A Piece of the Action

We really try not to complain. And goodness knows we don't suffer. But ever since Dave became lactose intolerant a few years ago my son and I have had to find other ways to get our gooey soft cheesy fixes. Fortunately Dave can still partake of the hard cheeses like romano and parmesan, so most Italian pasta dishes, barring those with mozzarella or ricotta, are still in the mix. And over the years I've concocted a pretty killer lactose-free mac'n'cheese.

But when Dave had to make a trip to Vermont to visit his mom recently, we decided to take full advantage of the opportunity to gorge on some forbidden fruit. And, since pizza has been pretty much off the menu for obvious reasons, we concluded that a wood-oven pizza from neighborhood favorite Lucca would fit the bill. For one thing, it's only a few blocks away, assuring us that it would not only be fresh but hot by the time we got it home, because nothing sucks like congealed cheese.

It went without saying that we would order the Quattro Formaggi (above left) with its contingent of fresh mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola and Parmesan scattered with garlic and spinach. These 12" pies run from $10.50 to $13 and each one would easily feed two adults with a side salad but, because Mr. B's metabolism is such that he could eat two or more of these beauties by himself without batting an eye (which would use up even more calories), we got a backup of their funghi pizza (top photo), wood-roasted wild mushrooms on top of a pool of melted fontina, mozzarella, parsley and truffle oil.

We've loved Lucca as a place to go for lunch or dinner, and this first venture into the to-go pizza list was very promising, with their bubbly, rustic crusts and seasonal ingredients. With the price of two equaling about what you'd pay for one large pizza at any other shop, we'll no doubt be calling them up again. Maybe, if we asked really nicely, they'd even put aside the mozzarella so Dave could have some.

Details: Lucca, 3449 NE 24th Ave. Phone 503-287-7372.