New Orleans and pizza are not necessarily words that come together in conversation very often. Certainly, not as often as they should.
Defining and critiquing pizza in New Orleans can be complicated, as there isn’t really a significant amount of subject to discuss. New Orleans food priorities are, understandably, not focused on pizza.
New Orleans is one of the world’s great food cities. The Big Easy is famous for it’s local, New Orleans-style cuisine, a perfect blend of French, Cajun and Creole food. In recent years, the city’s restaurant scene has expanded to include a more diverse menu. Soul food is no longer a popular type of food; it is now mainstream, going upscale, with outrageously expensive Southern fried chicken present on menus. Asian food and Asian fusion is all the rage. And a host of other foods line the streets of New Orleans.
What the city boasts in local specialties and cutting-edge fusion fare, it lacks in pizza. As a whole, New Orleans pizza is largely absent among the city’s top dining options. Fortunately, there are a few bright spots in the sea of mundane pizza in New Orleans.
One such place is Pizza Domenica.
Pizza Domenica is located in Uptown New Orleans, on the popular, busy and trendy Magazine Street. Pizza Domenica is a spinoff of the popular Downtown NOLA Italian restaurant, Domenica. The specialty on Magazine Street is creating great pizza with high quality ingredients and a local flare.
The Restaurant
Pizza Domenica is a nice place, but not fancy – it’s comfortable. As one of the few high quality pizza joints in New Orleans, it stays fairly busy even on weeknights. The atmosphere is nothing spectacular, lacking the charm and culture that draws so many people to New Orleans. But the setting has the right idea. The lights are dim – a must for pizza restaurants – and it looks cool. In a city where everything feels old, worn and seasoned, Pizza Domenica’s dining room isn’t quite there. Perhaps, hopefully, the thin layers of trendy and yuppie will fade over time.
But that’s not why you come to Pizza Domenica. You come for the awesome pizza.
The restaurant has an open layout where you can see the craftsmen at work in the kitchen, next to their (according to the website) custom-made Italian oven.
Prime locations on Magazine Street often lend a hand to expensive, overpriced products. Just pop in one of the boutique stores or furniture stores and this is very clear. However, for the quality of the pie and the perfect location, and in spite of rising food costs gloablly, prices at Pizza Domenica are more than fair. Louisiana – and much of the American South – is not rushing to jump on board the expensive pizza train, and cheap chains still reign supreme. New Orleans is changing faster, though, and the future of the pizza game in the Crescent City has potential.
Where to Start
New Orleans is a cocktail-lovers dream. The city is the birthplace of the Sazerac, the Hurricane and the Vieux Carre (my personal favorite), among others. And while cocktails are not the first thing that comes to mind when deciding what to pair with a pizza, Pizza Domenica has a small list of dangerously good craft cocktails.
If cocktails aren’t your thing, there are plenty of local beers on tap and several selections of good wine, as well.
Garlic knots are on menus at pizza restaurants across the world, including New Orleans. After a few days of inquiring with friends about pizza in New Orleans, the garlic knots at Pizza Domenica continued to come up in conversation. More than any specific restaurant. Normally, something like garlic knots is not worth any special mention. These knots are an exception. Order the garlic knots. They’re savory, fluffy, garlic perfection.
New Orleans Pizza
New Orleans-style pizza is not a thing yet, not in the sense that New York City, Chicago, Detroit and California have styles of pizza that are associated with the places themselves. If New Orleans is to cultivate a unique style of pizza, Pizza Domenica is great model.
The charbroiled oyster (Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Bienville) is a staple of New Orleans food. Even those who dislike oysters often find themselves shoveling down these delicacies by the plate full. Oysters on a pizza does not sound like an appetizing topping for most people looking for a good pie. And I have to admit, I was not keen on the idea, myself.
Pizza Domenica’s charbroiled oyster pizza is a gamechanger. It is essentially an Oysters Rockefeller pizza, and the minds at Pizza Domenica have managed to take two incredible foods that should not mix – pizza and charbroiled oysters – and make a damn good, unforgettable pizza. This is what a New Orleans pizza should be.
Aside from the perfection of the charbroiled oyster pizza, the Pizza Domenica menu has several other tasty options. The calabrese offers eaters a typical salami and peppers option. The mushroom is a good choice for fungus-lovers, and the tutto carne is a great pick for carnivorous pizza fiends.
The gorgonzola pizza is another pie I was hesitant to order. Gorgonzola, great. Prosciutto, duh. Honey on a pizza, sure. But apples on a pizza, this doesn’t sound right. Again, I was wrong. The gorgonzola was my absolute favorite pie at Pizza Domenica. This pizza also ranks as one of my favorite things eaten in New Orleans, although, honestly, that’s quite a long list.
In a city with all of the right things happening when it comes to food, pizza should be a natural foray for aspiring chefs. Pizza is on menus in every corner of the world. While it may be most famous in Italy, New York City or Chicago, in the 21st century, pizza is a global food.
The pizza market in New Orleans sits largely untapped. The possibilities are endless, when considering the number of talented chefs on hand. In the meantime, Pizza Domenica should serve as the model for future pizza ventures in New Orleans.
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