An elegant Italian restaurant opens on one of Cincinnati's most beautiful blocks
One thing's for sure – Razzo, which opened on Oct. 18, is a great-looking restaurant. Cherry wainscoting recalls classic Brooklyn red sauce joints. Framed Cinzano ads and Italian travel prints decorate the walls and, most strikingly, a sleek neon red sign announces the name of the restaurant (Razzo is the Italian word for rocket) above the bar. All in all, it's an elegant addition to the already gorgeous block of Pendleton it occupies.
The menu is equally impressive. The first course (or piatti) features braised meatballs in red sauce, salads, two pastas (cacio e pepe and penne and calamari in vodka sauce) and arancini with nduja (a pork sausage spread) and buffalo mozzarella, among other items.
While I've only started to scratch the surface of that menu, I can say that the Roman-style pizza and Caesar salad I ordered made me excited to come back. The Caesar was composed of crisp gem lettuce and bitter radicchio tossed with plump boquerones and pickled habaneros. I highly recommend ordering both.
Razzo's specialty is Roman-style pizzas, which it developed with help from Cincinnati pizzaiolo Alex Plattner, owner of St. Francis Apizza, in Hyde Park. Jordan Anthony-Brown, who is set to open his much anticipated new restaurant Aperture in East Walnut Hills before the end of the year, also helped develop the menu.
For the uninitiated, Roman-style pizza resembles those Detroit-style pizzas you might have enjoyed at Taglio or Jet's, but is lighter and airier, almost like a focaccia. That means you'll still have room for an order of arancini or meatballs without feeling remorseful afterward. The restaurant features a selection of wines, cocktails and beers, including a signature kolsch developed in coordination with Wandering Monsters brewery in Anderson Township.
The building Razzo occupies was formerly home to Boomtown Biscuits, which closed last year. Owners Christy Wulfson and Michael Giufoil, who also own Bar Saeso, in Over-the-Rhine, were well aware of the corner's significance when they decided to take over the space.
"When Boomtown closed last summer, we knew it would leave a void and that whatever filled it would have a huge impact on the culture and identity of Pendleton," the couple said in a press release. "We didn’t want to see another burger joint, sportbar, or trendy concept built around a gimmick end up with big presence on a street that was starting to evolve...the corner was calling out to become something classic, which is exactly what we set out to create."
Razzo, 1201 Broadway, Pendleton, 513-493-2806, razzo.pizza.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Razzo restaurant adds Italian elegance to beautiful block in Pendleton
