic mashed potatoes.

In the burger department is the signature burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese and choice of fries or salad. Pizza Bar also has a filet steak sandwich and a Brie and hickory smoked bacon sandwich. A Greek burger comes with barbecue sauce, lettuce and feta cheese.

Entrees include pan-seared salmon, chicken fusilli pasta, Bolognese pasta and macaroni and cheese with meatballs.

Of course, I must talk more about the pizza, since the name of the restaurant is Pizza Bar. Meat Lovers pizza has pepperoni, sausage, bacon, Canadian bacon and fresh mozzarella. A veggie variation consists of fresh yellow squash, peppers, eggplant, spinach and mushrooms.

The signature pizza is made of chicken, basil and sausage, with tender chicken, crumbled sausage, red onion, fresh basil, a creamy pesto and tomato sauce.

Dessert will be a daily offering from the chef. It isn’t on the menu yet.

Pizza Bar offers really good food and friendly service in a casual setting. We will be back.

TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at m_markowitz@cox.net.

PIZZA BAR

Location: 2201 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Prices:

Appetizers: $9 to $10

Entrees: $12 to $19

Pizza, gyros and sandwiches: $9 to $16

Desserts: Chef’s choice

Wine:

Bottles: $24 to $43

By the glass: $7 to $10

Corkage: $20

Information: (949) 270-6310