And a star (5 actually) was born!
Our experience at Dough last night was pretty close to flawless. They've managed to hit on a sweet spot of sorts. A wonderful combination of great farm to table fare and smart and gracious service, all in a warm and rustic atmosphere.
The first thing that you notice when walking into Dough is the intoxicating smell of pizza, specifically the pizza crust, cooking in the oven. We were off to a good start. We had a 7 pm reservation and were seated immediately upon arrival. When the restaurant called to confirm earlier in the day, the reservationist asked whether we wanted to sit inside or on the patio (heat lamps). We chose inside, but would definitely give the patio a try in the future. Our server, Liz, came over to the table right away to open our red wine and to put the white on ice. She explained the menu and gave us some of her favorite dishes.
APPS
1. Meatballs - they were tender and tasted like a pretty equal balance of beef, veal, and pork. They were sitting in a shallow dish surrounded by the perfect amount of roma tomato sauce. This dish was a winner.
2. Ricotta - served with small, thinish rectangles of toasted sour dough, the ricotta was very good. It was not the best fresh ricotta I've ever had (Blue Hill at Stone Barns holds that honor), but it was a nice balance to the meatballs. We would order it again.
3. Kale Salad - I'm sure Dough has a good Caesar, and that's what I would have normally ordered, but we've been on a kale kick lately, so we decided on this salad. So glad we did. The mixture of apples, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds, coupled with the sweetness of the apple coder vinaigrette made this an autumn treat. This was one terrific salad. Highly recommended!
4. Beet Salad - This was a very good beet salad and, if you enjoy roasted beets, I wouldn't try to dissuade you from ordering it. However, as good as it was, the kale salad was so tasty that if you're limited to just one, I would have to go with the kale. Still, the beet salad was enjoyable.
MAINS
Note: all of the pizzas are personal size though probably a bit larger than the average personal pizza.
1. Mushroom Pizza - the consensus of our party of four was that this was the best pizza. It was everything a good mushroom pizza should be. That great umami taste of the mushrooms and truffle oil combined with the fontina and ricotta all on top of a well done crust. Order this pizza. You will not be disappointed.
2. Pancetta Pizza - for most of our table, this was the second favorite. C'mon, how can you not like a pizza with pancetta and a farm egg on top? I always find a pizza with potatoes on it a tough thing to pull off, but Dough does a good job with it. All of the ingredients work well together.
3. Duck Pizza - everyone at the table really liked this pizza, though my wife thought it was, by far, the best of the three. Better than the pancetta? Eh, maybe. Better than the mushroom? Uh, I don't think so. Still, I'm not going to complain about duck confit pizza. It was pretty awesome.
SIDES
Mac & Cheese - The preparation is a savory one, and was very good. Yes, we probably ordered more food than one should reasonably order for four average sized adults, but it is awful hard to turn down "just a taste" of Mac and Cheese. The only criticism our table had of this dish was that we would have liked a more well done bread crumby crust. We mentioned this to the owner when he stopped by our table, and he told us that next time we come in they will make a perfect well done crusted mac and cheese. Note that it is a VERY big portion.
DESSERTS
1. Homemade chocolate chip cookies - good, but not amazing. There was nothing "special" about them, though they did arrive warm at our table. I would probably skip this next time.
2. Gelato from Gelotti - those that have visited Gelotti on Bloomfield Avenue know how good it is. Pretty darn close to Florence quality gelato. With that said, my only issue with the Gelotti gelato served at Dough was that it was served a bit too cold causing it to be harder than gelato should be. Taste-wise it was great (espresso chip and cannoli). Next time, I will probably just drive up the road to Gelotti for a few fresh scoops.
SERVICE
As noted above, the service was truly great. We wanted for nothing, and Liz was always there to clear some plates to make room for another course or provide her personal recommendations on dishes. The staff appears young, but is clearly very polished and experienced. The owner (didn't catch his name) also came over to the table for a few minutes to hear how our meal was going. If Dough continues with service like this, they will be around for a long time.
FYI - Dough is BYO, so definitely bring a bottle with you.
If it wasn't obvious from the above, I will definitely be back. read more