Sneak Peek: Rolling Pin Pizza Opening in Former Tacos Tequila Whiskey Space April 5

What: Rolling Pin Pizza

Where: 1514 York Street

When: Open 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday starting Friday, April 5. It will also offer happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m.

For more info: Follow @rollingpinpizza on Instagram

What we saw: Tacos Tequila Whiskey was a staple in the City Park neighborhood for nearly thirteen years. But in February, owner Kevin Morrison decided it was time for a change. He closed the original location of his taco concept, leaving just the Highland outpost, and turned his attention to a different passion: tavern-style pizza.

Morrison grew up in an area of northwest Indiana known as the Region, where thin-crust, party-cut (or square-cut) pies are popular – and they’ve been getting more popular in Colorado in recent years, too.

At a friends-and-family night ahead of the grand opening of Rolling Pin Pizza, the space was buzzing and the rolling pins were in action. From a seat at the bar, I watched as balls of dough were rolled out into thin sheets and then tossed briefly before being topped and sent through the conveyor belt oven.

The menu includes four “old school” pies, such as the I Still Call It the Sears Tower, topped with Italian sausage and giardiniera, and four “new school” pies like the “number one,” with red sauce, mortadella, whipped ricotta, fresh mozzarella and buffalo ranch. The twelve-inch-“ish” pizzas are priced from $10 for the Margherita to $19 for one loaded with lamb meatballs, feta, spinach and mozzarella. You can also opt to create your own pie.

What surprised us: That the pizza wasn’t the star. These are satisfying pies at a good price, but what I’m really looking forward to going back for is the lineup of small plates, salads and salumi. This summer, you’ll probably be able to find me on the patio here sipping a Colfax dirty martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives ($12) and noshing on the wedge salad ($12) made with Little Gem lettuce and crispy pepperoni bits in place of bacon.

Or perhaps I’ll be posted up at the bar with my own small carafe of wine from the succinct but smartly curated list of options available on tap and by the glass from the bottle ($8-$16) and a jar of citrusy marinated Castelvetrano olives ($4.75) paired with garlic butter-topped puffy bread ($3).

Instead of typical pizzeria appetizers like fried cheese or chicken wings, Morrison has created a “before pizza” section of the menu that could stand alone and still satisfy. I’m a big fan of his other concept, Fish N Beer in RiNo, so it wasn’t a surprise that the Mussels in Aqua Pazza “Crazy Water” ($13) were crazy good. I made sure to soak up every last bit of the white wine, Calabrian chile and garlic broth with the focaccia that comes alongside. Next time, I’m planning to give the pan-seared calamari ($15) a try.

A top staff recommendation was the Piccolo Polpette ($15), a small dish of bite-sized lamb meatballs topped with Greek yogurt, feta and tomatoes that packed big flavor.

Other tempting options include baked herb ricotta ($8), chicken liver mousse with red onion jam ($10) and charred broccolini with lemon and Parmesan ($10). The salumi section is priced at $3 for about five to seven slices of one type on offer, which would make for an ideal snack alongside the Spanish white anchovies ($4.75).

The cocktails, like the pizzas, are split into old- and new-school choices, including an espresso martini ($10) and the Fizzy Lemon ($9) made with Prosecco, lemon juice, thyme and housemade limoncello, which you can also order by the shot.  Four beers on draft, bottles of Miller and cans of Old Style round out the offerings.

It’s a refreshingly simple menu that feels just right for the neighborhood, and I predict that a lot of people will soon become Rolling Pin regulars. If you do plan to visit, bring along a rolling pin: Morrison is collecting them for wall decor, and everyone who contributes gets a free one-topping pizza.