What a surprise! Da Legna ‹ Cucina Rustica is certainly another New Haven contender for great pizza. I must admit I didn’t even know it was there because most of the time I’m pulling out of the Modern Apizza parking lot and just drove by. My trusting pizza partner in crime Nicki brought the place to my attention. Wanting to explore new pizza we gave it a go on a busy Friday night. We were greeted quickly and the wait was about 10 minutes which wasn’t bad. They do have a bar where you can get a drink while you wait which everyone was doing. We finally got seated and ordered a couple of drinks and pizza shortly afterwards. The service was fast and they were attentive.
The drinks were good especially mine which was their version of a dark and stormy that packed a lot of punch! I ordered a half sausage, half bacon pie. We also had a pie with hot cherry peppers. I thought the pizza was fantastic and was similar to Modern Apizza, (both are wood fired) particularly the crust. The pies had plenty of cheese versus sauce. The sausage/bacon pie was tasty as well but it could of used some more red sauce in my opinion. The crust was excellent, chewy in the center and crispy at the edges. I think if you like Modern Apizza you will like Da Legna although they are little different.
In addition to pizza Da Legna has small plates and a good selection of salads. Most people were ordering one of the artisanal pies that they offer.
Here are a few samples:
Napoli: Arugula, Burrata Cheese, Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Regiano
Vongole: Fresh Shucked Clams, Garlic, Olive Oil, Oregano and Pecorino Romano
We were gonna try dessert but we were too stuffed. They had an ice cream sandwich on the menu that the table beside us got. It looked really good! Bottom line is it’s a must if you like to explore new pizza.
Tip: Try one of the artisan pies and save room for dessert.
Oven: Wood-fired
Wait: 10min – 20min
Atmosphere: Good Atmosphere
Pricing: $$$