Pizzacraft, located just one block west of its sister establishments Tacocraft and Rok:Brgr, is a 2,500-square-foot restaurant serving wood-fired pizza, homemade pasta, and seasonally-rotating salads compliments of executive chef Bret Hauser, a recent contender on season 14 of Fox's Hell's Kitchen.
The pizza — a neo-Neapolitan-style — takes center stage, a blend of old-school pizza-making techniques and new-school flavors, says Hauser. The menu offers a list of eight signature pies; four red and four white created by JEY Hospitality Group's executive team, which worked closely with the Miami-born and -raised chef.
Pies are topped with some pretty high-minded ingredients, including aged meats from Miami Smokers as well as imported ingredients like salumi, truffled pecorino cheese, and infused olive oils. Most ingredients are house-made, however, like a fresh ricotta and burrata cheese and a custom-calibrated dough baked up in a 700-degree wood-burning oven.
Friday through Sunday, try Hauser's Nonna's Sunday gravy, a short rib, fennel sausage, and meatball-infused San Marzano tomato sauce seasoned with Calabrian chilis. It's served in a large bowl over handmade giant rigatoni and topped with a scoop of house-made ricotta and torn basil.
For the nightlife aspect, Apothecary 330 will be opening in the adjoining space later this month, a wine and cocktail bar that will serve a large selection of craft beer, bourbon and whiskey, and boutique wines. Billed as a speakeasy-style establishment, expect to find absinthe, Fernet, and batched cocktails on tap as well.
Both establishments are located just steps from the city's courthouse, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and a new outdoor amphitheater slated to open next year in nearby Esplanade Park, in the space formerly occupied by TAPS Fort Lauderdale, which closed in June.
"This is a concept that was actually created before Himmarshee Public House and Tacocraft, but we have been waiting for the right time and the right location," says Marc Falsetto, JEY Hospitality
Friday, October 2, marks the first day of business for Pizzacraft beginning with dinner service through the weekend. Lunch will begin on Monday. The restaurant is located at 330 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-616-8028, or visit pizzacraftpizzeria.com.
Nicole Danna is a food writer covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and drink news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole or find her latest food pics on the BPB New Times Food & Drink Instagram.
