The pizza is great, but there's so much more at Westerly's Pizzeria Longo
If sampling from the menu at Jerry Longo's first Westerly restaurant, Trattoria Longo, is like having Sunday dinner at Mama's house, then dining at his second place, Pizzeria Longo, is as if an Italian-American friend with really good taste and a robust pantry invited you for a weekday dinner or perhaps a late-night snack.
Longo starts with the best ingredients — gloriously stinky aged cheeses, spicy cured meats, fresh greens, balsamic and olive oil — and then he has the good sense to serve them simply, to celebrate them with a light touch and even a sense of humor. At Pizzeria Longo, you will find patatine fritte — hand cut, perfectly brown, tender French fries — on a section of the menu called "The Old Neighborhood." You can order them with a tantalizing sounding trio, truffle oil, Parmigiano, and parsley, $8, or you can order them with Cheez Whiz, $7.
We went with the Cheez Whiz. It made us smile from the inside out.
Open just under three months now, the new place feels more special than your average pizza joint even before you see the menu. The multilevel dining room is large and light-filled, thanks to a bank of windows that line the sidewalk and provide a front row seat on downtown's bustle with Wilcox Park greenery as backdrop.
An open kitchen on one end of the space features a large, wood-fired oven, covered in shiny black tiles and "Longo" spelled out in white. The honey-colored wood floors, dark wood tables and chairs, accent end walls of wooden planks and unfinished brick make the space cozy and inviting. The napkins are actually white and blue linen dishtowels. Casual, but not sloppy.
We went twice for dinner, once on a very quiet Sunday and again on a busy Wednesday night. Here's what we found.
Antipasto board, $14: A generous supply of black and green olives, a less generous supply of crusty bread drizzled with olive oil, three piles of thinly sliced, cured meats — on this night, mortadella, prosciutto and a mild salami perhaps — and three cheeses — sharp provolone, a Parmesan and another one, salty, mild, milky, perhaps an aged ricotta — presented on a board with a bit of chutney. Such a lovely treat, perfect to snack on while you sip from your glass and chat with your dining companion.
Pear salad, $11, and a strawberry salad, $10, both from the nightly specials: Don't miss the Insalate section of the menu. If my two samples are any judge, then expect creative mixes of fresh fruits and vegetables in beautiful vinaigrettes prepared especially for that salad. The pear mix was divine, thin slices of fruit almost in origami shapes surrounding a pile of young arugula and dressed in a not-too-sweet, tangy vinaigrette, spiked with candied walnuts and more smaller chopped pears throughout. The strawberry version was light on the strawberries and heavy on the golden raisins, but the greens tasted just-plucked, a perfect foil for the dressing, which involved beets, according to our waiter, and blobs of creamy gorgonzola.
The North End, $14: When a small menu has so many delicious options, it's easy to overlook the pizza. But don't. Ours featured mozzarella, sausage, rapini — broccoli rabe — and red chili flakes. The pies are small, perhaps 12-14 inches, large enough to share, but if you want leftovers, order two. Ours was piping hot, with a background spice from the moist, tender sausage and those pepper flakes. The blistered, dusty crust held fresh rapini that was beautifully bitter, delicious with the stringy mozzarella and schmears of creamy ricotta. A pie for grownups.
Cacio e Pepe, $12: Yes, there's pasta, too. Two selections. Rigatoni with red sauce and eggplant, and this one, perfectly al dente spaghettoni with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. This was the kind of cheesy, salty, chewy bowl that could prevent a hangover, cure a broken heart or transform a day from bad to good. Don't order this one if you don't enjoy salt.
Calzone, $12: Filled with Prosciutto Cotto — a very pedestrian Italian cooked ham — ricotta and mozzarella, this giant, crescent moon of a pie was as comforting as a grilled cheese sandwich. The side of marinara sauce proved too strong of a dip, so I ate mine straight up to enjoy the delicate beauty of every creamy bite.
Pizzeria Longo has proven to be a popular addition to downtown Westerly. To avoid the crowds, you may want to opt for an early dinner. But if you want to experience the full scene, you'll find a line on most Friday and Saturday nights.
Certainly, the food is a factor, but I suspect it's also the way the place feels. Our waiter, Vinny, gave us a beautiful explanation of the "Osteria tradition" practiced here. The food is served as it is ready, right in the middle of the table, to promote sharing and conversation. And you can feel that conviviality throughout your meal.
Pizzeria Longo
84 High St., Westerly, 401-315-0881
Cuisine: Italian soul food
Atmosphere: Casual Italian bistro
Service: Lovely, knowledgeable
Prices: Pizzas, pastas, salads, all under $14
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 5-10 p.m.; Sunday, 5-9 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday
Credit cards: Yes
Reservations: No
Handicapped access: Restaurant has three levels, but entrance, large dining area and rest rooms are all on one level.
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