Milton’s 850°F Barpizza re-creating backyard pizza party

Service: in need of training

Best dishes: Margherita and Parma pizzas, Amatriciana pasta

Vegetarian selections: salads and pizzas

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Price range: $$

Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays

Children: fine

Parking: shared lot

Reservations: no

Wheelchair access: yes

Smoking: no

Noise level: moderate to high inside

Patio: yes, a lovely one

Takeout: yes, but must order in person due to the nature of the pizzas

Address, phone: 12635 Crabapple Road, Milton. 678-585-4628.

Website: www.850fbarpizza.com

MORE OPTIONS FOR THIS TYPE OF CUISINE

Antico

This popular pizza palace near Georgia Tech has nearly reached cult status. Droves of people wait in line out the door to score a table for some of the Neapolitan gold that comes out of the wood-burning ovens. Grab a San Gennaro pizza, made with sausage, sweet red peppers, bufala mozzarella and cipollini onions. If you have a choice (and you probably won't), sit near the "kitchen" area to watch the organized chaos of the pizzaioli assembly line. 11:30 a.m.-close Mondays-Saturdays. 1093 Hemphill Ave., Atlanta. 404-724-2333, www.littleitalia.com. $$.

Double Zero Napoletana

Double Zero, a contemporary southern Italian restaurant, serves Neapolitan pizzas, fresh pastas, seafood and a variety of antipasti. The pizzas are made with a yeast starter brought in from Naples, 00 Italian flour and DOP San Marzano tomatoes. Other menu items include options like the short rib crespelle pasta and lobster pappardelle. 5-9 p.m. Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-11 p.m. Fridays, 5-11 p.m. Saturdays. 5825 Roswell Road NE, Sandy Springs. 404-991-3666, www.doublezeroatl.com. $$$-$$$$.

Fritti

Fritti's Neapolitan pizzas, made with 00 Caputo flour in a wood-burning oven, are also certified by VPN. Their pies are served Italian-style, which means they come whole, not sliced. They come in a range of interesting flavors like the Ananas e Gorgonzola, with pineapple, aged balsamic, mozzarella and Gorgonzola. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays, 12:30-10 p.m. Sundays. 309 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-880-9559, www.urestaurants.com. $$-$$$.

It all started at a party.

Imagine being at a backyard pizza party under the stars where the host makes dozens upon dozens of quick-fired, hand-tossed pizzas in his own outdoor wood-burning oven. Sounds glorious, right? That’s an experience you would want to re-create.

And that’s exactly what Glenn Griffiths and Nick Manocchio did when they opened 850°F Barpizza in Milton. Here they welcome you to a replica of their backyard Neapolitan-style pizza soiree. Pies topped with San Marzano tomatoes and bufala mozzarella on a lightly flame-kissed crust circulate through the crowds that have already found this party. Belly-filling spaghettis, like the pizzas, are satisfying enough, if not the best specimens you’ve ever had. But if you can ever get your server to bring you a beverage, you’ll just enjoy a night on the patio with friends and munchies.

Originally planned for a West Midtown space, 850°F Barpizza moved closer to Milton after zoning and parking issues made the original location a no-go. Griffiths and Manocchio found a great spot complete with a large patio that they renovated, installing misters and fans as well as heaters to make it comfortable year-round. Now you can have that pizza party under the stars six nights a week.

In an attempt to re-create that backyard experience, the owners made a space that’s both light and airy and interactive. Large windows open to bar seating on the patio, making the bar a full circle. Here you can order from a small selection of craft beers like the Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro ($5) or the 850°F brew ($4), which is Genesee light lager rebranded. The bar also caters to those who like their old-school sweet martinis with a list including the lemon drop ($8) and Dutch chocolate ($9). Just don’t look for recommendations from the servers, as they don’t seem well versed in the beverage menu.

The interactive seating extends inside, where you can sit at one of the two communal tables or at the bar overlooking the kitchen. There you’ll have a front-row seat to watch the flurry of activity by employees in “respect the craft” shirts. Watch doughy pizzas slide into the oven amongst the flames and return bubbled and very lightly browned.

Find the shirt that says “respect the chef” and you’ve found Stefano Rea, the head pizzaiolo. This Naples-born chef brings recipes from his father’s restaurant in Italy. He’s shared them with the likes of Cibo e Beve in Sandy Springs and more recently with Campania in very nearby Alpharetta. Judging from the wait times at both 850°F Barpizza and Campania, there’s room for both spots.

The pizzas, consistent but without that deliciously wet and sloppy center of many Neapolitan-style pies, are made with many imported Italian ingredients including 00 flour. Get a traditional D.O.C. Margherita ($9) with oval splotches of baked bufala mozzarella and crispy basil, more charred than the crust. Or go with the Spacca Napoli ($13), another red saucer, loaded with fennel sausage crumbles, spicy peppadew peppers and golden caramelized onions. You just might have to fold this one to get it cleanly to your pie hole.

I’d also recommend the Parma ($14), a salad-pizza combo of sorts. Creamy fior di latte and long slices of salty prosciutto di Parma line the crust under a heap of lemon and oil-splashed arugula. You can order the salad ($8) alone, but why would you? With the Parma, you’ve got the best of both worlds.

When Rea joined the 850°F Barpizza team, he expanded the menu to include heaping bowls of the al dente spaghetti to tempt your comfort carb indulgences. Take your pasta with powdery pecorino and cracked black pepper (Cacio e Pepe, $9). Or, go heartier with the Amatriciana ($13). Here the pecorino-laced spaghetti comes draped in a San Marzano tomato sauce with irregular rectangles of salty pancetta.

I’m told that once in a while the kitchen makes fresh tagliatelle and runs it as a special. But those specials seem to be elusive as none were offered on my visits. Rea also said that he’ll occasionally offer his signature black pizza made with squid ink and topped with a seafood medley. Now, that sounds promising. Maybe next time.

We were, however, offered a Nutella gelato ($4.50) special. The youngsters among us loved it. I preferred cracking open the cinnamon-scented Cannoli Siciliani ($3.50) filled with a creamy, smooth ricotta and tiny chocolate chips. A bite or two of that plus a cortado (espresso with a dab of milk, $2.50) makes for the perfect parting gift.

Generally, I’d be wary of restaurants borne of cocktail conversations. But 850°F Barpizza gives us just the kind of backyard party we crave.