Photo credit: TracyKreck.com
By Michele Laudig
Friday night's supposed to be the big night out at the end of the work week, but half the time I feel so frazzled I'd rather be a couch potato, snarf down a pizza, and crack open a bottle of Three Buck Chuck.
Chef Vincent Guerithault feels my pain.
Vincent's Back Door, a once-a-week pizza takeout service located just where you'd expect: right behind his eponymous fine dining restaurant on Camelback.
From 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday nights, customers can stop by and choose from more than a dozen thin-crust pizzas, including Margherita, Tarte Flambee (with cream, bacon, and thyme -- sounds delish), and Ratatouille (with tomato, pesto, mozzarella, and mixed veggies).
They're all eight bucks apiece, which is cheaper than a measly sandwich at most restaurants these days. Not sure how big they are, though.
Interestingly, Guerithault's wood-fired oven is built inside a trailer that's parked behind the restaurant. That's right -- it's a pizza oven on wheels.
Now if only we could somehow convince him to take the thing out on the town, a la the ice cream man, perhaps with a loudspeaker and a mesmerizing theme song. I can see it now: hordes of hungry little foodies chasing the pizza pied piper down the street, crowding around to line up for a fresh-baked pie.
Okay, so maybe that won't happen in my hood, but I bet something like that will play out in the parking lot behind Vincent's tomorrow night . . .