Cari Taylor-Carlson
Dining

Transfer Has Great Pizza

And the Thursday night jazz concerts are a special treat.

By - Feb 2nd, 2025 05:14 pm
Roasted Potato Chicken Pizza. Photo taken Jan. 17, 2025 by Cari-Taylor Carlson.

Roasted Potato Chicken Pizza. Photo by Taylor Carlson.

Thursday nights at Transfer Pizzeria Café are special as my companion and I discovered when we came for pizza recently. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Martini Jazz Lounge, various groups perform in a space that is less like a lounge than an intimate bar that also happens to showcase local music talent.

We sat in the back room for our pizza until we noticed open seats at the bar where we could better appreciate the band, Robin Pleur and Company. If you want to spend an evening listening to a variety of local musicians jamming in a cozy space while you enjoy pizza and beer, then join the crowd at Transfer on Thursday nights.

You will see 26 pizzas on the menu listed under four categories: Garlic; Traditional; Veggie; and Specialty. There is also a long list of Additional Toppings including Veggies, Extra Cheese, Extra Sauce, and several meat and seafood choices. A $9.75 Lunch Special, Tuesday-Friday, offers a Cheese Pizza with sauce, one topping, and a 16oz soda.

My Roasted Potato Chicken with Garlic Sauce was cheesy and loaded with chicken and roasted potatoes. The underlying garlic sauce was present, but not overwhelmingly garlicky which created a delightful marriage of complementary flavors. For Stacy’s Special, the chef combined red onion with chicken and smoked gouda along with BBQ sauce that added a smoky zest to the mix. Both pizzas had an adequate supply of tender chicken bites.

We preceded our pizzas with shared Antipasti, Salami Bruschetta, which turned out to be more than enough for a meal on its own. Like the Roasted Potato and Chicken Pizza, the bruschetta started with a layer of garlic sauce. This was topped with a slice of a juicy tomato, salami, basil and shaved asiago. These simple flavors layered on toasted Italian bread took this bruschetta to new heights of deliciousness which may be why our server said, “Some people come just for the Salami Bruschetta.”

Because Robin Pluer, a popular local musician was performing, the restaurant was crazy busy, yet our server was relaxed and efficient. She also found time to find a price list for the art hanging on the wall behind us. After a visit to the ATM in the back room, my companion was able to take the art home with her.

I did not think the chef could equal the Salami Bruschetta until a companion and I came for lunch and shared Salmone Bruschetta. Again, it began with a layer of garlic sauce that was topped with smoked salmon, fresh dill, and capers. The salmon was soft and tender, easy to cut with a fork, and the addition of garlic sauce gave it extra tang.

Instead of ordering pizza, we shared another Antipasti, Spinach and Artichoke Dip along with a Caesar Salad. The dip was served warm with toasted Italian bread and like everything I tasted at Transfer, it was delicious. The chokes and the spinach were mixed into a rich alfredo sauce that partnered well with the crunchy bread.

I had wanted to order Caprese Salad, but our server Danielle said it was not available: “The tomatoes are not good today. We do not serve anything that is not fresh.”

That might explain why my Caesar Salad was so tasty. This was clearly fresh lettuce. The salad was dressed with a creamy dressing that had the slightest hint of anchovy and just enough croutons to add crunch and soak up some of the dressing. This “small” salad was enough to call it large.

For dessert, a piece of Limoncello Cake was the perfect finale. It was rich from two thick layers of frosting and yet overall, came across as light and airy.

Transfer feels like a neighborhood place. When my companion and I ventured out that day the temperature read -4, so we expected an empty restaurant. Nope. Every table in the front by the bar was occupied.

That said something about neighborhood loyalty, and more importantly, Transfer’s delicious pizza.

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Categories: Dining, Food & Drink, Review

Comments

  1. sasilet says:

    Great write-up. Transfer has been on our regular rotation for fifteen years.Great place! Their garlic sauce pizzas are terrific (and the roasted potato chicken is even better with kalamata olives).

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