By Priya Hutner ·
Cheese pizza .
I am on the search for pizza again. It is an unusually rainy day when I drive to Kings Beach. My first choice of pizza places is closed, so I drive down the road to Steamers on the Beach, known for its hand-thrown pizza and calzones.
I slide into a booth. The restaurant reminds me of a beachside seafood restaurant in Florida. Although it’s gray and drizzling, I imagine the deck overlooking the lake is fabulous on a sunny day.
My writer friend Karen Barchas has been here before and she orders a Vegetarian Calzone. I do love calzones, and, being raised in New York, I am particular about these things. I suggest that we also order a pizza. Plain cheese; I’m a purist when it comes to pizza.
Would we like our crust crispy, the waitress asks? Yes, we answer in unison. It’s late afternoon and long after the lunch rush. There are a number of people at the bar. A steamship on the wall highlights the nautical theme.
A large party from San Rosa piles into our section. The waitress asks us if we’d like to move, but I’m curious to know what they order. This is the second time they’ve eaten here this week, the group says. The couple across from us orders the Steamers Favorite, a large pie with extra pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives.
The conversation shifts from how much they like Steamers to which pizza is best: East Coast pie or West coast pie. Their allegiance is to the West. As my adopted home, this is not a topic I choose to engage with strangers. Think Jon Stewart vs. Chicago deep dish
Our calzone arrives. The dough is crisp. The whole milk fresh mozzarella and ricotta oozes out when we cut into it our first course. The veggies are al dente. A hot steaming pie is placed in front of us.
The personal size pizza slices are small, but I use my hands anyway. There will be no Saturday Night Fever fold over today. My slice is tasty and I am pleasantly surprised.
Steamers ambience is relaxed and friendly, and the menu is reasonably priced. Along with calzones and pizza, Steamers offer hoagies and sandwiches on sourdough bread and plenty of appetizers including Steamed Clams and Clam Chowder. And, they have a full bar and with daily happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m.
Steamers is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and is located at 8290 N. Lake Blvd. in Kings Beach. For information, call (530) 546-2218 or visit steamerskingsbeach.com.
