PizzaVolante Design District Miami Pizza
Slice Rating
Mikey and I stopped into the Miami Design District to PizzaVolante. Although it is extremely easy to pass this place and not even realize it was there, you might be able to find it if you look for the old Blue Car they have in front. The address is 3918 N Miami Ave Miami, (305) 573-5325.
We put our money in the meter and walked across the street to a rather packed PizzaVolante. They were having a party in there this day for the owners child. Due to the party they would not let us sit indoors, but did allow us to take out. It was like we traveled 1 hour down to Miami to try this pizza, and would allow some party ruin our chance. So we proceeded to order a plain pie, and tried to peek around the counter to view the wood burning oven it was about to be cooked in. Personally I would have laid this place out different, since the oven is almost hidden, and instead should be the center of attention at this unique pizza shop. Instead the cash register happens to be the center of attention. Guess the money is more important to him then the pizza based upon this layout. I think the owner of this restaurant Jonathan Eisman who also owns Pacific Time Restaurant in Miami, should have known better. The purpose of having a wood burning pizza oven, besides cooking a tasty pizza, is to show it off to everyone when they walk in, and let them know you care enough to use such a special oven.
The pizza took no time to cook, and right before it came out I paid my bill. The guy behind the counter came back with my discover card, which seemed to have gone through, only to tell me they don't take discover? This was quite perplexing since the card seemed to get approval, which was further evident when they had to run it through again to issue me the refund. Either you take Discover or you don't, seems pretty simple to me. All it did was cause me unwanted stress that should have been avoided, while my pie cooled down. As we know, wood fired and coal oven pizza cools down really fast, so every second counts. Thanks for delaying me guys!
As we were walking out we noticed the place was emptying out, since the party was over. I introduced myself to the owner and asked him if I could get a bit of history on the place. He didn't really have the time to discuss things with me (it was afterall his own family event) but told us we could sit down now and enjoy the pizza. And enjoy it we did. This pizza was actually very good. Certainly not the best I have had, but remarkably tasty nonetheless. It was cooked to a perfect level of crispness, and the cheese was astonishingly delightful. The sauce was applied evenly and in an extremely perfect ratio to the cheese.
What stands out most to me about this pizza, is that I was able to taste every ingredient. You might find that odd, but think about the last time you went to a pizza place, took a bite of the slice, and were able to separate each ingredient as you swirl them around your mouth. Most of the time you bite and swallow, and say Yay or Nay. With this bite, I was able to taste the crisp tasty and perfectly baked crust, the sweet fresh sauce and the incredibly fresh cheese. Each one separate. Just go try the pizza if you think I am crazy.
PizzaVolante gets 6 out of 8 slices, and I would definitely recommend this pizza to anyone who is looking to go a little out of the way to try something new. Tell Jonathan we sent ya.
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