West Asheville Italian infusion

The West Asheville community has welcomed Pizzeria Ritrovo, a spin off of Nona Mia —a tiny yet tasty Italian-American soul food establishment—to the culinary scene.

The two restaurants will be consolidating their menus into the new Pizzeria Ritrovo location on Haywood Road, offering diners a wider selection of classic entrees and authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. Chef Peter Affatato of Nona Mia creates modern versions of time-honored recipes passed down through his family and the Italian-American community as a whole.  Favorites include the Cavitapi Melenzane featuring corkscrew tube pasta, roasted eggplant, caramelized onion, roasted red pepper, plum tomato basil sauce and fresh Mozzarella and the Chicken Piccata featuring sautéed boneless chicken breasts with fresh lemon, capers, garlic, white wine, and Italian parsley, served with farmer's market vegetables.

At Pizzeria Ritrovo start with the Della Casa salad, which begins with wood-roasted romaine heart and roasted grape tomatoes adorned with cucumber, pickled cherry pepper, olive, red onion, balsamic vinaigrette, oregano, and marinated Feta. It’s enough to share or makes a lovely entrée along with a slice or two of pizza. Pizzas are traditional in that they are smaller sized at twelve inches and come with a crispy crust. Order one for a light meal with an appetizer and a house-made gelato for dessert. Order two for more serious eating. Creative toppings include smoked proscuitto, pancetta, pickled red onions, house-roasted mushrooms, shaved marinated fennel, oven-roasted red peppers, roasted grape tomatoes (which are not to be missing), and Kalamata olives. The beer menu is well rounded and features local offerings.

Pizzeria Ritrovo ultimately is a casual place with great food at affordable prices and is sure to lure foodies away from Asheville’s trendy downtown to the up and coming, hip west side of town.