Oakfire restaurant 'Reignites' with grand reopening

Since Oakfire Pizzeria Napoletana opened in late 2020, the Somers venue has been known as "a fancy pizza place," said founder and owner David Scotney.

Now, with an expanded menu featuring more pasta offerings, "we'd like to be known as a full Italian restaurant," Scotney said.

That's the inspiration for the "Oakfire Reignited" event, which officially launches the restaurant's new menu and renovated dining space.

Did we mention the free bread?

As part of the new menu offerings, Oakfire added free bread service, starting daily at 4 p.m.

"We twist our pizza dough and bake it fresh," Scotney said. "That fresh Italian bread comes with Parmesan cheese and olive oil, which is now found right at our tables."

The look of the dining area has changed, too, with a new, custom designed mahogany bar on the north end and more booths in place of tables and chairs.

"We listened to our guests, and they love booths," Scotney said. "We want them to be comfortable, so our leather booths were custom made for us and are super comfy."

Scotney and his crew spent about four months working on the new menu offerings, with an eye toward continuing to be "an elevated dining experience. We offer traditional favorites with a modern twist."

For example, Oakfire's chicken alfredo takes that classic Italian dish — grilled chicken served in a creamy garlic-Parmesan sauce — and serves it with radiatore pasta. The small, squat pasta shapes are said to resemble radiators and hold their sauces well.

That's just one dish on the expanded Oakfire menu, which also adds dishes like a crispy chicken parmigiana, salmon piccata and a braised beef short rib "because we wanted a heavy beef option," Scotney said.

The menu expansion is reflected in the restaurant's new name: From Oakfire Pizzeria Napoletana to Oakfire Pizza & Italian.

"We want to compete with other family Italian places," Scotney said.

Pizza, pizza

What's not changing is the venue's signature Neapolitan pizzas, which were first served at Oakfire's original location in Lake Geneva.

"I've been studying Neapolitan pizza making for more than a decade," Scotney said. "I studied under a master pizza maker, who worked in Naples, is Italian and trained me on all the original, authentic recipes. At the heart of our concept is authentic, Neapolitan pizza."

Those pizzas are made a Stefano Ferrara wood-firing oven Scotney calls "the Formula One race car for this style of pizza."

Most pizza restaurants will cook at 475-500 degrees and use a dough that includes some sort of fat — but the dough at Oakfire is made from just flour, salt, water and yeast and cooks at about 1,000 degrees.

"A pizza is ready is just a few minutes," Scotney said. "In Lake Geneva, on a busy summer day, we'll make 1,000 pizzas a day."

Visitors to Friday's "Reignited" event can watch chefs making, and baking, those signature pizzas. And enjoy samples, too.

"We aim to surprise and delight our guests," Scotney said. "Everything we've done is through that lens."

Oakfire restaurant prepares for grand reopening

OAKFIRE REIGNITED

If you go

What: Oakfire Reignited event

When:

Where: Oakfire Pizza & Italian restaurant, 3552 Market Lane in Somers

Details: The restaurant celebrates its new, expanded menu, with free samples of food and beverages 4:30-6 p.m. Highlights include a ceremonial pizza toss to start the event, a pizza making demonstration and a pizza toss competition between Oakfire owner David Scotney and head chefs Paul Meckler and Nick Crawford.

Passport program: At the event, visitors can pick up an Oakfire Passport. After three visits, passport holders get a free meal.

Open: Oakfire in Somers is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

More information: Log on at oakfire.pizza or call 262-214-1913.

Features/GO Kenosha