Review: Ovest Pizzoteca

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When checking into Foursquare during our two recent trips to Ovest Pizzoteca, it was revealed that Serious Eats’ in-house pizza expert, Adam Kuban, was the reigning mayor. So, presumably, NYC’s well-traveled slice-joint chronicler—tasked with covering splashier openings like Pulino's and Paulie Gee's—has been spending some quality time in far West Chelsea. It makes sense. The pizzoteca (a mash-up of pizzeria, panini stand and enoteca) arrives from the people behind Neapolitan specialists Luzzo’s, whose coal-oven pies are often hailed as one of NYC’s best. With the opening, owner Michele Luliano expands his vision beyond perfectly charred crust. Two dozen antipasti and salads are offered with panini (served on ciabatta, focaccia or sliced bread), pastas and secondi. Eleven Neapolitan pies are available, but relegated to the menu’s back page (we literally missed them during our first visit). —MR

Burn, baby, burn!
The wood-burning oven here, of course is the centerpiece, and a real beauty. We're told it was a transplant from a Jersey pizzeria, and they use oak wood to fire up the Neapolitan pies, resulting in a gorgeous crust that's supple without being soggy, and with a gentle char. There's also a square pie here—"bakery style" is how one of the co-owners, Eden Tasfamariam, described it to us when we spoke a few weeks back, the day after the place opened: toasty and with a snack-like bite. —ALL

Good cop: Stuffed pizza, conic pizza, Neapolitan pizza
When ordering at Ovest, it’s safe to stick with anything with a crust. Bread will set your taste buds free! A stuffed loaf called the Quartieri was packed with mildly spicy sausage and broccoli rabe. A more conic-shaped Daniela pie (NOT a Pizzacone) blended buffalo mozzarella (imported from Campagna), prosciutto, gorgonzola and moist endive—a harmony of salty-sharp-soft-crisp flavors and textures that was both stimulating and refreshing. (Luliano uses a balanced, less-is-more approach to topping his pies). The Toto panini was the perfect lunchtime graze: light slices of seasoned focaccia, thick-cut pancetta, marinated peppers and radicchio. (The accompanying fries are some of NYC’s best.) Oh yeah, the Neapolitan pies: Capricciosa comes topped with ham, fresh artichokes and knuckles of luscious mozz bobbed in a very special sauce. —MR

Bad cop: Meatballs, bruschetta, speck tagliatelle, hot dog–pancetta panini
Here's the problem with Ovest: If you're not trying the pizza, or the panini, or basically anything doughy from the wood-fired oven, the food basically fizzles. It's inoffensive at best, and forgettable at worst. With the exception of a lush eggplant parm, none of the other un-pizza-y dishes we sampled impressed us. Meatballs were chewy and flat on flavor. An arugula salad, with salmon carpaccio and goat cheese, felt rote and perfunctory. And the two bruschetta we had—one with speck and brie, the other with anchovies and cherry tomatoes—were made with bread so tough, they practically lacerated my mouth. There's a housemade tagliatelle here with speck and "truffle pate" that tasted strangely sour, and didn't have a hint of truffleness. Then, the biggest head-scratcher: a ciabatta panini stuffed with hot dog and pancetta, and supposedly laced with Tabasco (nonexistent), rum (M.I.A.) and ketchup (definitely). Still wincing from that one. —ALL

The bottom line
This was a tough restaurant to rate. If you zero in on the pizzas and baked-bread dishes, which are superb, you've got a solid three-star restaurant that can hold its own among NYC's new-wave pizza posse. If you factor in everything else, that rating slips down a notch or two. But because Ovest bills itself as a pizza-and-panini joint, we decided to stick with the former. The question, really, is, what are you here for? —ALL


Photo by Sam Horine