Rural Missouri - August 2020 - 20

roots are in a hamburger the
owners had on a trip to Arizona.
They thought it would translate
well into a pizza.
The base of the pie is a blend
of peanut butter and ricotta
cheese topped with a five-cheese
blend. Next comes the bacon and
sweet jalapeno jelly and it's covered with mozzarella cheese and
sent through the pizza oven.
"People are hesitant to try it
at first, but once they take a bite
they never regret it," Joe says.
"It's almost kind of buttery with
the cheese and peanut butter
coming out. They mix together
quite well."
If that is a little too adventurous for you, there are a dozen
other - much tamer - options
from which to choose. Classics
such as the Supreme, Margherita and Veggie Lovers all feature
River Bottoms' house-made red
sauce as a base.
For a sweet and savory pizza,
go with the BBQ Chicken. The
dough is blanketed in the housemade white sauce - a combination of ricotta, heavy cream, garlic and pepper - and piled high
with the cheese blend, barbecue
chicken, bacon, onions and mozzarella. It's topped with chives
and drizzled with Big D's Sweet
Barbecue Sauce, made just down
the road in Norborne.
"The sweetness of the barbecue shines through and goes well
with the chicken," Joe says. "It's quite delicious."
Abbie says the extra steps and attention to detail keep
bringing in hungry patrons. "I think a lot of it is our presentation," she says. "Almost all the pizzas have some sort
of drizzle on top with chives or some kind of topping. It's a
pizza that's specially made to order."
Pizza toppings at River Bottoms are available in a few
unique ways. If you're by yourself, you might want to pass
on the 14-inch pie and go with a calzone. If you're all in on
pizza toppings but not on carbs, try their keto-friendly Pizza Peppers. Bell peppers are sliced open and used as a vessel for the pizza sauce, toppings and cheese. Joe's favorite
is the Buffalo Chicken, which features the white sauce,
cheese blend, buffalo chicken, bacon, red onions, peppers
and mozzarella. After baking in the oven, the peppers are
drizzled with buffalo sauce and ranch.
"It's a unique experience," Joe says. "Almost like eating
a chicken wing stuffed inside of a pepper."
They also feature Pizza Nachos where all the toppings
are placed on a bed of tortilla chips and cooked in the
oven.
While the pizza is the mainstay of the menu, it's not just

Beers brewed on-site:
Pre-Prohibition Pilsner
Golden Lager
Blonde Ale
Honey Wheat
American Pale Ale

Rye IPA
River Bottom Red Ale
Oatmeal Nut Stout
Tripel
Rotating Seasonal

the food that is bringing in customers. River Bottoms has
a 5-barrel brewhouse allowing them to brew enough for
about a dozen kegs at a time. From the classic pilsner to
an oatmeal stout to Beligian-style tripel, Joe's got something for you.
"We didn't want an ever changing list of beer," he says.
"We wanted to have our flagship beers that we make consistently."
The most popular brew is the Pre-Prohibition Pilsner.
The light beer is a traditional German recipe from the
1800s. It's lightly hopped and lagered for six weeks. "It's
really drinkable," Joe says. "I tell people this would've been
the grandfather of what Budweiser became."
If you're having trouble choosing, opt for a flight of four
5-ounce glasses to wash down your pizza.
WIth live music on the weekends and pizza flying
through their oven, Joe and Abbie say they're proud to be
part of their community.
"We've got our cozy ambiance in our historic building,
good food and good beer," Joe says. "It makes you feel good
to add value to our hometown. You feel like you're not just
living here, but you're contributing."

RURAL MISSOURI | AUGUST 2020

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7/9/20 11:45 AM

Rural Missouri - August 2020

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