Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill

There are so many things to be said about Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill. First, this restaurant is way more than just a pizza place. There menu is actually overwhelming, with enticing appetizers and a “gourmet small plate” menu which includes Cajun ahi, 7 oz. NY steak, Asiago mac & cheese, crab cakes, citrus herb Atlantic salmon and grilled Portobello mushrooms just to name a few. I chose the Cajun garlic & lime shrimp, which was bursting with zesty flavor and served on a bed of white rice. I then followed it with the Costa Rican sea bass which was also served on a bed of rice pilaf- this one tasted almost like stuffing and was delicious. The same thing can be said about both of my fish “small plate” entrees. I love when seafood tastes fresh and this did. And you can’t let the word “small” fool you as you can make a meal out of any of them. I also decided to try their summer salad which our server, Crystal, recommended as one of the top sellers. I will go back and have just this item sometime for lunch. The salad had grilled chicken breast on top of a bed of greens with apples, grapes, cranberries, candied walnuts and gorgonzola and was tossed with their chipotle honey mustard dressing. This healthy summer treat is served in a large bowl and is a meal in itself.
The next thing I must mention is their extensive wine list. I love a place where I can order half bottles of my favorite reds like Frog’s Leap and Stag’s Leap. My date, who is more of a beer drinker, chose to go with the Samual Adams Summer Fest rotating beer selection. He started off with the chicken wings which he thoroughly enjoyed, however it was his dinner entrée of Linguini and Clams that he’s still talking about- stating that it’s the next best thing to his Sicilian Aunt Mary’s. The clams were fresh and tender and you can substitute mussels if you choose. I wouldn’t have expected such fresh seafood from a “pizza place.”
There regular menu boasts several other pasta dinners and seafood selections along with Prime Ribeye Steak and Baby Back Ribs. Now let’s talk about pizza. Stuft Pizza has about 18 gourmet combination pizzas as well as original combinations and build your own pizza. Again…there’s so much to choose from. They even have a new Indian Curry & Ground Lamb pizza. After much thought and deliberation we finally decided we would do half Chicken Pesto pie and half pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives. I have to say that the original pizza was very good but the Chicken Pesto was a little piece of melt in your mouth heaven. This has become my new favorite pizza and because it was that good I may never be able to stray from it to try any of the others selections.
The desert menu is almost as extensive as the regular menu and the wine and beer list. At this point I was too full to even attempt desert but when we go back, and we will, I will have to save room for Raspberry White Chocolate Cheese Brulee or their Stuff This (you’ll have to go check it out for yourself) or their Stuft Dessert Calzone.
Stuft Pizza also has a fantastic Happy Hour daily from 3-6 as well as a thriving take-out business.
To sum it up- you would need to eat at Stuft Pizza on a regular basis to get through all of the tempting and yummy items they offer. And actually that sounds like a great idea. I think I’ll call for a reservation again tonight. Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill is located at 78015 Main St. Ste 100, LaQuinta, CA. 760-777-1660. For more info visit their website at: www.stuftpizzalaquinta.com.