Pizzeria Gusto

[CuatrodeMayo]

Wouldn't that be 99% of all design? If it's new it's original. If it's not new it's recombination.

Yes. Pretty much everything being designed today is derivative.

[Bullbear]

From their FB page. .2 more inspections to go before opening soon.
I asked if they would be open before my partners Birthday on the 22nd since he loves Pizza. they replied they will definately be open by the 22nd!
very excited. if only PUMP would also be open we could just move next door after pizza!

[Bullbear]

Pizzeria Gusto Opening Pictures

They have the website up with pictures of start to finish.

[Urbanized]

Got a chance to enjoy a training lunch there the other day. The pizza is as fantastic as the decor. It's going to be a great place.

[Pete]

Looks like they plan to open tomorrow night.

[soonerguru]

I'm extremely excited about this place.

[Pete]

A friend went last night and said the pizza was fantastic and the space is gorgeous.

[Roger S]

A friend went last night and said the pizza was fantastic and the space is gorgeous.

We are going for lunch Friday. I'll let ya know our groups thoughts.

[Chadanth]

Just got home from there. Pizza was great, cooked perfectly. Had the chicken liver crostini as an app, it was delicious. Try the olive oil cake, which was great as well. Overall, I have to recommend it. It wasn't busy, but within a month, it will probably be packed.

[Pete]

^

High praise for so early on.

Looks like another huge hit.

[Chadanth]

^

High praise for so early on.

Looks like another huge hit.

Honestly, a much better opening experience than R&J's. The wait or knew the menu, knew the flavors, and was attentive. Service was prompt, and drinks were quick. This place is probably the flagship for the big truck/mutts guys and it's going to be a HIT.

As a aside, briefly checked out Pump and it looks very cool as well. Once the Rise opens and everyone is up and running, there will be lots of traffic and synergy in the area.

[Pete]

Yeah, fun to think about all the life and energy that will soon be in this small area.

[Chadanth]

Yeah, fun to think about all the life and energy that will soon be in this small area.

Even without Flashback, it'll be great. Looking forward to the Drake too, I've been waiting for a good seafood joint.

[soonerguru]

R&J's is cool, but it's mainly a place to drink -- with food to nosh on when you get hungry. i'm hopeful that Gusto sets a higher standard for pizza in OKC. Without trying it, I'm a wee bit concerned they got too cute with the menu, but it seems like they are using really nice ingredients for the pies, and I'm not opposed to "artisan."

This is a fabulous, must-read food article about Keith McNally, one of America's greatest restaurateurs. He decided he needed to do a neapolitan Italian pizzeria in New York -- one of the pizza meccas on earth. This article was written before the opening of his restaurant, and is a real insider's glimpse into what goes in to opening a restaurant in Manhattan.

It's just a great read. Weirdly enough, McNally had never failed with a restaurant, but this article provides notable foreshadowing of its ultimate demise. The restaurant was open less than a year, and failed, after all of this effort to get everything "right." Please read this because it's a fascinating portrait of an American restaurant icon, but it's also a cautionary tale about the fickleness of the culinary world in general.

http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/64303/

[Roger S]

Went and tried Gusto for lunch today with 3 other co-workers.... I don't claim to be any kind of authority on that style of pizza but everything we had was great.

Will definitly be going back.

[Teo9969]

Let me put it this way:

If they're going to fail, they're going to have to try…the space is just too fantastic. It's super wide open too, which I found to be very interesting…wouldn't be surprised if they stuff a few more tables in there.

[JarrodH]

I believe they are having the same issues with capacity that we are. The new fire marshall is being very strict on capacity for new places. We have 78 chairs plus standing room at Slaughters and he set our capacity at 64.

[soonerguru]

I went and thought it was extremely good. Would like to see a wee bit more flexibility on the pies, for example, the opportunity to sub the fresh mozzarella for the provolone on one of them. We tried multiple pies and they were all very good. The marinara sauce is wonderful and more savory than sweet. Killer wine list. Great appetizers.

Overall, I was very impressed for a new restaurant. They still need to work out a few kinks, for example the cheese on one of the pies was not evenly melted throughout. I'm sure the pizza oven takes some getting used to.

It was very good though with a super atmosphere. It will be a huge hit.

[BoulderSooner]

I believe they are having the same issues with capacity that we are. The new fire marshall is being very strict on capacity for new places. We have 78 chairs plus standing room at Slaughters and he set our capacity at 64.

This is an issue I have seen at other places as well. Midtown deli had x capacity. Everyone thought it should be higher.

Louies comes in and takes over the place. Expands the kitchen. And all of the sudden they get a higher capacity number from the fire Marshall. ? Is their an appeal process. Because this is the type of thing that Makes a city business unfriendly.

[Pete]

A few tables more makes a massive difference in a restaurant's profitability.

Would definitely like to know more about how these limits are set.

[Paseofreak]

There is a very clear and specific formula set forth in The NFPA code for calculating an establishments capacity. It takes into account a multitude of factors such as number and size of exits, room size, etc. Bottom line, correctly applied, everyone should come up with the same answer. It has nothing to do with how many seats you can fit in the place or profitability. It's a life safety issue that shouldn't be compromised for business "friendliness".

[Chadanth]

Just got home from my second trip to PG. Wow, it's even better than the first trip. The appetizers are smaller, and perfect as actual appetizers and not meal replacements. We got the burrata, which was delicious. Tried the Italian sausage pizza, which was fantastic, but honestly, the soppressata we had the first time was more flavorful. Nothing was greasy, and it's perfectly reasonable for a couple to share an appetizer, pizza, and dessert.

Ricotta donuts. With Nutella. I hope I don't need to comment further on that.

Go. Just go, and try it out. You'll love it.

[JarrodH]

There are guidelines set and we try our best to fit within those parameters. There is a set footage per chair, booth, and standing room as well as square footage. By chair and booth calculation, we came up with 94 while keeping a 36" clearance around as well as keeping all 3 exits open and walkways to them. The fire marshall is choosing to adhere to strictly the square footage calculation, therefore putting us at 64. We have 78 chairs plus standing room and will have to remove 3 tables to adhere to his decision.

There is in fact a few appeal process that I will be using and I believe gusto has already began the process as well.

New fire marshal means new rules and that's what downtown is dealing with. The former fire marshall was transferred last month. Get ready to see every new place that opens have much lower capacity than those from prior years. For instance, WSKY is smaller than slaughters by about 200 sq ft and has a capacity of 75.

[Bullbear]

6 of us went tonight and I love this place. The space is beautiful and so well done. I actually like that there is room to move around and with the extra room it made for a lively bar area. We had the calamari and fried risotto balls which were the great. Had chicken and Italian sausage pizza both were great. The crust is very good and has great texture. This will be a regular rotation place to eat.

[cxl144]

I was in the area on Friday night and there were cars parked everywhere. More life in the area than I've seen in my 13 years in OKC.