If you peruse the website, you’ll find that “dopo” is derived from the Italian word for “after.”
If you speak to a member of the staff, they’ll passionately say the same, that DOPO Pizza & Pasta is where you gather after the day, either reveling in your wins or drowning in your sorrows. Sometimes both.
“The goal is always to get them to leave feeling better than they came,” says Chef Adam Bronson. And he’s right, there’s not much Italian food can’t fix, especially when it’s made with this much care.
Distinct & Delicious
DOPO does things a little differently. Their inspiration? Red sauce joints back east, local farmers and food artisans, and good old Italia. DOPO pizza dough is made with ZeroZero flour and each batch is fermented for 72 hours before being tossed, flattened, and fired. The fermentation process, and the recipe itself, allow the gluten to further break down, making the Neapolitan-style pizza extremely light and fresh. It’s not one of those greasy, sad, saggy slices you’ll regrettably eat just because it's resemblant of pizza. It’s the type of pizza where you’ve savored one, two, or three pieces and you feel like you can still consume more (speaking from experience).
You can expect a few things when sitting down for a bite at DOPO. One, classics on the menu, such as a Margherita pizza and spaghetti and meatballs. Two, to try new things (perhaps the “Fig & Pig” pizza with prosciutto and fig preserves, topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano, arugula, and a balsamic glaze; a margarita with a sugar rim; or maybe the Magic Cookie proclaiming to take you on a trip with its organic bittersweet 66% cacao, sprinkled with Maldon sea salt). Three, to tap your foot along to the music (again, speaking from experience).
The recipes at DOPO are disciplined, Chef Adam says. Everything, from the measurements to water temperature matters to create that perfect al dente pasta and crispy (yet still chewy) pizza crust.
In the end, DOPO is modern Italian food meets gastropub, with a surprisingly at-ease Chef Adam at the helm.
Leading Through Food
But that ease wasn’t built overnight. Chef Adam has been in the area for nearly 20 years running bakeries, kitchens in country clubs, restaurants, casinos, and everything in between. And at 10-years-sober (and counting), he believes the kitchen is not only where you can learn about great food, but also learn about (and foster) being greater.
“To me, [the title] Chef means leader,” he says. His path to living a whole and balanced life has been, at times, an arduous one. He’s now passionate about helping make kitchens a safer place for these conversations, and really a place for positive influences.
Chef Adam also believes in surrounding himself with the best people. One of these people is DOPO manager Eric Schoenfeld-Mineur.
“That ethos is embodied by Eric and the environment causes the food to be better,” says Chef Adam. Eric comes with such a level of integrity, he says, supporting the team on one of the several days a week they hand-make oodles and oodles of pasta (or is it oodles and oodles of noodles?)
Cheers To That
What’s a delicious dinner out without a good cocktail (or mocktail)?
DOPO’s cocktail menu is continually honed. Whether you order a classic Negroni, house-made limoncello, or nice glass of red, you’re in good company. Perhaps a margarita to accompany your Margherita? An after-dinner Caffe Notte?
Guests can even imbibe on a nonalcoholic beverage from the recently adapted and expanded mocktail menu.
Inspired By & Continuing to Inspire
DOPO was opened just a few years ago by Coffeebar founder Greg Buchheister. In line with his other restaurants, DOPO serves local ingredients when possible, including Mountain Mushrooms, Tahoe Creamery, Prema Farms, and Beloved Bread—to name just a few.
Full of sugar, spice, and everything nice, DOPO wants you to consider it your neighborhood pizza and pasta joint. With recently expanded hours, DOPO is open seven days a week and is bringing a second location inside Reno Public Market this holiday season.
DOPO Pizza & Pasta
18 St. Lawrence Ave., Reno
(775) 848-8180
Dopopizzapasta.com
“The goal is always to get them to leave feeling better than they came,” - Chef Adam Bronson
