Day 18, 2017: Gruppo (LES, NYC)

Exterior

Interior

DAY 18: OCTOBER 18th, 2017

LOCATION: Gruppo (98 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009)

GUEST(S): Joe Corbo, Kevin Danenberg, Lance Kushner, Corey Hanewich, Jay, Chad, Holland

ORDER: 2 slices of Shroomtown (marinara sauce and cheese, portobello, shitake, button mushrooms, white truffle oil), 1 slice of plain, 1 slice of plain plus pepperoni, 1 slice of Salsiccia Dolce (marinara sauce and cheese, sweet italian sausage, caramelized onions, fresh basil)

REVIEW: 
A group o' great pizzerias! Soon after Gruppo opened in the Lower East Side, other Manhattan neighborhoods wanted their own. While the owners didn't create any more Gruppo's, they did open a Spunto, a Tappo, a Vezzo, and a Posto. These four younger sibling restaurants are excellent facsimiles of the original, offering the same proven menu, ingredients and cooking technique.  With five "Thin Crust Pizza" places ending with an "o" to choose from for that characteristic cracker-crisp flatbread pie loaded with tasty high quality ingredients, I am partial to the first born. Gruppo's humble beginning was the first to offer signature pies like the Shroomtown, my favorite mushroom pizza in the city. This pie combines shiitake, button, and portobello mushrooms with a savory tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, and a white truffle oil drizzle. While the spacious dining area, great drink selection, and non-intrusive music makes it suitable for a date, the quick bake, happy hour, and attentive service also makes Gruppo great for lunch or an on-the-go bite at the bar. Call ahead if you're arriving near closing time to ensure the kitchen is open and opt for the larger pies. They are a better deal, cook more thoroughly, and feed more than two hungry people each. If your neighborhood is not one of the lucky ones to have a "Thin Crust Pizza" outpost, make the trip...or hope hard enough and another Italian word ending in "o" could be coming to your neck of the woods!


PHOTOS:

Plain pie

slice of plain

Large shroomtown

Large plain with pepperoni

Underside

Slice of Salsiccia Dolce

Slice of Shroomtown

slice of plain with pepperoni

Salsiccia Dolce pie

Day 18

MISCELLANEOUS:

1. Post softball game pizza day! Our team, the Blue Balls played our last game of the regular season tonight.  We needed a win to secure a playoff berth and we did!

Candid

2. The game became a reunion of softball friends old and new.  Joe Corbo now lives in the area of the game and dropped in to help root us to victory. Fellow Williamsburg Softball leaguers Corey Hanewich, Chad, and Jay all joined in the festivities.

3. Corey and I both went to high school in Florida.  She was good enough to play varsity sports, I was not.

4. Kevin Danenberg wins the mileage award for the night. We had an 8:45pm start to the game and he was the first one at the field.  He also had to drive to Connecticut after pizza.

5. Holland, Jay, and Chad all hit homers today.

RATING:

 3.69/5

• VALUE:
   3/5


• AMBIENCE:
   3/3


• TASTE:
   7.5/10


• SERVICE:
   2/3

15.5/21 = .738 x 5 = 3.69