Pizza Brutta

In a word: Well-prepared.

The specs: #0484  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp, Eating the World, Lost Albatross, Heartland, Madison Foodie, Pop Will Eat Me, Something Else to Do, Ruppert Food Blog 11/5/08 and 3/28/09, Dane101, Queer Supper Club, Isthmus, Slice, Making it in Madison, official web site,

Latest Pizza Brutta news and reviews

JM and Nichole ate the vesuvio salad, bergamo pizza, and a fountain drink.
The bill was $22, or $11/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole both gave Pizza Brutta an A- (see our grading rubric).

It's pretty gutsy to name your pizza place Brutta, as in "ugly," but Pizza Brutta seems to be pulling it off (that is, being a pizza place). The fast-casual, detail- and design-conscious atmosphere is attractive and yet aloof.

Our vesuvio salad consisted of spinach and radicchio, prosciutto crumble, thin bands of gruyere, enough red pepper for zing, and a unique smoked tomato vinaigrette that tasted like midnight Mass. It was a little delicate for JM's taste, but Nichole didn't mind finishing his portion.

We noticed as we ordered that the pizza oven thermometer read 666 degrees, which was pretty cool. And hot. Our pizza arrived on the heels of the salad, topped with a brushing of red sauce; cool, anise-tinged basil; sun-dried tomatoes; smoky ham; and mild gorgonzola. It was definitely not finger food, and had we not read all about how the pizza is meant to be "wet" we would have been surprised. The thin, yet puffy-on-the-edges crust tasted, for want of a better word, young - the flavor was simple and bready, without much depth or nuttiness. The center risked a quick reduction to gumminess.

The pie's preselected toppings came across as a team of rivals, reinforcing the idea that simpler is always better with Neapolitan-style pizza and next time we may just build our own.

Comments

[Timmy]

Great place. It's been a few months since I've been there, but they used to have a lunch special on margarita pizza that made Brutta faster and more affordable than most diners and some fast-food joints. The panini are good as well.

[Elizabeth]

I didn't like their pizza as well as Cafe Porta Alba or Greenbush, but it was still good. I really like how fast you can get a pizza there. It's definitely tastier than most fast, casual restaurants.

[Kyle]

Is that last shot of the pizza 3D or something? Did I miss the goggle hand-out?

[Skip]

Ooh! Ooh! Pizza Pit has to be coming up soon! ;)

[Emily]

I've always enjoyed the pizza there, but I almost always stick with either the margherita or the buffalo mozzarella pies. Like you said, simpler is better. And the folks who run the place have always been super friendly and open to suggestions. Great place.

[Salamanda]

I was disappointed by this place. The crust was both burnt/crusty and soggy. The sauce was not fabulous. The chunks of margherita were repulsive to the kids. I was trying to feed the starving family before getting home to the East side, and they left more starving and grumpier than when we arrived. Maybe the pizza is authentic and our family has developed a taste for the fake stuff. But I was sooooo disappointed! I love the mission though and I morally support the restaurant even though I'll probably never eat there again.