Pizza Nea Review

Pizza anyone? Yeah, sure! I have the perfect coupon for that! Say hello to $20 bucks free at Pizza Nea.

Couple of Fridays ago, my friend and I thought we should play catch up. I logged on to Groupon.com - love it.. check it out! - and scored a great deal for $20 bucks for a $40 coupon at Pizza Nea. It's located in the heart of NE Minneapolis, the newest coolest area of town. Hubby and I went out to eat in NE at the RedStag Supper Club over Valentine's Day - absolutely delightful! anyway, back to pizza. Since I'm a St. Paul girl and rarely venture past Grand Ave, I had Gretchen drive. Found a lot fairly quickly, after narrowly avoiding all the one ways. Walked down Hennepin... and there it was... Punch Pizza!! WHAT!?? how can 2 Neapolitan style pizzerias be located soooo close together. I guess Neapolitan is really big in NE.

So, does everyone have their favorite, are the two pizza joints at war? Can you go into Punch on Monday and Nea on Tuesday and not get thrown out of town. I was a little nervous. ... Did I mention that I live near Grand??? I visit Punch Pizza every week! I was begging myself not to make a scene if it didn't live up to my Neapolitan Standards. And if you're wondering, no, I have not been to Italy, and I know nothing of true Neapolitan Standards.

Groupon in hand, we walk in. PACKED. Was it always this packed on a Friday night? OR, did all of the other 3,000 people that bought the Groupon decide to go out that night too? Either way, I smelled the smells and had a coupon, we weren't leaving. I have to tell you I loved the atmosphere. It was very hip. Many University couples were on the scene, with a few very sheik couples in their 50s, and one young family at the pizza bar with two little twin girls - probably about 4 years old. They were playing with forks and pizza dough balls. slightly odd, but I still tilted my head and said "ahhh."

Just ahead on the ramp there were people just milling about, it must be the line...nope, just a gathering of equally confused couples - man/woman couples... well, one very nicely dressed gay couple, and Gretchen and myself. I almost went with the flow and put my arm around her, surely my husband would understand the peer pressure situation.

I assumed that the tiny tiny blonde that was running around like a chicken with her head cut off was the host. Her eyes were wide, and I felt as if she were on the verge of utter panic... But I stopped her anyway. It would be a 30-35 minute wait, we could wait with the masses on the ramp, and no, we couldn't leave our name and then come back a 1/2 hour later liquored up. But yes, we could drink while standing on the ramp.

Well, we weren't going to leave now, we were in for the long haul. Our host did eventually come back and write 3 of our names down on a napkin with a black magic marker and then stuff it in her pocket, but she did not come back to take a drink order.

We spent our waiting time catching up... oh... kids, yes, hmmm, family...ohhh, right, theatre, fun. Then, an absolutely lovely older man brandishing a bottle of Pinot Nior came rushing out of the kitchen... and he had glasses in his hands - I immediately fell in love. Thanking us for waiting, we were given a tasting of the wine. Beautiful wine glasses I must say, and excellent wine too.

Once we got our table, we took a look at the menu (yep, I know, could have been doing that earlier... hind sight is always 20/20!) Not as many choices as Punch for pizza, but it didn't seem to matter, because I still had a tough time choosing. Each item on the menu was making my mouth water. I ordered the Caprino e Treccione - goat cheese, smoked mozzarella, artichokes, and sun dried tomato. Gretchen ordered the Confunghie Prosciutto - porcini mushrooms, prosciutto, parmigiana and mozzarella cheeses, and San Marzano Tomatoes. And last but not least, we ordered a bottle of red wine to share. There goes the groupon and more!

Our waitress was punctual, to the point, polite and Much calmer than the host. She also had the most wonderful tattoos around her elbows. Some sort of flowered partial sleeve or very thick band of tattoo in the middle of both arms. She was instantaneously super cool.

The pizza arrived very quickly. For those of you that are not familiar with Neopolitan Pizza, it's cooked in about 1.5 minutes in a wood fired stone oven. It was delicious. The delicate smoked goat cheese against the tang of the artichokes was heavenly. The crust was thin, but not like a cracker, and at the same time (sorry Punch) still kept some form and rigidity,. not a whole lot, but some. I was very impressed.

I also tried the mushroom prosciutto pizza of Gretchen's. YUM. While I'm a fan of anchovies, I'm not usually a fan of prosciutto - too salty. Strange huh? But never mind, it was perfect. The salt was there, but not overpowering. The full earthy flavor of the porcini mushrooms was still able to come through. The flavors were extremely well balanced on both pizzas.

I have to say, I loved it. from the original works of art on the walls, to the slightly neurotic host, it was a fun experience and the food couldn't have been better. The atmosphere was hip, but not intimidating. Friendly, but not too casual.

So, what's the final outcome? Punch or Pizza Nea? It's a draw. Pizza Nea is a little more expensive. I believe Punch is a little more authentic and I like that they have more options for the mostly vegetarian. But I like the "sit down, have a waitress setting" more than the fast food style of Punch.

I recommend Pizza Nea - 2 thumbs up!

Peace out.