Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Martina opens this weekend (and the sidewalk planters have arrived)


[Photo from Sunday]

Martina, the Roman-inspired pizzeria from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, opens Saturday on 11th Street at Third Avenue.

Grub Street had the news, speaking with Nick Anderer, the former chef at its sister pizzeria-restaurant, Marta.

Unlike the wood-fired pies at the mothership, Martina’s are smaller, cheaper ($7 to $12), cooked in a gas oven in about two minutes, and doled out counter-service style. But they share Marta’s ultra-thin-crust DNA: Martina’s four-slice pies use the same dough, the same California tomatoes, the same Di Palo’s mozzarella. One of those vibrating pager thingamajigs Danny Meyer popularized at Shake Shack will buzz you when your pizza’s ready ...

Also, there won't be any delivery...

But when it comes to one particular in-demand amenity, Anderer won’t budge: delivery. “I want my food to be enjoyed at the best possible moment,” he says, though he will allow takeout.

You can find a PDF of the Martina menu here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group planning Martina for 55 3rd Ave.
at

15 comments:

  1. GojiraAugust 15, 2017 at 8:20 AM

    He will "allow" takeout and refuses to deliver? So basically it's about him and his ego, not his paying customers. Okay, so I will allow myself to refuse to patronize this snooty place, since I like my pizza with sausage and black olives, not arrogance.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 9:14 AM

    I'll pass.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 9:16 AM

    How gracious of him to allow takeout.

    Still looks like a garage to me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. sophoclesAugust 15, 2017 at 11:17 AM

    It stands to reason that it would share the same dna as the mothership. I am on board with di palo mozz.

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  5. cmarrtyyAugust 15, 2017 at 12:16 PM

    Prices aren't bad. They're trying for the locals, students, Moxies to walk in and take out. Very smart marketing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 12:47 PM

    Cooked in 2 minutes? No thanks, I like my pizza cooked the right way. This is pricey fast-food.

    As for the beeper system, basically it's Shake Shack serving pizza.

    BTW, of course they won't be doing delivery - it's Danny Meyer, & YOU have to come to him. That's the deal for his ego.

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  7. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 12:48 PM

    Can't wait!!!

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  8. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 3:17 PM

    lol, clearly 12:47 PM knows nothing about pizza.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 5:59 PM

    From the menu PDF--"Martina is a cash-free pizzeria." So if you'd rather not use a credit card, you're not welcome?

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  10. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 7:13 PM

    @3:17pm: What exactly would one need to "know" about pizza that you're lol-ing about?

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  11. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 7:21 PM

    "Cash-free"?? No go! Many of us still prefer to pay in cash. There are a whole bunch of places that don't get my money b/c I can't pay them in cash, and Martina will be one more added to that list.

    Cash-free places don't even come up in my brain when I'm thinking about where to get food; if a place is cash-free, my brain ditches the place as being useless to me.

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  12. JQ LLCAugust 15, 2017 at 8:00 PM

    2 minute and serve? Sounds like Meyer did some scouting at 2 bros and 99cent fresh.

    This joint is a bit premature since the Moxy does not exist yet. Whoever heard of a pizzeria, especially what this chump want's to emulate, that doesn't deliver?

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  13. AnonymousAugust 15, 2017 at 9:23 PM

    I wanted to try this, but I don't like this "cash-free" business, either!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. GiovanniAugust 16, 2017 at 12:13 AM

    Here's a timeline of Martina's projected business plan revisions:

    Month 1: Announce Martina's Grand Opening PR stunt: Cash free, no delivery, no slices, because we're special.
    Month 2: Buy cash registers. Announce we now take cash, bitcoins, even Canadian dollars are OK
    Month 3: Announce the rollout of our amazing 5 borough delivery service.
    Month 4: Announce that slices are now available at Lunch only
    Month 5: Slices are now available for both Lunch and Dinner
    Month 6: Dollar slices available at happy hour and on NFL Football Sundays
    Month 7: Free pizza with purchase of pitchers of beer and sangria
    Month 8: Free beer and pizza with every $100 spent at any Shake Shack location worldwide
    Month 9: Our freshly made frozen pizzas are now available at Whole Foods
    Month 10: Frozen pizza is now available at Gristedes; Key Foods and select bodegas
    Month 11: Put "Closed for renovations" sign in window. Revamp buisness plan.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousAugust 16, 2017 at 1:32 AM

    7:13pm and JQ LLC...

    Re: Pizza cooking time (assuming you're making napoletana or roman style of pizza in a real pizza oven...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_pizza

    "The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire."

    ReplyDelete

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