Roberto Hernandez Guerrero labored the line all through what he phone calls the “golden age” of Andina, when upcoming Paiche chef Jose Luis De Cossio was at the helm, and the after modestly sized Peruvian cafe was growing to a 600-seat behemoth.
That could describe why he would seem so calm working the domed oven at Reeva Cafe y Cocina a la Leña, the meals truck he and spouse Roseva Alcerro opened final thirty day period on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. In this article on the gravel ton beside Blossom landscaping, Hernandez Guerrero lifts a margherita pizza so it gets bathed in the heat collected at the top of the Italian-constructed dome, drizzles on olive oil and a handful of ripped basil, then employs a metal peel to chuck a handful of sawdust into the flames, all though using orders and pouring cafecitos, often by himself.
It’s early days at Reeva, but it would not be way too bold to say that the pies coming from this previous FedEx truck already rank amid the ideal Neapolitan-style pizzas in Portland, signing up for the likes of Nostrana, Hapa Pizza in Beaverton, La Sorrentina in Vancouver and the close by Pizzeria Otto, wherever he applied to perform and whose operator, Clark Hale, recommended I stop by late previous month. Still as very good as those conventional pies are, with vivid tomato sauce and excellent olive oil mingling deliciously on slender-stretched, char-dappled dough, they are not the major cause to check out Reeva.
That would be the pizzaleada, a Reeva primary riffing on the Honduran baleada, with refried beans, four kinds of cheese and sour cream folded in quarters in the “portafoglio” (aka “wallet”) design and style well-liked as a avenue foodstuff in Naples. Hernandez Guerrero, who was impressed to produce the pizza after trying a common baleada — fundamentally a major bean and cheese taco on a flour tortilla — built by Alcerro’s mother, will suggest you incorporate some chorizo or a couple of discs of sweet jalapeño for punch, and these aren’t lousy strategies. But even in its much more essential variety, the mixture of chewy dough, melted mozzarella, bitter cream and probably some dripping yolk from a flash-cooked egg, is just one of the tastiest points I have eaten this yr.
The pizzaleada from Reeva Cafe y Cocina a la Leña, a folded, Honduran-motivated pizza with beans, cheese and egg, a single of the most delicious items our cafe critic has eaten this year.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
Hernandez Guerrero hails from Querétaro condition in North-Central Mexico and, because moving to the United States 20 yrs in the past, has labored at several of Portland’s finest-recognized dining places, which include Andina, Beast and, for the previous 3 and a half many years, Pizzeria Otto. His 1st specials at the cart have leaned into Peruvian components, like a the latest “Machu pizza” with a foundation of salsa Hauncaína, a spicy yellow-orange sauce usually manufactured with blended chiles and cheese. Experiments with beef slow cooked in a scorching box could quickly inspire a pizza centered on the quesabirria pattern. We cannot wait around to try out it.
Proper now, Reeva opens early 5 days a 7 days for espresso and breakfast, which includes that pizzaleada, and is slowly but surely introducing Sunday brunch dishes, together with baked chilaquiles, steak and eggs and huevos rotos, a mix of wood-fired potatoes, egg, arugula and refreshing romesco sauce. Time will explain to no matter whether Portland embraces the morning menu — other dining establishments have experimented with breakfast pizzas prior to — but with one particular particular person manning the oven, sign-up and espresso machine solo, a several far more all set-to-take in sandwiches or baked merchandise might not be a bad strategy. A fresh-baked roll split in 50 %, still steaming, and smeared with fresh new romesco that Hernandez Guerrero sliced into smaller bites to share with prospects on a the latest check out could be a good position to commence.
Heading forward, Hernandez Guerrero and Alcerro plan to add picnic tables and some barrel tables to the great deal, where by they could even host wine tastings from the excellent Mom & Pop Wine Shop just west on Sandy. Hours will probably continue to be in flux as Reeva figures out what precisely its Roseway community wishes from a pizza truck, and new dishes — each and every with its have punny identify — could look week to 7 days. Just really do not expect to see Hernandez Guerrero get flustered.
“I just have the way of thinking that I’ve bought to be completely ready for regardless of what,” Hernandez Guerrero said. “I’ve worked in some of Portland’s busiest dining places. I can handle pressure really nicely.”
Reeva Cafe y Cocina a la Leña opens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Sunday brunch, 7727 N.E. Sandy Blvd., while hours are most likely to adjust frequently in the coming months.
— Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com @tdmrussell