Though the pies' diameter exceeds 35 centimeters (a no-no!) to satisfy American sensibilities, I can say these pizzas meet my specifications, which aren't as strict as the AVPN's. Mine go like this: The pizza as a whole must be yummy. Orta's are. The crust is just thin enough - still bread not cracker, crisp but with chew. They're cooked in a wood-burning brick oven whose perfume you get a faint whiff of from the parking lot. On one occasion I wished my pie had stayed in the oven longer to get a bit more of a char, but I can't quibble with the bright flavor of the Margherita Napoletana's sauce, made from San Marzano tomatoes, or the array of vegetables on the Ortolana. Even topped with peppers, eggplant, and zucchini, the crust stayed crisp.
But there is more to Orta than the pies. Semolina gnocchi cloaked in Parmesan taste like really good mac 'n' cheese without the noodles. Beets, slightly crunchy, are marinated in orange, balsamic, and rosemary, refreshing and sophisticated. These are among the piattini, or small plates - a few bites each, and each $4.
There are also slightly larger antipasti. Suppli al telefono are one of the many delicious foods humankind has devised with the aim of using up leftover rice. Here, the grains are formed into balls stuffed with mozzarella, then fried. They're named after telephone wires because that's what the stretchy cheese is supposed to resemble when you pull the rice ball apart. Orta's suppli lack the chewy strands, but they're still very good and nicely fried.
Involtini al forno are rollups of eggplant and cheese covered with a fresh-tasting tomato sauce. They're baked in the brick oven, the edges slightly crisped and caramelized, the flesh soft and sweet. Polpette, rich little meatballs, feature a similar sauce.
The appetizers and pizza here are excellent, and if I returned to Orta, I would make a meal of items from that top half of the menu. The pasta and entrees are fine, they're just in a different league.
