Remember the pizza revolution of 2002? When people hit the streets carrying signs for “more pizza” and “better pies”? Psych! Never happened. It’s just dumb luck that top-notch pizza places keep opening, bringing new styles and improving quality, from the artisan pizzas at Fireside Pies to the authentic-from-Italia pies at Campania.
Coal Vines introduces another quintessential strain: true-blue New York pizza in the style of Patsy’s, Arturo’s, or Grimaldi’s, with the key commonality being the use of an anthracite coal oven. Some pizza fanatics insist that the coal’s intensely high heat (900 degrees Fahrenheit) produces an incomparable product, cooking the pizza so quickly that the crust gets enticingly browned while the toppings retain freshness.
CV’s pizza had all that, whether topped with Italian sausage or, more simply, bolognese sauce and tomatoes. The crust stayed crisp but nicely chewy throughout, even in the center where the dough was stretched thin.
But there’s much more to Coal Vines: late-late hours (till 2 am Thursday through Saturday); approachable wine list from which you can even purchase a bottle to go; the so-big-it’s-silly godfather sandwich with chicken cutlets, mozzarella, arugula, and tomato on a seeded roll; Tuscan fries sprinkled with rosemary, thyme, and crackly garlic slivers; laid-back bartender Craig Wolf (goes by Wolf); and the glossy portrait of the Chairman of the Board on the wall.
Coal Vines is the latest offering from Joseph Palladino and Phil Romano, of Medici and Nick & Sam’s fame. They’ve partnered with Michael Abruzese, who is also chef. Their higher-priced New York-Italian Il Mulino concept may have floundered, but CV is good to go.
Get contact information for Coal Vines.
