Double Zero Napoletana

Double Zero Napoletana (www.doublezeroatl.com"> opened a few months ago up in Sandy Springs near my office. Connected to Sugo and Iberian Pig, Double Zero has been getting pretty good buzz with their Naples-imported wood-burning oven. I'd been wanting to try it but it was never top of mind until a friend mentioned last weekend that they had gone and they enjoyed it. (Though they felt it was a bit on the expensive side.)

So when we were both at work on the later side and looking to go out for dinner, I remembered it and we headed over there. For me, it was best to get on 285 and get off on the Roswell exit so that I was turning right from Roswell into their parking lot. Nothing worse than having to turn left on Roswell right near 285 anywhere near rush hour. They have valet, though we were both able to score open parking spots.

Josh got there first and was already sitting close to the end of the long bar. He already had a barrel-aged negroni sitting in front of him. It was smoother than a usual negroni, but still not my style. There were three bartenders behind the bar, but it was easy to pick out the head bartender, a guy named Chris. Chris wasn't waiting on us specifically -- we had Eric -- but in our discussion about barrel-aging cocktails and then my preferences -- bourbon and rye -- I was able to get a custom made cocktail with Chris dictating the recipe to Eric. I don't really remember what it was now, but I remember it was smooth and balanced.

It's hard to resist buffalo mozzarella when it's on a menu, especially since it's true imported bufala. So I started off with the caprese. The heirloom tomatoes were peeled and a nice golf ball size. The burrata was tasty and delicious. There was a pesto that I found a bit too tight and needing salt, but I'm sure that was to contrast something... but I thought it was lacking. There was a distinct heavy hit of acid on the palate when eating the tomatoes. There were some "balsamic reduction" caviar which Josh liked, but I found to be kitsch and they didn't seem to have a burst of flavor that I wanted. So they were meh. Overall, the dish was a success though. I would get it again.

Josh started off with -- what else? -- the octopus. I didn't taste anything else that was on the plate, hell, I got off with only getting three bites of octopus!, but what I did eat was smoky, tasty, and very tender. A solid delicious dish.

I think it was about this time that I ordered another drink. Chris made me a drink he created for a competition, a twisted new fashioned, a twist on the old fashioned. What I remember most about it is that he used old fashioned bitters which, straight from the bottle, smell just like the candy fireballs. I kept tasting it as I drank and it was wonderful. He mentioned that they are getting in some fireball whisky and that tastes just like fireballs. I'll have to go back to try it.

As we moved on with the meal, I had to get the margherita, what else? It comes uncut, with scissors. Apparently this is the traditional way to serve it. It comes with bufala and the pizza has a nice balance of ingredients. The dough is good too and charred just right. While different and smaller than the margherita at Antico's, it's certainly satisfying and delicious. I see this pizza often in my future.

We kept on with the pizza, this time getting the double zero napoletana. It never hurts to try whatever the restaurant feels is its strongest dish, though it wasn't the pizza that both Eric and Chris noted as their favorite. It cooks as a margherita with garlic, I believe, and then is topped with arugula, pecorino, and prosciutto.

This pizza was a delightful surprise. I expected something decent, maybe even good. The hit of flavors as you eat this pizza is just fantastic. Garlicky, and then cheesy... I really liked it. Definitely a winner.

About this time, I ordered a manhattan. It had High West double rye. Pretty tasty. And strong.

The menu of meats and cheeses are impressively imported. Surprisingly, the meat I chose to go with wasn't the prosciutto di Parma, but the Mangalista prosciutto. I hadn't actually heard of this kind before, but it's from the Pacific coast and the bartenders spoke very highly of it as their favorite. It was pretty good and sliced a little thicker than I usually like so that the fat seemed a bit excessive, but enjoyable. Still, contrary to the rest of the folks, I prefer the Parma.

For the cheese, I couldn't resist the blu di bufala. It was delicious. Hard to expand on it much more than that, but it was creamy and definitely blue but not overly powerful like some roqueforts.

Definitely a winner. I'll be back.