I was feeling lazy this weekend and decided I’d just hit up my most local pizza spot, Del Vecchios. It’s only a short walk from my house. Dangerous, you say? Absolutely. No one should have such easy access to pizza. Of course, I’ve been within that close proximity since they opened in 2014, so I don’t order nearly as often as I did a decade ago.
It’s a family-owned New York-style pizzeria, not that this is uncommon in Asheville. In fact. It’s so uncommon that I’ve grown tired of the title. I will say that many New Yorkers love this place, and you know how they love to tell you the whole, “I’m from New York, so I know everything there is to know about pizza and bagels,” spiel. Ugh…
But, I digress.
We usually go with the Greek Salad, but opted for something different this time. I was curious about the antipasto. It’s comprised of cuts of prosciutto, Genoa salami, pepperoni, capicola and fresh mozzarella, served on a bed of lettuce, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, pickled onions, artichokes, roasted red peppers, fresh basil and homemade Italian dressing to drizzle over it all. It was outstanding. They also throw in a couple of garlic knots, which are spectacularly garlicky, and I mean that as a positive. You can order a side of those as a starter, too. I could eat this every day, if only all those cured meats were healthy.
She loves a good Italian wedding soup, so we tried theirs. It’s an Italian-American dish of meatballs, pasta, greens and vegetables in a rich broth, and we were both quite impressed! It tasted homemade.
For the main event, we made our own pizza. One side was pepperoni and basil, the other was sausage, artichoke hearts and roasted sweet peppers. I’ve ordered from them so many times, I’ve gotten good at knowing what toppings to pair, and these worked perfectly together. Their crust is always cooked well, which I love, and they know how to apply the appropriate amount of cheese. Another nice aspect is that it’s never a greasy pie. No pools of oil and hardly a stain underneath.
Del Vecchios has a wide array of starters, stromboli, salads, and hard and soft drinks. It’s a great selection.
I’m not going to say it’s the best pie in town; that crown still rests on the head of 828 Pizzeria, but Del Vecchios is certainly the prince.