Tyler Kotch and Jack Morrissey, co-owners of Pie.Zaa Pizza, have promised "massive" New York style pizzas and slices for the South Slope.
They weren't lying. The foldable but crisp, bigger-than-your head slices are substantial enough for a meal, and range in price from $4.50 for cheese and marinara to $5.50 for a special slice. Whole pies are $32-38.
With manager Jake Fisher, the business partners will serve from 11 a.m.-midnight on weekdays, until 3 a.m. on weekends at 46 Millard Ave.
Pie.Zaa is a short walk from Urban Orchard's South Slope tasting room, Burial Beer, Dirty Jack's, Green Man and other South Slope breweries.
More: Where should you eat in Asheville? Here's what local food pros say
Customers to some of those watering holes are likely to soon be able to order delivery slices from the nearby pie shop without even having to leave their seats. "We're trying to partner with as many people as possible," Kotch said.
That collaborative spirit will extend to Pie.Zaa's special slices, which will incorporate flavors and ideas from other restaurants and breweries.
For example, in the coming weeks, you'll find a "Strainge pizza," to be topped with locally foraged mushrooms and paired with Sierra Nevada's new Strainge Beast Hard Kombucha.
More: Veteran brewery owner brings build-your-own salad concept to South Asheville
"We're going to do 24 different specials for throughout this whole year, which means 24 different restaurants that we partner with, 24 different beers that we pair it with," Kotch said. Beloved specials could earn a permanent place on the menu.
Straightforward and satisfying
The rest of the menu is straightforward: a pepperoni pie, another with sausage, another with pineapple and locally made ham and a veggie version. The crust is crisp, the cheese the right kind of bubbly and brown. It's altogether satisfying.
More: Rabbit Rabbit, downtown event venue, opens with gobs of outdoor space
With their backgrounds in trauma consulting, the two might seem like an unlikely pair to open a pizza shop. But Kotch and Morrissey have been out in Asheville late at night long enough to know it's hard to find a greasy, fortifying slice of pizza during the wee hours, and they know an opportunity when they see one.
"We're particular and adamant about what we want," Kotch said. "If you see any topping on our pizza, we went through 20 different toppings until we got the one we like. The dough is the same. We had months and months with a dough guy, who we critiqued and changed and critique and changed, and finally nailed it to what we wanted."
IF YOU GO
What: Pie.Zaa opens officially Sept. 7. For the first 50 pies sold, customers get a house-designed sticker, the first supporting Black Lives Matter.
Where: 46 Millard Ave.
Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight on weekdays, 11 a.m.-3 a.m. on weekends.
Seating and service: Counter service, with a limited amount of seating inside and on a patio. Expanded outdoor seating is in the works, and delivery will come in a matter of weeks.
Beverages: Beer, wine, liquor slushies and sodas.
___
Mackensy Lunsford has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years, and has been a staff writer for the Asheville Citizen Times since 2012. Lunsford is a former professional line cook and one-time restaurant owner.
Reach me: mlunsford@citizentimes.com.
Read more: Subscribe to the Citizen Times here. Subscribe to my newsletter here.
Read or Share this story: https://ift.tt/3hYF1dC
The Link LonkSeptember 03, 2020 at 06:02PM
https://ift.tt/3hYF1dC
Giant late-night slices and beer: Pie.Zaa opens Labor Day on South Slope - Citizen Times
https://ift.tt/2CPpHAw
Pie
No comments:
Post a Comment