I had never heard of Birmingham’s Trattoria Centrale until
the September 2011 issue of Bon Appetit magazine arrived in my mailbox. In that issue, an
article titled “10 More Spots for Fantastic Daily Specials” listed a small
Italian restaurant in downtown Birmingham named Trattoria Centrale. Per that
story and others I found online, the owners had impressive backgrounds. Geoff
Lockert had worked with Michael Simon in Cleveland and Brian Somershield was a
CIA graduate while both had worked at Frank Stitt’s Chez Fonfon. Since I rarely need a good reason to try out
a restaurant, the resumes were reason enough for me to stop in Birmingham for a
little lunch while on my to Atlanta
While the Bon Appetit article had mentioned Trattoria
Centrale’s pizzas, I wasn’t quite prepared for the way the restaurant handled
the busy business lunch crowd. Instead of pizza made to order, huge trays of
premade square or Sicilian style pizza filled the counter. When an order was
placed, a serving size square was popped into the waiting ovens and a few
minutes later it was ready for the hungry customer.
After placing an order for a couple of slices and finding a
table, I barely had time to crack my book before my order was ready.


A slice of pepperoni and a slice of bacon pizza, it was a
fairly anticlimactic scene.

Taking a bite from the pepperoni, the thickness of the slice and the simple tomato sweetness of the sauce were the first things I noticed.

Even though this was premade pizza, it was obvious the nicely charred crust wasn’t an afterthought. A simple but nice feature was the inclusion of the basil chiffonade. It may have been a small detail but it really brightened the flavors of the pepperoni slice.
While tomato and basil may have dominated the first slice,
it was red onion that took over the second.

Every bite may have contained the crunch and sweetness of caramelized red onion, but the bacon still played a subtle yet noticeable role.
Two slices and an espresso later, I have to admit that my
first thoughts of square pizza in kindergarten had been undeserved. Although
this pizza is square and reheated, it was damn good for a premade slice.
However, I couldn’t help but wonder about pizza made to order. Is that
available in dinner service or is it precooked slices all the time? Either way,
Trattoria Centrale makes some of the best heat to order pizza I’ve ever tried.
Trattoria Centrale Address & Information
207 20th St. Birmingham, AL 35203 // 205.202.5612 //
Trattoria Centrale Website // Trattoria Centrale Menu

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