tonight black sheep pizza opened just down the block from my place, and thanks to a couple of anonymous tipsters on the previous post, we were informed beforehand so cptnrin and i made plans for dinner on opening night.

formerly d'allesantros deli, the space has been entirely redone - although they still had some pictures resting against the wall, so they might still be walking around with a hammer and nails this week.

The menu is pretty basic, only a handful of pizzas to choose from and 16 ingredients (including anchovies!) from which to build your own. It was difficult to choose from the list of toppings, especially since cptnrin is not a fan of the spicy foods. fresh & smoked mozzerella tempted us, but we eventually settled on the meatball pizza. Next time I believe we will have to try the Manila Clam and Garlic.

Turns out the meatballs were a bit spicy, but cptnrin loved them anyway and told chef jordan smith she thought it was excellent and I would have to agree that it was a fantastic pizza. Great crust, crispy but still with a bit of thickness to it. Not sure what to make of the whole coal-fired thing. The crust was delicious and firm, not too chewy, definitely not oily or flaccid like typical pizzas. The sauce was tremendous, lots of flavor but not overpowering.

After a year in the North Loop, it's exciting to see new places open. Now I'll be able to order pizza without having to deal with the whole delivery rigmarole. There are approximately a dozen tables in the dining area, so if they become super popular, they could outgrow their digs really quickly. For now black sheep pizza is open evenings from 4:30p to 10:00p. 600 Washington Ave N. 612.342.COAL (2625)