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Red Oven Fire Pizza
Dining Divas Discover Another
Great Pizza Place in Florissant
By Lisa Kampeter
You know when the Local Diva asked if we could check out Red Oven Wood Fired Pizzas in Florissant, I was happy to oblige. We love picking places in our own neighborhood, and the Dining Divas were happy to support this family owned restaurant located in Old Town on Rue St. Francois.
“What an adorable pizza place!” said one Diva.
“I like that is seems like a close knit family working together,” said another.
“How many times have I driven down this street, and I didn’t know this place was here?”
In a building from the 1880s, this space was formerly a bakery up until the 1950s. We love that the owners preserved the historical exterior and revealed the brick interior. The space is relaxed and inviting.
The Dining Divas are well aware that we can be diva-like. We all talk at once. We don’t listen. We ask lots of questions. We ask the waiters to repeat the same things they’ve told the others multiple times. We are a lot. But let me tell you, our waitress at Red Oven, and the rest of the team, handled us with charm.
Not only was she patient, she was informative, interesting, and funny. She thoroughly explained the Neapolitan style of pizza and how theirs are made in an oven from Naples. She shared that it’s best to limit the number of toppings you put on it, which was hard for some of the supreme-loving Divas. And most importantly, she showed us the proper way to eat a slice (fold it in half!).
But before we got to the pizza, we started with a few orders of the cheese garlic bread. I like to think of myself as a cheese garlic bread connoisseur, and Red Oven’s is definitely one of the best. I’d seriously consider making a meal out of it next time and not sharing.
Before pizza, several of us ordered a house salad and were pleased with their better-than-average version. After that and the cheese garlic bread, we were stuffed, but we continued.
Most in the group ordered their own pizza with plans to bring leftovers home.
“It was so delicious,” said one Diva. Her husband agreed with her when she brought some home to him.
The Detailed Diva appreciated that the crust was not overly charred which she feels sometimes happens with wood fired. And another Diva said it’s one of her favorite pizzas now.
Being the Smart Divas, a couple of the ladies made a great decision to order a meatball sandwich and a pizza to share. The fresh, crunchy bread with a soft center and tasty meatballs made them immediate fans of this sandwich. They want to come back to try the roast beef sandwich next time. Of course, they were overstuffed when it came time for pizza, but they gave it a try.
They folded their slice in half and really enjoyed their pepperoni and sausage pizza. So much so that the Selfish Diva refused to share any of the leftovers with her husband.
But the Divas did share some good news. First, we shared in a little birthday celebration for one Diva and enjoyed some delicious Helfer’s cupcakes. Some Traveling Divas shared their plans for upcoming vacations to Hawaii, Jordan, and Egypt. And the Niece Diva shared that her title was changing to Pregnant Diva. So many prayers were answered by this announcement.
It was definitely a great night.
Kudos to the staff at Red Oven. They were wonderful. Their menu isn’t big, but it is big on quality. And we were more than happy to spend quality time together there.
