San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
I’m dreaming of the white pizza
Food truck serves great pies, charm in a quirky setting Pizzeria Vesuvio
Located in the heart of Southtown, the Pizzeria Vesuvio food truck brings plenty of charm to this quirky neighborhood. It’s parked in front of a house 100plus years old, and there’s al fresco seating on the house’s porch and artificial turf lawn.
Vesuvio is the vision of a trio of owners — Esteban Alvayero, Anthony Rodriguez and Ana Martinez — who worked in the kitchen at the now-closed Southtown Pizzeria.
They opened the space in March and have aspirations of adding indoor dining in the home that will double as an art gallery featuring the works of Martinez and other area artists. A backyard space that Vesuvio shares with Beethoven Maennerchor is also being developed.
On Friday nights, there’s live jazz on the porch, and every day it’s great for people-watching. A token glass or two of wine or beer is complimentary with your order.
All the pizzas are 16 inches and feature a classic New Yorkstyle crust that is crunchy on the outside, slightly doughy on the inside and perfect for a folded bite.
Best pizza: The Bianco ($17.99) is the white pizza, and, oh, what a pizza it is. One of the best pizzas of this type in the series, the rich and creamy Alfredo sauce provides the perfect anchor to the blends of mozzarella and Romano cheeses, with a bright note from pools of ricotta that floated on
Rating: Solid neighborhood
option
Location: 1110 S. Alamo St., 210245-7478, vesuviotruck.com Hours: 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Wednesdays-Mondays Takeout/delivery: Yes/Yes
through DoorDash every slice.
Other pizzas: The Vesuvio ($17.99) is the house special and it keeps things simple. The flavor focus is on the bounty of pepperoni, with tangy house marinara and mozzarella as active supporting players. Jalapeños added just enough heat without overwhelming the pie.
They make their own meatballs at Vesuvio, and that may be the best way to start off any custom-made pie (starting at $12.99), to which I also added bell peppers and mushrooms.
The meatballs came well seasoned and even sliced the diameter of golf balls. When you folded the slices and chomped down for a bite, it felt like eating a high-grade meatball sandwich, but without the mess.
While visually stunning, The Colosseo ($17.99) brought to mind the 1980s Wendy’s commercial, only this time with the lady screaming, “Where’s the meat?”
I had to poke and prod like a surgeon to discover the tiny amount of housemade Italian sausage and scant slivers of Canadian bacon that were promised in the menu description. What was there was good, but this one failed to deliver a balance with the olives, bell peppers and onions.