When Cafe Nicholas boasts that it serves pizza "the way Mom makes it," it's not just cliched ad copy.
Cristina Chicos has been making pizza for decades, for her family and for her businesses. Her son, Nicholas, has taken the success of Cafe Nicholas in Washington Square, and opened a second restaurant in Newton Centre. The place features a long, narrow entranceway that opens up to the Garden City Room, named after Newton, "The Garden City." (Insert laugh track here).
While mom holds down the Brookline biz, son is busy in Newton, making the pizzas and calzones that move quickly. It's all in the dough, a family recipe that, despite the family heritage, isn't quite Greek, but isn't Italian, either. "It's somewhere in the middle," says Nicholas, who worked in the family's former Needham restaurant while he was in high school and college.
The result is a yeasty, not heavy, crust, that is not deep dish, nor cracker-thin. It's just right. There are homemade sauces - either marinara or a creamy, but light alfredo - and dozens of toppings. We tried the barbecue chicken pizza and it was pristine: just the smoky sauce, chunks of grilled chicken and melted sharp cheddar cheese. The pies come in three different sizes: personal, 10-inch and 16-inch, and range from $3.50 to about $10, depending on toppings.
There are 32 kinds of "gourmet pizzas" and another 10 kinds of "specialty" pizzas, such as the Nicholas Veggie (with a half dozen vegetables) and the Alfredo (white sauce, spinach, artichoke hearts, tomato, grilled chicken, feta). The latter, says Nicholas, is a top seller.
We moved on to the calzones, or your basic folded-over, stuffed pizza. A small Italian calzone ($5.29) is enough to feed two. Inside the turnover was a hefty serving of capocollo, salami, pepperoni, and Italian sausage, sliced thin. They are held together with a mild mix of cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta cheese and accompanied by a homemade marinara sauce, offering a tasty alternative to the ubiquitous pizza.
The front of the restaurant features a galley-type open kitchen, a few tables and a takeout counter. In the Garden City Room, there are exposed-brick walls and overhead fans, a wide-screen TV, a gas fireplace and baseball photos, reflecting the owner's passion for the sport. It's informal dining, to match the menu, but we could have done without the commercial radio program that filled the air. This room is a party magnet, from children's parties to retirement parties to guys wanting to watch the Red Sox.
The appetizers are your typical bar fare. Only one stood out as a bit different: the mesquite chicken quesadilla rolls ($5.50). They look like long, thin cigars, deep-fried but greaseless. The basket is filled with these crunchy offerings, which are stuffed with rubbed, grilled chicken and jack cheese, and fired by jalapeno and red peppers. The accompanying homemade salsa and marinara sauce helped cut the heat, some.
Sandwiches are a specialty here, with three dozen different kinds, hot or cold, served on eight kinds of bread. The mahi mahi sandwich ($5.69) served on a panini roll contains a thick slab of fresh fish, nicely grilled, with lettuce and tomato. Or try the North End ($5.69), a robust sandwich on a braided roll with roasted turkey, prosciutto, jalapeno cheese, horseradish sauce, lettuce and tomato.
The bread at Cafe Nicholas is excellent; clearly, it's a priority. A warm basket is brought to your table as soon as you are seated. It's got a nice crust but is also soft and chewy. Slathered with butter, it's the best appetizer of all. The Greek salad ($3.95 small, $5.50 large) is fine, with crisp iceburg lettuce, and a generous helping of cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, Greek olives, and feta cheese.
The cafe also serves homemade pasta and entrees. The portobello mushroom tortelloni ($9.95) is a bowl full of pasta stuffed with the wild mushrooms and served in a light roasted garlic sauce. All the usual suspects are available, too: lasagna, ravioli, eggplant, chicken or veal parmesan.
The restaurant does not make its own desserts, which is usually a warning: stay away. Imported desserts tend to go south quickly.
It's doubtful you'll still be hungry - we left Cafe Nicholas with enough food for another meal. But if you are, there's a simple solution to the dessert issue. There's a J.P. Licks right down the street. 