New Pizzeria Coming to Colusa Circle in Kensington

It's not open yet, but the new sign on the door, "Benchmark Pizzeria," explains all the trucks delivering supplies and the workers going in and out of the space on Colusa Circle once occupied by the Post Meridian restaurant.

Owners Peter and Melissa Swanson of El Cerrito plan to open Friday, July 20, serving pizzas made fresh in their 800-degree oven. They said they hesitate to attach a label to their pizzas, adding that "neo-Neopolitan" probably comes closest.

It'll be a thin-crust pizza, light on cheese and toppings, with the hand-rolled dough made from a sourdough starter with wild yeast, they said. Ingredients will come chiefly from sustainable sources, with exclusively local produce from organic or "biodynamic" farms, according to the couple.

Wines and beers too will come from nearby with beers made by Dying Vines brewery in Oakland and wines on tap from Northern California. The soft-serve dessert will be made with milk from Straus organic dairy.

The pizzas will be served whole, not sliced, for the sake of the integrity of the ingredients, with customers invited to either tear pieces off or cut them with knife and fork.

The address is 1568 Oak View Avenue, the same block used by the on Sundays. The space was formerly occupied by the French-style Post Meridian restaurant, which closed in May last year after five years under owner Robin Valerie Low (who's now overseeing the expansion of the El Cerrito Natural Grocery on San Pablo Avenue).

The Swansons say the name "Benchmark" grew out of Peter being inspired by "benchmarks," a name for the survey markers used in geodetic surveys. Photos that he took of East Bay markers are to hang in the dining area.

Peter, a cook in the restaurant business since he was teenager, served as sous chef and pizza maker at Dopo in Oakland for six years, and before that worked at Oliveto, while Melissa most recently worked as a server at Chez Panisse. She also has written restaurant criticism and was founder of Little Bug, an organic baby food enterprise that operated from 2006-2009.

They plan to be open 4-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. The phone number is 510-647-9724.

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