PIZZA J
P izza J is a beer hall that decided pizza was the perfect food to complement its copious beverage list . Like its sibling restaurant , Julian ’ s , it ’ s full of quirk and spunk and wholly believes that life is better with a buzz . This is all obvious from the descending disco ball , the occasional He-Man figurines , and the creeping Creature from the Black Lagoon that hangs out in the entryway , daring you to treat adulthood as if it ’ s fun .
Even the takeout menu lists booze alongside food to set the mood ; it ’ s stacked with beers that identify themselves as dank , dense , funky and having horse blanket notes . ( That ’ s a $ 25 Oude Beersel oude Geuze , for the record .) But if the liquor list reflects Pizza J ’ s eccentric side , the menu is its straight man . The most domineering flavor is garlic , which covers fries and pizza and infuses aioli , and is a pretty good indication of the restaurant ’ s self-confidence . (“ If I reek like garlic ,” it smirks , “ that ’ s your problem .”)
There are plenty of aggressive add-ons : smoked wings in whiskey-cola sauce ($ 10 ), a fried chicken sandwich with a haystack of ranchy slaw . But the garlic fries ($ 8 ) are the anchor , tossed in parmesan , doubledoused in garlic aioli and painfully hard to put down . All of which makes the somewhat delicate pizza a surprise . The brick oven crust is chewy and charred but the interior is so light that downing an entire pie seems like a legitimate approach . The kitchen is particularly good at tossing on little things that bite big : scallions , black pepper , handfuls of herbs and — naturally — heaps of garlic . In anything-but-pandemic times , Pizza J also caters to the vegan crowd in an overt way . Seitan wings are a staple , and , when sit-down dining is an option , so is the wall of pinball machines . Another bonus ? Pizza J has one of the best soundtracks in town . Pizza J , 967 Westminster St ., Providence , 632-0555 , pizzajprovidence . com . Must get : Rita ( fresh mozzarella , basil , garlic , red sauce ), wings , garlic fries , beer . A lot of beer . Takeout , delivery and dining-in options vary ; call for details .
POMODORO
P omodoro brings maternal instinct to the pizza game , eschewing technology and shock value for a traditional take on old school Italy . Orders are placed by phone , forcing every customer into speaking to a live person — an unfamiliar endeavor by today ’ s standards . Owners Tina and Michael Micheletti run a family business and have built everything to feel that way : Order once and they ’ ll know you by name . The space itself is intimate by any standard . When indoor dining is available , just a handful of seats are split between tables . But anyone who grew up in an Italian home knows that affection isn ’ t contingent on surroundings ; it emanates from food .
Pomodoro pizza has a homemade chew to it , somewhere in between blackened Neapolitan and a chewy New York City pie . It ’ s a cheesy version that recognizes the American perspective ( shredded mozza-
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