Marta Manhattan is yet another notch on the bedpost of Danny Meyer.  His empire continues to grow and as usual he delivers; this time with Chef Nick Anderer (formerly of Maialino) at the helm. The theme is thin crust wood fired Roman pizza and other Roman fare with seasonal and local ingredients.  The space is absolutely cavernous, taking up the entire ground floor of the Martha Washington Hotel on East 29th Street.  That area is now quite the mecca with the Ace Hotel and April Bloomfield nearby!

We’ve read nothing but complaints about the decor, but frankly it is quite impressive.  While it isn’t cozy, the ceilings are incredibly high and dramatic.  The decor is clean and there’s nothing wrong with that.  The ceiling does make it quite loud when it is packed to the gills. We opted, for once, to have a late-night 10pm meal after a show at The Cutting Room nearby.  The place was booked solid and hopping with chic folks noshing on pizza and enjoying cocktails.  We think it would be worthwhile to try a lunch sometime for us tamer folk.

Service was surprisingly fast considering the hundreds of people in the place.  We got everything at once – apps + pizzas + drinks.  That would be the only annoyance we had. Order up your drinks, savor them, then place your order.  Ask for apps first.  Sad that one would have to specify, but we’ll chalk it up to trying to keep it moving in there.  Grand openings and the buzz draw constant crowds and they want to keep everybody happy.

Most importantly, the pizza lived up to the high expectations, as did the rabbit polpettini. The cocktails are quite nice as well.  I am loving the now-trending aged Negroni, which they offer as well as a Mortoni, a twist with vodka and Campari.  It was late and dark, but we got descent enough lighting to get some pizza shots.

FUNGHI • 18
Fontina, Hen of the Woods, Chanterelles, Red Onion, Thyme

CAPRICCIOSA • 17
Mozzarella, Artichokes, Prosciutto, Olives, Egg