Morris East, a new eatery in the downtown, was recommended to me by Jane of jane's on the common. "Have you been to Jennie's place yet?" she asked, "it has great pizza and a smart wine list, like ours." Jennie is Jennie Dobbs, a former server at jane's, now new restaurateur.
Needing no more encouragement, if that much, we soon found ourselves sitting in this Pizzeria just above Barrington on the south side of Morris. A lime green sign tastefully shows the way.
L had the pineapple bacon version and I went with the spicey sausage, with cured meat made at Ketch Harbour House (see earlier entry!).
I chose a glass of the Torrontes, from Sommelier Jamey Urquhart's "smart list". It held up very well to the spice, with the residual sweetness and body allowing the spice from the pepperoni to show but not burn.
The place is well situated in a growing eating area in the city. Lots of students, and what I felt to be the right balance of cool and comfort in the decor.... Oh, yes, the decor.
What can I say? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery? The room felt a bit strange to me - sort of like it was done by the same designer who did jane's on the common, but with too many of the same features and principles being applied to attribute to a reputable designer - too much recycling and repetition to be the work of Breakhouse Design. So it felt like a good copy of someone else's work to me.
Turns out it is. John Dobbs, father of the owner/partner, is a noted local architect. I can pretty well guarantee that he looked at jane's a few times while designing this place.
But it works, and let's face it, not many patrons are as design obsessed as me.
The food was really very good, with the pizza immediately gaining status in my books as the equal of Salvatore's and Tomasino's. My one beef was that there was flour on the crust bottom - too much flour, and not enough olive oil. But that will solve itself I suspect.
And the wine list IS smart. Without the quotes.
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