Pizzeria Venturi

I have put off reviewing Pizzeria Venturi on Lincoln Avenue in downtown Goshen until we have dinner there again, but after having some of their "street food" at First Fridays last night, I have to talk about them! On the first Friday of every month you can find a tent outside of their restaurant or on the courthouse lawn where they sell street food; for several months it was falafel, but the last couple months they have been serving Italian sausage sandwiches that are out of this world! The sausage is imported, the pocket bread is fresh made that day, and the tomato sauce is their own recipe, not only is it delicious, but it is the perfect food to carry around while you are checking out the shops and displays during First Fridays! I will warn that that the sausage has a kick to it, but if I can handle the spice, really anyone can (I'm a HUGE wimp!). Maybe sandwiches and street fare aren't your thing or maybe you liked the sandwiches and just need more Venturi in your life (and stomach), then get inside Pizzeria Venturi's intimate, cozy dining room and enjoy a certified  Napoletana (Neapolotan), as well as their delicious appetizers, salads, and desserts. I recommend that you start your dinner out with The garlic herb flatbread with Italian herbs; it is their delicious chewy crust drizzled with olive oil and topped with slivers of garlic and Italian herbs. The first time I ate at Venturi, I felt so overwhelmed by the Italian wordage on the menu that I played it safe and ordered the pepperoni pizza, which truthfully was delicious, but as I looked across the table at my mom's Margherita topped with tomatoes, basil, and handmade mozzarella (on the menu you will see this called fior de latte) she could see the longing in my eyes, so we cut our pizzas in half and shared. Now, I mentioned the pizza is certified Napoletana (Neapolitan), this means the restaurant has standards set for the type of ingredients they use and the style they cook there pizza, which is in a wood fired oven at 900+ degrees; your pizza will come out hot, and the crust will have this unique taste and chewy texture that is unlike any other, of course it might also be a little charred, but trust me, that will not ruin the pizza! With time and a few more visits, the menu became less foreign, and I became more adventurous, ordering different pizzas and loving every one. I was dying to try their pesto, but only saw it on a pizza with ricotta cheese, which I'm not a huge fan of, but they were more than happy to sub the fior de latte for me, this pizza by far is my favorite, as good as their red sauce is, their pesto knocks it out of the park. Occasionally I will add prosciutto (Italian dry cured ham) to my pesto and mozzarella pizza and all I can say is wow! One of my taste adventures was the Pizzicato, which is topped with soppresata (Italian dry salami), garlic, pancetta (salt cured pork belly<Italian bacon>), tomato sauce, and Grana Padano, the toppings were delicious, but Grana Padano is a hard cheese and I am not personally a fan. The pizza doesn't stop at dinner, they also have dessert pizza that will forever change your idea of dessert pizza. Imagine Venturi's chewy crust, topped with warm, gooey nutella, and fresh strawberries; now I have eaten a lot of nutella in my day, the Europeans have had the stuff decades before it became a craze here in the US, and Venturi's nutella berry pizza is by far my favorite way to eat this chocolaty treat. So if you are like me, and tired of eating pizza from a chain, get to Pizzeria Venturi where you can have a totally unique pizza experience complete with quality toppings, handmade cheese, house made sauces, and a delicious crust from fresh dough. My parents claim they have only had pizza like this in Italy, do you really want to miss out on that?