Tandoori Bites Pizza Finds its Flavors 

In the open kitchen of the former Angelo's Pizza and, more recently, Overtime Pizza and Bar (215 W Seventh St., Eureka), chef Dlbir Singh swirls a ladle of sauce onto a circle of dough. But instead of a red tomato sauce, it's the deep ochre of curry.

It's one of a handful of Indian-style sauces Tandoori Bites owner Gupreet Sohal says his new restaurant Tandoori Bites Pizza will offer along with classic Italian American tomato sauce. Medium-thick California crusts will come with traditional toppings, like pepperoni and olives, but specialty pies will feature cubes of paneer, tandoori chicken and spiced cauliflower.

The crossing of the South Asian and Italian streams is likely enough, with their shared love of puffy, high-temperature breads and fresh cheeses. A fusion food of the Desi diaspora, Indian pizza restaurants, both independent and franchised, have found popularity outside our county. Sohal says he looked at those businesses, even considering a franchise himself, and the growing number of pizza joints locally before buying the former Angelo's building, taking on the new venture with his partners, Dlbir Singh and Sukjinder Singh (no relation) from Tandoori Bites' kitchen among them.

For the past couple of weeks, Sohal has hosted tastings with friends and family, collecting feedback on the prototypes his crew, all from Tandoori Bites, has been trying out. He asks everyone for their honest critique. "I think it's hard for someone to say [to] the face," he says as a mostly Indian American crowd samples the pies under the heat lamp. But as the conversation in Punjabi picks up, opinions come out and some favorites emerge.

The achari sauce, bright with Northern Indian pickling spices, is the clear frontrunner. Its kick is countered with creamy paneer cheese on top of the usual mozzarella blend. The tandoori masala pie has fans, too, with diced fresh peppers against the cumin, ginger, black pepper — one half is topped with chicken, the other with cauliflower for the vegetarian guests. The chunks of tikka chicken thigh are prepared with garam masala, yogurt, ginger and cumin.

Fans of Tandoori Bites' butter chicken and standard curries will find the same sauce bases at the new place, complex and rich, but not terribly hot. If the heat at Tandoori Bites runs on the low end (you can still feel the burn, if you ask), it's as much a product of Sohal's personal tastes as tailoring to local palates. He admits sometimes visitors from south of the county line want hotter dishes but this is how he likes it. He shrugs. "I don't like that spicy food. You can't eat that all the time."

In the back two rooms, video games, a pool table and an air hockey table are mostly pushed to the sides in preparation for redecorating. Sohal says he'll keep up the big screen TVs for sports and likely add a few video games. Asked who among the half dozen staffers is the reigning air hockey champion, he asks the men in the kitchen in Punjabi. Dlbir Singh spreads his arms wordlessly and with the slightest smirk.

Garry Bhullar, who'll be managing Tandoori Bites Pizza, slides the peel under another pie and moves it from the oven to a counter with the smooth movement and tight little jerks of a pro. The classic tomato sauce and pepperoni pie has the same solid California crust, with a soft, lightly salted interior, flat edge and just a little crispiness. The light application of sauce is bright but not too sweet under a layer of cheese and pepperoni that, yeah, you probably can't eat every day either.

It's been a learning curve for the staff, who Sohal says have taken a crash course in pizza making while experimenting with some 15 varieties of flour before landing on a recipe everyone likes. The success of Tandoori Bites over the last 12 years and his faith in the cooks, he says, gives him confidence. Sohal is hoping to open next month, whether the beer license is ready by then or not. Once everyone has given their opinions and the recipes are tweaked accordingly, he says they'll be ready to set a moderately priced menu and start serving.

Sohal smiles, waving a hand at the men prepping more pies for the oven. "I don't know how to cook anything, trust me. These guys do."

Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her) is the arts and features editor at the Journal. Reach her at (707) 442-1400, extension 320, or [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @JFumikoCahill.