Ovest

513 West 27th Street

(between 10th and 11th Avenues)

Continuing my love of trying out brick-oven pizza places that offers Neapolitan thin-crust pizzas, I went to Ovest. Situated in an off-the-beaten path block in the Highline, the restaurant has a comfortable and cozy environment, with a very cool-looking wine rack.

The walls are also decorated with white masks from the interactive play Sleep No More, which is staged across the street from the restaurant. It’s odd to see how gentrified the neighborhood has become, as I recall the days where the old warehouse buildings were the homes of decadent discotheques.

 

 

As it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we chose to sit on one of the tabletops, facing out to the street where we could people watch. As we knew we were going to order pizza, we went for a bottle of the Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo 2012. If I see that a Primitivo (the Italian version of Zinfandel) is offered on the menu, I am naturally inclined to order it as it’s a red that’s not too heavy, and the finish is wonderfully smooth.

Best of all, it’s the perfect pairing for meaty pizzas!

We went for two individual-sized (or small) pizzas. We, of course, had to order the restaurant’s signature Ovest pizza: containing mozzarella, tomato sauce, spicy salame, ricotta, and black pepper. Very good, but thought there was a bit too much ricotta.

As we wanted some greens or vegetables to offset the spicy meats, we ordered the Arugola pizza topped with mozzarella, tomato sauce, and prosciutto. LOVED it. Must be a fan of arugola to enjoy. And I am a fan!

Pros:

Good thin-crust pizza.

Affordable pricing!

Offers a leisurely and unhurried atmosphere.

Cons:

Though our server was pleasant, wish he were a bit more knowledgeable or helpful with food suggestions. I was surprised that he didn’t mention any of their specials, I only noticed that there were brunch specials when I was leaving and finally noticed their blackboard advertising them!

Final Thoughts

Will return as the pricing is right, and I want to try out some of their pasta options.