New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

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Wild pizzeria offers healthy, gluten-free recipes

 

Wild, a West Village pizzeria that opened late last month, offers a healthy, gourmet take on pizza and salads by using local, in-season ingredients.

Owner Miki Agrawal opened the restaurant as a more upscale version of her previous pizzeria, Slice. Wild’s goal is to provide everyone with a healthy, tasty dining option, including those with dietary restrictions. Most dishes prepared at Wild are either vegetarian or vegan — most notably, they serve gluten-free pizza.

“Everything we do here is local,” said general manager Philip Brock. “We bring most of our ingredients from upstate.”

Wild celebrates nature by bringing out the flavor of the ingredients through minimal preparation. To prepare its dishes with the freshest foodstuffs on the market, the pizzeria plans on changing its menu regularly.

“We will continue with our current menu until mid-May,” Brock said. “Then we will [debut] our summer menu.”

Pizza ($14 for individual, $26 to share) at Wild is prepared with completely gluten-free, thin dough. One appetizing choice is the pear gorgonzola pizza, which marries pear purée with dates and rosemary. Brock’s personal favorite is the sweet capicola pizza, a blend of cherry peppers, marinara and fresh basil. Two varieties of tofu-made vegan cheese pizza are also available.

Wild also serves vegetable dishes. Brock recommends the warm asparagus ($8), prepared with a balsamic vinegar-infused sauce and ricotta salata cheese. The most popular vegetable dish at Wild are the brussels sprouts ($10), which are cooked four different ways — blanched, shredded, leaved and roasted — and topped with bacon crème freche.

Steinhardt freshman Matthew Schwartz was pleasantly surprised by the brussels sprouts.

“I usually associate them with a bitter taste, but this is delicious,” Schwartz said.

A selection of organic drinks accompanies the dishes, including ginger lemonade ($4), a delicious concoction of freshly squeezed lemon juice mixed with diced ginger, simple syrup and thyme.

“It is a fresh take on a classic summer drink,” said Wild server Sean Keating.

Wild also serves a wide range of locally brewed beer and wine, as well as sugar cane sodas ($4).

Next weekend, Wild will premiere a brunch menu that includes various cocktails. Although Wild only has a beer-and-wine license, the restaurant overcame the limitation by serving inventive cocktails made without hard liquor. An example is what Brock calls the “Beer-ed Mary,” Wild’s rendition of Michelada using tomato sauce and beer. Wild will also offer DIY mimosa ($35) which will include a bottle of champagne and a small portion of orange juice.

“Once the weather gets warmer, we will be able to open our windows and provide outdoor seating,” Brock said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

Wild is located at 535 Hudson St.

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Apr. 17 print edition. Daniel Yeom is a contributing writer. Email him at [email protected].

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