Blu La Pizzeria Del Sole

• Cuisine(s): Italian, Pizza
  Hours: Sun-Thu 12pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-11:30pm
  Price: $$
  Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Smoking, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Delivery, Catering, Vegetarian Friendly
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
  Alcohol: Beer/Wine
• Reservations: Accepted, Not Accepted, Call-Ahead Seating Available
  Parking: Lot Available, Meters, Valet

Description

This charming, moderately priced trattorialike pizzeria is a 40-seat (with 30 more chairs outside) spinoff of Trattoria Sole next door. A main benefit from that association is the wine selection, which is far more extensive than one could reasonably expect to find in a pizza place. Panini, focaccia, and half-moon calzone constitute some of the offerings for pizza-poopers, but it's the pies that bring Blú the green. The blissfully blistering treatment they undergo while baking rapidly in a smoldering hot, wood-burning oven yields a crisp, semicharred crust with thin, bready middle and seared topping of bubbling cheese and tomato sauce. Delicious, and 28 variations from which to choose: spinach/fontina, eggplant/Parmesan, artichoke/mushroom, and anchovies with oregano, a staple in Naples and Rome. There also are more than a dozen sauceless pizze bianche, which include "tartufon" with mozzarella, mushrooms, and white truffle oil; and "pizza blú," covered in mozzarella, fontina, eggplant, potatoes, and fresh rosemary. The priciest pizza costs $13.50, the average is around $10, but none is more rewarding than the basic of tomato, mozzarella, and basil that's yours to eat in or take out for $7.50.