March 09--Robert and Dana Garvey already have plenty of fans, having served artisanal pizzas out of their Gold Coast home (including charity-auction pizza dinners) for years. Now, the duo is going public.
Robert's Pizza Company is aiming for a March 30 opening in the former Flour Stone space (355 E. Ohio St.). "We've given the place a facelift," Robert Garvey said. "It'll be a comfortable space, a mix of high-tops and low tables on the main floor, but leather bench seating on two levels upstairs. And I put in a classic brick oven, which is great for my pizza."
Garvey said he's spent upwards of 15 years perfecting his crust. "I've been tuning the recipes down to grams of salt and yeast," he said, "experimenting with a few grams more, a few less, and recording how the crust responded.
"I came up with a pie that I describe as a really-good French baguette meats a great Indian naan," he said. "A slice you can fold, that will crack but not break."
The restaurant will debut with a rotating lineup of 15 pizzas, from basic cheese-and-sausage pies to roast duck to clam-calamari-shrimp.
"You can put anything you want on my crust and it tastes amazing," Garvey said. "I've done kimchee, lamb vindaloo -- as we go along, I'm looking forward to be more creative with the menu."
One of the hallmarks of the Garveys' dinner parties was the multi-course pizza menu, beginning with a prosciutto-arugula white pizza, then fennel sausage and onions, perhaps an artisanal-cheese pie and finally a dessert pizza. Eventually, Garvey envisions that option being available in Streeterville, perhaps on special evenings.
The craft-beer and wine selections are in development, but Garvey seemed certain that beers from local producers Moody Tongue and Half Acre would be in the mix.
A couple of veteran chefs -- Dean Zanella and James Gottwald -- have been helping the Garveys get the project up and running.
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic
