Black Sheep Pizza

Black Sheep Pizza, located smack in the heart of the action in the Warehouse District, claims to be the first coal-burning pizza joint in Minnesota. I don't know if that is true, and I don't care. The pizzas that comes out of their giant beast of an oven is the stuff dreams are made of. Not that I dream about pizza a lot. I am actually not a pizza fanatic, so if I am going to have pizza, it has to fulfill certain requirements.

First, it must be on the Neopolitan-esque variety. Super thin crust that is both crispy and chewy, topped with simple, fresh, top quality ingredients like tangy sauce, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil. Although Black Sheep's pies are not techincally Neopolitan (they would be baked in a stone oven with an oak-wood fire to qualitfy), it certainly fit the bill for me. The crust was crowned with blackened bubbles that gave way to tender, bready dough with an unsurpassed yeasty flavor. We got ours topped with tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. It was salty, sweet, crunchy, soft creation that made us both giddy. I wanted to clap after the first bite. I should have, why not?!

The young couple to our right ordered their "usual", they explained. A giant calzone oozing with mozzarella and ricotta cheeses and served with marinara sauce. I was rude enough to ask if I can take a photo, but not rude enough to ask for a bite. Dang.

To our left was a woman who had dragged her two teenage kids from Orono to sample a taste of the city. Between texts, they raved about the meatball pizza, and Mom loved the roasted red peppers and fennel sausage. It looked fabulous and smelled divine. Next time.

I have to talk about the space for a minute. Black Sheep takes exposed pipes to a whole new level. There are huge contraptions in the main seating area that scream "litigation", but they add a feel of authenticity to the urban space. The concrete floors are clearly original to the building and not just splattered with paint by a designer going for the "weathered" look. Although the restaurant is in the basement level, the tall windowns and corner location give patrons a unique view of the buzz of Washington Avenue.

The service was superb, especially considering they had a constant hour wait during our visit. A true sign of good service is not in its perfection, but how problems are handled. We had ordered two small pizzas, but our first pizza arrived big and beautiful. We simply cancled the second pizza and proceeded to happily devoure the one in front of us. But our server only charged us for one small pizza, and comped my husband's beer. Seriously? Her "mistake" was to give us too much of a good thing, and she feels badly about it? Now this is top notch service in my book.

Busy busy.

Can you smell it?

Larger than life calzone.

Speaking of next time, my husband coined the phrase "the Alex litmus test": if I am already planning the next order before finishing my first slice, the restaurant has earned a post on my recommendation blog. Yes, I know exactly what I will order next time.

F.A.Q

Pricey?
Even without the generosity of our server, the bill would have been more than reasonable.

Family friendly?
Depends on when you go. On Saturday night, we waited almost an hour. While it was well worth it for us, small children (those not yet versed in the art of gaming and/or texting) might be better off enjoying Black Sheep on a week night.

Web site
Click here.