My culinary exploration of New York city took me this week to Chelsea, a neighborhood nestled between Greenwich Village and the Meat-Packing District to the south and Hell's Kitchen to the north. Historically home to artists both rising and falling, Chelsea is an eclectic area now experiencing some of the general upsurge that seems to be occurring citywide. In fact, today's New York Times says that a couple of new buildings going up in the area are going to house condos that will sell for well over $1 million each. Ouch.
Our destination was a medium-sized casual restaurant at the corner of 24th Street and Ninth Avenue, called Company, or "Co." to those more familiar. Known for pizzas, the pies here are not New York, Chicago or any other familiar style. The crusts have a slight sourdough flavor and a great balance of crispness on the bottom and a just-right sponginess once you bite into it.
The choices range from the leafy Popeye (spinach, gruyere, Pecorino, and mozzarella) to the Meatball (tomato, veal meatballs, caramelized onions, olives, Pecorino.) The simple Rosa has bright tomato sauce coating the crust, dotted with slices of fresh garlic and spiced with a little red chili and fresh oregano. The Leek & Sausage is more complex, with chili flakes, sausage pieces, leek and cheese cushioned with a layer of bechamel sauce that created a surprisingly light background flavor.
Each pizza has four generous slices - two slices a person seems like a decent portion. (My friends and I went ahead with a more encompassing sampling, each of us tasting six different pies - and none was leftover. We were doing research, after all.)
Of the pizzas we tried, my favorite was the vegetarian Popeye, though the Leek & Sausage was interesting, flavorful, and maybe a little quirky - in a good way.
Co. has six craft beers on tap and a modest but well rounded wine list. Interestingly, the wine list includes only wines with screw-tops - no corks. The cheerful server, Brenna, had great descriptions of each of the beers and was able to guide us skillfully through both the beverage and comestibles parts of our meal.
Dinner for two with a round of wine or beer runs between around $30-$50, depending on your selections.
Co. is located at 230 9th Ave; New York, NY 10001; www.co-pane.com or (212) 243-1105.
This item is cross-posted from Doug's other blog, http://wineandfoodworld.com.
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