Comments on: Zucca Pizza Now Open

By: Beergeek313

Beergeek313 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:24:07 +0000

It would be nice if Decatur restaurants could be consistent or at least give out the correct information. Ted’s can’t seem to give me the right “deal” menu and now Zucca’s staff can’t even give me a straight answer on when they have slices. Stopped in yesterday afternoon when the place was dead. Asked before I was seated if they were serving slices and was told by the host- yes. Ordered a couple of slices at the bar and was told that slices weren’t available but he would check because sometime they are and sometimes they aren’t- depends on what the kitchen has available. Not like they could tell me an actual time on when they would have slices for future planning.

And, the beer list…..come on…..have you not checked your competition. There’s no way that I’m going to pay upwards of $4.50 for a 12 OUNCE draft. They may not be able to compete penny for penny with Brickstore but I’d expect it to be competitive to get people in the door.

By: lumpintheroad

lumpintheroad — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:34:19 +0000

Those of you insisting that there is no worthy NY-style pie in Atlanta: Have you tried Bella’s up in Smyrna? That is the best slice I’ve had in this town (and I’m including Zucca, which we sampled this evening, in that estimation). Thankfully, my parents are building a house within walking distance.

That said, we did enjoy our meal at Zucca. We shared the fried risotto balls (I believe the proper Italian name for these is arancini), which were good, but needed a bit of salt. Came with a large cup of their marinara for dipping purposes, and it was EXCELLENT. Mrs. had the personal-size Victory Pie, which was quite tasty. I usually don’t like the super thin crust, but here it worked. And the toppings were delish. I had the chicken and spinach cannelini, which were good, but don’t know that I’d order them again.

Service was passable, but you can tell they’re still working out the kinks. And if the TV in the booth really bothers you that much, there is an off button. In any case, it’s a pizza joint/bar, not fine dining. I could definitely see spending some time here when there’s a big sporting event on. Also will be great to have it available in the wee hours when everything else is closed.

By: Carl

Carl — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:03:39 +0000

I did have some excellent cheese grits in NYC last month; they were just called polenta.

By: Tarnation

Tarnation — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:48:51 +0000

Guess it is like trying to get good fried chicken, field peas or cornbread up north. Its a regional thang.

By: altmod

altmod — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:24:05 +0000

I have never had a good bagel in Atlanta. . . . New York or southern New York (South Florida) are the only places!

By: Carl

Carl — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:41:32 +0000

In the south, we love to undercook pizza and overcook vegetables.

By: Freakanomic

Freakanomic — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:33:03 +0000

It’s not the water in New York that makes the pizza good. It’s the technique and ingredients. Most NY pizzarias proof (let it rise) over 24 hrs. Dough that is made today is served tomorrow or the next day. Many pizza places in Atlanta or elsewhere don’t do that. The other big difference is in the cooking temperatures. In NY it is not uncommon for a pizzaria to cook at 800-1000 Fahrenheit. Most pizza ovens here are set to 500-600 F. At higher temperatures, the crust gets crispy without drying out the interior of the crust. They just know how to make a good pizza up there. Ask any pizza joint in Atlanta what their cook temp is and they will tell you 550 F. Most pizza served in the South is just undercooked, unproofed dough….chewy and gross. Can I get a witness? Zucca was alright. I tried a plain cheese pizza as any good New Yorker would and it got a B- in my book. I did like the tomato sauce though.

By: Decatur Metro

Decatur Metro — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:02:48 +0000

I wonder if instead of water it actually has to do with how different cities smell.

If you took a Zucca pizza up to NYC would it taste more authentic?