Pizza is the ultimate comfort food. From a rainy stay-at-home Saturday night with a rented DVD to a cold slice in the morning to get you out the door, Cincinnatians love their pizza. Although we are proud of our hometown chain, we are blessed with many independent pizza joints that rank from hole-in-the-wall to gourmet dining. Here are some thoughts on three of our favorites.
ZZ's
For over 15 years, ZZ's has offered a little slice of heaven from a tiny sliver of a building in Walnut Hills. While service can range from instantaneous to as laid-back as a family kitchen, the pizzas never fail to produce pleased palates. Tall ceilings, high tables with stools and a dazzling backdrop of red and white set the stage for a snazzy, narrow setting for a cozy meal with classical music.
We met late on a Monday night as a few patrons began wandering out. We resisted an urge to concoct our own pizza and chose from the 10 regular menu options. The small pizzas (small $7.50, large $14.95) allowed the three of us to swap a piece with each other while indulging in two wedges of our own.
The fresh herbs, especially the basil, were a welcome brightness to my tongue in the Shiitake Mushroom Pizza. Layered with sweetly sautéed onions, pretty slices of mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and chunks of fresh goat cheese over a sourdough crust that was thin and crisp in the center and chewy on the outside.
Our carnivore selected the Cajun Pizza, a spicy mix of small shrimp and Italian sausage covered with tomato sauce, sautéed green peppers, onions, jalapeños (more according to whether you order it mild, hot or extra hot) and sprinkled with Cajun seasonings and a blend of cheeses. The light sauce provided a good base to the lip-numbing combo of seasonings over the tasty sourdough crust.
The Mediterranean Pizza satisfied the cravings of our cadre's vegetarian with a vivid combination of garlic, chopped basil and sundried tomatoes, torn pieces of spinach, toasted pine nuts, bite-sized pieces of artichoke hearts and zingy capers on a tomato sauce coating the slightly sweet whole wheat crust.
Other choices include white (no tomato sauce), seafood, four cheese and southwestern pizzas to tempt virtually all tastes except the major meat maniac. But it's ZZ's great use of fresh herbs and vegetables and great crusts that cause many to keep coming back.
ZZ's Gourmet Pizza, 2401 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills. 513-559-0927
Pizza Nova
West Side Myth #1: There is no place to eat on Cincinnati's West side except for Maury's Tiny Cove and that crappy floating restaurant out in Sayler Park.
Not anymore. Cincinnati's West side just got a little more hip. Earlier this year, native Westsider Gordy Schearer opened a second Pizza Nova location (he opened the first with partners in Anderson Township a few years ago) in the heart of Green Township. Although the name has changed (folks couldn't get the pronunciation or meaning of Pizza Nuova), the gourmet pies still rule.
West Side Myth #2: Westsiders aren't open-minded enough to try anything new.
Opening a gourmet pizza joint on this side of town is no small feat. Keep in mind, most Westsiders were weaned on a more famous family-named chain with West side roots. Plus the predominantly conservative attitude has sent other "adventurous" dining ventures spiraling to a slow death (e.g., El Coyote in Harrison). But the Nova has found a fast and loyal following among families and neighbors seeking great pizza and cold imported beer (one of the best selections in the west).
Specializing in fresh and gourmet ingredients, the pizzas are a far cry from the delivered chain staples. The Mediterranean ($6.99 small; $14.99 medium) is topped with creamy hummus, fresh Roma tomatoes, spinach, kalamata olives and feta cheese. My favorite, Dixie Chicken ($7.99/ $15.99), holds chunks of barbecued chicken, mushrooms, red onions, smoked gouda cheese and freshly snipped basil on a delicious, flavorful but not-too-doughy crust. Folks can also build their own from an endless list of traditional (i.e., pepperoni, ground beef, banana peppers, etc.) and gourmet (i.e., roasted garlic, pesto, toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, etc.) toppings. Salads are not iceberg lettuce, but a fresh spring mix with toasted pine nuts and feta cheese.
West Side Myth #3: Nobody ever leaves the West side. That's why everyone knows everyone over there.
Inside the small dining room are several tables, most of them full on a recent Friday night with a neighbor's family marking a birthday, my old high school teacher drinking a beer with his son, and my brother and his in-laws with their families, celebrating a soccer win. (OK, so this one is not myth.)
If you want to avoid getting caught in a lie about why you couldn't make it to your niece's soccer game, Pizza Nova features carryout and delivery, too.
Pizza Nova, Corner of Cleves Warsaw and Ebenezer roads in Green Township. 513-941-9090.
Pomodori's Pizzeria
Gleaming copper-topped tables, stone floor, brick and stucco walls frame the modern rustic look of the Clifton Heights Pomodori's (or Pomi's, as it's sometimes called). Center is the massive stone oven and pizza station -- the stage for dexterous, dough-tossing employees to simultaneously entertain and spin the yeasty blob into the savory disc that will hold a variety of sauces, vegetables, meats and cheese.
Even though the delicate flavor of wood-fired pizzas are Pomodori's specialty (they feature 20 of these), the rest of the menu is a great selection of pastas, salads and sandwiches, plus traditional, deep-dish and Sicilian pizzas.
Tonight I'm sharing a late Saturday dinner of salad, pizza and pasta with a friend before we hit the dance floor at a club. The Spinach Salad is a favorite, and we decide to split a small one ($4.25, large is $6.95) since we're having substantial entrées. A bowl of fresh spinach leaves, sliced eggs, red onions and fresh mushrooms served with a side of house-made honey mustard dressing is, as always, delicious (note: this salad comes with bacon, which we requested our server to omit).
We chose the Caramelized Onion wood-fired pizza ($7.95) and tonight's special, a Seven-Cheese Ravioli with Pomi's Marinara sauce ($8.95) to share. The pasta is tender and obviously hand-made, tossed in a more pureed version of their marinara sauce. Simple is often best, and this dish exemplifies that with a fresh tasting sauce and tangy blend of cheeses. The pizza, described on the menu as caramelized onions on a fresh garlic and olive oil crust, dotted with gorgonzola and fresh rosemary, arrives with sautéed onions rather than caramelized (onions were white with burnt edges instead of caramel-colored and sweet), and the gorgonzola and rosemary not really dotted, but favoring one side of the pizza. Still rather tasty though and nothing some re-distribution couldn't fix.
One of Pomi's most well-known wood-fired pizzas is the award-winning Apple Pizza with sliced apples, apricot preserves, ricotta and streusel topping. We have some booty-shakin' to do tonight, but thought it would be a good late night coffee and dessert choice on another evening.
Pomodori's Pizzeria, 125 W. McMillan, Clifton Heights, 513-861-0080; also at 7880 Remington Road, Montgomery, 513-794-0080
