950 Pizza Tavern: First Glimpse

By Tom Maicon at January 21, 2010 | 10:33 pm | Print

Tired of pizza yet? I hope not, the busy restaurant stork keeps bringing more with no sign of an end. The latest to open is 950 Pizza Tavern (950 W. Peachtree St, Midtown 404.881.8884) by the same folks who own Prickly Pear next door.

Anyone who follows the Atlanta food scene to any capacity has recognized a new style of pizza enter the Atlanta market—and with it, new pizza vocabulary. The word “char”—previously only used to describe the outer crispy surface of smoked meats and barbecue—is now common verbiage when discussing pizza.

The folks at 950 Pizza Tavern amply apply the “char” but the pizza, in the early going, falls short of competing with the big 3 (Varasano’s, Vingenzo’s, and Antico Pizza Napoletana). Despite good ingredients like finely ground type “00” flour, the crust is way too thick, and the sauce—albeit San Marzano—too generous. I prefer a razor thin crust with a humble, puddly droop near the tip and delicate layer of sauce.

The pizza is burned in a wood-fired oven at 750 degrees. The crust is thick and bubbly on top, but the underneath is a hard sturdy veneer, like hardwood floors. Probably by design, to hold up against the hefty weight of doughy crust and thickly applied sauce.

While it might not hold its own in the real “pizza wars” raging down the road, it should be a user-friendly option for the Georgia Tech student appetite, and meager wallet.

Tom Eats 950 Pizza Tavern, antico pizza napoletana, Prickly Pear, Varasano's