stuzzi

First order of business: an announcement. Rhubarb compote is back at Bouchon! Yep. The BEST dessert in RVa is back. Why a blurb about Bouchon in a post about Stuzzi? Because we wound up there Friday night after an attempt to dine at Stuzzi. Here's how it went down - We were right on time for our 7 pm reservation (which I made a full 5 minutes after the invitation arrived in my inbox) and were told that there was a 1.25 hour wait for a table because they were overbooked. I made hubs leave work early and had really nagged him to get home so we could be on time, so I felt really guilty. And then irritated. What is the point of a reservation if you are going to have to stand on line for a table? Overbooking reservations may get your restaurant full, but it does not make people who took time to make a reservation AND nagged their spouse to make the reservation on time happy. They should have had a first come, first serve policy- the guest list was limited anyway. There is nary a restaurant in this city for which I would wait 1.25 hours for a table, but when I also have a confirmed reservation? fuhgeddaboudit.
Anyway, we left - but not before I noticed that it was a bit warm inside. Fast forward to Saturday. We walked in about 3 minutes after the 5:30 opening and most tables were already full. So, we stood at the door for a bit while 3 employees talked behind the bar and made no attempt to seat us or anyone else that walked in. Again, I noticed that it was warm inside. We were (eventually) seated, walking right past the wood fired oven (thus the heat) and told that the meal was on the house. Don't y'all worry, though - I do not have any conflict of interest -  My good opinion can not be bought. Five minutes after we were seated, I started to glisten (Southern ladies don't sweat, y'all!). The menu was an abbreviated version and featured the Neapolitan D.O.C. Margherita pizza with its requisite San Marzano tomato sauce, house-made mozzarella and basil baked in a wood-fired oven insulated with lava rocks from Mt. Vesuvius. I ordered a glass of chianti which was mwehh. Maybe because it was pushing 85 inside? Parched, I ordered another beverage. Stuzzi has the full complement of San Pellegrino products including Chinotto, which is supposed to be a bitter citrus (I think it tastes like a weak root beer) and which I love! I hear that it is also supposed to settle your tummy. So, we got a few - (more proof that my good opinion can not be bought as our meal totaled 7 bucks)...My pizza arrived and looked scrumptious, but when I picked it up, the toppings slid right off. Slippage was due to the fact that the crust was completely soggy. I don't know if it was 1. the sauce, which could have used some spicing up (is salt against d.o.c. policy?) and which was a bit thin for my taste, was watery or if 2. the cheese, which was skimpy in amount, was not drained well before being added to the pie and unleashed a ton of water when it hit the oven, or 3. if it was just so hot in the restaurant that the pizza started to melt. The crust that did not have sauce or toppings was delicious. My stream of consciousness went something like this eating the crust: teeth sink in to a slightly crispy and flame-blackened exterior, a dusting of flour on the bottom coats my tongue and then dissolves to reveal soft bready goodness on the inside. Truly pleasurable in taste and texture. Also enjoyable were the wee little cannolis. The tubes were cripsy and the creme was rich and satisfying with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Two bites and you're done. Perfect size for dessert (unless you are eating Bouchon's rhubarb compote - in which case larger is definitely better).  For a soft opening weekend, our waitress was great and I tried not to be too picky. Another waitress brought out our pizza and we asked her for crushed red pepper. She told us that they didn't have any. Huh? So we asked our waitress. They did have it. Otherwise, service was friendly and food came out quickly.
We looked at the full menu which featured many "delicious little things" (ie Stuzzi, for all you non-Neapolitan speakers out there) or antipastos such as olives, meats, cheeses as well as a wide variety of pizzas and topping choices to "make your own",  and pastas.
Assuming they fix the soggy pizza problem and the A/C, I would go back. If these two issues are not addressed, I'll take my cannolis to-go, please. At least until October.