Coal vs gas: why our oven will never change
Coal is dirty, heavy, and gloriously hot. Our founder explains why we put up with a ton of anthracite a month.
People ask why we still burn coal when a gas oven would be cleaner, cheaper, and easier to permit. Fair question. The answer is in the crust.
Heat you cannot fake
Our oven floor runs near 900 degrees, and coal holds that heat like nothing else. A pie goes in pale and comes out in four minutes with a puffed, leopard-spotted edge. Gas ovens bake well, but the heat is wetter and the bake is slower, so the crust dries before it chars.
Flavor from the fire
Coal smoke is subtle at these temperatures, closer to toast than to barbecue. But it is there, in the blistered spots, and regulars can taste when the oven is running cool. We can too, which is why someone checks the deck every hour.
The price of admission
Coal means ash duty every morning, a chimney sweep on schedule, and a fuel delivery that blocks the alley. It means the dining room runs warm in August. We accept all of it, because the alternative is a different restaurant.
Come taste what the fuss is about. The oven is lit Tuesday through Sunday.