Keste-- Serious Neapolitan Pizza in the West Village

Yesterday, a friend and I stopped for an early supper at the new Keste Pizza & Vino. Having heard horror stories of hordes packing the tiny place, we were relieved to find an open deuce at 6 pm. Keeping it simple, we ordered two pies-- salsiccia and margherita.

This is a classic neapolitan pie in the tradition of Il Ritrovo, Spacca Napoli and other LTH faves. Chewy crust with smoky burned spots, a bright, simple sauce and puddles of fresh mozzarella. Perhaps a bit more cheese than I'm accustomed to, but delicious nonetheless. With a bottle of Peroni beer and a glass of the very good house red, the bill came to a very reasonable $45 with tax.

The wood oven--a thing of beauty:


Keste Pizza & Vino
271 Bleeker St.
New York, NY 10014
212-243-1500

Paul SL wrote:Yesterday, a friend and I stopped for an early supper at the new Keste Pizza & Vino. Having heard horror stories of hordes packing the tiny place, we were relieved to find an open deuce at 6 pm. Keeping it simple, we ordered two pies-- salsiccia and margherita.

This is a classic neapolitan pie in the tradition of Il Ritrovo, Spacca Napoli and other LTH faves. Chewy crust with smoky burned spots, a bright, simple sauce and puddles of fresh mozzarella. Perhaps a bit more cheese than I'm accustomed to, but delicious nonetheless. With a bottle of Peroni beer and a glass of the very good house red, the bill came to a very reasonable $45 with tax.

The wood oven--a thing of beauty:


Keste Pizza & Vino
271 Bleeker St.
New York, NY 10014
212-243-1500

It looks great, But How much?

ajri02 wrote:
It looks great, But How much?

Welcome to LTHForum, ajri02.
IIRC, the pizzas were about $14 for the margherita and $15 for the salsiccia. With beverage and tax the total , as I mentioned, was around $45. And, my friend took almost a third of each pie home.

Have you been to Peasant? If so, how does it compare?

spinynorman99 wrote:Have you been to Peasant? If so, how does it compare?

I haven't, but it's on my list.

I found Peasant's pizza to be very similar to Spacca Napoli here (they even give you a bowl of Castelvetrano olives - hmmm...). I've never had a full meal there (just pizza and appetizers). Just wondering how Keste compared.

We were in NYC over the long weekend and we did Ketse as well. Right up there with the best pies I've had in NYC and the dough was phenomenal. Plus we only waited 15 minutes for a table for 5 for Friday lunch. I would highly recommend.

We did the margherita, the margherita with roma tomatoes, sausage, salame and the calzone (sorry can't remember the correct italian names for each). standard margherita was the best, but each was really excellect. The calzone was really fun and filled with tons of ricotta.

we also split two caprese salads. Total bill was just over $100.

Also we were able to sit in the back and watch as the made the pies. quite a treat.

spinynorman99 wrote:I found Peasant's pizza to be very similar to Spacca Napoli here (they even give you a bowl of Castelvetrano olives - hmmm...). I've never had a full meal there (just pizza and appetizers). Just wondering how Keste compared.

Saturday, having just finished a New Zealand Wine Walk, we stopped in at Peasant for a snack, which turned into an early supper.

First of all, Peasant is a beautiful space, with brick walls, high ceilings and a charming semi-open rustic kitchen. The menu is much more comprehensive than Keste, offering a full range of appetizers, pastas and entrees. While pizza is the centerpiece at Keste, here it's more of a sideshow. The three of us split an order of fresh figs with prosciutto, a margherita pizza and an entree of oricchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage.

Despite the very low light, you can get a sense of the pizza:


And the crust:


Peasant's pizza is not a true neapolitan pie as I understand it. The toppings are the same, but the crust is very different, paper thin and crispy. While delicate and delicious in its own way, it lacks that semolina earthiness and chew. It reminded me more of a cracker crust. Don't get me wrong--it was excellent but, if you're expecting the now familiar chew of a neapolitan style pizza, you'll be disappointed.

The pasta was very good also--handmade oricchiette, bitter broccoli rabe with chunks of a very porky, rustic sausage. While it was very satisfying, I've been spoiled by what I consider the definitive version of this dish at Po.

Peasant is a relaxed and friendly place which obviously has plenty of devotees and regulars. Even at 5pm on a Saturday, the place was filling up quickly. When we commented on the enticing aroma of Zuppa di Pesce wafting from the next table, the gentleman enjoying it insisted on offering us a taste!

So thanks spinynorman99 for mentioning Peasant. It's a wonderful place, one we'll be visiting again soon, and not only for the pizza.

Peasant
http://www.peasantnyc.com
194 Elizabeth St # A
New York, NY 10012-4255
(212) 965-9511