PRESS PIZZA

There was an evening in mid-2021, where I was packing up at the end of a dinner service photoshoot at The Lucky Accomplice. Chef/owner Logan Ely was leaned up against the counter.

“Hey, I’m thinking about opening a pizza place. They’re kind of pizzas. They’re like…smashed pizzas,” he said.

I tried to understand. “A calzone?”

“No, more like a pizza, cheesier, smashed on a panini press.”

“So kind of like a quesadilla?”

I could tell I wasn’t on Logan’s wavelength. But how do you expect some schlub like me to be on the same level as the guy who convinced people to eat a chicharron-style steer penis?

Anyway, some time later, he opened Press with his Savage and Lucky Accomplice partner, Brian Schuman. As Logan will attest, the smashed pizzas weren’t quite right at first. Going from a family meal special for the staff to a full restaurant version was proving difficult. Some were dense, others were leaky.

Undeterred and fueled by rage, he and Executive Chef Donn Hinkle spent weeks in the lab and figured it out.

Now, I am pleased to say, Press’s smashed pizzas are some of my favorite bites of food in this whole town. They’re not calzones, nor quesadillas. They’re some kind of bastard lovechild. A loveable mutant. They’re so far beyond stoner food that they loop all the way around into almost being high end. I can imagine sitting at Savage being served a tiny version filled with gelatinized mussel beards, topped with powdered fermented goat’s milk.

For a brief explanation of said smash pizzas: toppings are put on dough. Another piece of dough tops that. It gets crimped closed, then thrown on an industrial panini press. Once finished—crispy, golden brown—they’re artistically and generously topped.

I would recommend starting with the Big Mac pizza. It tastes like the best Big Mac of your life, the way you imagined it would taste when you were a kid. It’s filled with Slagel Farms beef and American cheese, before being topped with lettuce, onion, pickles, sesame seeds, and special sauce. You can also swap the beef out for Ozark Forest Mushrooms, which I also recommend.

Speaking of mushrooms, the Ozark Forest Mushroom pizza is the second piece of my rotating smash pizza trifecta. It’s filled with mushrooms (obviously) and sottocenere, which is truffle cheese for all you ignoramuses reading this. Creamy ricotta is piped on top, followed by kale. It’s a delight.

If you’re looking for something a little more traditional, try the Pepperoni. It’s stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella—just like a Hot Pocket—then topped with arugula, pickled peppers, pepperoni crumble, and pepperoni aioli on top. Many people are saying it’s the best pepperoni pizza-that’s-not-a-pizza in town.

Carbs continue with Chef Donn’s in-house pasta program. They’re certainly competing for the best in town, but they’re keeping it low-key. It’s almost like a secret whispered amongst friends. And that’s why I’m telling you here—because you’re my friend. The Cavatelli with Ozark Forest Mushrooms, kale, pistachio, stracciatella, and balsamic has been my go-to, but the Ravioli with pork belly and gjetost and Mafalda with squash, chilies, miso, prosciutto and black olives aren’t far behind. For a less adventurous but still delicious pasta, go for the carbonara-inspired Ricotta Gnudi with guanciale. Porky, cheesy, garlicky.

I know what you’re thinking right now: how do I order the best way possible? What is the move?

Here’s how I order for two: I’ll start with one of the salads—right now, the Arugula with lemon & ginger vinaigrette—and the Castelvetrano Olives with pickled fennel and orange. If I’m feeling a little more wild, I’ll opt for the Stuffed Garlic Cheese Bread, which is essentially a mini-smash pizza just loaded with garlic and cheese. Then I take a bottle of Lactaid.

From there, I’ll grab one of the pizzas and one of the pastas, making sure to save room for their White Chocolate Panna Cotta. I have no idea what Donn does to that, but it’s incredible. I typically blow off panna cottas because they’re a boring bowl of milk Jell-O, but not this one. The gluten free almond Cookies with orange and dark chocolate are a less decadent choice, but if you’ve gone a little too hard on pizza, they’re a welcome choice.

Press is a great example of what happens when a team of fine dining restaurateurs create something casual, but don’t leave behind the things that made them great. You don’t eat the Pepperoni Pizza and think about how much work it takes to make a pepperoni aioli that doesn’t just taste like spicy grease, nor do you consider what it takes to hand-crank all of the cavatelli. You can just sit there, enjoy the austere-but-punk rock vibe, and eat smashed pizzas. Whatever they are.