(Photos courtesy of Sauce)
The East Village needs another pizzeria like a white pie needs extra cheese, but the latest one, Sauce Pizzeria, comes with a twist: True to the place’s name, slices and pies are served with a side of sauce.
You may know Sauce as a popular Italian restaurant on the Lower East Side. Owners Adam Elzer and Perry Rahbar will be offering some of that spot’s specialties (spaghetti bolognese, etc.) at this new spinoff. But the star of the menu is thin-crust pizza made with sourdough and organic malted flour.
Unlike its crazy-popular neighbor, Motorino, and its wood-burning oven, Sauce will be using a PizzaMaster electric deck oven for a more NYC-style slice. And it has a few specialty pies to further set itself apart. For starters, there’s an al pastor variety. Before you dismiss it as a Domino’s-esque hybrid monstrosity, know that Elzer was a founding partner of Alex Stupak’s Empellón, so he knows a thing or two about chipotle-spiced roasted pork.
Pies are available in 14″ and 18″ sizes, in addition to a 10″ pie made with gluten-free cauliflower crust.
As for the titular dipping sauces, you’ve got your choice of grass-fed bolognese, a spicy vodka, and a classic or vegan red. (Sorry, no viral burrata spread here.)
The restaurant also claims to be the only one in New York serving Van Leeuwen soft-serve, which can be combined with soda to make a float. Check out the menu here.
Sauce Pizzeria, 345 East 12th St., nr. First Ave, 646-983-4007; open noon to midnight, Friday and Saturday until 4am.