Oma Grassa

The Pies Are Electric at Oma Grassa, Brooklyn’s Newest Pizzeria | Eater NY

"Occupying a flatiron-shaped building on the corner of Fulton and South Portland, this Fort Greene pizzeria opened in July and has a spare, airy dining room with picture windows, black-and-white beehive floor tiles and Tiffany lightshades. A pair of stacked ovens behind the counter commands attention, but Baumgart’s oven is electric and set at 650 °F—over 100 °F hotter than conventional gas ovens—with independently controlled top and bottom temperatures and a stone floor that crisps the bottom so pies can carry a more profuse array of toppings; the result is a hybrid pizza halfway between Naples and New York that delivers greater precision and consistency. Baumgart, whose resume includes Prune and Roman’s, presides theatrically—twirling sourdough crusts, strewing ingredients and sometimes delivering pies to tables. Eight pies are offered and I tried five across two visits: the margherita ($20) is a generous 14-inch pie with dense cheese (pecorino tweaking the mozzarella) and a tomato sauce tasting of oregano; the anchovy pie ($19) is a cheeseless, puttanesca-like standout with capers and olives; the pepperoni was fine though occasionally a bit too charred; a cherry-tomato pie with creamy ricotta adds sweetness; and an unusual pie with three cheeses, roasted garlic and lemon finished with greens is very good. Add-ons like fennel sausage and pickled chiles are available but best used sparingly because the pies are already well balanced. Only three apps are offered, but they showcase Baumgart’s chef experience—especially a $9 plate of pickled vegetables, olives and a boiled egg (a perfect nibble while waiting) and a $15 massive salad like a Caesar without anchovies, with uncut leaves and a simple vinaigrette. The wines are particularly well matched to pizza, including a skin-contact Lambrusco ($50) with a cherry-cola nose and Primo Incontro (glass $14, bottle $56), a straw-yellow, double-fermented bubbly white tasting of volcanic soil." - Robert Sietsema