Double Zero

At the start of this year, I vowed to make some lifestyle changes for the sake of my health. One of those resolutions was to eat vegan at least once a week, and so far it's been surprisingly easy. Thursdays are my plant-based meal days. I’m not a huge meat eater anyway, aside from my occasional steak dinners because I eat lots of chicken and fish, especially when I cook at home.

I’ve been in the mood for a good slice of pizza for awhile now and decided to stop by Chef Matthew Kenney's Double Zero. It's a vegan pizza place over on 2nd Avenue in the East Village. And if you're familiar with the location, you might recall that both Bar Verde and Plant Food Wine (also Matthew Kenney restaurants) are all on that same corner of 2nd Avenue and 4th Street. And by the way, PFW is now Sestina and next on my list of restaurants to try.

The Deets

Check out both the lunch and dinner menus before you go. I think their most updated version of the menu is offered all-day, except for brunch, and only in-person because I didn’t see the menu online that I saw when I was there. But, I ordered a “dinner” food item at “lunch” time, so it’s probably just one menu for lunch and dinner. I think the old lunch menu has these prix fixe three course meal, where you get a standard salad, choose between a pasta dish or pizza, and then two delicious dessert options. Dessert is always good at a Matthew Kenney spot, but I never seem to have room. So I’ll have to go back just for dessert one night after dinner at home.

All restaurant staff wore masks the entire time I dined at Double Zero. The waiter was very friendly and offered great descriptions when I asked about a few items on the menu. The venue was very clean and I noticed lots of sanitizing during my visit.

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The Food

I started off with the Castelvatrano & Cerignola Olives from the “Not Pizza” section of the menu. They were smothered in lemon rind, oregano, and red chili. The olives had a nice zesty hint of lemon, while the flavors of the oregano and red chili was subtle. The portion was very plentiful for just $10.

Pizza

I love a spicy penne arabiatta at an Italian restaurant any day man! So my choice of the Spicy Arabiatta pizza shouldn’t be a surprise. And it had tomato, cauliflower, shitake bacon, and basil on it. The shitake mushrooms tasted like bacon, even though there wasn’t any real meat on the pizza, so that was interesting. This $22 pizza was bigger than a personal pie, but not necessarily a full-size pie. Great for one, but better for two to share, in my opinion.

The Drinks

I asked the waiter for a recommendation and he said the Passionfruit Gin & Tonic was a customer favorite and described it as being very refreshing, so that's what I ordered. I could have ordered wine, but I just wasn’t feeling it because of the hot and humid weather that day.

This cocktail was $15, as were most other cocktails on the menu, which is pretty standard in Manhattan. While it was a refreshing cocktail and it tasted great, I wasn’t tasting much alcohol. Like I said before the website doesn’t have the most updated menu, but generally has most of what the restaurant is currently offering, so check out the drinks menu here!

The Check

The total cost after tax, but before the tip, came to $51.17. I found it interesting that the receipt broke down the total by food and drink. I think this probably has something to do with the recent mandate on New York, so that the restaurant can prove that they served their patrons food with an alcohol purchase. I can’t say that for certain, but it’s just a hunch.

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