Review: Pizza is a Focal Point at Casual Nightingale

You will taste the food that chef David Hawksworth likes to eat himself.

Past Nightingale’s lively bar and up the stairs is the wood-clad dining area. And it’s here, where the army of staff circulate like autumn leaves, that the “everyday food” chef David Hawksworth likes to eat himself is produced and served. There’s a lot more than pizza on this menu, but there’s also no doubt that pizza is a focal point. “I’ve always loved pizza,” Hawksworth says, “and as far back as I can remember, always had this big, doughy mess—a lot of dough, a lot of cheese.” Cavatelli and Baked Potato That has changed in recent years, with the trend toward Neapolitan-style thin crusts and minimal toppings. Nightingale’s pizza is made with a combination of the Type 00 flour that Verace Napoletana pizzerias use and Type 1, a slightly more complex flour with a higher ash content and protein ratio, introduced to the kitchen by resident pizzaiolo Giuseppe Cortinovis. While the food and atmosphere is certainly more relaxed than at Hawksworth’s eponymous flagship restaurant, “the same focus is placed on each dish,” Hawksworth says. “We’re trying to give the same sort of experience , except much more casual and kid-friendly.”

Nightingale

1017 W Hastings St.604-695-9500 hawknightingale.comHours:Open daily from 11:00 a.m. – midnight