Arturo's Pizzeria

Brick-oven pizza loaded with fresh vegetables, unique combinations, and don't forget the garlic

by Margaret LeRoux

Arturo's Pizzeria
411 Chandler St., Worcester
755-5640
Mon.-Sat. 11:30a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sun. 1:30-10:30 p.m.
Major credit cards
Full bar
Handicap accessible

I love Arturo's Pizzeria. It's casual, the service is warm and friendly, and the food is on a par with the more sophisticated Ristorante. If you're on a budget, or just not in the mood for the Ristorante's elaborate entrees, the pizzeria is a pleasing alternative.

Three of us had a late lunch at Arturo's Pizzeria recently. It was much quieter than it is on busy evenings when you sometimes have to speak up to hear yourself above the din of the crowd. The restaurant is more sedate, but the noisy diners at the pizzeria seem to be having more fun.

The decor is simple and straightforward: light wood tables and chairs, a tiled floor. One side of the room is dominated by a huge, brick, wood-burning oven where dozens of crispy, thin crust pizzas are baked on busy nights. On this early fall afternoon, a waiter walked by with an armful of wood to bank the fire, and as he opened the oven door, one in our group sighed, "Don't the sight and sound of a fire make a restaurant feel cozy?"

I've often enjoyed Arturo's pizzas; a favorite is carciofini: artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and goat cheese ($9.25 for a 12-inch pizza; $13.25 for a 16-inch pizza). I also recommend red, white, and green -- a tomato-sauce pizza topped with roasted garlic, pesto ricotta, and parmesan cheeses ($9.25/$12.75).

While we looked over the menu, we nibbled on slices of Arturo's delicious, crusty bread served in a napkin lined metal cone. Two of us sipped bottles of mineral water, ($2.50, $1.75), the third member of our group enjoyed a blush wine spritzer ($3.75).

Arturo's Pizzeria offers a variety of appetizers -- the couple at the table next to ours indulged in several jumbo shrimp ($1.95 each), served in a big balloon-style wine glass with cocktail sauce -- and we noticed a new item on the menu, onion strings ($3.95).

I like bruschetta ($4.75), more of that crusty bread grilled and topped with chopped tomatoes, garlic, and basil, and the ton o' garlic bread ($2.50) topped with mozzarella or gorgonzola cheese.

Today, two of us shared the house salad ($3.50; $2.25 with an entree), another favorite. The mixture of greens, cucumber slices, and shredded carrots tossed in balsamic vinaigrette never fails to please me. I always add gorgonzola cheese and walnuts ($1.25), and more than once a large serving of this tasty salad with bruschetta and a glass of Chianti, merlot, or shiraz has made a thoroughly satisfying, light meal.

The menu offers several other interesting salad options, including cobb salad ($6.95), lemon pasta salad ($5.95), grilled shrimp salad ($6.95), and a new item, salad pizza, described as melted cheese on a pizza shell topped with mixed greens, tomatoes and garlic ($5.95).

There are also sandwiches like homemade foccaccia ($5.95), filled with smoked turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and glennini panini ($6.25), grilled chicken on French bread with chopped tomatoes, garlic, and basil topped with melted mozzarella cheese.

This time I chose from the specials menu ordering salmon ($5.95) as an entree. It was moderate-size portion of fillet, grilled, and served with orange-sesame vinaigrette. The salmon was perfectly cooked, seasoned just enough to enhance the quality of the fish. On the side was a serving of angel hair pasta with fresh tomato sauce, which would have made a nice meal on its own. It didn't go well with the salmon; the tomatoes were too acidic next to the orange vinaigrette. Rice or a pasta with oil, garlic, and cheese would have been better. But that didn't stop me from asking our waitress to package my pasta so that I could enjoy it for lunch the following day.

One of my companions is on a quest for the perfect risotto and almost found it here. Arturo's special risotto of the day ($6.95) was a creamy soup plate of Arborio rice topped with sautéed zucchini and eggplant slices, as well as grilled prawn marinated in a fresh tomato jam. The vegetables were nicely crisp and crunchy -- so were the shrimp -- but the chef used too heavy a hand with the pepper mill. With a bit more moderation, this risotto would have been the one.

The third member of our group chose chicken brochette ($6.95), a skewer of tender chunks of chicken, green pepper, and onion served over angel hair pasta with parsley, olive oil, and lots of garlic.

Our waitress brought the dessert tray, and we couldn't resist a slice of triple chocolate mousse cake ($4.50). Light textured but rich, it has layers of chocolate, mocha, and white chocolate mousse with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on the side. Cups of strong, hot, coffee ($1.35) braced us for a return to work; otherwise, we might have lingered by the fire all afternoon. The bill for three including tax but not tip was $41.90.