Village Pizzeria | Every Town Should Have Such a Pizza Palace

Farmer Bob's first attempt at pizza. Photo by Sue Frause.

Although Farmer Bob has pretty much perfected his artisan bread recipe, he's never really embraced the art of pizza. It's not that he doesn't like pizza, it just never landed on his kitchen radar.

Part of the blame falls on Village Pizzeria in Langley, owned and operated by our neighbors Paul and Micky Sarkis. They serve tasty New York style Neapolitan and Sicilian hand tossed pizza, along with pasta dishes, heros and fresh salads with their own homemade dressing. It's a great place to pop in before a movie at The Clyde Theatre or dine alfresco on the grass with views of the water and beyond.

Paul Sarkis of Village Pizzeria. Photo by Sue Frause.

My favorite VP story is when Farmer Bob was building his barn about a decade ago. Paul phoned me one morning and said, "What kind of pizza does Bob like?" Several hours later, he delivered two large pizzas to Bob and his two-man crew -- it was Paul's treat for their summer lunch break. That wouldn't happen with Godfather's.

Our usual routine at Village Pizzeria is ordering it to-go. On any given weeknight, Bob calls and tells me what boat he'll be on and I phone the pizzeria and place an order for a 14" half-baked (half cheese and the other half varies). We often include a small green salad, plenty for two. Bob picks it up on the way home from the ferry, we pop the pizza into a 450 oven for about 10 minutes, and enjoy with a nice bottle of red. Perfecto!

Village Pizzeria has been closed for the past few months during a major renovation, so Farmer Bob took to the task of making his own one night. It was good, but I missed VP. That was until last night, when we ordered our usual to-go pizza from them. Although the pizzeria won't be fully open for a few weeks (the remodel includes a large new dining space and bar with expansive views out to Saratoga Passage), they are taking to-go orders. And this weekend, they'll be serving diners outside on the lawn for lunch and dinner. With temperatures expected in the '70s, it will be a warm welcome back to our beloved pizza palace.

Street sign at Village Pizzeria (actually located at 106 First Street). Sue Frause photo.