Pine Apple, Nederland. It was a cold night in the middle of the week when we ventured out for a family feast. Destination: Crosscut Pizzeria & Taphouse on First Street in Nederland. The subdivided dining rooms and custom bar top were warm and bright. The rustic décor on tall walls and ceilings set the stage for the heart of the house: A copper clad one-of-a-kind wood-fired pizza oven, which thrones alongside the bustling bar.
The restaurant was almost tabled out when we arrived. Professionals, families, dating young adults and a couple of local elder men packed the house with sounds of laughter, smells of warm delicious food and woodsmoke from the hardworking brick oven. With the size of the crowd to be served, I was expecting an hour’s wait for our meal. I was wrong! We ordered the bacon wrapped dates appetizer off the happy hour menu, which was on our table within 11 minutes; and four gluten-free pizzas, all four with completely different toppings, and all four were on our table within 35 minutes. The drink selection was good, though we did not order any alcohol with our meal.
The standard & happy hour menus are elaborate, with options such as Asparagus & Prosciutto, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Fancy Cheeses, along with many gluten-free options. Surely, the carnivore, omnivore, or vegetarian can find a wholesome meal here. The wait staff were clean, young, accurate, friendly, and stylish. It was apparent the owners and management aim to serve a broad range of opinions and seemed to fare quite well with the locals and the skiers passing through.
With a fair tip, our check came to about $65, with four specialty pizzas, four non-alcoholic beverages, and two rounds of the most delicious appetizer I have ever had. I must say, the hand-crafted sourdough gluten free crust totally blew all four of us away. It was delicious and we all found ourselves hunting every last micron of that crust off our plates. It also hit our table at the perfect temperature.
The texture and flavor of our meal, the lighting and temperature of the space, the large windows, lighted patio, pleasant service, and smell from that woodstove made Crosscut Pizzeria & Taphouse an overall delight.
