Oak & Rye, A Pizza Joint with Pedigree

Oak & Rye
303 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos
Phone: (408) 395-4441
Web: oakandryepizza.com
Status: Open

Los Gatos is getting a serious boost in the pizza department with the opening of Oak & Rye, a new venture helmed by longtime Roberta's pizzaiolo Angelo Womack that's getting buzz in the national pizza press. It's a family affair, as the former Restaurant James Randall has kept executive chef Ross Hanson, whose sister Dana Bunker (a veteran of Mario Batali's Otto) is Womack's fiancee, and whose wife Brean Hanson is also involved in the project.

Womack, the brains behind Roberta's famed Latin-style Cortes pizza, will offer that pie and many more of his signature creations, like the Bee Sting (with spicy sopressata and honey) and the Crispy Glover (with taleggio, guanciale, onion, and chili). As the pizzeria evolves, Womack hopes to introduce new creations based on the seasonal offerings of the Bay Area. Meanwhile, Hanson offers small plates like gnocchi with kale and black pepper, porcini mushroom soup, and arancini with beef-cheek ragu. There are also a couple of big entrees, like a 16-ounce dry-aged ribeye. (Here's the full food menu.)

Unsurprisingly given its name, Oak & Rye's focus is rye whiskey, with a menu of simple cocktails that emphasize the spirit, like an amaro Manhattan and a bottled take on an Old Pal. There are 13 Italian wines available by the eight-ounce quartino, as well as three draft beers and a handful of non-whiskey cocktails. As for decor, the pizza oven is hard to miss: it's completely covered in pennies. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 11 am-11 pm, and Monday, 5-11 pm.

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[Photo: Kim N./Yelp]