Hot Italian
1627 16th St.
Sacramento, CA
(916) 444-3000
www.hotitalian.net
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editorial profile:
Sleek, contemporary and cooler-than-cool, Hot Italian offers Sacramentans a completely new take on the corner pizzeria. With its grey concrete floors, black and white walls and stark, high black tables and (backless) bar stools, the space is far more stylish than comfortable. Decorations are kept to a minimum—one (white) wall has a school of black forks affixed to it, and the enormous pizza oven is sprinkled with Italian words such as “avanti,” “passione,” and “ganzo.” One large round table in the back, available for rent, has a pit in the center that staff fill with ice and wine for big groups of pizza revelers; and there’s a snug outdoor patio dominated by a cool Italian-esque mural. Hot Italian also has a gelato bar, which can be accessed via a window from the sidewalk for panting patrons sweating it out in the Sacramento sun. And while the restaurant feels austere and warehousy, it also offers up some of the region’s most fabulous thin-crust pizzas, panini and calzones. It may take a few minutes to plod through the (black, shiny) menu, which is as cool and contemporary as the restaurant itself —menu items are designated by little symbols and numbers, which I found to be annoying but perhaps, viewed through more playful eyes, is simply novel and fun. You may feel like a fashion disaster walking in with scuffed tennis shoes instead of spiky Manolo Blahniks, but that first bite of Bartolami pizza will make you swoon with pleasure. The ultra-thin crust is piled with chunks of mild sausage, exquisite, teeny-tiny chanterelle mushrooms, smoked scamorza cheese (a firm, slightly salty Italian cheese) and tangy shreds of radicchio lettuce. Other not-to-miss items from the pizza oven include the Ligabue (smeared with basil pesto, topped with mozzarella, pine nuts and Pecorino-Romano cheese); and the Filippi, covered with melted mozzarella, tuna and caramelized onions. Sandwich lovers will embrace Hot Italian’s panini selection (try the Bova, slathered with tomato sauce and stacked with roasted eggplant and goat cheese); and there’s also a few notable salads from which to choose. Finish your Italian meal with a creamy gelato or one of the kitchen’s oh-so-Italian desserts (anyone for a pizza topped with gorgonzola cheese and honey-drizzled pears?). — Kira O'Donnell
Insider tip: Directly attached to the restaurant is a “Motors & Gear” shop specializing in Italian street sportswear and accessories for cyclists and car, motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts. There’s also some shiny Vespas that your kids will want to touch and sit on. Don’t let them.
Reservations: Recommended for parties of 10 or larger
Payment methods: AmEx, Discover Card, Diners’ Club, MasterCard, Visa
Alcohol: Beer and wine only
Corkage fee: $10
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