Renee’s Organic Oven: A Review

Editor’s Note: Please see Renee’s comments at the end of this review.

(July 2014) A few years after we moved to Tucson from LA, we became friends with 4 other couples, all of whom were big supporters of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. For years, we played golf together at various courses around Metro Tucson once a month and became infamous as the “Symphony Slicers”. Over the intervening years, one couple moved to Austin, and old age and infirmities forced most of us to retire our clubs. Yet, we still get together several times a year for dinner. All too often the “catch-up” conversation centers around someone-in-our-group’s most recent illness or surgery. Most recently, friend David was recovering from having 6 vertebrae fused. Only my L2-L5 are fused, so David now outranks me.

Recently I was delighted to hear that the group had picked Renee’s Organic Oven to meet for a Saturday evening dinner. Renee’s was on my list of pizza places to review for our upcoming List of the Best Pizza In Tucson. Of the ten I had chosen to review based on comments from friends and visitors to our website, I had already dined at 7 and had a pretty good idea which places would rank highest. And I was certain which one would rank lowest.

Usually when we set out to write a dining review, we go with friends. The rule is simple: Everyone has to order something different from the others so that we get a broad spectrum of experience. On the night we went to review Renee’s, there were 9 in our group. Cynthia was our server. She was very good. Here are their comments; and mine at the end.
Ms Sue: Didn’t try the dip.  The margaritas were tasty.  My pizza was wonderful!  All 3 toppings (Kalmata Olives; Caramelized Onions; Sundried Tomatoes) were not typical for pizza, but worked well together and created a unique experience.  I would return to Renee’s for the same pizza again. I liked the ability to choose the options that I want, not the ones that the chef assumes most people want.  And no “per topping” charge left the experience totally up to me.

Gini / Gary: Gary’s Penne Pesto was good (Organic Pasta; Homemade Creamy Pesto; Kalamata Olives; Pine Nuts & Feta) especially the pesto and olives. Penne is pretty much penne. My salad was “Goldie Locks”; perfectly dressed: not too much … not too little and a healthy serving of roasted peppers on top.  My Parducci, pinot noir was OK.   The Artichoke Dip (a thousand calories per bite, no doubt) was very good with Cookie’s gluten free bread.  The other bread did not stand up to the dip. WAYYYYY too noisy and hot.

Cookie: The Cabernet was mediocre, but OK. I thought the dip and the gluten free option was wonderful. Many restaurants in Tucson offer gluten free items but few have gluten free bread. My veggie pizza was excellent; veggies done to perfection so that all had distinct flavor. I rate it #1 in the gluten free category and David preferred the crust to his regular pizza dough. He thought his choice was OK – not great.  The fennel sausage was not up to the good stuff in the Midwest. He would order the gluten free crust next time and try another group of toppings.

Ms Karen: Artichoke dip – OK … Not the best. Greek Salad – Spinach crisp. Did not like the stems. Too much spinach to goodies ratio, i.e., not enough tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, cucumbers, olives, etc. with garlic/feta dressing.

David: Cookie’s gluten free pizza was first class. My pizza was mediocre at best … pretty good crust  – strange tasting organic sausage, weird “yellow” cheese?. Same cuisine (southern Italian/east coast) but done much better at Amarsi out in Oro Valley. I drank Iced tea … hard to screw up Iced tea. Typical strip mall restaurant … limited seating……loud when filled.

David’s Conclusion
If one needs to eat organic food –  If one needs Gluten Free pizza….it would certainly be a consideration —— even at the top of the list. But to be quite honest, unless I had to eat organic, or had to have Gluten Free, unless I was in the immediate area, I would not travel from Oro Valley to Renee’s.

Sue D: (speaking for her husband) Rob’s lasagna was OK. My 8″ goat cheese pizza was a 7 on a 1 – 10. It was a bit dry, but tasty. My wine was good – the Nobilo. Room was noisy.

Jim: 8” Pizza topped with Fennel Sausage & Sauteed Mushrooms … very good! No issues with the pizza. I thought the hot artichoke dip served with a loaf of Gourmet Girls gluten-free baguette was delightful … and seriously rich! Even though I don’t require gluten free, the Gourmet Girls, Mary & Susan, showed me last year that gluten free need not be boring. They started out selling gf at the Oro Valley Farmers’ Market some years ago, but now have a fine bakery and bistro on North Oracle. Great place for breakfast or lunch.

I did have an “issue” with my first margarita. My cocktail was dominated by the distinctly sour taste of fresh-squeezed lime juice. Oddly, however, it had no salt on the rim, and no taste of tequila at all. I mentioned this peculiar phenomenon to owner Renee, who explained that they put 2 oz. of tequila in every margarita. Nevertheless, she asked Cynthia, our server, to mix me a new margarita. I don’t know how much tequila Cynthia mixed with the lime juice, but my second margarita had a distinct taste of tequila … much to my liking.

Renee did not charge me for the first, unsatisfactory margarita. To me, that speaks of class. Clearly, Renee is a restaurateur who works really hard to please her patrons. As I’m certain Renee knows, it’s impossible to please everyone. It was dinnertime on a Saturday night. The place is small … and very noisy. Not where I’d want to go for a pizza and quiet conversation at peak hours. But off-peak hours, Renee’s is a place we now recommend. The interior is pleasant and the prices are reasonable. Even with wine & cocktails, the average per couple was only $32. Very good value!

Renee’s Organic Oven
Tucson, AZ 85715
520.886.0484

Renee’s Response Via Facebook

Thank you for stopping in! I hope you continue to enjoy the awesome job you have of food and travel. Many Thanks for including us. The air conditioning is fixed 😉 and yes that booth was too small for your group but I am glad we squeezed you all in, it was a pleasure having you. You may also love the sausage recipe my husband is working on switching to so that sausage you had is just a traditional fennel sausage it does the trick but he agrees we can make it better in house/ Also worth noting your dining dollars went a little further because some of your beverages were on our awesome Happy Hour ~ When I read how you were able to keep it at $32 per couple I was impressed.

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