445 S 4th Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502.915.8113
website
Amid the many restaurants and nightlife spots you can find in downtown Louisville’s “Fourth Street Live” section, you will spot this higher-scale restaurant specializing in Neopolitan pizzas and Italian kinds. Marketed with an artisan food focus and featuring an ornate bar evoking something from Rome, the pizza spot is part of a larger push to move the well-known downtown nightlife area into the nicer restaurant realm as well. While the bar gives an atmosphere that is definitely different from what can be found nearby, the pizzas can be hit and miss.
A pizza menu offers a number of prime pies with higher quality ingredients. Make no mistake, these are pizzas striving for quality, and the crust definitely is on the bar, with a nice, crisp and flaky edge. Some of the things on the menu I tried:
- Pollo e Carciofo: This pizza is topped with roasted chicken, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, tarragon, and white sauce for a lighter taste. While I like the chicken, artichoke and tomatoes something is missing, which makes it a bit dry. Maybe some balsamic? Or maybe just more white sauce.
- Margherita: Fresh mozzarella, pomodoro, and basil. A classic Italian recipe, this pizza should not be missed; the three ingredients are a perfect combination of flavors, and just a little olive oil doesn’t make you feel it’s too heavy.
- Bambino: Tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, sausage, and hot capicola are the key ingredients for this pizza, which is more generally suited to the Midwestern tastes. I like the lighter hand on the ingredients so you aren’t inundated with a heavy pizza in spite of the strong flavors. Delicious.
- Italian Wedge Salad: A wedge of iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, shaved red onions, pecorino cheese, romano cheese, and crispy pancetta with creamy garlic dressing. Chop it up and you’ve got a salad that is great on the natural flavors of the veggies and doesn’t rely on oily dressing to flavor. Worth a special mention.
- Sgroppino: Grey Goose, lemon sorbet, La Marca Prosecco, chopped mint. One of a few cocktails I tried, gives of a lighter citrus taste and an effervescent taste at the end. Wonderful.
Comfort is the main objective for the bar, with high-top seating, an ample bar and plenty of booths that give a good sense of privacy in a concept that otherwise feels pretty open. The seats are comfortable, and the service isn’t bad at all. During a rush or when there are larger groups there can be a lag time but in all the spot has a generally very good atmosphere. All told, not bad.
Recommendations
- The spot is inside Fourth Street Live, so live music comes along with it.
- The pizzas are good, higher quality ingredients and a flaky wonderful crust.
- Have a cocktail while you’re at it! The menu here is great.
Another Food Critic 