Jaunted

On our trip to the NoDa neighborhood we stopped into Revolution Pizza and Ale House for an early fill up. The restaurant is located in an old Victorian style home and has a large wrap around porch that has been converted into a sunroom. The place is huge and definitely has the capacity to pack in pizza fans on a Friday night. Although we were out to lunch, unfortunately our waitress was too. Still, that didn’t affect the quality of our ‘za.

The pizza here is stone-baked, which we suspect is how all good pizza is made. Your local pizzeria definitely has some sort of stone in their oven, so we’re chalking that claim up to some creative marketing. We chose a basic pepperoni pie and we weren't disappointed. The toppings were plentiful, but not overpowering. We were still able to enjoy the slightly chewy crust through all the good stuff on top. The pizza wasn’t too heavy, but definitely filling with enough room leftover to wash it all down with a pint of Abita Turbodog—a brown ale from Louisiana.

After strolling around the city we made our way to Charlotte’s third ward, home of Pie Town, which opened last year. We’d heard good things about this place, because bread and pizza expert Peter Reinhart is involved with the menu. Reinhart has written extensively on baking and pizza, and received a James Beard Award for his books on the subjects. Needless to say we had high expectations for this place, especially with its pedigree.

As you enter the restaurant you immediately notice that the interior is well done, but almost overly complicated for a place that focuses on pizza. We selected the Pie Town Margherita and the Six Cheese white pie, but we were tempted to choose the White Clam a la Frank Pepe’s Napoletana—a shout-out to our favorite pizza place in New Haven, Connecticut. Both came out pretty quickly with a nice char on the crust from the oven, which unfortunately is not wood burning.

The menu brags about the “intense oven heat,” but our pizzas were just warm when they were served. However, we did enjoy our selections, and the crust really was the highlight. The expertise that Reinhart brings to the restaurant clearly stands out, but it's still no replacement for the pizza joints in the Northeast.

Related Stories:
· Revolution Pizza And Ale House [Official Site]
· Pie Town [Official Site]
· New Haven's Pepe Pizzeria: Giving NY Pizza Some Serious Competition Since 1925 [Jaunted]

[Photo: kjb]