Peachy Picks Uncle Paul's Pizza Our Coverage Sponsored by Maine Woolens
Owner Dino Redzic, with Montenegro behind him
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When you first enter Uncle Paul's Pizza in the Roosevelt Hotel right near Grand Central, you'll notice the extensive wine options available to you.
You'll also note the lovely decor of the marble walls; however when you learn that the real Uncle Paul is Paul Nicaj of Battery Gardens fame, you will not be surprised that the walls are beautiful. Everything at Battery Gardens is beautiful from the decor to the culinary creations of Executive Chef Ari Nieminen, which season after season are among the best edible stars we experience on a plate. Remember Battery Gardens is not only for summer as the weather cools down.
The size of Uncle Paul's Pizza is quite petite, but we ascribe to the belief that good things come in small packages. There are four bar height tables and six dinner tables and all tables match the marble of the walls, and the ambiance boasts soft lighting and comfortable chairs. We were incredibly impressed with Executive Chef Dino Redzic during our initial meeting for Terrific Takeout at Uncle Paul's Pizza. Uncle Paul's Pizza is the 15th restaurant Dino has created in his career; his past endeavors include Windows on the World in the old World Trade Center.
Water was promptly served, and we began to peruse the menu.
We are huge fans of everything mozzarella and burrata-related, and often we reorder items we initially tried to check for consistency. We can verify that the freshness and flavor of the Caprese Salad: Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato with Basil and Aged Balsamic and Olive Oil is testament to the quality of the experience you will have at Uncle Paul's Pizza. Again, it is far more than just pizza.
For our pasta course, Dino suggested we try the Fettuccini Bolognese. It was traditional and delicious, and the fettuccini pasta with meat sauce, beef and tomatoes was everything you'd hope it to be.
However, you know who has a favorite kind of Fettucini, and that's Fettucini Alfredo:
By far, Peachy Deegan found this to be the best part of her Uncle Paul's Pizza experience during the initial Peachy's Picks visit, and the lovely sauce delicately swirled around the pasta expertly. Dino next suggested we try the Quattro Formaggio Pizza which even has truffle oil; we believe the right truffle oil has the ability to enhance almost everything! The four cheeses that compose this pizza are: American Blue Cheese, Pecorino Romano from Emilia Romana, Goat Cheese from an upstate New York Farm, and our friend Mozzarella. If you like these kinds of cheeses, you are in for a treat with the white pizza.
Since we have been to an awful lot of Italian places, Peachy always wants to know what makes a new one different. Paul and Dino are from Montenegro, and the Burek available here-baked homemade stretched dough-we believe are only available here in Manhattan. We were delighted to try a Spinach version of Burek, and we love spinach. Also, you should know that Uncle Paul's Pizza serves wine from the Radevic Estate in Montenegro, which we hope to review in our alcohol column, Champagne Wishes.
A conclusion of chocolate is always a winner, and the chocolate raspberry cake announced victory for Uncle Paul's Pizza.
Our esteeemed panelist adds:
Since part of the dining experience is ambiance, I’d like to start my review with comments on what it’s like when you enter Uncle Paul’s Pizza & Café. What strikes you first is this is unlike any pizza parlor you have ever been in. The walls and tabletops are made from ¾ -inch greenish onyx. There are lights behind the onyx walls and since onyx, unlike marble, has some transparency to it, the effect is almost as if the walls glow. It’s elegant and luxurious, and when I asked Chief Chef Dino about it, he said that they had spent more than a million dollars on it to get that look.
So, the atmosphere is impressive. What about the food? I started with the beef carpaccio. It was attractively served with thin round slices, each something larger than an inch in diameter, arranged around the outer edge of the dish. The carpaccio slices surrounded a bed of greens in the center of the plate. The combination was tasty, and the marinade added greatly. If you like raw beef, you will enjoy this.
The gnocci were fresh, enjoyable, and made in house.
The lobster ravioli was especially succulent and attractive and is likely to give you the feeling of “I would like more.” I also tried the Burek Spinach. As with his other appetizers, there was plenty of flavor, but personally, it didn’t excite me as much as the others.
The four-cheese pizza was a triumph and my favorite. Chef Dino explained why it was bursting with flavor: he goes to great effort to get the best cheeses, including goat cheese made from organic goat milk. The pizza had a thin crust, was served on a device that kept it nicely warm for maybe 20 minutes, and the cheeses were such that no one cheese overpowered the others, but instead they blended into a rich almost buttery combination that made me want a second and third slice.
I ended the meal with cappuccino. Again, this restaurant was a winner. The aroma was intense, and the faintly bitter coffee flavor that you expect with a cappuccino was softened with the very fine foam which seemed to extend down through most of the cup. It was the sort of coffee experience that makes you want to smile.
My final opinion? If I were in the Grand Central Station area and wanted to take friends to a casual restaurant with great atmosphere and reasonable prices, I’d choose Uncle Paul’s.
Peachy Picks Uncle Paul's Pizza!
Uncle Paul's Pizza is Recommended by Whom You Know.
