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Good food shouldn’t be a luxur y. In this column, I set out to prove that it is possible to eat a high-quality, low-cost meal within Louisville’s diverse and expanding food scene. My goal is to find a meal at a local restaurant that costs $10 or less (excluding the tip), an ideal limit for those of us who are cashstrapped but have a hard time sacrificing a nice meal outside of the house.
Coals is also a beautiful restaurant with sleek, dark décor and a prime location in the Vogue Center in St. Matthews. Its sophisticated menu choices fit its surroundings, making me feel as though I had stepped off of Frankfort Avenue and into a chic, urban spot. Coals’ prices, especially at lunchtime, fit a variety of budgets and provide affordable opportunities to experience true artisan pizza. But it’s not all about perfect pies. For a variety of flavors packed into one dish, the Coals Chop Chop salad comes in small ($6) or large ($9.75) portions, and is loaded with pepperoni, chicken, mozzarella, Parmesan, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and basil. Someday, when I need a hefty midday pick-me-up, I’ll try the Meatball Grinder ($8). But I might need a nap after eating meatballs, pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara on a house-made hoagie roll. Still, pizza is the star of the show here. Cleverly named after a dozen Louisville neighborhoods, the pizzas got their monikers from Madeline, who wanted to connect with those communities. (I’ll forgive her for not having the Shively, the neighborhood in which I grew up.) Selections include the Iroquois ($8.75) with buffalo-style roasted chicken, fried onions and Sriracha sauce; the Audubon ($8.25) with broccoli, kalamata olives and wild mushrooms; and the Waverly ($8.75) with prosciutto, fig jam and Gorgonzola. To get a good sample of Coals’ lunch menu, I ordered two dishes so I could eat half of each and take the rest home to the husband since he couldn’t join me. I decided on the Fried Green Tomato sandwich with Colby, mozzarella and Asiago cheeses ($7), with a cup of tomato soup included with the meal. I also ordered the Brownsboro pizza topped with Margarita Pepperoni, mozzarella, Parmesan and basil ($8.25). The Brownsboro is one of four pizzas (the others are the St. Matthews, the Bardstown and the Clifton) that come with a soup or salad for $8.95. The pizza was sizable, eclipsing the plate on which it was served: more than enough to satisfy one person.The crust was slightly charred on the puffed outer edges, the savory scars of an intense coal-fired bake. Based on its appearance, I thought the texture would be similar to a typical thin-crust from other pizza places, those close to resembling a cracker. But the thin interior of the crust was soft, warm and sturdy enough to support the mozzarella and manage the oil-off from the pepperoni. The light crust and fresh toppings made this a memorable, yet simple, pizza. The Fried Green Tomato sandwich (with optional bacon) was just as delicious as the pizza. Thick slices of house-made bread held three types of cheeses and a slice of tomato that was still juicy despite being fried. The cheeses were so rich and gooey they covered the tomato slice completely. Bites of the sandwich were perfect dipped into the tomato soup, a perfect Autumn combination. A couple of $10 bills go a long way for two people having lunch at Coals. There was plenty of pizza, sandwich and soup to pack back home. And since I can’t recreate a coal oven in my apartment, I plan to make some return trips to this pizzeria.
The Bottom Line: Brownsboro pizza with a house salad: $8.25 Fried Green Tomato sandwich with tomato soup: $8.50 ($7 without bacon) Total (with tax and before tip): $17.75 Total for each person: $8.88 Mission: Accomplished — twice.
COALS ARTISAN PIZZA | 3730 Frankfort Ave. | (502) 742-8200 www.facebook.com/foodanddine Winter 2012 13