00+Co, NYC

After having eaten at several Matthew Kenney restaurants in the past and having been impressed with every one, I could not wait to hit his newest vegan pizza joint in New York City! 00 + Co is named as such because double zero flour is used for the pizza dough. This dough is finely ground, holds up to high heat, and has a lower gluten content than most flours. Unlike other vegan pizza joints though, because Matthew Kenney is a chef, they do not use commercially available vegan cheese shreds such as Daiya. Instead, they either make such flavorful pizzas that no cheese is added or they make their own nut-based cheeses. Totally different and totally radical!

We showed up on a Sunday for lunch/dinner around 2 p.m. They had just opened (now they open at 12 p.m.) so it was empty. We chose a seat inside. The white brick contrasted the black ductwork, which was all illuminated by the clear lighting. There are several large light wood communal tables to choose from with high stool seating. We sat closest to the window.

Upon first glance, I got really excited to see there was a cheese plate on the menu -- hard cheeses made from nuts in-house. Then, they told me they were out of it. Wes was like, "we came all the way from DC for the cheeses." Well, somehow they found some and brought us a cheese plate! Using cultured nuts, they created hard nut cheese. The truffled cashew was excellent. The smoked cheddar was so much like cheddar with a smokiness! And the almond ricotta was great too. The cheese did taste a little stale so not as fresh as I had expected, but the flavors were there and Wes remarked that if he had grown up only knowing this as cheese, he'd be happy. Win!

We also shared a bowl of the Sweet Potato Cavatelli. This was the best thing I had at 00 + Co. It was like sweet potato gnocci with arugula, topped with a creamy sauce and dehydrated olive. It was a flavor explosion in my mouth. It seems they took this off the menu. They'd be wise to add it back on soon.

We ordered two different pizzas. Wes ordered the Tomato Basil Cashew Mozzarella and it was pretty good. It was different having the cashew-based cheese on the pizza for sure.

I ordered a pizza without cheese -- The Truffled Celeriac with Maitake Mushroom pizza with parsley pesto. I loved the celeriac, but there were too many mushrooms that were overcooked and not enough pesto. I absolutely love mushrooms, but this pizza wasn't balanced. The crust, however, was very good and very doughy.

The service was okay -- there were times when we couldn't find our server and times when he showed up promptly. The pizza is very expensive at $15-$17 per small pizza, but given that these are in-house cheeses and how fresh and high quality the ingredients are, it isn't surprisingly expensive. We also ordered some great wine so our bill was quite high, but that's New York. I hope this place continues to expand its menu and thrives in this hot little neighborhood.

00 + Co
65 Second Avenue
New York, NY
(212) 777-1608