Eddie C.
Yelp
Short hit: not for everyone, but definitely worth trying.
Review: I was between 4 or 5 stars, but opted to go ahead an give it a 5. Reason being is the pizza was fantastic, and this is a pizza place after all.
Food/Drink: The first thing you'll notice are these gallons of Carlo Rossi wine on the tables. They have an honor system here where you pour your own glass and keep track on a piece of paper how many you've had. Honestly, as someone who appreciates sounds business strategies, this is one of the best ideas I've seen. The wine is just average (the whole thing retails for $12), so with just two pours ($6 a pop), which doesn't even put a dent in the bottle, they're even. Plus, pouring as you go without having to wait means more glasses/person. Obviously the bottle is only $12, but at $6/glass at a restaurant in Trinity Grove, it's not bad. 3 stars on the quality of the wine and 5 stars on the business model.
For an appetizer, we split a Super Meatball (5 stars). Beef, veal, and pork. What more do you want? Oh, there's cheese in the middle (wasn't implied on the menu). Winning! The bottom of the meatball had a nice crust from the oven and the sauce was nice and thick. I could probably eat it with a fork. Just the right amount of salt from the Parmesan. Great meatball. To be somewhat healthy, we split a strawberry goat cheese salad (4 stars). The goat cheese was nice and creamy, but I wish the salad had just a little more dressing. Arugula is bitter, so the sweet strawberries helped balance it out. The salads are served in a pizza crust bowl. Nice enough presentation, but 90% of these are probably thrown away, so seems like a waste or a drag on food costs imo.
Onto the star of the show, the pizza. Opted for the sausage & vodka sauce pizza (5 stars), which was divine. At first glance, I noticed that there wasn't any cheese. I know the model here is to make the crust and then add the toppings on later, but I associate pizza with cheese, so I was surprised to see there wasn't any at all. No matter, we'll just call it guilt-free, ok less guilty, pizza. Honestly though, I was surprised that I didn't really miss the cheese. I really got to taste the sauce, which had tons of flavor, and the sausage was spot on. Nice and chunky, with good seasoning. The crust on the pizza was also stellar. Since the toppings are thrown on last, it's nice and crispy with good chew. I could definitely taste the yeast in it as well.
Honestly, while I loved it, I have a feeling this will be hit/miss or love/hate for a lot of people. I think people have an idea of what pizza is supposed to be, so since this place strays away from that, they might get some flack for it. However, the quality and freshness is there. Again, the wine is cheap, but if you're thirsty, at least you'll never have to wait. Next time, I'll see how the cocktails are.
Service (5 stars). I hope it stays this good. We went on the last night of their soft opening, so everyone was on point. Water never got more than a third empty, and I drink a lot of water lol. Friendly and responsive.
Value (4 stars). Not cheap and not expensive. Very appropriate for Trinity Grove.
Overall, very original with good flavor. Can't wait to come back to sample another pie.