Charcoal Guido's, Waltham


Although I don't usually review (let alone even try) a restaurant the week that it opens, I'll make an exception for the newest pizza place in Waltham, Charcoal Guido's. After stopping in with some friends last night for dinner, I am happy to say that the restaurant is a happy addition to the Moody Street restaurant scene.

We started with a couple of appetizers - arancini and lamb skewers. The arancini were crispy on the outside and had a wonderfully rich flavor. Not at all gummy or dense. The lamb was really fantastic - tender and flavorful, with a very nice spicy sauce on the side. All appetizers are $8, and there are definitely more I want to try.

We then split a couple of pizzas: the Prosciutto and the Salsiccia. The Prosciutto was long and thin and topped with perfectly dressed arugula, parmesan shavings, and thinly-sliced prosiutto. The Salsiccia was a more standard round pizza, topped with tomato sauce, ricotta, and high-quality sausage. Each pizza could serve one (without appetizers); two was perfect for three people. A fourth friend really wanted the Diavola pizza, but the rest of us didn't, so she ate half and took the rest home.

The crust was very good as well, although there are still a few kinks to work out. The Salsiccia pizza was a bit limp under all of it's toppings (a little less ricotta would probably help). The Prosciutto was paper-thin in the middle, with chunky edges on the side - I loved the crispness of the center, but the ends were a bit too doughy by comparison. And because they were cooked in a wood oven, there were some burned spots - to be expected, but still a few too many.

If you really want a drink with your pizza, Charcoal Guido's has a full liquor license, although their cocktail menu is a little uninspired. You might want to take a cue from our evening, though, and head across the street to The Gaff for a good (cheap and tasty) drink.

Service wasn't fantastic, nor was it awful. Given some time, I'm sure Charcoal Guido's will work out its issues and be a solid place to eat in Waltham.

 Charcoal Guido's  on Urbanspoon

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