A 12-inch Tenderfoot pizza is served at Tamalpie in Mill Valley. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
By Ann Walker | IJ correspondent
Entrepreneurship is imbued in Karen Goldberg, who has created myriad local brick-and-mortar businesses over the years, including the always popular Tamalpie.
With so many different styles of pizza, what makes one style “your” style? Is it determined by where you first started eating pizza? Someone once told me they’d never eaten a pizza they didn’t love. They must be easily pleased.
I’d describe the pizza served at Tamalpie in Mill Valley as one with a Neapolitan crust and California-style toppings. This style suits its clientele just fine. The crust is thinnish, softly chewy and just a little crisp on the bottom. Toppings are fresh and first-rate, like Hobbs’ meats and house-made tomato sauce.
Tamalpie, which opened in 2011, is firmly grounded in Mill Valley at the foot of Mount Tamalpais with a list of pizzas named after hiking trails and old camps on the mountain, like Cascade, Railroad Grade and Bootjack. The night Laura, Matt and I checked out Tamalpie, young, lively families were sitting on the covered patio eating pizzas, while the parents, if they preferred, had something from Tamalpie’s list of well-conceived cocktails and sharable plates. It’s a family restaurant that covers all bases.
Arriving just before the early crowd prepared to leave, we checked in at the host station across from the bar and were shown to a table inside. The server arrived to take our drink orders. Of the featured cocktails, the Barrel-aged Manhattan ($15), while tempting, did not break our habit of ordering negronis. And those negronis were excellent.
An array of house pastas ($17 to $28) are available, with gluten-free penne or zucchini noodles available for an extra $4. I hadn’t had a pesto pasta in a while, so we ordered the Rigatoni Pesto ($24). It was difficult to see the pasta under its shower of Parmigiano-Reggiano. But one fork dipped in revealed the basil pesto-coated pasta tubes tossed with peas, broccolini, zucchini and crunchy garlic breadcrumbs. I loved the use of the garlicky breadcrumbs. The textures and flavors were so varied. What a unique pesto pasta!
Wines by the glass ($12 to $18) and by the bottle ($40 to $76) represent California, Italy and France. The white wine Tenuta Greco di Tufo from Campania ($16) and the red wine Aglianico ($17) from the same producer were interesting to taste.
A long, skinny separate menu listed all the pizzas available that night: twelve- or 18-inch pizzas with 48-hour dough fermentation. They’re $17.50 to $48, depending on the size and toppings. Take-home frozen pizzas ($17 to $22) are also available.
Tenderfoot ($25 for the 12-inch), named for the trail from the Mountain Home Inn to downtown Mill Valley, was topped with wild mushrooms, mozzarella, fontina, thyme and garlic, with just a bit of lemon that brightened the whole pizza. Daiya vegan mozzarella ($4) and a gluten-free crust ($5) can be substituted. The ratio of crust to toppings was ideal, and the mushrooms and thyme recalled the vegetal aromas on the southeast side of the mountain.
It’s always tempting to end a meal with a little something sweet. The Butterscotch Pudding ($10) with three spoons, please. It was a little rich and had just enough creaminess. It suited us just fine.
Tamalpie, with views of the majestic Sleeping Lady herself, offers a pleasant atmosphere and attentive service with a menu that can please families as well as couples who drop in later to sit outside at the firepits for cocktails and snacks.
Ann Walker is a freelance food writer. Email her with suggestions, comments and questions at ijfoodwalker@gmail.com.
