FiDi office workers were glad this week to see the debut of cozy restaurant Quattro Stagioni ("four seasons" in Italian), after the area's numerous closures of last year. The lure: made-to-order pizzas and pastas ($12-$14) with high quality ingredients, a cut above the budget menu of former tenant Pasta Paradiso.
Quick pizza turnaround comes from Quattro Stagioni's Wood Stone gas- and coal-fired oven, a smaller model than the one at Tony's Coal-Fired Pizza and Slice House. The manager here told us that the 12-inch thin-crust pizzas, made with 00 flour, take only 7 minutes to cook.
The menu also includes appetizers, salads, sandwiches (lunch only), secondi (all meat entrees), and a couple of desserts. We were tempted to order the eponymous quattro stagioni pizza ($14), tomato and mozzarella plus prosciutto, mushrooms, olives, and artichoke hearts, each representing a season. But we opted to check the kitchen's skills with the special of the day, veal cannelloni ($12.95) ― egg pasta sheets rolled around ground veal with spinach, mushrooms, herbs, and Parmesan, topped with rich béchamel and fresh tomato sauces. (Note that the pastas come in European-style portions.) We weren't disappointed: The cannelloni were flavorful but not heavy. We polished off every bit, scooping up the last of the sauce with our rolls.
We have no qualms about the food here, but Quattro Stagioni's signage and printed materials reveal multiple personalities. The menu and business cards list the name as "Pizza 4 Stagioni," while the neon sign out front displays "Quattro Pizzeria." Another mismatch is the website: www.quattropizzeria.net (business card) and www.quattropizza.net (menu) - neither works, and a quick search confirms neither is registered. We happened to notice that both www.quattropizzeria.com and www.quattropizza.com are available. We think .com is a better choice than .net ― whenever the owners finally decide on a name.
Quattro Stagioni: 318 Kearny (at Bush), 956-4056. Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.; Sat. 5-9:30 p.m. Closed Sun.
