Zavino: Pistachios Are The New “It” Pizza Topping
To celebrate the end of classes, Zavino was just the ticket. Located on a corner along 13th Street in Midtown Village, the wine and pizza bar is the perfect spot to grab a sip after work and chow down on a piping hot pie straight from the oven.
We were very pleased with the wide range of items on the menu. Zavino is the sort of place you can take carb-loving, carnivores, cheese-obsessed, and veg head friends alike. The most pleasant surprise was in the abundance of fresh vegetables–unusual for a place that markets itself as a wine and pizza bar, but very welcome! In addition to the seasonally-changing paper menu, Zavino also has daily changing boards and rotating specials, many of which we had the opportunity to try.
While a wine bar, the cocktail menu is not remiss either. There are a good number of refreshing summer drinks currently on the menu, including rosemary peach sangria (pinot grigio, rosemary simple syrup, peach brand, prosecco) and the rhuby rhuby rhuby (rhuby liqueur grapefruit, honey, prosecco, pink peppercorn).
An intimate setting for an intimate evening.
Tucked away into a corner, Zavino’s is very small. The restaurant fills fairly quickly and the thin aisle makes journeying to the bathroom quite the adventure! Vertically aligned against the windows, all of the tables have wonderful views. There is also plenty of outdoor seating for when the weather permits. Zavino does not take reservations, so be prepared for a long wait if you go during a busy time.
Tasting Board (Speck, Hot Coppa, Prima Donna, Drunken Goat).
The Prima Donna (a sheep’s milk cheese) was a creamy and delicious gouda, not to the point where it felt fatty, but just right and smooth across the tongue. The other cheese was harder with an edible rind, soaked with red wine. We were all fans of the tongue-tingling coppa, with the optimal touch of spice. All three condiments–blackberry port jam, smoked quince jelly, and nutty mustard–were particularly pleasing, perfect for dipping the neatly folded rectangles of pizza dough served on the side or for adding an accent of flavor to the cheese and meats.
Seasonal Vegetable Plate (Cauliflower, Asparagus, Parsnips, Butternut Squash, Fingerling Potatoes, Beets, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Arugula).
This plate of fresh seasonal vegetables was just as delicious as it looks. Any place with rotating vegetable plate has our vote, especially one that incorporates beets, asparagus, and butternut squash into the same dish. We absolutely loved the butternut squash as well as the assortment of flavors and textures in the dish as a whole. We would not recommend venturing to Zavino without one of these bad boys; it’s more than just a good way to help balance all that pizza; it’s a statement.
Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with Rosemary Flatbread.
Whipped until fluffy, the sheep’s milk ricotta got an extra punch from lemon oil and basil that really made the dish refreshing, smooth, and “udderly” delicious.
Eggplant Parmesan with Burrata and Tomato Vodka Sauce.
This was probably one of the favorite dishes of the night. The combination of homemade burrata (all of Zavino’s cheese are made-in-house) with the chunky vodka sauce was perfect. We could have easily gone after the sauce on its own with a spoon. Oops, we did.
Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Smokey Bacon, Sherry Vinaigrette.
And again, another vegetable dish that really came through. Often, when restaurants pair vegetables with bacon they do so as way of cheating, and by the time the chef’s done with prep, the vegetable is more of an avenue for the bacon than the other way around. That is certainly not the case here. The bacon is a true garnish and the sherry vinaigrette brings out the natural earthiness of the brussels.
Black Pepper and Lemon Fettucine (crispy artichokes, crispy speck, roasted corn cream sauce).
If you want to try one of Zavino’s pastas, this is the one that we would recommend. The speck was crunchy, but not to the point of annoyance. Its texture complimented well the smooth cream sauce and the artichokes.
Ravioli (fava bean puree, ricotta, rosemary cream, provolone).
While a tad al dente, the crimped pillows were stuffed plumply. Perhaps muffled by the cream, the flavors didn’t stand out as much on this plate as they did in other dishes.
Shrimp Bruschetta (sourdough toast, spicy tomato sauce).
This dish was a real treat. The spicy tomato sauce was spicier than expected, but delicious. The sauce soaked through the bed, causing the bread to contain a variety of tasty spices (though it became soggy a bit too quickly). The jumbo sized shrimp along with the oozy sauce also prevented this dish from being eaten with our hands, a technique that we generally use (okay, it’s probably not very proper) when munching on bruschetta!
Bustling with activity, the friendly staff whip up a dish in the oven.
On top, the ‘Stache (whole wheat crust, pistachio pesto, mozzarella, parmesan, lemon vinaigrette, baby arugula). On bottom, the Polpettini (ricotta stuffed veal meatballs, mozzarella, crushed tomato, basil, shaved provolone).
The menu proudly mentions that “they’re working with 850 + degrees to assure our oven keeps your crusts crunchy and your cheese melted. During this process, the outer rim of the pizza tends to char. The color on your crust is your guarantee against soggy middles and lukewarm pies. View your char as our promise.” And did Zavino keep their promise.
The ‘Stache was, by far, the favorite dish of the night. Chelsea is quick to admit that as a New Yorker, she’s a bit of a snob about pizza, and she’s always hesitant to try pizza in Philadelphia, let alone one made with whole wheat crust. Never again will she bark such words. The whole wheat crust was thin, nutty, and subtly sweet. The pistachio pesto was everything we wanted it to be and more. We might just have to be over basil-based pesto for a bit. The mozzarella and parmesan on top brought it all home. Add the bit of arugulu and some damn good olive oil, and we scraped every last bit of this. Apparently Zavino has shirts honoring “The ‘Stache,” and we certainly understand why.
If you’re not quite ready to make the leap to eating pistachios on your pizza, the Polpettini might be the right pizza for you! The pizza is layered with mozzarella cheese, crushed tomato, basil, and shaved provolone, all fairly traditional pizza toppings. Here’s the twist: instead of plopping conventional meatballs on top; Zavino delicately places small, ricotta stuffed veal meatballs. The ricotta stuffing made them extra tender, and although we were quite full by the end, we couldn’t help but pick almost every last meatball away from its slice.
Tiramisu.
We ended our meal with jars of smooth, creamy, and flavorful tiramisu. If we only hadn’t consumed so much food before, we probably would have scarfed down the tiramisu within a few seconds!
Overall, we had a wonderful time at Zavino. Flavorful, healthy, and innovative, their food is something to take pride in. The lively, yet also intimate, atmosphere makes Zavino great for any type of outing: whether it be a fun night with friends, an intimate date, or a place to take out of town family and friends. We can’t wait for Zavino to open their new location in University City in the fall!
Zavino is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-11:00pm; Friday-Saturday 11:30am-1:00am, and Sunday 12:00pm-10:00pm. It is located on 112 S. 13th Street. No Reservations.
— Chelsea Goldinger, Katie Behrman, and Nicole Woon