Damian C.
Yelp
BYOB - fantastic.
Cozy ambiance - excelente.
Food variety - awesome.
Service - hmph.
With it's proximity to mine and my best group of friends' houses, it's a shock we haven't checked this place out over the years. Particularly since it's BYOB... I am a huge fan of BYOB establishments.
I loved the setting. Dimly lit, warm and inviting. The only thing better would have been Summertime weather and patio seating. We were seated in a back corner booth. I am fairly certain that the table was turned the wrong way because it was unusually far from the seats, so I felt like we had to lean forward for comfort for most of the meal.
The menu was - shocker - not just pizza. Pastas, salads, entrees, all sorts of excitement. But when it comes to a pizza place, you just gotta go with the pizza.
And the 6 of us did, one for each. Prosciutto, spinaci, the pesto, the bresaola... and, of course, the highly talked about bruschetta to start.
The bruschetta came out quickly and, if anything, this was the star of the show. They said it was made from pita bread, and it that's the case, it was the thickest puffiest pita bread I have ever seen. It was chock full of feta and tomatoes, and a great start to split 6 ways. I appreciated their take on this classic - unique and tasty without going overboard or too adventurous.
Where things start to go awry is the service. Since 6 of us ordered pizzas, we expected the wait time to be a little longer so as to cater to other smaller parties, and probably because the oven is fairly small. Plus, we had so much wine with us, we were not in any type of rush. The pizzas came out a bit too staggered, over the course of 15 minutes or so. One came out first, followed by two more, then another, then one more, then, finally, the sixth. Not normally an issue if we were all sharing, but since we all went on our own, the first couple were finishing by the time the rest started coming. It was difficult to check in with the waitress, but when we did, we got the "yes, they'll be up shortly" type of response. I do not know what the capacity of their kitchen is but it would have been better to get things all at once, or with a bit less in-between time.
But in the end, the food was good. The pesto, which was my pizza, was great. The crust was thin and crisp and one thing I liked is that the pizzas were a bit more well done. I had some of the bresaola and it was actually my favorite. Everyone was happy with their choices! As far as portions go, if you are moderately hungry you could finish a whole pie, and I definitely think that one would be too little for two people to split.
Since it was BYOB the bill was minimal. That alone would get me to frequent this place more. More communicative service would have made the experience a little better.
One last item I would be remiss of me not to mention. They desperately need a window for the door that leads from the dining room to the kitchen. A few near accidents happened right next to me which could have been a total disaster. Safety first!