Kate's Pizza Amoré, La Crosse, WI
Pizza Margherita at Kate's Pizza Amoré, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.
On a recent weekend trip I visited Kate's Pizza Amoré in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It's the sister location to Kate’s on State which serves Italian in the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse area. Pizza Amoré is new and fairly packed when we arrived. Without a reservation we had about a 45 minute wait. No fear, however, as there are numerous great bars in the area, notably the Bodega Brew Pub to grab a drink and come back.
It was clear the staff was hustling: our waitress wouldn't let one of her tables sneak out behind her without saying goodnight and there was a little sweat on her forehead when she helped us order. Without a beat she explained her favorites and explained the pizza sizes while coming across relaxed and very personable. Well done. I ordered the small Margherita, which according to the menu contains "extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh roasted garlic, basil pesto, and a light sprinkle of our secret blend of cheeses." Wow, garlic and garlic! Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was the pesto. It's drenched in it and tasting this pizza was more garlic and pesto than cheese and tomato. It wasn't what I was expecting for a Margherita but it was quite good and not overbearing. The crust is thick and chewy but crisp on the edges. It's a great take on California style and all the ingredients popped out and shared the stage. It's well balanced, fresh and flavorful. A little sweet, perhaps, but I liked it. The "secret" blend of cheese seemed to be predominantly mozzarella, although quite good mozzarella. If you're from Minneapolis, Saint Paul or Duluth, think of what Pizza Lucé would be like if it was less greasy and the crust was better. My date ordered the "Spinach Surprise" pizza as recommended by our waitress and the quality of it kept getting brought up throughout the rest of the weekend. As a small pizza here is a bit much for one person we had some of it boxed and it was quite good reheated. I can't wait to go back to have it again although next time I'll call ahead to get a reservation and skip lunch so I have room to try an appetizer too. Kate's Pizza Amoré212 Main St NE
La Crosse, WI 54601
608-782-6673
