Ogling the New Pizza Ovens

I spent the evening doing the progressive thing, moving around and enjoying a bit of everywhere I went. It wasn't so much an ADD thing as it was a last minute call from a friend suggesting we meet up when I already had some wandering in mind for myself anyway.

After getting an effusive e-mail today from my Italian friend directing me to Stuzzi, I dropped by and dropped his name and was promptly taken on a tour and given the full-on razzle-dazzle. It is a truly magnificent pizza oven with its Venetian glass and center stage presence and I oohed and ahhed appropriately and sincerely.

It's hard not to appreciate an oven designated as one of the ten official (of the thousands in existence in the US) by the Italian government. It's also hard not to appreciate being called a beautiful woman by an effusive Italian man (have we established yet that I'm a sucker for compliments? See my past for why) with a new restaurant. Flown-in tomatoes and house made Mozzarella aside, these guys seem like the real deal.

Next up was Secco for a glass of Portugese wine (2008 Esporao Reserve DOC Alentejo), lushly perfumed and full-bodied (like a certain kind of woman, but don't look at me; I don't wear perfume). The crowd was manageable when I arrived but quickly grew to capacity. Of note was that owner Julia finally caved, right in front of my eyes, and henceforth food will be served to those waiting on the couches, something she had resisted from Day One. But then, life is a series of concessions, as all wise ones know.

I was meeting a friend at Bellytimber afterwards to see what the owners of Mezzanine had concocted for a casual bar space. Their intention, they said, was to serve fresh and tasty food at affordable bar prices. The interior is definitely an improvement over the former Border location, but the two huge flat screens told me all I needed to know.

I loved the open windows along Plum Street and bartender Sean's iPod was so indie right-on that I had to compliment him on it (Temper Trap, Killers, Peter, Bjorn and John et al). Despite his claim that he's been a bartender forever (followed by a laundry list of all the places he's tended bar), fortunately for customers like me, his musical taste is of the moment.

Seeing the igloo-looking mound from our perches at the far end of the bar, it was inevitable that we'd try the pizza. The couple next to us had raved about the pepperoni, but we couldn't resist the caramelized bacon and onion, which turned out to be quite good. An enthusiastic kitchen staffer gave me a tour, so to speak, of the oven with its logs burning briskly and its heat blasting directly into the kitchen. Three minutes and done! No need for delayed pizza gratification here.

We bypassed the Scotch egg (hard boiled egg encased in house made ground pork sausage) despite a recommendation from a nearby Jagermesiter drinker, and got the pirogis (homemade egg noodle dumplings stuffed with mashed potato, seared with onions and served with sour cream); the slices of green onion tops made the dish, we agreed. It qualified for bar comfort food in the best possible way.

I was actually surprised to find several vegetarian/vegan choices on the menu, although I'm not sure why they caught me off guard. Several local offerings were noted, including Victory Farms greens and Twin Oaks tofu. They also make their own rolls and potato chips, for those who appreciate such things.

Bellytimber 's ABC license is very new, so the wine list is still handwritten on a piece of yellow legal pad (a printed version arrives tomorrow, I was told), which I found charming. I went with Cava at the bartender's suggestion ("Feel like bubbles?"), a restaurant opening, even a soft one, being a festive occasion.Entrees are not yet available but will be shortly. Coming soon! Meat!

We made one last stop at Comfort because my friend had heard they were doing live music, but it had been cancelled, so we made that the end of our forward progress.

Besides, seeing as how I was now merely blocks from home with my wanderlust sated, all that was left was to share my stories...just in case anyone's curious. Anyone at all.