Geppetto's reaches as far beyond pizza as the stars over Depasquale Plaza

By MICHAEL JANUSONIS
Journal Arts Writer

• See the menu.

PROVIDENCE -- I'd watched for more than a year as the building on DePasquale Plaza that once housed Bob & Timmy's Grilled Pizzas, which had moved further down Spruce Street, was being rehabbed.

Did the pyramids at Giza take this long to build, I wondered.

Eventually a sign went up on the French doors that had been installed at the front of the building saying it would soon be the site of Geppetto's Pizzeria. But more months went by, and the rehab progress continued to move at a snail's pace.

Then the sign came down. Uh, oh.

But this summer, as we were going in to dine at Viola's across the way on the plaza, lo and behold, Geppetto's really was open! (The take-out menu I later picked up noted Geppetto's had "come to life after much anticipation." No kidding!)

We were already committed to Viola's that night, but we thought, "Next time." So on our next trek to the plaza, we looked in on Geppetto's.

It was a very inviting scene: The French doors were open. Tables spilled out onto the plaza. Lots of people were dining there. They seemed to be having a good time. The food looked good.

But we were in the mood for heartier fare than just grilled pizza that night, and the menu's pasta choices were limited to only four. We went elsewhere.

Looking back, after dining at Geppetto's one recent evening on a cool night when all the tables were huddled inside and the French doors closed, it seems unfortunate we didn't seize the opportunity to eat under the stars when we could. The decor inside -- pale yellow stucco walls, a big dark wood bar, faux wood tables and tile floors -- is not much more than functional.

It looks a bit like a 1930s barroom. In fact, the interior didn't seem all that much different from what I recalled when the place was Bob & Timmy's.

But the food at Geppetto's -- ta-da -- is very very good, reasonably priced, and with portions big enough to satisfy the heartiest appetite.

After chowing down on two appetizers -- delicious barbecued chicken fingers and flaky onion rings -- we wondered whether we'd overreached in each ordering an entree AND a grilled pizza. We wound up taking half of each entree and nearly a third of the pizza home so we'd have room for dessert.

Even then, we wondered whether there'd be enough room for a shared dessert, let alone one for each of us. But upon hearing it was a peaches-and-cream tiramisu, we decided to give it the old college try.

Most of the clientele, in fact, seemed to be college students and twentysomethings. A lot of them began arriving after 8:30, when most other restaurants are being drained of diners. They give Geppetto's its easygoing, trendy atmosphere despite its barebones look.

That's fitting because Mark Maginot, one of the co-owners, said in a followup phone call that he and one of his partners had operated Geppetto's from 1997 to 2001 on Thayer Street, the heart of Providence's college student land.

Creamsicle and Lamponi

We started off with a couple of specialty drinks whose names we couldn't resist. My Hawaiian Creamsicle ($7.50) was a faux pina colada -- rum, Stoli O, orange and pineapple juices -- without the cream of coconut. It was much lighter and smoother than its frothy appearance would indicate, what with its festive glob of cream on top.

The Loopy Lamponi ($6.50) sounded innocent enough -- Stoli raspberry, Sprite and a splash of cranberry juice -- but -- whoa -- it packed a punch far beyond what its pale red color promised.

We dived happily into the surprisingly large plate of barbecued chicken fingers ($7.95 -- also available with Buffalo sauce). This chicken must have stood very tall, because each of its five fingers measured about six inches.

Breaded and lightly fried, then smothered with wonderfully vinegary barbecue sauce, the white meat inside was extraordinarily moist and tender. The chicken came with a side of celery sticks and a blue-cheese dipping sauce that mellowed the BBQ sauce. We decided that the chicken fingers alone would have been worth the trek up Federal Hill, and were a happy indication that we'd come to the right place.

We'd toyed with ordering the French fries ($3.25), because you could get them with ketchup or basil pesto mayo, and the latter sounded too intriguing to pass up. But when I discovered that for $1.50 I could get them as a side order to my wrap sandwich entree, that seemed the route to go to get a taste of more items.

So we ordered the fried onion rings ($4.95) as our other appetizer and weren't disappointed. Lightly beer-battered and fried, they were thick cut and juicy, the good flavor of the onion not masked by the sweet mayo-ketchup dipping sauce.

Grilled pizza specialties

The grilled pizzas include such traditional favorites as pepperoni and cheese or cheese and tomato, or more unusual selections such as barbecued chicken, for prices ranging from $8.95 to $12.95. But we were tempted by one of the two specialty pizzas on another page of the menu -- the Steak and Alfredo grilled pizza ($13.95).

With its slightly off-center shape, thanks to the grilling process, and its grill marks, it wasn't the prettiest pizza on the planet, but it certainly was one of the most delicious.

It was cut in jigsaw-like rectangular slices, and atop its thin, crisp crust was a light topping of Alfredo sauce, shaved steak, bits of portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions and a touch of cracked black pepper -- a marvelous combination of sweet and savory flavors, as well as crunchy and creamy textures. (Thicker New York-style oven-baked pizzas are also available with a variety of toppings -- $9.95 for a 16-inch pie.)

For my entree I chose the Meat Lover's Wrap ($9.95) -- seasoned ground beef, pepperoni, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions and marinara sauce. It sounded like the fixings for a traditional pizza. In fact, the wrap, which arrived cut into three large sandwiches, was made of grilled pizza dough.

It was mellower and less pizza-ish than I'd expected, however, although a wonderful blend of flavors. The marinara was just a delicate touch inside, rather than a big smothery blob on top.

The French fries ($1.50 with the wrap) were wonderfully crisp and crunchy on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside. Fat, too, although they were more petal-shaped than the traditional French fry cut. I requested -- and got -- both the ketchup and basil pesto mayo dipping sauce on the side. While the pesto had a good basil flavor, I decided that I was too much a traditionalist to bypass the ketchup.

Of the four pasta sauces -- marinara, pink vodka, Bolognese and smoked Gouda Alfredo, each available with grilled chicken for an extra $2.95 -- my dining companion opted for the pink vodka ($9.95). This cream sauce, flavored with fresh plum tomatoes sauteed with butter, onions and finished with a spritz of vodka, has never been a favorite of mine. But it was creamy and light, with a rich tomato flavor, and my companion gave it high marks.

Effortless dessert choice

We'd eaten so much by now that dessert seemed more a daunting chore than a pleasure. Our leftover pizza was already packaged in a small pizza box and our leftover entrees returned in cleverly designed plastic (not Styrofoam) boxes whose see-through lids folded over onto their black bottoms. We thought this a truly considerate touch because not only could one see the food inside, but the tightly clamped lid did away with fears of spillage.

Fortunately for our waistlines, there was only one dessert choice this night. Our friendly, attentive waitress said only one or two are offered each day because they're housemade and fresh.

That this day it was the peaches-and-cream tiramisu ($4.95) made it a fine and easy choice for us because it was extremely light, attractively served in a fanciful corral of whipped cream.

The next afternoon I happened to wander by Geppetto's and, it being much warmer, the French doors were open, the tables were out on the plaza and a pair of young women were dining at one of them. I wished it could have been me.

Details

Geppetto's Pizzeria, 57 Depasquale Plaza, Providence, (401) 270-3003. Casual. Smoking at bar. Wheelchair accessible. Highchairs available. Open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fri.; noon to 2 a.m. Sat.; noon to 1 a.m. Sun. V, MC, AE, DIS. On-street parking. Call ahead for curbside takeaway; delivery available to Federal Hill area.

Appetizers cost $2.95 to $8.95. Entrees are $8.95 to $15.95. The wine list is $5.75 by the glass; $18 to $39 for a bottle; all bottled beers are $4.

If you like Bob & Timmy's Pizza, Caffe Dolce Vita or Twins, you'll like Geppetto's Pizzeria.

Bill of fare

Dinner for two at Geppetto's Pizzeria might look something like this:

Hawaiian Creamsicle . . . . . . $7.50

Loopy Lamponi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.50

Onion rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.95

Barbecued chicken fingers . . . . . . . . . $7.95

Steak and Alfredo grilled pizza . . . . . .$13.95

Meat lovers wrap . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.95

Side of French fries . . . . . . . . . . . $1.50

Pasta with pink vodka sauce . . . . . . . . $9.95

Tiramisu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.95

Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.37

Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13.43

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $86.00

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Geppetto's Pizzeria