A4 (Area Four).
happy pi day y'all!
I know what you're thinking. Another pizza review? Yep. You can never have enough pizza. I think pizza might even be my desert island food to be honest. Now I love mac n' cheese, and all that good stuff but I really think that pizza is one of the most versatile mediums for food. You can essentially put whatever the hell you want on it, and you plates are optional (for the most part). I don't see soup being that versatile, or that portable. Sorry soup.
I've been meaning to go to this place for quite some time now. They opened not too long ago and have been gaining traction ever since! They pride themselves in having this amazing starter (which is just pizza for crust) and they're rightfully so in being prideful.
Area Four is relatively new. They have two locations, one in the ever-so-trendy Kendall Square, and one in Union. They also have a food truck, if I'm correct in saying so (and a hot dog cart!).
Right when you walk in you know that they mean business! The bar is there on the left (a bit awkward in regards to the overall layout), but they have an impressive selection of beer/spirits. Then... as you head up the stairs to the seating area, through the vertical flow (straight line) you bypass the oven and chefs! The dining area is utilized completely as its got both high and low tops.
You’re instantly greeted by a one sided menu, packed with plenty of wit dough (doe). Each one has something different on the back. They have a pretty decent selection of toppings and pre-sorted pizzas. Only two sizes, small & large, no need to have medium when you have non-pizza items. Only thing they could stand to improve on is maybe upping the ante of their “non-pizza” selection.
The beer selection is definitely impressive. Plenty of good choices on draft, and if there’s nothing that wets your whistle there are a few bottled selections that you can choose from.
We decided to go with the:
- Stuffed Wellfleet Clams: $12
Green Tabasco Remoulade - Carnivore : Small $17.50 | Large $26.50
Mozzarella, Tomato, Sopressata, Sausage & Bacon*
We got the clams fairly quickly. And we were both pretty happy with them! They were definitely made to order, and they’re baked on a bed of salt which definitely stands out. There was a good portion of clam in the stuffing as well, which was nice. My main critique is that they could’ve given us more of them, two for twelve is pricey considering the size.
Once the Carnivore came out we were definitely happy with our gut feeling towards only ordering one, because the small wasn’t so small haha. There was most definitely enough toppings on it. It wasn’t as hot as I would have personally liked it to be, but they don’t want you to scald yourself. My friend was also extremely happy with my executive decision to order two farm eggs ($3.5) on top of it. The yolk accommodation was exactly what melded all the different flavors: salt, cheese, sauce, goodness.
All in all it was a great meal. I didn’t pay too much attention to what other people ordered, but we weren’t the only ones that had the Carnivore on our plates to say the least. The second appetizer that we debated getting was the mac ’n cheese.
Let’s see how they slice up compared to some of the other pizzas I’ve had:
- aesthetics: 8/10 - the inside was definitely a breath of fresh air. The only qualm I have with the setup is that that the bar is placed in a bit of an awkward spot. It’s right when you walk in the door on the left, and doesn’t really foster any real flow, other than that they do a fantastique job integrating their personality into the place. The witty wordplay woos you (alliteration yo) when you sit down, not only on the menu but on the walls as well.
- taste: 7.5/10 - the stuffed/baked clams were delicious don’t get me wrong, I just wish there were more of them for the price that you pay. They were a little bit heavy with the onions, but other than that they were good. The wellfleets were decent size too.
- dough : 9/10 - they have every right to boast about their starter. It was damn good. I personally love a sour dough crust it has this bite to it that if you haven’t tasted before is a pleasant surprise! It could have stood to be pulled a little bit thinner at the edges, but that’s just being nit-picky.
- sauce to topping ratio : 7/10 - I know this is topping specific. We got one with a lot of meats, so it’s only fair to note that they put ample enough meat on. I would’ve preferred to have a bit more sausage and a bit less pepperoni. It was loaded with salt so a ladle or so of more sauce would’ve definitely made this more enjoyable. I’ll be sure to report back once I try a non-meat pie though.
- presentation: 7/10 - pretty standard. Nothing outta this world, I think that the lower tables are a bit awkward if you have more than just a pizza at a time because they’re too small. The pizza stand was a bit unnecessary because it was too tall! We also dropped our pizza through the center, and then just abandoned ship after that haha.
- service: 8/10 - our server was great! attentive, and pleasant but not overbearing. We were greeted when we arrived which is always a plus. The waiter who brought our food out was also adamant about warning us about the temperature of the skillet that the clams were baked in. Only thing I would complain about is that there was an empty row of tables for two available but they sat a couple right next to us! The way it’s setup is that the lower center rows have interchangeable surfaces to accommodate for the size of your party. The high tops and tables on the outskirts are definitely the way to go for next time dough.
Pizza. Pizza today, pizza tomorrow, pizza forever. It's not even my favorite food, but it's so versatile (sauces, toppings, crusts, shape etc.) it can withstand. It's reliable, when you bike an hour and a half only to find out that they've run out of ramen burgers or non-dairy coconut based frozen yogurt, there's always pizza to greet you on the nearest block. You can depend on pizza to get you though the toughest of emotional heartbreaks, or to celebrate the most jubilant experiences as well. Pizza is resourceful, not only can you stack pizza to transport it more efficiently, but plates are pretty much optional with this food. Pizza also has technology going for, and how many other foods can say that? People are always trying to come up with ways to find the most innovative construction for a pizza box, or methods for keeping the cheese melted/crust crunchy. Pizza doesn't need any other food accompaniments, it's a stand-alone food. With that said, pizza breeds a diverse experience. It depends on other ingredients (sauce, cheese, veggies etc.) instead of just one or two things. With that said, pizza party anyone?