Poole’side Pies is rooted in Italy but shows Ashley Christensen’s instinct for flavors
Poole’s Diner fans have long been accustomed to a line forming in front of the restaurant, beginning as early as half an hour before dinner service starts at 5 p.m. When owner/chef Ashley Christensen won the James Beard Outstanding Chef Award last spring, the line got even longer.
Now, early bird arrivals may think they’re seeing double as they walk up and see lines stretching in both directions along the sidewalk. On a recent Saturday night, the queue in front of Poole’side Pies was even longer than the one in front of Poole’s. That’s the much-anticipated pizzeria that Christensen opened last September next door to her flagship restaurant.
Snippets of conversation overheard in that line ran along the lines of “I love Poole’s, can’t wait to try Ashley’s pizza” and “My brother says the Neapolitan pizza here is as good as any he had in Italy.”
Strictly speaking, the pizzas aren’t Neapolitan. As the website makes plain, they’re “Neapolitan-inspired.” After years of research, including travel to Italy and countless recipe experiments, Christensen developed a dough that substitutes all-purpose flour from Lindley Mills for the traditional Italian 00 flour. And, while topping combinations remain rooted in Italy for the most part, the menu frequently ventures beyond the border.
But the pies are authentically baked in a wood-fired brick oven, and it’s hard to imagine even a diehard Neapolitan purist quibbling about the results. For all its bending of the strict rules of Vera Pizza Napoletana, the crust exhibits the classic hallmarks, from a blistery, leopard-spotted rim to properly browned bottom that’s firm at the edges, pliable at the center.
Our hypothetical purist might point out that classic margherita pizza toppings don’t include parmesan, but they surely wouldn’t find fault with the rest of the recipe: house-made mozzarella and fresh basil on a tomato sauce base so rich you may be fooled into thinking it contains more ingredients than the traditional crushed tomatoes and salt. It doesn’t.
The secret, evidently, is the Bianco di Napoli brand crushed San Marzano tomatoes, whose intense tomato flavor also contributes to that other Neapolitan standard, the marinara (with flowering oregano, garlic and olive oil — no cheese), and to a pork-fennel sausage pizza with broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and aged provolone.
Less conventional toppings are well-conceived and, with few exceptions, well-executed. I had hoped for some browning, maybe even a little crispness, on the nubbins of potato on the coal-roasted potato pie. But the mushroom pizza was a home run, featuring oyster and trumpet mushrooms on a base spattered with caramelized onions, chimichurri and molten cheese.
Venturing furthest off the path of tradition is the crispy pork belly pizza with turnip green puree, smoked tomato and aged provolone. That the combination works so well will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Christensen’s uncanny instinct for flavors.
Pizza may be the star of the show at Poole’side, but the supporting cast is every bit as strong. Christensen adapted her legendary macaroni au gratin at Poole’s for macaroni frittante, the mac and cheese fritters she serves at Poole’side with a roasted tomato relish. They’re addictive, as are shrimp and grits croquettes, served with a smoked sherry tomato mayo that’s as finger licking good as it sounds.
Don’t be put off by the pale pinkish color of the Lady Edison pork meatballs. They’re not undercooked. They are minimally seared, though (notwithstanding the fact that they arrive at your table in a carbon steel skillet), so as not to detract from the inherent flavors of the ingredients: locally cured soppressata, pork shoulder and mortadella, finely ground and bound with buttermilk-soaked bread. Think of it as getting a taste of everything on a charcuterie board in each bite.
Christensen’s twist on a Caesar salad — a pair of iceberg wedges in a creamy Caesar dressing amped up with pickle juice and showered with parmesan cracklings — is another example of her knack for coming up with “why didn’t I think of that?” creations. So does a chopped salad that somehow brings a disparate chorus of white acre field peas, smoked mozzarella, soppressata, marinated peppers and Castelvetrano olives into harmony.
The chef’s well-known attention to detail isn’t limited to the food. A ring of retro bathing suit-clad swimmers adorn the paper umbrella garnishing a frozen cocktail called Bright Cider Life. Order a Negroni, and it will be served in a rocks glass with a 2-inch cube of ice embossed with a life preserver. Those are just a couple of the drinks mixed at a well-stocked bar where the bottles sit on shelves made from repurposed diving boards.
It’s all part of the private swim club motif that takes its cue from the restaurant’s name. Everywhere you look are clever visual cues: floors marked with swim lanes, tiled walls (including a “3 FT” tile at the end of a banquette), high ceiling with a large skylight giving the place an airy feel and brightening the summery colors of swimming pool blue, terra cotta and patio umbrella green. The vibe is laid-back and fun, and you get the feeling every time you come back you’ll discover something new that puts a smile on your face.
Just like the food.
Poole’side Pies
428 S. McDowell St., Raleigh
919-803-8660
Cuisine: pizzeria
Rating: 4 stars
Prices: $
Atmosphere: swim club
Noise level: moderate to high
Service: welcoming and well-trained for the most part; service can suffer when the dining room is full
Recommended: pizzas, macaroni frittante, shrimp and grits croquettes, chopped salad, soft serve ice cream
Open: Lunch Wednesday-Sunday, dinner nightly.
Reservations: not accepted
Other: full bar; accommodates children; good vegetarian selection; wheelchair accessible; parking in lot across the street (see website for details).
The N&O’s critic dines anonymously; the newspaper pays for all meals. We rank restaurants in five categories: 5 stars: Extraordinary. 4 stars: Excellent. 3 stars: Above average. 2 stars: Average. 1 star: Fair.
The dollar signs defined: $ Entrees average less than $10. $ Entrees $11 to $20. $$ Entrees $21 to $30. $$ Entrees more than $30.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 6:00 AM.