Pazza Notte

I can always count on my friend Holly P for excellent spots in the city. Her latest suggestion was to celebrate our friend Kwame landing a new job (Yayyy!) at Pazza Notte (Italian for Crazy Night). PN is just a few blocks from my office. Oh, did I mention the 2-for-1 martinis? And I don't mean your Humphrey Bogart, put-hair-on-your-chest kind. I mean the fruity, frilly, delicious kind :)

The rules for Happy Hour @Pazza Notte--you have to order 2 of the same flavor, and they bring them both at the same time. Odd, but brilliant. I mean if it's 2 for 1, you're definitely going to get a second one--why not save your server some trips? It's also served straight up, so there are no ice cubes to get all melty and whatnot. Holly P and I decided to share flavors. I ordered the passionfruit and she got the French (which we think has Chambord in it). They have plenty of other flavors, including white peach, lychee and blood orange.

The French version was good, but I wish the Chambord had just been a little stronger. The passionfruit, however, was outstanding.

Pazza is also known for its crispy pizzas and flatbreads. We started with the four cheese bruschetta, but it was really more like a soft garlic bread with a cheesy topping. It had flecks of rosemary, but just enough to flavor it, and not so much that I felt as if I were eating a pine tree. :) It only comes with 4 slices, so among the 3 of us, it wasn't very filling. Delicious, but not super filling. What are three hungry girls to do?

Oh right, order the pomodoro bruschetta!!! Also tasty and fresh! Again, just 4 pieces, so we each got a good bite or two before it was all gone.

We had a round or two before the guest of honor arrived, and that's when we ordered the Regina Pizza (artichokes, peppers, tomatoes, yummy!). The crust was light and had crispy edges. This was light, fresh and flavorful.

A few things to note: service can be really slow and spotty--I couldn't tell if our server was just busy/distracted or if we annoyed her? Also, they pack you in TIGHTLY. The table next to us was so close that we had to ask someone to move his chair so we could slip by to use the bathroom. Tight, tight quarters! At least we had a comfy booth!

Overall, this place is definitely worth revisiting. The martinis are 12 dollars for 2, an excellent price! The bruschetta was about 8 bucks a pop--not a lot of food, but tasty if you want a small bite of something. The pizza was really good--I'll be trying another flavor next time--after I've ordered my passionfruit martini, of course! Kudos once again to Holly P for picking a kick-butt place!!