Recently opened on happening Edgewood Avenue, Pizzeria Vesuvius has already generated quite a buzz. That’s no mean feat given the fierce competition in the pizza business these days.
Chef and managing partner Richard Silvey – a veteran of a multitude of Atlanta restaurants, including Sotto Sotto, Fritti and Agave – thinks the secret to the restaurant’s early success is being serious about the way he makes his pizzas, but not too serious.
That translates to wood-fired, crispy-crust pies with loads of playful toppings, such as the signature Vesuvius, a spicy Buffalo-style melange of smoked chicken, blue cheese, jalapeno peppers, celery and wing sauce.
“I guess you could say we’re doing a modern American pizzeria with Italian values,” Silvey said in a phone interview. “We’re trying to create our own little niche by doing something creative and fun.”
Pizzeria beer hall
Silvey’s partners include Matt Ruppert of Noni’s, Lou Locricchio of Thumbs Up Diner, and Eric Kaiser of Grant Central Pizza — a sort of who’s who of intown dining entrepreneurs.
Together they scaled down the sprawling storefront space that was briefly home to The Bureau. But except for the flaming brick oven in the front corner, the spare makeover gives few clues that you’re in a pizzeria. In fact, with its rambling bar and long communal table, the place more resembles a beer hall.
Authentic and offbeat
Silvey traveled to Milan to attend pizza school when he worked at Fritti, where he manned the oven for several years before moving on to Agave. That experience shows at Vesuvius in crust that has a nicely fermented flavor and is cooked with an authentic blistered char.
On the list of house pizzas, San Marzano, a light, savory take on the traditional Margherita, and the Alpine white, with ricotta and goat cheese, are about as simple as it gets.
More offbeat combos range from Big Southern Butte, with seasoned ground beef, applewood-smoked bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, onion and fresh tomato sauce, to Fuji, with roast pork, hoisin sauce, caramelized onions, chile flakes and scallions. But so far, the most popular is the Mazama, a veggie mix of mushroom, spinach, roasted garlic and onion, with feta and mozzarella cheeses.
Big bargains
Besides pizza and giant calzones, the current menu is limited to a few salads, hummus and chicken minestrone soup. But Silvey has plans to add sandwiches and a few specials soon.
The weekday $6 lunch special is a small two-topping pizza and a drink. Sunday nights after 6 p.m., the really big bargain is the $12 all-you-can-eat pizza and salad dinner special. It’s a perfect way to sample one of Silvey’s current experiments, like caramelized onions, blue cheese, Granny Smith apples and bacon.
Dining out
Pizzeria Vesuvius, 327 Edgewood Ave. 404-343-4404
Signature dish: Wood-fired pizza
Entree prices: $4.50-$16
Hours: 11:30 a.m. -midnight Tuesdays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Fridays; 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturdays; 5 p.m.-midnight Sundays
Reservations: For large parties
Credit cards: Yes
Online: pizzeriavesuvius.com
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