My girlfriend and I didn't even know this place existed until we walked past it on our way to South Pier Parlor. We decided to come back and give it a go, and we're definitely glad we did.
The interior is really cute and is, as expected, prohibition themed. The waitstaff are in hats and suspenders, the lights are dimmed. It's a cool looking place. We opted to sit outside, so that we had a view of the river. Our waiter was really nice and made sure we knew all the specials, and checked on us often. The owner, Harry I presume, also came around and talked to all the tables, which I thought was a pretty cool touch. He's a nice guy and seemed to really care that our food was good and that we were comfortable. He ended up lowering our shade for us because we looked too much in the sun, which made us laugh a bit.
We started off with two Stella Cidres ($4.50) and the Pomodoro appetizer, which appears to no longer be on their menu but was I believe about $8. It was bread, mozzarella, tomatoes, and oil and balsamic, and it was delicious. It was also a bigger portion than we had anticipated.
Then came our entrees. I ordered a lemon pizza ($11) which comes with smoked mozzarella cheese, lemon, arugula, parmesan cheese and fresh basil. My girlfriend ordered the Chicken and Gnocchi ($18) which is (according to the menu) grilled chicken and potato gnocchi, onion and garlic sautéed in white wine reduction and fresh cream with sun-dried tomato butter topped with prosciutto crisp.
My pizza was pretty good. The crust was thin but still soft, which I appreciated. The flavor was nice. The smokey cheese went well with the bitter lemon. My one issue is that I thought the arugula would be on the pizza like a normal topping. Instead it came in a weird, salad-like pile on top. I ended up just moving the pile off to the side to get my pizza. It was good, but I'd order a different pizza next time.
My girlfriend's chicken and gnocchi however was fantastic. The chicken was well-cooked and juicy. The gnocchi were cooked perfectly. The sauce it was in was absolutely delicious, creamy but not to heavy and full of flavor. Admittedly, I kept shoving my pizza crusts in her bowl to dip them in the sauce, it was that good. I'd order that again and again.
For dessert, we decided to split one so we didn't feel guilty about going to South Pier later. We opted for the vanilla Panna Cotta ($4) French style, that is, with the burnt sugar layer on top like you'd find on a creme brulee. It was really good. It was the right consistency and texture, it had a nice creamy flavor, and I mean, who doesn't love that moment when you get to tap your spoon against the sugar?
We're sad we waited so long to come here, but we'll definitely be back. There's a great, relaxed atmosphere, friendly workers, and good food, all with a view of the river. read more