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| - Maybe my expectations were too high, given it's comparison to spots like Pizza LIbretto, but I was disappointed. And Libretto this ain't.
The atmosphere at Pizza e Pazzi was bustling and full of good energy. The owners (or managers?) actively on the floor and the servers hustling continually. Lots of engagement. We had to wait about 15-20 minutes for our reserved table because the party before us took their time, but it wasn't a big deal.
They started us off with some chewy walnut bread and nice condiments (caramelized onions, a vegetarian dip that I couldn't quite identify, sauteed mushrooms). Service was attentive, although the server seemed very disappointed that we weren't ordering lots of alcohol.
We all ordered salad and mains. The salads were decent. My mixed greens were literally just that with some very sweet cherry tomatoes. A little watery, maybe. My husband ordered a special salad of bufalo mozzarella and shaved truffles which should have been spectacular (especially for the $25 price tag) but was instead just average. The cheese was maybe a little too salty and water-logged. Not as nice as some high quality mozzas I've had in the past.
Pizzas were very good - just not outstanding. My tre funghi was yummy, but was under-seasoned to my taste. The margarita was much better (probably because they use the salty mozzarella that we tasted raw on the salad earlier) so it had more flavour.
Overall, it was very good pizza, if a bit doughy for this style. I agree with a recent reviewer - in this area I'd pick Marcellos over this place. It's more homey and less elegant but the flavours are just so much richer and they are much more generous. Pizza e Pazzi should focus more on their flavours and not try so hard in the "We're new and chic" category. Why would we spend $75 for a dinner for two (sans alcohol) when we could spend so much less and get better food elsewhere?
Vegetarian Score: 6.5/10. Not as much choices as in other italian spots for veggies, but you won't walk away hungry.
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