Thirteen Pies
2 of 4 stars
Food: upscale pizza and pasta with interesting toppings
Service: frustrating and detached
Best dishes: Spotted Trotter guanciale and farm egg pizza, baked goat cheese
Vegetarian selections: a few salads and multiple pies
Price range: $$-$$$
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays
Children: OK if they are well behaved, but not ideal for children
Parking: valet or self-parking at Buckhead Atlanta, and limited street parking
Reservations: yes
Wheelchair access: yes
Smoking: no
Noise level: moderate to loud
Patio: yes
Takeout: yes
Address, phone: 250 Buckhead Ave., Suite 317, Atlanta. 678-791-1313
Website: thirteenpies.com
SAME CUISINE, MORE OPTIONS
Hearth Pizza Tavern — Sandy Springs
This Americanized take on Neapolitan pizza is a nice change of pace from some of the more traditional pies in town, thanks to unique topping combinations and regularly rotating specials. Where else in town can you order a Chorizo Sunrise pizza topped with Mexican crema, chorizo sausage, cilantro, salsa and broken egg yolk? 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 5992 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. 404-252-5378. hearthpizzatavern.com. $-$$
Antico Pizza Napoletana
Antico has become the gold standard against which other Neapolitan pies in town are judged, and they consistently turn out some of the best pizzas in the Southeast. Regardless of the night of the week, you may have trouble finding a seat in the dining room-kitchen. But, if you do, make sure to try the spicy Diavola pizza, topped with sopressata, bufala and peppers. 11:30 a.m. until when the dough runs out, Mondays-Saturdays. 1093 Hemphill Ave., Atlanta. 404-724-2333. littleitalia.com. $-$$
Alpine Bakery & Trattoria — Alpharetta
Started as a small bakery and take-out pizza shop, Alpine Bakery & Trattoria in Alpharetta's Crabapple district evolved into a full-service destination for Italian cuisine. Though the New York-style pizza and stromboli remain staples on the expanded menu, an order of crab carbanara or hand-rolled gnocchi will showcase the kitchen's real talents. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, noon-9 p.m. Sundays. 12315 Crabapple Road, Alpharetta. 770-410-9883. alpinebakeryandtrattoria.com. $$
SAME CUISINE, MORE OPTIONS
Hearth Pizza Tavern — Sandy Springs
This Americanized take on Neapolitan pizza is a nice change of pace from some of the more traditional pies in town, thanks to unique topping combinations and regularly rotating specials. Where else in town can you order a Chorizo Sunrise pizza topped with Mexican crema, chorizo sausage, cilantro, salsa and broken egg yolk? 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 5992 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. 404-252-5378. hearthpizzatavern.com. $-$$
Antico Pizza Napoletana
Antico has become the gold standard against which other Neapolitan pies in town are judged, and they consistently turn out some of the best pizzas in the Southeast. Regardless of the night of the week, you may have trouble finding a seat in the dining room-kitchen. But, if you do, make sure to try the spicy Diavola pizza, topped with sopressata, bufala and peppers. 11:30 a.m. until when the dough runs out, Mondays-Saturdays. 1093 Hemphill Ave., Atlanta. 404-724-2333. littleitalia.com. $-$$
Alpine Bakery & Trattoria — Alpharetta
Started as a small bakery and take-out pizza shop, Alpine Bakery & Trattoria in Alpharetta's Crabapple district evolved into a full-service destination for Italian cuisine. Though the New York-style pizza and stromboli remain staples on the expanded menu, an order of crab carbanara or hand-rolled gnocchi will showcase the kitchen's real talents. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, noon-9 p.m. Sundays. 12315 Crabapple Road, Alpharetta. 770-410-9883. alpinebakeryandtrattoria.com. $$
Thirteen Pies
250 Buckhead Ave., Suite 317, Atlanta. 678-791-1313
2 of 4 stars
After years of limbo, Buckhead Atlanta, the mixed-use “Rodeo Drive of Atlanta” in the works for the better part of a decade, finally has opened. Among the earliest tenants is a new contender on the competitive pizza scene.
An extension of Dallas-based Consilient restaurants, Thirteen Pies looks to provide a pizzeria dining experience befitting its new upscale neighbors. Unlike so many Neapolitan pizzeria clones cropping up all over town, Thirteen Pies offers premium ingredients in eye-catching combinations, sourcing heavily from local purveyors like Spotted Trotter. The menu features 12 regular pizzas, with the 13th spot reserved for a regularly changing special pie, left to the whim of Executive Chef Mark Daverio.
The design is by Molly Miller and the architect was Pleskow Architects of Los Angeles. The resulting modern, rustic space feels warm and cozy while creating a more upscale atmosphere than most pizzerias. A seat at the wood-topped bar gives a great view into the busy open kitchen featuring a pair of massive wood-burning brick ovens and drying racks draped with fresh house-made pasta.
If you come to Thirteen Pies expecting to find another Antico knockoff, you will be pleasantly surprised or disappointed to discover that the restaurants have little in common. The 13 pizzas come on one of my favorite crusts in town — thin, yet chewy in the middle, surrounded by a light, buttery and almost comically puffed up cornice. The crust holds up well against the toppings, and between all of the pies I sampled, I did not come across a single piece that suffered from the dreaded sauce-soaked collapse.
Thirteen Pies really shines in the quality and range of toppings, offering some unique pies you won’t find elsewhere. On my first visit, I couldn’t resist trying the 13th pie of the day — duck confit with fig mostarda, goat and fontina cheeses, onion, thyme and frisee ($17). The sweetness of the mostarda — a jam-like Italian condiment made of candied figs and mustard — paired beautifully with the richness of the tender duck confit. If they are holding tryouts to earn a permanent spot on the roster, this pie certainly should be a contender.
I was equally impressed with my Spotted Trotter guanciale and farm egg pizza ($16), beautifully presented with an over-easy egg centered on the pie. Our server ceremoniously broke the egg and spread it around the pie, coating the gruyere, roasted onion and slices of crisped pork jowls in rich, buttery, runny yolk. I tried to tell myself the reason I finished the pizza, despite already being full, was because it wouldn’t keep well and I didn’t want to waste it. But I knew better — it was just that good.
Thirteen Pies also sets itself apart with its surprising selection of nonpizza dishes. While I enjoyed the grass-fed beef meatball appetizer ($12), particularly the tomato sauce they arrived swimming in, it is the baked goat cheese ($12) that I’m sure I will order on every visit here. The creamy, almost gooey goat cheese with oven-dried tomato and olives makes a perfect starter to share around the table.
You can tell the egg noodles in the Bolognese ($15) are fresh, and this comforting bowl of pasta is a nice change of pace for those who want to go with something other than pizza. The Bolognese sauce, while satisfying, could have used a little more spice, but I still would order this again.
While there are many things that Thirteen Pies does well, I find it frustrating to see the service fall so short. The problems seem to be systemic — regardless of which server we have or how busy the restaurant is, there is a lackadaisical attitude consistent throughout.
There were no incidents of egregious negligence, but every task was done at the bare minimum. Water glasses stayed empty far too long, emptied plates cluttered the table, and more than one dish clearly sat at the kitchen window losing heat for longer than the cooks would have liked.
While I usually overlook such shortcomings when I can see the staff is overwhelmed, being one of five tables on a late weeknight and watching our server socializing instead of running the check made it all the more infuriating.
Thirteen Pies is a welcome addition to the Atlanta pizza scene. I predict it will continue to be quite successful, especially in the ritzy surroundings of Buckhead Atlanta, and as soon as management gets the servers performing at the same level as the kitchen, Thirteen Pies should really take off.
Luckily, the pizza is good enough to keep bringing me back, even if I have to wait a little longer for it than I would like.
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