Providence Coal Fired Pizza
Coal Fired Wings – Sea Salt, Rosemary, Roasted Onions
Clam Pizza – Rosemary, Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Red Onions, Pancetta, Local Clams, Parmigiano Reggiano / Meatball Pizza – Tomato, Ricotta, Mozzarella
Butterscotch Pudding – Whipped Cream
With three locations in Rhode Island Providence Coal Fired Pizza aims to bring the taste of New Haven a few hours North, their flagship on Westminster Street found largely empty at 2:30pm as the team transitioned to dinner from lunch.
Originally opened early-Summer 2012 and since gathering several “best Pizza” accolades thanks to the combination of novelty and quality, a lack of any other coal oven Pizza in the State over five years later but two additional stores essentially a monopoly, guests entering Providence Coal Fired Pizza will immediately find themselves surrounded by wood and brick, the off-hour yielding no wait for a table and service expectedly efficient with Water filled quickly and kept that way over the course of 45 minutes.
Offering a slightly truncated lunch menu compared to what is available after five o’clock, the difference comprised of Sandwiches and Starters, it was after quick perusal of the choices that the decision was made to select one Appetizer plus a large Pie, the latter easily enough to feed three healthy adults but also the only option available for ordering half-and half.
Reportedly keeping the oven at least warm day-and-night, a decision apparently common amidst similarly fueled Pizzerias that avoids long start-up times, it was as Crust was being rolled and stretched that a generous “small” plate of Wings emerged from an open-kitchen in back, the skin slathered in Onions and scented by Rosemary picking up a lot of flavor from both but remaining plump and juicy despite intensely crisp Skin.
Making short-work of eight pieces of Chicken plus a majority of the caramelized Onions, their sweetness playing well off the char and likely even better on a Pizza, it was just as the final Bone was being picked clean that a stand was placed and topped with an oblong disc on slate, the pre-cut wedges divided into eight and both sides blistered with a robust Cornicione but not a lot of intrinsic flavor to the Crust, a situation mostly remedied by Clams, Pancetta and Onions on one side plus housemade Meatballs in tangy Sauce on the other half.
Packing three slices of Pizza to-go and admittedly surprised by the presence of Dessert, their lack at Pepe’s, Modern and BAR in Connecticut seemingly the norm, it was on the recommendation of a server that Butterscotch Pudding was selected over Chocolate Mousse, Cheesecake or Cannoli, the flavor expectedly sweet and mellowed by Whipped Cream though the texture was compromised by too much Gelatin that saw it eat less like Mozza’s famous version and more like Panna Cotta.
http://providencecoalfiredpizza.com
