Driftwood Oven to open in Lower Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Driftwood Oven won’t drift much longer: The roving wood-fired pizza oven from Neil Blazin and Justin Vetter will open at 3615 Butler St. in the space that since 2013 had been Matteo’s, which closed earlier this month.
A regular at breweries such as Roundabout in Lawrenceville, Grist House in Millvale and Staghorn Garden Cafe in Greenfield, Mr. Blazin says he will keep the name even with the transition to a permanent spot. He hopes he will be able to open in late winter or early spring next year, with minimal revamping of the space. Mr. Blazin says they’re moving in this week.
But even in keeping the name, his naturally leavened pizza will change with the swap from the wood burning to a deck oven. Doing a build-out for the type of oven he’s been using “would really complicate us moving in due to the construction,” Mr. Blazin said.
Expect Mr. Blazin to make two pizza styles: a 16to 18-inch round pizza, as well as a New York grandma-style, square pie — both offered as whole pizzas and by the slice, in current selections from margherita to the popular Major Tom (with kale, shiitakes, cheeses, garlic and more), as well as new ones. The duo also will expand the menu to include sandwiches, calzones, salads, seasonal sides and desserts.
Mr. Blazin will bake bread products with organic flours from Frankferd Farms in Saxonburg, Utah’s Central Milling (one of the more popular sources for grains, free of blight and easy to use), and Stutzman Farm in Millersburg, Ohio — in other words, the same flours he’s been using.
As for Matteo’s, Matt Cavanaugh and his wife, Andrea, opened the place in 2013 with a red-sauce-meetssteakhouse menu and a selection of amari and other liquors. Mr. Cavanaugh, who was at Sarafino’s in Crafton for a decade, developed a following, including developer Lee Gross of A-1 Realty, who has been a key player in helping turn Lawrenceville’s real estate into a vibrant commercial and residential district.
As for what’s next, Mr. Cavanaugh did not respond to inquiries. And Driftwood Oven says it will pop up in a few places before the end of the year.