I thought I’d bump up this thread in case anyone has been to the new places that have opened up recently.
Finally made my way over to Rabottini’s the other night. Six of us shared 3 pizzas as takeout, with six slices left over. We had a square plain, a square house-sausage and peppers, and a round mushroom. All of the pizzas were delicious, with the sausage and pepper perhaps being my favorite. The square is pretty much Sicilian style and the round has a thinner, but not super-thin, crust, which has a really nice flavor. The pies held up well to takeout and to reheating in a hot toaster oven. On a Friday a little after five, it took about an hour from ordering to receiving the finished product.
It was fun to watch the care that was put into baking the pizza. The chef (Dan Roberts) was constantly turning, repositioning and checking the crust so that every pie was cooked evenly and to a consistent doneness.
One note, these pies are quite dark with definite char on the edges and deeply browned cheese. If you don’t like char, this is probably not your pie.
As others have said, I hope they find a permanent home soon. I think there are six or seven weeks left at the Allston location.
We tried the new outpost of Lisa’s Family Pizzeria right outside of Waverly Sq. in Belmont. The cheese pizza was a decent thin-crust old-school Italian-American pie. (I guess I like hyphens.) The crust held up fairly well and had some flavor, although I like a touch more salt and fermentation. Sauce and cheese were well-proportioned and tasty. It’s not a destination place, but we’ll get it occasionally to scratch an itch since it’s convenient for us.
My son was craving something green and ordered the veggie pizza. It was covered in lovely fresh veggies that were desperately in need of seasoning and cheese or oil. He covered them in hot sauce, and we piled on some cheese to reheat the leftovers. We’ll order something different next time. The slice was somewhat less bland reheated with parm.
Still like Area Four as the best pizza place in Boston but tried on Sunday for the first time Brewer’s Fork and liked it a lot as a competitor for best pizza especially if you like Napolitan style once. The appetizers are also great and good beer selection (but no desserts were disappointing)
I agree that Brewer’s Fork is good pizza and I like their patio as well. The pizza is a bit thicker than I want as my regular joint but I do enjoy it very much.
Went back to the original Area 4 recently and got another disappointing floppy soggy pie. When it’s good it’s great, but I can’t stomach the misses.
Speaking of which I had a very disappointing visit to the original Pizzeria Regina in the North End recently. Waaayyy too much cheese on the pie. We didn’t even box up the left overs. I’ll give them a pass as this was the first time that has ever happened, but I was crestfallen to have this happen at one of my favorites.
I recently had some outstanding pies at Picco in the South End. Perfect chew and char to the crust, just the right amount of flavorful sauce and pepperoni that cupped and melted my heart. It’s a pain to get in there without a reservation.
Another good visit to Area 4 today after checking out the very well-done Apollo 11 exhibit at Draper Lab today. It was way too long since our last visit. Margherita was fine but it was the clam bacon that had B wanting more. He “had” to polish off the small (I had 2 slices) so we didn’t have to cart pizza down to JFK library (which as a full-time mom/part-time Sherpa, I had to anyway). Great service from FOH/BOH. It was great to see folks jumping in to help each other without any “that’s not my table” attitude. Nice Maine Dinner double on tap.
love picco. of the pizzas, the alsatian is my favorite. also love the roasted broccoli with green goddess and their mac and cheese with bacon. their dark chocolate sorbet is a work of art.
Tried T & B Pizza (Union Square, Somerville) recently and posting here as it really does not warrant it’s own thread. The pizza was fine if uninspiring. My daughter gave them thumbs up for a few bubbles in the crust. We tried a few of the Neapolitan pies; Margherita and Mortadella. The Mortadella pie is just a Margherita with Mortadella laid on top it seems right at the end of cooking. OK…my bad on the ordering. The pizzas were cooked well, but the flavor was a bit bland and boring. I needed to use the red pepper flakes.
It’s on the pricey side for pizza, but I knew that going in. What really irked me though is their use of 12oz “pint” glasses for their draft pours. $10 for a small draft is a bit much particularly when they pull a stale pour of an otherwise excellent beer. I might change my user name to 1 and done.
We had an excellent meal overall at the relatively new Avenue kitchen + bar (Ball Square, Somerville). Their menu is much more extensive than pizza but they serve Detroit style pizza. I didn’t really know what this was going in, but I’d describe theirs as sicilian pizza with burnt cheese on the edge instead of traditional crust, and it tasted like there might be something unique about the crust flour. It was damn good pizza. We tried The Reg (red sauce, pepperoni) and the Beef Barbacoa. Both were excellent but I preferred the Reg. Great overall flavor, good sauce to cheese ratio.
Their menu is much more extensive than pizza and everything was good. I was suspect of the maple chili wings as they are duck instead of chicken. I was wrong and we got a 2nd order. Good burger, salads. Even $1 oysters when we there (fresh and well shucked).
The price was all reasonable. I wish this place was closer to me and not in the direction of green line construction closures. They also have a separate entrance and seemingly prep area for take out. I’d like it if this place was in my neighborhood.
My son chose Avenue Kitchen for his family birthday dinner at the end of June, and we all enjoyed it. Thanks for the reminder. We enjoyed pretty much everything, and he wants to return just for the pizza.
I found the service to be friendly and efficient as well. They took great care of our mixed age group. I think I left my largest tip (% wise) of 2019 for our server.
I didn’t realize there was a “wine bar side” at the Portland Otto. Rats! When Mrs. Alcachofa and I were there last year, that was exactly the kind of thing we were looking for one night. Next time!
Re: Stoked. I like it better than Max n Leo’s, though they are close and I can see someone having a preference for Max. I think Stoked is better, though. Someone below mentioned too overcooked… disagree. Really excited about Stoked’s addition coming to Cambridge.
