Pizza Rock

With all the news lately about K Street Mall re-opening to automobile traffic for the first time in 41 years, I decided it was time for me to check out the Pizza Rock restaurant that opened on K Street earlier this year.  So I walked in at lunchtime yesterday to order a pizza to go.

The founder of Pizza Rock is Tony Gemignani, whose claim to fame is being the first American to win first place in the STG category for the best Neapolitan pizza at the World Pizza Cup competition in Naples, Italy, in 2007.  Pizza Rock actually offers a cheeseless pizza on their menu -- the Marinara 11, which is listed in the Pizza Napoletano section of the menu.  It consists of a paper-thin crust spread with a flavorful sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes, sea salt, oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil, and dotted with cloves of garlic.  Basically, it's a Pizza Margherita without the mozzarella.  I wanted to try it hot out of the oven, and I knew that it would cool down too much if I waited to try it until I got home.  So I ate a slice as soon as I got back to my car, slinking down in the driver's seat to keep people from seeing me and thinking I was about to give up my parking space.  I'm glad I did, because this is a pizza that's best when it's piping hot.

Other than the Marinara 11 pizza, there's not much else for vegans on the menu at Pizza Rock.  But you should try this restaurant at least once, not only for the pizza, but to check out the decor.  The exposed brick walls and the mural on the ceiling are interesting, but the real attention-grabber is the shiny cab of a big rig mounted over the bar, looking like it just crashed through the wall.

Pizza Rock is located at 1020 K Street.  Their phone number is 916-737-5777, and their website address is http://pizzarocksacramento.com/.  Pizza Rock is open Sunday through Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.