Here’s the UWS Dish: Parla’s Pizzas

By Abigael T. Sidi

As a gigantic fan of Corner Table Restaurants’ The Smith, I’d been eying the group’s new pizza restaurant, Parla, for what seems like forever. (Parla has been open for two and a half years already; you’ll find them at the corner of Columbus and West 75th.) A pre-season varsity softball party I recently hosted provided the perfect occasion for going wild on their creations: We ordered a total of weven different pies, making sure to select both round and square, as well as both meaty and veggie. We ended the party by voting for our top three, and I’ll be revealing the results below.

(Both Mom and Dad, who couldn’t help but crash the party on multiple occasions, vehemently disagreed with our choice, which I’ll also discuss, so that more mature palates get their fair say.)

Here were our selections for the night: the classic round NYC-style tomato pie (with Parmesan but no mozzarella; $19), the NY Classic (with mozzarella; $21), and the S.O.P (sausage/onion/shishito peppers; $26); and the square, sfincione-like Full Shroom, Pie Dye, Hot Hunny, and Baby Zucca (more details on those later).

The classic pies all featured an impeccable, NYC-style “no-flop” crust (i.e., thin yet sturdy enough to keep structure), with equally impeccable “leopard-spotted” burns on the bottom, for a good charry flavor. Easy to eat, familiar, rich and generous, they were all swallowed in no time. The S.O.P was a revelation for many, with the intensely aromatic and juicy fennel pork sausage and slightly smokey shishito peppers shining through, the heat of each balanced by a delicate and fresh lemon-infused ricotta. Delish!

The square pizzas were where Parla’s creativity really took over. As I mentioned above, these pies’ crust was reminiscent of the thick Sicilian sfincione – or closer to home, Mama’s TOO’s pies – with a thick yet airy, crispy and olive-oily texture. The Full Shroom ($25), a hit on Instagram, delivered on its over-the-top profusion of baby portobello mushrooms, which were mixed in a creamy, black pepper-infused bechamel-type sauce and topped with truffle oil. Super earthy, fragrant and complex, it was a hit or miss among us. (Some loved it, some stayed away.)

Moving on, the Hot Hunny ($29), which was our pepperoni pie for the night, was fantastic – a lot, and I mean, A LOT of slices of the crispy/crunchy/charry and not-too-greasy meat, nicely balanced with sweet and only slightly spicy honey and fresh stracciatella, a combo that has become a classic at this point. The Pie Dye pie ($24), by contrast, offered a mellower, creamier, simply yummy pie centered on Parla’s delicious vodka sauce (now also a classic pizza topping in NYC) and beautiful swirl of punchy, but not overly pungent, almond/basil pesto.

Lastly, to the polarizing pie of the night: the Baby Zucca ($24). We girls didn’t care for it, but my folks absolutely loved it. They were outright distressed by our collective disdain for the creation, went on an embarrassing “kids-these-days”-type tirade that dragged for 15 minutes, and they even tried to force feed it to us at least twice. They just couldn’t stop marveling at the thin caramelized slices of lemon dispatched throughout the pie. “Genius!” Dad said, while Mom raved about the preserved lemon-like fragrance of the pie, “which works so well with the sweet baby zucchini.” But our minds were made up, and I still feel like the lemon slices were a little too bright and acidic, a little too out of place, almost like pineapple wedges on a Hawaiian pizza.

Overall, though, Parla’s pizzas were fire, and their square pies largely on par with the deliciousness of Mama’s TOO’s. Final vote (group of 14 girls):

#1 Pie Dye
#2 S.O.P.
#3 NY Classic

Reached by email, Counter Tables’ director of brand and creative design, Dana Balding, spoke about their group’s new pizza venture. “Pizza has always been a huge part of our lives,” she said. “We’ve had variations of pizzas on our [Smith] menus over the years, but during the pandemic we started testing recipes and eventually launched a small delivery-only pizza concept. NY style pizza has always been our biggest inspiration, and that foundation really shaped what we’re doing now.”

I complimented her on the freshness and quality of the ingredients in all the pies. She said that the restaurant imports [stone-milled] flour from Italy, tomatoes from New Jersey, and mozzarella from New York. “Whenever possible we source locally, especially when it comes to produce and other fresh ingredients,” she added. As to the chef entrusted with the dough, look no further than Corner Table executive chef (and incidentally the creator of the Smith Burger, to which I’m eternally indebted), Brian Ellis. “Everything is baked in an electric oven, which gives us the consistency and texture we’re looking for,” Balding said.

In many ways, including the restaurant itself – which is always packed and bustling with NYC energy – Parla feels like The Smith’s pizzeria alter ego. Balding agreed: “Both spots definitely share the same DNA. The philosophy and approach to hospitality are the same, great food, great energy, and making people happy.” Like the Lincoln Center-facing Smith, Parla also features a prime location, steps away from the Beacon Theater and the American Museum of Natural History.

Parla opens at noon every day, and stays open until 10 p.m. (Sundays and Mondays), 11 p.m. (Tuesday through Thursday) or 12 a.m. (Fridays and Sundays). Antipasti, salads, roasted veggies, and pasta dishes are also available – I’ve heard from many that their midnight-style spaghetti is excellent. To avoid excessive delivery fees, use their ordering platform, which charges a flat $5.99 per order.

The Dish: Pizzas ($19-$29, whole-pies only, no slices)
The Restaurant: Parla, 320 Columbus Avenue (corner of West 75th Street)

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