NYCReview
Mel’s is run by the team behind Al Coro, which is right next door in Chelsea. The food at Al Coro is undeniably good, which isn’t much of a surprise since some of the staff there spent many years working at Del Posto. What is a surprise is that this same team is turning out very mediocre pizzas and wood-fired dishes at Mel’s. If we thought of all the places we’d rather go to for pizza, it would be a long list.
Every item on the menu is prepared over open fire, and aside from pizzas, there's a selection of vegetable and seafood small plates. The giant clam appetizer, which is like your favorite Thanksgiving stuffing filled with tender chunks of clam and shrimp, will give you high hopes for the rest of your meal. Once the (allegedly) roasted asparagus arrives wilted and mushy, you won’t be so sure anymore.
But Mel’s is billed as a pizza place, so it’s only fair to judge them mostly by their pies—which aren’t great. The crust is thin, a bit stale, and too charred in some areas, and the edges lack almost any chewiness, which is surprising since they’re visually quite puffy. We do like the garlicky eggplant parm pizza, and the frutti di mare version is at least interesting—like a seafood campechana in pizza form. But the mushroom pie is bland, and we wish the soppressata picante had a bit more cheese and spent a little less time in the oven. You can also get up to six different dipping sauces (salsa verde and pomodoro, for example), which might fly at Little Caesars, but seems out of place here.
photo credit: Adrian Gaut
The food isn’t stellar, but is the room cool? (You may be asking yourself.) Not so much. It would be fair to call the decor minimalist or simple, but “unfinished” is the word that first comes to mind. The back dining room looks like it’s from a Restaurant Wars episode of Top Chef, and the bright, square ceiling lights seem like they belong next to a crew doing highway construction at night. The disco ball pizza oven is fun though.
If you live or work nearby, Mel’s will do if you want melted cheese on bread in a sit-down environment where you can get a cocktail and a good bottle of wine. It’s not that the pizzas here are inedible. It’s just that given the pedigree of the team behind this place, we expect a lot more.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Kenny Yang
Giant Clam
photo credit: Peter Marquez
Tricolore Stracciatella
photo credit: Kenny Yang
Asparagus
photo credit: Kenny Yang
Eggplant Parm Pizza
photo credit: Kenny Yang
Mushroom Pizza
photo credit: Kenny Yang
Frutti De Mare Pizza
photo credit: Kenny Yang