Gigi Pizza offers Neapolitan-ish pies next to Olly in Queen Village
Pies from a Pavesi oven are best described as Neapolitan-ish. That is: thin but airy and crispy crusts whose bottoms are sturdy and lack the soupy, soft centers that true Neapolitan pies have.
The newest entrant in the Queen Village pizza scene happens to be owned by veterans in the neighborhood.
Gigi, opening Nov. 7, is a homey 12-seater attached to Olly, the bistro at Fifth and Bainbridge Streets owned by Chris D’Ambro and Marina de Oliveira, who also have Southwark and Ambra a block away, at Fourth Street. (“That’s it,” D’Ambro told me. “For now.”)
At Gigi — after D’Ambro’s mom’s nickname — they’re turning out pies from a Pavesi oven that are best described as Neapolitan-ish. That is: thin but airy and crispy crusts whose bottoms are sturdy and lack the soupy, soft centers that true Neapolitan pies have.
Menu includes a line of pizzas (six reds, five whites), plus oven-roasted wings, Caesar salad, lasagna, spaghetti al limone, the Olly burger (the only menu item from next door), and a clever use of cheese — a mini-crock of St. Albans cheese that they pop into the oven till it gets gooey and then serve with rosemary flatbread to dip. (See the whole shebang here.)
Bar list includes two beers, a red/white/rose, prosecco, and batched Negronis and Manhattans.
The brick-walled trattoria, designed and built by D’Ambro’s brother Joseph, is a counterpart to the new Emmy Squared across the street, whose stock in trade is square, Detroit-style pizza.
Hours are set up to hit the after-school crowd: 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 3:30 p.m. to midnight Friday; noon to midnight Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Meanwhile, Gigi pizza will be available at Olly’s bar after Olly’s kitchen closes.