Plenty of wood-fired fun at Oliver’s Pizzeria
San Rafael has just landed speakeasy-esque Oliver’s Pizzeria and bar on the second floor of the two-story brick building on Fourth Street that houses sister restaurant Vin Antico.
The intimate wood-fired pizza hideaway was brought to fruition two weeks ago by San Anselmo natives and Drake (now Archie Williams) High School grads Mike Heffernan and Carroll Oliver.
Heffernan, whose father with the same name owns both downtown restaurants, has served as the project manager, and Oliver is at the helm in the open kitchen.
The tight menu of three wood-fired pizzas — marinara, margherita and pork sausage with herb cream, oyster mushrooms, Calabrian chilies, asiago cheese, parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano — is an example of doing less but doing it well. As time goes on, new offerings will rotate with the seasons.
The winter salad of shaved Brussels sprouts, roasted squash, radicchio and pepitas is tossed with apple cider vinaigrette with a mound Double 8 Dairy water buffalo stracciatella nestled in.
Oliver found his culinary calling shortly after high school when for two years he was a prep cook at Bantam wood-fired pizzeria in Santa Cruz while taking culinary arts classes at the local community college. He credits the influence of Bantam’s co-owner and chef Benjamin Sims, whose resume includes training at the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley and a stint at Michelin-starred Acquerello in San Francisco, for providing the initial skill set and passion for working with dough.
“I fell in love with it,” says Oliver, who later learned the basics of mixing, shaping and baking bread at Companion Bakeshop in Santa Cruz, and then went on to bread baking at Marla Bakery in San Francisco, where he further developed an appreciation for the fermentation process.
In late 2019, he was given a short-term opportunity to use Marla’s wood-fired oven for weekend pizza pop-ups, during the shop’s transition to Windsor, and there it began.
Oliver prides himself on mixing his Neapolitan pizza dough by hand instead of machine. He explains that it’s a more delicate, labor-intensive method but one in which you can better rely on intuition to finesse a soft and airy crust.
The focal point of the restaurant is an Italian fire brick pizza oven, with a dome clad in mini white tiles. It was made by Mugnaini, a distinguished wood-fired oven company in Healdsburg.
The remodel of what had been a private event space managed by Vin Antico entailed installing banquette seating below an original exposed brick wall and extending the bar to accommodate both the pizza chef and a bartender who is expected to be shaking up a full menu of cocktails by mid-February.
For now, beverages include a small craft beer selection from HenHouse Brewing, Fort Point Beer Co. and North Coast Brewing Co., and eight Italian wines by the glass.
Oliver’s is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Enter through the main entrance at 883 Commercial Place, or access through a stairway inside Vin Antico at 881 Fourth St. in San Rafael. Stay up to date on the latest news at oliverspizzeria.com.
Battle of the bowls
Restaurant chefs throughout city are gearing up for the battle of the bowls at the eight annual Sausalito Souper Bowl from 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 4. Purchase a wristband ($25) for a taste tour and to vote for the best soup in Sausalito.
This year’s participating kitchens include Barrel House Tavern, Joinery, Bar Bocce, Salito’s Crab House & Prime Rib, Sushi Ran, Copita Tequileria y Comida, Equator Coffees, the Spinnaker, Seafood Peddler, Sartaj India Café, Taste of Rome, the Trident and Sausalito Cruising Club.
Other city businesses that aren’t serving soup but are offering discounts, specials and/or freebies during the event include Real Napa Tasting Room, Firehouse Coffee & Tea, Katya, Bacchus & Venus, Salty, Karl the Store, Sausalito Bakery & Cafe, Hanson Gallery Fine Art, Munchies of Sausalito, SOXalito, Sausalito Chamber of Commerce and Smitty’s Bar that’s offering $5 pints from 5 to 7 p.m.
For more information and to buy a wristband in advance, go to sausalito.gov/soup or call 415-289-4152. Same-day tickets may be available from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at the ferry landing in Sausalito, but last year’s Souper Bowl was a sellout.
Feeling crabby
Only a few days remain to get in on the IDESST Sausalito Portuguese Cultural Center’s annual crab fundraiser dinner and auction from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 11 in Sausalito. Registration for the event closes Feb. 3.
The feast includes appetizers, a Portuguese cheese board, green salad with roasted sweet peppers, pasta with São Jorge cheese, garlic bread and fresh Dungeness crab cooked that morning and served chilled with lemon and cocktail sauce. Wine, beer, sangria and sodas are available for purchase, or BYO wine for a suggested corkage donation of $15 per bottle.
Portuguese craft beers that are not sold in the United States, imported handmade pottery, cooking classes and meal subscriptions are all up for auction. Or show off your favorite baked creation at the dessert auction (email ticketsales@idesst.org to sign up).
The doors and bar open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner is served at 7 p.m. at the IDESST Sausalito Portuguese Cultural Center at 511 Caledonia St. in Sausalito.
Purchase tickets ($90, $720 for a table for eight, with add-ons for members) or make a donation at idesst.wildapricot.org. All proceeds go to the Holy Ghost Festa and the operating costs of the building.
More crab
The annual San Geronimo Valley Lion’s Club crab feed, raffle and silent and live auction is Feb. 4 at the Woodacre Improvement Club at 1 Garden Way in Woodacre. This is also a sellout event. Purchase tickets for one of two seatings (5 to 7 p.m. for $60 and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. for $65) and get ready for all-you-can-consume fresh crab, salad, pesto pasta, bread, Lagunitas Brewing Co. beer, white wine and non-alcoholic drinks.
To purchase tickets, search for San Geronimo Valley Lions at Eventbrite.com. Proceeds go directly to grants that support community programs.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with news and recommendations and follow on Instagram @therealdealmarin for more on local food and updates on the launch of The Real Deal Marin restaurant search guide.