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News from Biga Wood Fired Pizzeria
The News-Herald published a feature article by food critic Laura Kessel on Biga Wood Fired Pizzeria...
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Kirtland's Biga may be small-a, but its pizza, desserts are heavenly
Laura Kessel (@LauraNH) - The News-Herald
March 22, 2012
For years and years, those who traveled south on Route 306 have wondered why the speed limit through Kirtland was only 25 mph.
Now it all makes sense.
If you go too fast through the stretch that includes the schools complex, you’ll miss Biga Wood Fired Pizza.
And, make no mistake, you don’t want to miss Biga.
Open for just six weeks, the tiny eatery has a small menu but giant flavor coming from that white building. As limited as its seating are its service hours — it’s open only four days a week, and currently only for dinner.
Though limited to what you could loosely call appetizers, pizzas and desserts, the menu is packed with locally grown ingredients and enough creativity to dazzle the taste buds.
When we arrived, for dinner about 6 p.m. Saturday, it felt as if the staff was welcoming old friends. Seated with a menu that also is obtainable online, we were informed they serve Coca-Cola products and iced tea. There’s no liquor license, but diners are permitted to bring bottles of wine to enjoy with dinner. A $2 glass fee applies, however. Owners prefer diners bringing their own do so after 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, in hopes of keeping the tables moving at a good pace.
When our server brought our drinks over, she pointed out a foamy head on the tea, indicating that the machine had air in its line. She said that if we weren’t satisfied, she’d bring us something else. A few minutes later, she checked back to see if the drinks were indeed satisfactory.
Our service never dipped below that high perch.
When we turned our attention to the food, we got stuck. There aren’t many pizzas, but they all sound delicious.
We gave up when our server returned, telling her that all we’d decided on was the Crispy Seasonal Salad. When the three of us said we each wanted one, she cautioned us, saying they’re large and could easily serve two. We opted for two and still had enough to take some home after we’d each had two servings.
The crisp butter crunch lettuce was piled high and mixed with thinly sliced Sage’s honey crisp apples, walnuts, smoked gorgonzola and other vegetables. The light dressing was tasty but not overpowering and didn’t wilt the leaves, as you’ve no doubt seen in other restaurants.
By the time our salads arrived, we’d finally settled on some pizza, with some help from one of the owners. She asked what we were considering and we asked what was the most popular. She said the Spicy Pepperoni is the best seller, but one of our party shies from spicy foods.
We opted for the Margherita ($13), the Sweet Fresh Sausage ($15) and the Seasonal Special, the Apple Gorgonzola ($18).
The 12- to 13-inch Napoletana, or Naples-style, pies are cooked in a 900-degree wood-fired hearth oven. Cooking doesn’t take long, either. According to the menu, it takes 90 seconds to bake a pizza.
The crust is thin, but substantial, complete with black fire marks from the flames “kissing” the pies in the oven.
Toppings are applied thinly, but cover the pie.
It was difficult to pick a favorite, because they all had strengths. The Margherita had the typical large medallions of mozzarella cheese, but they were matched with thinly sliced tomatoes and tiny sprigs of basil that allowed us to have a full flavor in every bite.
The Sweet Fresh Sausage was my favorite. One of the owners told us they’d recently started to make their own sausage in-house, and you can easily tell by the fresh taste. It’s thinly applied, along with more of those tasty tomatoes and that fresh mozzarella. This is a deceptive little pie. When it arrived, it seemed that there wasn’t enough sausage. But when you dig in, you find it’s full-flavored and quite filling in the quantities provided. Any return visit will include this one.
Because it sounded so interesting, we also opted to try the Seasonal Special pizza. And, boy, were we happy we did.
With more Sage’s honey crisp apples added to gorgonzola, walnuts, prosciutto, fresh rosemary and basil, it was a true sweet-and-savory treat. The apples and walnuts retained their crisp, while the cheese and ham melted into the sauce.
Owners said they plan to add more seasonal specials when the summer produce and vegetables start coming in. One thing to watch for is a pizza with asparagus that is already in the planning stages.
If we were to quibble at all with what we were served, it would be that the pizzas were a little small for the price. The pizzas were each six-slice pies, and, at $13 to $18, we expected a little more food.
Toward the end of the meal, we remembered something that caught our eye when we started studying the menu — the Biga Ho-Ho.
We all agreed that anything that tried to emulate that Hostess goodie needed a try. But when our server brought out the dessert tray, with six homemade desserts, we knew we were in for a load of calorie trouble.
I went for the Cannoli Cake ($7), which was exactly as the menu described — a sweet cannoli cream-filled cake with whipped cream frosting. It was delightful. The cake was ultra-moist, and the cream tasted just like what you’d get in a genuine cannoli.
My husband tried a frozen ricotta cream dessert ($6), which was fluffier than it looked and was packed with a fantastic chocolate flavor. My friend went for the Ho-Ho ($7), which was a densely rolled chocolate cake filled with Frangelico buttercream frosting. The flavors blended very well, but still held their own against each other.
All desserts are made in-house by the mother of one of the owners. She came out of the kitchen to hear our raves and said that she can hardly keep up with the demand for the Cannoli Cake. She plans some tarts and other fresh-fruit items as summer rolls in.
Location: East side of Chillicothe Road (State Route 306), across from the Kirtland Schools complex
Type of restaurant: Italian
Liquor and wine: None; Customers can bring their own but a $2 glass fee is assessed; The owners prefer those who do bring their own arrive after 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Facilities for the handicapped: Yes
Credit cards: All major credit cards are accepted
Cuisine: Traditional Italian
Vegetarian: Yes, salads and pizzas
Special diets: Ask your server to accommodate special diet needs
Kid-friendliness: High chairs; Boosters; Children's menu
Outdoor dining: Not yet, but a deck is planned for summer
Dress code: Casual
Reservations: No
Prices: Moderate; Appetizers and salads are $5-$12; Pizzas are $11-$18; Desserts are $5-$8
Value: Good
Food Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Atmosphere Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Service Rating: 5 stars out of 5
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