PASSIONATE RATIONS

Two lawyers started a pizza revolution back in the mid-1980s. And thank goodness, because California Pizza Kitchen has inspired others to get more creative with their pizza toppings and now you can find interesting choices in other venues–even in those little mom-and-pop pizza shops that haven’t (yet?) become massive corporate conglomerates (which can really drain the taste from things).

Baba Louie’s is a little pizza bistro tucked in amongst other quaint establishments on Main Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. After a showing of the independent film “My Winnipeg” at this year’s Berkshire Independent Film Festival, we found ourselves hungry and showed up on the eatery’s doorstep.

One look at the menu and I was all about trying it. It was the Isabella Pizzarella that got me. With roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, garlic, mozzarella, parmesan, balsamic vinegar, it already offered so much in terms of interesting ingredients. But, get this, the pièce de résistance was the addition of shaved fennel. Rarely is fennel seen on any menu, much less a pizza menu. This, I had to have.

The organic sourdough crust provided a wonderful (and edible) platform for a lovely array of some of my favorite flavors. With no way to go wrong, it was oh so right. The faint licorice-y taste of the fennel complemented the winter vegetables, flavoring their edges and bringing order to the whole. My only complaint is that I was dying for a diet Coke that afternoon and the restaurant offers only organic juices, teas, natural sodas, beer and wine (nothing really to complain about, is there?).

My companions ordered: (1) the Melanzana Cardinale (another sourdough pizza, this one topped with eggplant, tomatoes, mozzarella, smoked gouda, and pesto), and (2) the Pomodoro Bianco pizza (portabella mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan, red onions, goat cheese and pesto). These two came out looking surprisingly similar, but their tastes were radically different.

The portabella pizza struck me as the most traditional of the three we ordered and, as such, the least interesting. Though it was certainly good, I was a bit disappointed the usual meatiness of portabellas seemed absent and the overall flavor subdued.

While I loved my choice of the fennel-frocked pizza, I have to say that the Melanzana Cardinale was truly the best of the three pizzas at the table in terms of flavor and texture. The soft eggplant simply melted in one’s mouth. The gouda lent a touch of smokiness to each bite and that particular cheese was a perfect accompaniment to its vegetable companions. I will definitely be trying it on pizza at home.

If you’re ever out in the Berkshires and want a fun, casual and satisfying dining experience, I would definitely recommend Baba Louie’s. You may wish to arrive slightly before usual mealtimes, however, because, by the time we had ordered, the line was out the door. It is a relatively small establishment with what appears to be a large reputation.