VANCOUVER PIZZA CO. Owner Karen McMillen is shown here with a pizza and a Michelangelo-inspired painting in the background. Photo courtesy of FH Browne.
THE FAMOUS Breadsticks at Vancouver Pizza Co. – a yummy pizza of butter, cheese and dipping sauces – here with marina, basil and creamy garlic. Photo courtesy of FH Browne.
VANCOUVER PIZZA CO. offers dessert pizzas including Peanut butter and strawberry jam and cinnamon sugar, shown here on a half-and-half special. Photo courtesy of FH Browne.
Vancouver Pizza, in Uptown Village, is actually one of the oldest pizza restaurants in Clark County, even though owners Cliff and Karen McMillen only have been the proprietors since 2000.
Yes, the interior was drastically altered after a major fire, virtually flipping the kitchen from one side of the restaurant to the other, but when the same recipes and cooking methods, 20 years in the making, have been continued by the new owners it’s like it’s the same restaurant in all but the name on the title.
Cliff, who spent 12 years on the road as a traveling salesman covering a five-state territory, and his wife Karen, a former legal secretary, took over the restaurant when Cliff decided he wanted to spend more time with their children.
“More than a decade driving all over the West Coast gave me little time with them,” he said. “And I knew I wanted to be there for special occasions, birthdays, and such, so we opened the restaurant never having been in that business before.’’
The former owner had left his recipes, cooking instructions and the McMillen’s took advantage of what was already in place, and popular with their customers.
“The old adage, ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ worked well here, so we decided to basically just resume what was already a successful pizza parlor,’’ Cliff said. “Of course we’ve added things, and slightly changed things along the way, but most customers have let us know they appreciate our not drastically changing ‘their place.’ ”
The restaurant motto pretty much says it all. “The art of pizza tastefully done.”
The small restaurant, smack dab in the middle of Vancouver’s Uptown Village on Main Street, is not only popular with customers who drop in to sit in the comfy dining room, but since they expanded their delivery service, many people enjoy their pizzas without coming in the door.
“We gladly deliver our pies from Orchards to Jantzen Beach to 192nd Ave. to the Clark County Fairgrounds, and we’ll even meet people who come from farther away, arranging to drop off pizza’s at just about any place within those boundaries,” Cliff shared.
There are small delivery charges, but with gas at a premium, it’s just about a wash.
They call their pizza makers artisans, an approbation further supported by the whimsical pizza-influenced art that adorns the walls and the ceiling. Yes, the ceiling has a number of hand-painted artworks, and comical adaptations of famous paintings.
There’s the Mona Pizza, which is pretty much self explanatory, plus other world famous artworks with slices of pizza added for fun. Then there is a wall-sized mural, depicting two hands, similar to Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” painted on the ceiling of the Cistine Chapel. Only here the two hands are reaching for a slice of pizza. So when you’re there, look up and enjoy the work of local artist Leith Zeutenhorst.
With over 25 specialty pizzas, 40 different toppings, and 10 sauces, there is definitely a pizza here for everyone. Two favorites are the Mozart and the Rachmaninoff. They call the Mozart – a pie covered with red sauce, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, green peppers, red onions, Italian sausage and mozzarella – their SUPREME, and it is.
Sergei’s pizza features Thai peanut sauce, fresh garlic, teriyaki chicken, red and yellow peppers, green onions, and mozzarella. Other choices include the Rossini (featuring BBQ chicken and sauce), the DaVinci (prosciutto and asparagus), the Renoir (creamy alfredo sauce and bacon), and the Picasso (creamy fresh garlic sauce and spinach). All their dough is made fresh on-site.
At Vancouver Pizza Co., even their salads are artistic. The Renaissance being a mixture of romaine lettuce, cranberries, red onions, apple wedges, and blue cheese crumbles. You can sprinkle any one of seven dressings on this or any of their salads. But it’s hard to beat their Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette or Honey Mustard.
Then there are the “breadsticks” – actually not breadsticks at all. This item is a full or half order pizza, covered with a butter and cheese topping. Delightful by itself, and even better when you dunk the small slices into their basil pesto, marinara or creamy garlic dipping sauces.
Like most restaurants these days, they cheerfully offer up both gluten free and vegan items, with soy, goat and Daiya cheeses on the vegan pizzas. To quench thirsts they offer six draft beers, three domestic brews, two gluten free and two alcohol free.
A cheerful, warm and comfortable place, Cliff and Karen have turned it into a “living room” type atmosphere. There are board games and books for adults or children, one large screen TV (used for special sporting events or by request), and tables that they push together for large parties.
“Some people say our restaurant makes them feel at home,” Karen says. “We love that, because to us they are all our family, and we love them to be comfortable here.”
Speaking of comfort, they even have two comfort food dessert pizzas that are as comforting as you can get, as well as being fun, and simply delicious. One brushed with butter then generously sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, the other, slathered in peanut butter then doused with either strawberry, blackberry or (in season) fresh raspberry jam. Kids and adults love this surprise end of the meal.
Vancouver Pizza Company is located at 2219 Main Street in Vancouver and can be reached by phone (360) 750-2276, website: www.vancouverpizza.net, and e-mail: info@vancouverpizza.net.
