After a few days in New York City recently, where pizza spots seem as numerous as crosswalks, Slab Town Pizza was refreshing.
Although New York pizza is a favorite style for many people, including moi, primarily due to its basil and oregano-loaded sauce slathered on thin crust and topped with plenty of fresh mozzarella, the pizza “restaurants” in the great city are usually little more than crowded, loud, walk-up counters where patrons can grab a slice or two.
In sharp contrast, Slab Town Pizza not only consistently accomplishes quality pies with delectable house-made dough that, when cooked, is the right balance of crispy on the bottom and a little chewy at the crust, but the venue is vast and inviting. Whether a family with little ones, a teenager hanging out with a friends or grandparents, or sports-fan gatherings, Slab Town offers various well-decorated spaces. Indoors, where customers order at a counter, are quieter booths, tables, and high-tops. A large covered patio has a long metal-topped seating space as well as tables and a stacked-stone fireplace. Venture outside and there is a patio with umbrella-equipped tables beside a lengthy artificial-turf space with picnic tables, chairs, and cornhole boards.
On a sunny, slightly crisp fall day, the outdoor patio beckoned and the smells of fresh-baked dough emanated from the kitchen. Slab Town Pizza offers build-your-own pizzas with six “sauces” and more than a dozen topping choices; but baking in the oven are calzones as well. For people who are overwhelmed by too many selections, the establishment has a few pizzas and calzones that have been planned out for them.
For example, “The Duke” has Italian sausage, pepperoni, bacon, mozzarella, ricotta, and red sauce; “Buffalo Chicken” is with chicken, ricotta, mozzarella, red and buffalo sauce, and a side of ranch.
My husband and I chose the “Pesto” pizza, which included tomatoes, large chunks of artichoke hearts, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and plenty of scrumptious pesto made from fresh basil. It popped with hues of red and green, was dripping with the exact right amount of cheese and browned to perfection.
For customers not in the mood for pizza, they can choose a burger, grilled cheese, grilled chicken wrap, fried chicken sandwich, Italian sandwich, or braised meatball sandwich – plus, two pasta dishes are provided, one with Bolognese sauce and another with meatballs and marinara. And a regular starter is a roasted tomato basil soup.
Appetizers include spinach artichoke flatbread and jumbo chicken wings. Additionally, what impressed were the salads. It is not often that you can find creative and gourmet-leaning salads at a pizza joint. Besides the classic house, Greek, and Caesar, distinct salads were the Schrute Farms Beet and the Seasonal. We chose the latter, but it was a tough decision. Presented was a culinary, crunchy delight – a packed bowl with mixed greens, fresh and dried berries, candied pecans, apples, and ricotta salata cheese, all topped with a subtly sweet strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.
Next time, I plan to gravitate toward the Schrute Farms Beet salad, due to its marrying of arugula, roasted beets, and goat cheese – some of my favorites.
Bonus: Not surprisingly, I learned that many of Slab Town’s ingredients are sourced locally or regionally.
Besides the food, Slab Town has a festive bar festooned with strings of white lights. Its centerpiece is a giant chalk board with a bit-screen television as its centerpiece. On the board, in various colors of chalk, are some of the drink offerings. The crisp fall day, for me, called for a slightly tart berry cider, but Slab Town’s cocktail and beer offerings are numerous and ever-changing. Many of the beers featured are from regional breweries.
After the fabulous and filling fresh food, dessert was a distant thought. That was, until we saw the hand-written sign announcing that house-made tiramisu was in the building! Even though Slab Town standard desserts of zeppoli, which are essentially little mini-powdered sugar doughnuts, and a chocolate-chunk cookie enticed, it was the tiramisu that we ordered and took home. Due the enormous size of the piece provided, we enjoyed those delicious layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers, creamy mascarpone, and cocoa for several days.
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