Co Pane: No Knead Pizza!? (Insert Stereotypical Italian Exclaimed Remark)

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Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Eating copious amounts of spinach I did not feel a boost of strength but my teeth did feel squeaky, is that good?

Located in Chelsea in an area that has a high concentration of tapas bar is Co Pane, an artisan pizza outpost. Owned by bread whisperer Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street bakery, Co is a must go for any pizza enthusiast or anybody that does not have celiac disease (if you do have celiac disease, my condolences if you are doing it because it is cool, then you can go screw yourself). I came here in the early afternoon on a Saturday and the place had only a few customers, the first thing I noticed, besides the spacious, abundance of wood paneling and Nordic furniture catalog style décor was that the pizza oven was nowhere to be seen. Food after the jump!

The Meatballs and amazing bread

Co not only has pizzas, but they have a few starters ranging from soups, salads, crostinis and meatballs, which I decided to have a go at. The meatballs are made with veal so ethical animal eaters can skip this one, but people wanting to eat tasty food should not. The veal flavors was present and was not lost at all in the perfectly dense meatballs. The tomato sauce was thin, slightly sweet and broth-like paired well with the meatballs and complimented the intense veal flavors of the meatballs to shine. The hunk of bread served with it, after much questioning was his Pugliese loaf, prefect aeration and slight acidity, was nothing short of excellent and I found myself eating all of it and sopping up the tomato sauce with it. I went with the most popular pie, the Popeye which is a meatless pie, comprised of pecorino, gruyere and mozzarella and of course, spinach that may or may not have been acquired by a sailor.

The Popeye

Fresh spinach is generously piled onto the pie, creating a beautifully deep green iron-enriched blanket. The spinach, is just cooked till tender and had bits of slightly charred leaves, giving a smokiness to the spinach. The combination of the pecorino, gruyere and milky mozzarella made this a perfectly composed pie. The incorporation of the pecorino adds just the right amount of saltiness to the pie and accented the spinach topping. The Pie is a mix between a Roma style pies that has some Neapolitan attributes. The pie is thin and has more crisp than the doughy chewiness that is expected of a Neapolitan. The pie still had a bit of chew to it but nothing comparable to the chewiness of a Neapolitan pie yet had the leopard spotted char gave the classic smoky element taste to the pie.

Upskirt

I rarely comment on the service but the service at Co needs to be address and unfortunately as much praise I had for the food, I cannot say the same for the service. Service at Co can be summed up in one word: “Frantic”. The dining room was less than 50% full the whole time I was there and the servers, which there were only 2 with a third sauntering in a little before the end of my meal, were running around, like literally running backing and forth. One of the servers I do not think had command of the English language yet for when I asked him where the butter came from multiple times ( I was testing his knowledge, I really wanted to know because it was damn good), he just kept nodding and mechanically answering, “yes, butter”. When my pie came out, he told me it was the carbonara which it clearly was not. I later witnessed the table next to me, get a carbonara pie and when questioned if the pie was the Popeye (clearly not what the man ordered) the server just said, “Yes, Popeye”. When it came time for the check, I paid in cash, hoping it would be a quick thing, but ended up waiting for a good 15 minutes (I happened to look at my watch) to get my check and bring back change. I could have watched half an episode of Scrubs in that amount of time it took to bring back 10.50. I hope the service was just completely off that day because the food at Co is exceptional and I would like to make a return trip back and not have to deal with shoddy service.

Pizza Oven at Co. Yeah dude, I know I am a dick.

Unlike most pizza places that I have visited that the pizza oven is prominently displayed, the one at Co is tucked away in the kitchen. I found this interesting because pizza making, there is a bit of showmanship involved of having the pizzaolo out front creating edible art in front of your eyes. Here at Co, along with the minimalist-like décor there is a bit of a “no shit” vibe that it does not need to show you that yes, the pies are being freshly made and cooked in an insanely hot oven, just eat our pies and you will know and the food speaks for itself, at least this is the random theory or idea that I have come up with but in the end, who cares? Skip the surrounding tapas joints and grab a pie at Co. 

Co Pane
230 9th Ave 

New York, NY 10001

http://www.co-pane.com/