A visit by Dave Portnoy, the social media personality and founder of Barstool Sports, has left the workers at Acre Pizza in Sebastopol answering a lot of phone calls about its award-winning cheese pizza slice Portnoy reviewed in a June 6 social media post.

Portnoy was in Wine Country because he was “doing the wine thing” and in the Russian River Valley because he’s a Pinot Noir fan, according to the post.

Acre was recommended to him by Paul and Kathryn Sloan, owners of Sebastopol’s Small Vines, which Portnoy visited and called “the hidden secret of the century” and the “best Pinot Noir in the world.”

Portnoy’s One-Bite Pizza Review YouTube channel has 1.46 million subscribers and the Acre Pizza review has over 111,000 views. Portnoy also has more than 5.6 million followers on Instagram and 4.4 million followers on TikTok.

 

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A post shared by Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente)

After his signature single bite, Portnoy called the pizza “a little floppy” and despite having what he described as “9,000 bottles or glasses of red wine,” he called the pizza “pretty good.” He gave the pizza a 7.7/10, taking into account he’s had “eight bottles of wine.”

Acre owner and founder Steve DeCosse said in a Monday interview with The Press Democrat that he’s been following Portnoy for years on social media and called him “the number one pizza reviewer in the world.”

A surprise Portnoy visit

“It was Memorial Day when he showed up, so I was all panicked, sick to my stomach, I had no idea of the quality of the pizza he had,” DeCosse said. “When he did 7.7 I was so relieved. I was so concerned about a low score.”

Portnoy began his review with confusion surrounding the type of pizza that Acre serves (and confusion surrounding the pronunciation of “Sebastopol”), so DeCosse set the record straight. In addition to several Detroit-style offerings, Acre, which also has locations in Cotati and Petaluma, makes a “neo-New York”-style pizza with a signature fermented dough. Their pizza is not Neapolitan.

The Portnoy effect has been tangible, with DeCosse saying the local pizza chain has seen 87,000 views to its Instagram page and that he has reconnected with people he hasn’t spoken to in decades as a result of the review. Also, a lot of people want to know about that cheese pizza Portnoy raved about. “We’ve had a lot of phone calls asking when we open. A lot of people asking, ‘do you have the cheese slice?’” he said.

The pizzeria is a labor of love for DeCosse, who opened the restaurant in February 2020. DeCosse collaborated with consultant Alastair “The Pizza Buddha” Hannmann to source the freshest ingredients for the restaurant.

DeCosse got his start in pizza when he was 14 years old, living in the Ozarks where he worked at a pizza parlor. He became manager of that place at 16, according to a 2020 interview with The Press Democrat.

As for the famed cheese pizza, “We’ve been working on it for years,” he said. The hard work has paid off, with Acre winning first place in 2023 for the Southwest Region at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

Pinot and pizza perfect Portnoy pairing

The pizza spot is also a favorite of the Sloans of Small Vines. “We’re organic farmers and try to only eat pizza with really good ingredients,” Kathryn Sloan said.

Sloan, who started Small Vines along with her husband in 2005, said Portnoy’s visit was, “Exciting and surprising. A big win for all of us [in Sonoma County].”

Since Portnoy’s rave review, Sloan said the winery has seen a “major spike” in website traffic and wine sales.

Portnoy mentioned several Sonoma County wineries in his post, including Kistler Vineyards in Forestville, Merry Edwards Winery and Kosta Browne Winery in Sebastopol, and DuMOL Winery in Windsor.

“He [Portnoy] was a really nice human, and he cares about people and small businesses … I think that’s why he did what he did,” said Sloan.

Sebastopol Acre Pizza, 6761 McKinley St Suite 150, Sebastopol, 707-827-3455, acrepizza.com

You can reach intern Rosemary Cromwell at 707-521-5220 or rosemary.cromwell@pressdemocrat.com.  On Instagram @rjc.img.

The post Buzz Builds Around Acre Pizza in Sebastopol Following Dave Portnoy Review appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Steve Decosse, owner of Acre Pizza and founder of Acre Coffee (now Avid Coffee), has soft opened a new, budget-friendly pasta spot at The Barlow.

Decosse, who previously ran several restaurants in San Francisco, has hired chef Ian Marks to create a simple menu of classic pasta dishes with optional add-ons like burrata, pancetta, Mycopia mushrooms and meatballs.

Pasta options includes spaghetti with “Sunday red sauce” ($12); housemade tagliatelle ($17); pappardelle with Bolognese ragu and burrata ($22); lumache with porcini cream ($24); and garganelli in arrabiata sauce ($20).

Several sauces are vegan, including a creamy cashew-based pesto (you’d never guess it’s dairy-free). Family-style dishes like lasagna are in the works as Sunday specials.

I’ll be doing an in-depth review soon, but an early visit left me impressed, and I spent most of the weekend eating the delicious leftovers. Acre Pasta is at 6770 McKinley St., Sebastopol (across from Sushi Kosho). Official opening May 21.

Current hours are 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 4-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Future lunch and expanded dinner hours coming soon. Instagram.com/acrepasta

You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.

The post Acre Pasta Soft Opens in Sebastopol With Affordable, Family-Style Dishes appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Acre Pizza has since expanded to several locations including Petaluma, Cotati and Sebastopol. Their pies remain one of the best in Sonoma County, something that owner Steve DeCosse has worked hard to maintain. -HI

Alastair Hannmann talks about the glutinous fibers of pizza dough with the reverence of a theology student. After years passionately studying yeast, water and flour he is a true devotee of the art and science of pieology.

Working the ovens as the opening pizzaiolo of the new Acre Pizza in at Sebastopol’s Barlow market, he can turn a simple ball of fermented dough into a cheesy, crusty, bubbling masterpiece in a matter of minutes, then do it again and again and again as customers stream in.

In February, former Acre Coffee owner Steve Decosse opened his newest venture at the former Village Bakery location. He’s sharing the cavernous space with Red Bird Bakery, with just a few hundred feet carved out for serving up slices of New York- and Detroit-style pizza. Decosse saw in Hannmann the same kind of nerdy dough obsession he has, along with an array of pizza tattoos covering his arms, and the deal was done.

If you’re scratching your head about why a coffee entrepreneur would pivot to pizza, the answer is pretty simple. Decosse loves pizza and has spent more than a year traveling the country to find out how to make the absolute best. Inspired by a seminar on pizza making with gluten guru Peter Reinhart (the founder of Brother Juniper’s Bread), Decosse went down the rabbit hole of pizza styles, landing on the popular New York-style thin crust and the trending Detroit style, a thick crust pizza baked in a cast-iron square pan with caramelized Wisconsin “brick cheese” (a semi-soft cheese that’s sold in a brick shape) as a key component. And oh, is it key.

This is California, so of course there is a lot of hand-wringing about ingredients other than cheese. Acre uses bespoke produce from FEED Sonoma, meat from SoCo Meat, California tomatoes and water buffalo mozzarella from Double 8 Dairy along with the bags of organic wheat from Utah piled against the walls. So that must be crazy expensive, right? You would be wrong.

A slice, which is a quarter of a 16-inch pizza, ranges from $4.50 to $5.50. Whole pies are between $18 and $20. That’s a dang good deal, in my book.

Like most good pizza places, the restaurant isn’t fancy but has large communal tables and benches inside. In good weather, it’s more fun to head outside where there are common tables for the neighboring businesses and kids scramble around in the grass.

Kinda the perfect way to eat the perfect slice.

Best Bets
Detroit-Style Pizza: Yes, it’s deep dish. No, it’s not Chicago-style. As the story goes, it was invented at a Detroit restaurant called Buddy’s Rendezvous in 1946. Owner Gus Guerra decided to put a Sicilian-style dough (which is more like focaccia) into a rectangular blue steel pan like those used for spare parts by Detroit auto workers.

Like a good lasagna, the melty cheese gets all crispy and brown and sauce is typically put on top for extra punch. Like St. Louis or New Haven-style pizza, it remained mostly a regional thing until some Brooklyn hipsters got ahold of the idea. You know the rest of the story, but make no mistake, we’re pretty glad they did. The Detroit slices (which are actually square) at Acre stay pretty true to their roots, with cheese or pepperoni and cheese.

Cheese Slice: You gotta do a good cheese slice or fuggettaboutit. They do. Please properly fold it and don’t eat it with a fork. We’re Americans. We don’t eat pizza with a fork. Add Zoe’s pepperoni if you’re feeling crazy.

Potato Pizza: Sounds weird, tastes amazing. Super thinly sliced potatoes are layered atop whole milk mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, Gruyere, olive oil and rosemary.

Special Pizza: Each week, there’s a new spin on the traditional pizza toppings. We loved the gourmet mushroom pie, and recently they introduced a pie with WM Cofield blue cheese.

Buffalo Milk Soft Serve: Cow milk’s richer cousin, buffalo milk is often used in Italy but rare in the States. It’s got a slightly wilder flavor than straight-up milk, but it’s well worth trying this creamy treat.
Add a little Mike’s Hot Honey for some pizzazz. Vegan soft serve also available.

Caesar Salad: Lightly dressed with plenty of flavor on lovely romaine. We like throwing a little on our cheese slice to make an impromptu piadine.

Service is quick, and you can order online. Beer and wine is available, but no there’s no Acre coffee brewing. Gluten-free crusts are also an option. Hannmann said the high-quality flour they use is much gentler on the system. Pizza can be delivered to Barlow wine tasting and tap rooms like Crooked Goat or Seismic.

Decosse is still futzing with the lineup to see what folks like best, but cheese and the weekly specialty pizza are always available.
Though you’ll want to stuff some ’za right into your face, take a second to appreciate the beauty of the soft air pockets in the crust, the sweetness of the sauce, the crispy curl of the pepperoni, the perfection of the melted cheese for a moment. Ahhh. Then commence stuffing.

6760 McKinley St., Suite 150, Sebastopol. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, 707-827-3455, acrepizza.com

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