What: Tutta Carne pizza
Where: Al Fresco Pizza
How much: $18
Contact: Instagram.com/alfrescopizzallc
Why: It’s one of the valley’s tastiest pizzas.
While the hubby was looking over TacosN’Todo at that Foodie Fridays event, I was chatting with one of the Cultural Center’s employees. I asked him for a recommendation.
“The pizza is a-MAZING!” he said.
So off to the Al Fresco Pizza tent I went. While Al Fresco was also offering focaccia sandwiches, I was interested in the Neapolitan-style pizzas (“eats like four slices” the sign says about the large personal-sized pies). I selected the “Tutta Carne,” with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, ham, sausage and Calabrian chilis. The gentleman who helped me said I’d have about a 15-minute wait, because of other orders; I told him I didn’t mind.
A little bit later, I watched as they hand-made my pizza, and then placed it in the small portable pizza oven. Not even a few minutes later, they handed me the piping-hot plate. The pizza looked so tasty that I wanted to dive in immediately, but I wisely waited for it to cool a bit.
The pizza was worth the wait. The toppings were all fantastic, but the pizza was elevated by the sauce—which had a nice kick—and the fantastic, perfectly cooked crust. I dare say this was one of the best pizzas I’ve had in the Coachella Valley.
Al Fresco Pizza is at Palm Springs VillageFest every Thursday (although they take July-September off), and they serve at a variety of other events. They can be hired for parties and catering, and partner with local businesses, such as Indio’s Encore Coffee, where they sell their artisan focaccia sandwiches on Wednesdays. They even briefly did a weekend takeout pop-up at the old Sammy’s Place location in Cathedral City. Watch their Instagram for updates.
