PROGRESS: P's Pizza House adds Dakota Dunes location

"Joe always says it is the quality of our pizza, our pasta, our burger and our wings that has built this business," David Westergard, general manager for Dakota Dunes' P's Pizza House, explained. "If we get those four things right, we will always be successful."

This has been Sitzmann's philosophy ever since he purchased Mr. P's Pizza & Sports Grill, an established Le Mars, Iowa-based pizzeria, from original owner Marty Pippett in 2007. It continued to be the case when Sitzmann expanded his operations with an Orange City, Iowa location in 2016.

Located at 300 Gold Circle, the new, 8,000-square-foot Dakota Dunes P's Pizza House opened its doors to customers on New Year's Eve 2018.

"We were slated to open in August 2018, which is typically the slowest time of the year for a restaurant," Westergard said. "Due to a few construction delays, we decided to open on New Years' Eve, which is, historically, one of the busiest nights of the year for a restaurant."

"When we saw people lined outside of the door on the first day, we figured this might be interesting," he said, laughing at the memory."

MADE FROM SCRATCH

Luckily for Westergard, he had a young, ambitious staff headed by hard chef and kitchen manager Odessa Loftus.

'You can describe our cuisine as being comfort food made from scratch," Loftus, who is currently completing her culinary arts degree from Western Iowa Tech Community College, said. "That's the way it should be."

Indeed, this is how the Bronson, Iowa native learned how to cook from her mom.

"There is nothing pretentious about quality home cooking," Loftus said.

So, what's her favorite dish off of P's menu?  

"Oh, probably something that, on the surface, sounds incredibly pretentious," Loftus admitted with a laugh. "I'm in love with our Black Noodle Lobster dish because it is so rich and creamy."

P's Black Noodle Lobster is made with squid ink fettuccine, lobster, a wild mushroom medley, chili flake and a lobster cream sauce.

MIDWEST FARE WITH A TWIST 

"Odessa's right about the Black Noodle Lobster," Westergard said. "It may sound fancy but it is straight-up, stick-to-your-ribs, Midwestern comfort food."

And so P's Guanciale Mac and Cheese, which is Cavatappi pasta, smothered with a house-made cheese sauce and topped with plenty of Guanciale.

OK. you got us? What's Guanciale? Westergard said it is Italian cured meat that comes from pork jowl or cheeks.

"Once you taste it, you'll realize that Guanciale has a much more robust taste than bacon," he added.

If that sounds a bit too rich for you, consider P's wide assortment of wings or one of its popular burgers.

While P's Classic consists of a one-half pound patty, American cheese, house-cut bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion on a brioche bun, you might also consider a fan favorite like the Cackle, which is a burger that is served with bacon, a fried egg as well as peanut butter and jelly smeared on a pretzel bun.

Even more decadent is P's is its Juicy Lucy, which is made with a one-half pound patty that is stuffed with caramelized apples and Gouda cheese. It is then served on a brioche bun.

P's pizzas are either made is a traditional, American manner or via a coal fire oven manned by Jestin Van Maanen.

Like Loftus, Van Maanen is a Western Iowa Tech Community College culinary arts student with a work resume that includes both fast food and fine dining kitchen.

However, he admits learning how to toss pizza dough by watching a demonstration on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives."

"It's all in the wrist," Van Maanen said. "You have to give it a twist before sending it airborne."

Still, a 700-degree coal-burning pizza takes a bit of getting used to, he allowed.

"You have to babysit the dough, turning it at the right moment," Van Maanen said. "It can burn very quickly."

Currently, P's has a coal fired Margherita (San Marzano tomato sauce, Fior di Latte Mozzarella, fresh basil, salt and olive oil) and a Bomber (pepperoni, sausage, spicy linked sausage, mozzarella, ricotta and crushed tomato sauce) available for guests.

SLEEK DECOR

Looking at the dining room from the vantage point of the restaurant's mezzanine, Westergard said P's Pizza House's sleek environment doesn't hide its small town roots.

"We're a restaurant that has appeal to guys wanting to see a game on TV, a couple wanting a night on the town or a family wanting something good to eat," he said. "That's what were's known for in Le Mars and in Orange City. We now want to bring these same qualities to Dakota Dunes."