Roberta's (a not so cheap eat)

This past Thursday I finally made it out to Roberta's, whose fried chicken and pizza have been touted as Bushwick staples. I arrived around seven with friends Grace, Lucas, and Liam (who was the one who recommended the restaurant to us all!) The atmosphere of the place is absolutely amazing-low lighting, rustic wood paneling, brick walls, and best of all -gangster rap playing quietly in the background. After ordering some drinks at the bar, we were quickly seated. Ordering however, took quite a bit longer. Everything looked so great! Unfortunately, the fried chicken is only served as a special and was not available that night, so we decided to order 3 pizzas to share (they are small portions). We eventually agreed on the Margherita ($8 mozzarella, tomato, basil),Madd Martigan ($12 mozzarella, mushrooms,pesto, artichoke) and the Speck and Egg special ($14 speck, egg, gorgonzola). I also ordered a mint lemonade ($3), and Grace ordered the Bibb Lettuce ($7 dried cherry vinaigrette, blue cheese, roasted walnuts). We all sampled the bibb lettuce, which was simple but delicious!

The pizzas arrived shortly after the salad, and we dove right in. The sauce on all pies was very light-which allowed for all of the other strong flavors to shine through. The Margherita was nothing special, but definitely still enjoyable.

The Madd Martigan and the Speck and Egg special however, were unlike any other pizza I've had before. Everything on the Martigan was so fresh-right down to the pesto sauce, while the artichokes provided heartiness to the pie.

Initially, I wasn't sure how I felt about egg on pizza, but the Speck and Egg ended up being absolutely amazing.

The mildness of the egg perfectly complimented the super savory flavors of the speck. Delicious! My mint lemonade was the ideal drink for this meal- it was tangy and I again could taste how fresh the mint and lemon in it was.

I found out from Grace later that they actually grow their vegtables fresh on the roof, which I love! Everything about my experience at Roberta's was wonderful, from the food itself right down to the space. It's the perfect place for a date, and it's definitely worth the journey!

Address: 261 Moore St, Brooklyn NY11206
Phone:(718) 417-1118
Average Price: 10 a pie
Grade: A

Viva Herbal

This past week my old roommates and I decided to get together to catch up over dinner. Sounds simple, but picking a restaurant can be quite tricky with us. Two are vegetarians, one is a sometimes vegan, and one keeps kosher. This typically lands us with kosher pizza, which can get tiring. We decided on Viva Herbal, which specializes in vegan and kosher pizzas, pastas, and calzones. Despite the variety of the menu, we all settled on pizza, ordering the Picante (soy sausage, roast red pepper, mozzarella cheese)



the Bella (pesto sauce, mozzarella, sauteed spinach, onions and feta)


and the Santa Rosa (tomato sauce, sundried tomato, mushroom, roasted garlic, calamata olives, miso tofu).

Everything was amazing- and absolutely loaded with toppings. My personal favorite was the Bella-all of the flavors went together incredibly well, and the pesto sauce was a refreshing change from the typical tomato. We each got 2 slices, but 1 would have been more than enough. While I really enjoyed my meal, I wouldn't recommend it as a place for meeting up with people. There is very little seating, and the noise from the kitchen makes it difficult to talk. If you're looking for a healthy quick meal solo though, make sure to check Viva Herbal out!
Address: 179 2nd Ave, New York NY10003 (btw 11th and 12th)
Phone:(212) 420-8801
Average Price: $3 per slice
Grade: A