July 13, 2007
by Karen Persson of The Columbian

Owner Leonard Whitecotton's pizzas are distinguished by his hand-tossed gourmet dough. Chicken Piccata shown at top. MIKE SALSBURY/The Columbian

Why : Leonardo's Italian Café is known for gourmet pizzas. I've been told by some it's the best pizza in town, but it also serves traditional Sicilian food.

Back story: Owner Leonard Whitecotton started making pizzas and Italian cuisine in 1989. He now has three restaurants in the area, including Leonardo's Pizzeria in east Vancouver and another Leonardo's Italian Café in Portland.

Atmosphere: Pale golden yellow walls and lace curtains on the windows warm the atmosphere. Wood lattice creates dining cubbies for many of the booths. An interior wall with arched window cutouts and green shutters separates diners into two main areas. The side with the open kitchen has a patio feel. The other side has window boxes with more green shutters displayed on the walls, giving patrons an out-on-the-veranda sense of dining.

The pizzas: They come in specialties ranging from classic pepperoni to Little Oven Annie (spinach, feta cheese and caramelized onions with a grapeleaf-walnut pesto). Leonardo's uses hand-tossed gourmet dough that gives the pizzas pizzazz. Instead of the sweeter Italian red sauce that is common in many restaurants, the house red sauce here is bursting with flavor. It has a seasoned, slow-cooked taste, with a hint of toasted garlic.

Other than pizza: The manicotti is made with a crepe instead of manicotti pasta shells, and the filling generously incorporates freshly chopped onions, which add a crunch to every bite. This took me some getting­ used to, but if you're not bashful about onions, this dish is for you. The basic side salad includes grated parmesan and olives. It's fresh but not icy-cold crisp. Toasted focaccia bread is served accompanied by butter and makes a light addition to a meal with its mild seasoning.

For those watching carbs: They have a meatball sauté that's served atop fresh spinach. It's composed of fresh cut vegetables with the meatballs in a red sauce.

Be sure to try: The homemade cheesecake. It's twice as tall as an ordinary slice, drizzled with chocolate and raspberry syrup, and adorned with dollops of whipped cream. The raspberry perfectly sweetens the filling and a hint of chocolate remains. The crust is the restaurant's signature on this dessert. It's chunky and just moist enough to adhere to the filling, more strudel-like than crust.

Cost: Pizzas are 10 to 16 inches in diameter, with a 10-inch pepperoni at $9.50 and a 16-inch Pounder (pepperoni, Canadian bacon, salami, hickory bacon, Italian sausage and seasoned beef) for $26.95. Salads are $4 to $8. Subs $6 to $7. A large selection of pastas are $5 to $15. Desserts are $3 to $5.

A quick take: Whitecotton has an easygoing demeanor that graces his restaurant. If you take your time to choose, or ask for suggestions, he's happy to converse. All the recipes are made from scratch.

Best deal: For lunch, a slice of pizza and a salad is $5. The pizza slice is almost equal to a personal pizza in size, and the flavor is truly gourmet. That rumor I heard about it being the best pizza in town? Could be true.

Where: 15 E. Main Street, Battle Ground.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.

Contact: 360-687-4373.