Pala

Lush and Gush Part Deux.

Great things happen when plans fall through. I learned that when I stumbled upon Jadis, and I learned it again at Pala. Winette and I were hoping to try the East Village Yacht Club (who knew?), but when she reported that its normally open windows were barricaded shut due to high invisible winds, we decided to eat elsewhere. It was a beautiful night -- warm with a fresh Manhattan breeze -- and neither of us felt like wasting a chance to dine al fresco.

After a couple of wrong turns, I finally found Winette at the adorable pizza cafe Pala. Half the restaurant was on the sidewalk and half of it was behind a big open garage-like door. We hopped right into the table kissing the street and enjoyed some yummy Italian snacks.

I can't decide what my favorite part of the night was -- the really cute Italian server, who was sadly a few inches shorter than me, or the make your own pizza by the slice.

We ordered a few appetizers: carciofi, or artichoke quarters and arancini, or risotto balls...

built our own pizza: I tried the porri e salsiccia, or salciccia leeks, pork sausage, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, hot pepper and pink peppercorns, and a slice of white pizza with prosciutto...

and ended with dessert, or a nice big helping of TEER-uh-MEE-SOO!

I loved everything about Pala, from start to finish. Our server was friendly, though a little flighty. It seemed he was just starting out and would get a kick in the pants from time to time from the other server -- my new little Italian crush.

In between my hectic stories of dating and Winette's hectic stories of work, we snuck in a few mmms and aaahs over the appetizers. I am a huge fried artichoke snob, having spent a big chunk of time in Calif., and these fried artichokes were spot on. They'd make our friends back in Castroville very proud. And the risotto balls-- I was sad there were only two but they ended up being so big and rich it didn't matter. I wished they had served a side of the marinara to dip them in.

The pizza at Pala may very well be my favorite pizza, ever. Is that possible? That's quite a claim. It was a cross between thin crust and regular crust pizza and they nailed it, from everything from the thickness and goo-iness of the crust, to the amount of marinara sauce and cheese. I like my pizza with stuff, just like I like my ice cream with stuff, and the slice of porri e salsiccia heaven I chose after visiting the pizza bar was the perfect combo of protein and veggies. I could have ordered right off the menu, but Winette and I decided to go up and look at the choices for inspiration. I love that you don't have to commit to an entire pie, you can order a slice here and a slice there, which is what we did. My dad started making pizzas at home and the pizzas that come out of our home oven were very similar to what I tried and loved at Pala. You're on the right track, dad!

We weren't even thinking of trying dessert, until the server brought us out a surprise. We were full, but once the plate of coffee and chocolate goodness was placed in front of us it was a different story, as is usually the case. Being stuffed is all in your head. Once again Pala surprised me with its serious tiramisu.

Thank goodness the yacht club was closed up or we wouldn't have tried Pala. Once again Winette picked a winner. I look forward to bringing friends back to Pala, for some pre-partying pizza before hitting some of our favorite Lower East Side haunts.