By Stephen Diamond, Jr. and Cristina Alesci
In the 1950s, Americans thought Dean Martin was a quintessential Italian lover. We overlooked his Ohio roots, mesmerized by his velvety vocal cords and swarthy good looks. In contrast, Dean’s, a new family style pizzeria and restaurant that opened recently on Greenwich Street, flaunts its American roots while offering diners a flavor of “Hey Mambo” Southern Italian home cooking and very good pizza. The Tribeca restaurant is the third Manhattan location for the Dean’s chainlet, which was named after the famous crooner and is a branch of the Angelis-Tsoulos coterie’s constellation of New York pizzerias (Adrienne’s, Angelo’s, Nick’s and Patsy’s).
The spacious dining room, fashioned out of a cavernous loft that was previously home to Pico and Dominic Restaurant and Social Club, is especially well-suited for large groups. Tables are arranged in rows that lend themselves to easy modification; four two-person tables can be lined up to seat eight people faster than you can say “Volare.” Near the front of the restaurant, a semi-circular bar dominates the center of the dining room. Featuring a wooden trellis overhead, the bar softens the former warehouse space and adds to the overall coziness. The beams support light fixtures that hang like vines over the center of the bar.
Featuring dishes such as pasta with homemade meatballs ($10, individual/$16, full), linguine fra diavolo pesce ($13/$22) and veal cutlet parmigiana ($14/24), Dean’s menu offers a sampling of many popular Southern Italian dishes that were Americanized for less native taste buds. Like its namesake, Dean’s displays a fondness for the sauce. In some dishes, such as penne a la vodka ($12/$16) and chicken marsala ($10.50/$17), the sauce works; in others, such as an otherwise flawless herb-crusted sole ($12/$20), it’s a handicap. The delicious sole, lightly fried with a touch of saltiness, was served with a splat of tartar sauce that would have been right at home at an Arthur Treacher’s, but was jarring with a piece of fish this good. Instead, have the waiter hold the sauce and bring you a wedge of lemon. Similarly, a crisp multi-colore salad (individual, $7/$12) was overwhelmed by a sweet salad dressing that masked the crisp bitterness of the arugula, radicchio and endive leaves. A better option would be to substitute the dressing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. All of the salads at Dean’s may be ordered with grilled chicken, which arrives slightly charred yet moist and golden, with a zesty squirt of lemon juice on top.
The star of the show, however, is the pizza. Two large, flame-breathing pizza ovens dominate the restaurant’s southern wall, pumping out crisp pizza crusts that are worth seeking out, especially in Tribeca, which suffers for a lack of good pizza.
Dean’s offers two types of pizza—a slightly doughy round pie, available in both 12-inch ($13) and 16-inch ($15) sizes, and a thinner crust, old-fashioned square pizza ($16). In our opinion, the thin crispness of the square pie, which is baked in a pan, makes it the better of the two (although both are very good). Geometry aside, the square pie is topped with four cheeses (fresh mozzarella, dried mozzarella, grana padano and pecorino) rather than just mozzarella. For those seeking to customize their pizzas, a standard roster of fresh toppings are also available, at an extra cost.
Dean’s is a much-needed arrival for the pizza-deprived denizens of Tribeca. If the overall effect of the restaurant is not as sexy as ol’ Dino himself, it is at least as comforting as his voice.
Dean’s Family Style Restaurant and Pizzeria
349 Greenwich Street
212-966-3200
Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Friday -- Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – Midnight
Cost for Dinner:$20-35 per person, depending on drinks.
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