Though Mainers will miss the Peaks Island operation where Ben Wexler-Waite served his naturally-leavened pizza for the past four years, he’s now back in the city that raised him, opening Il Leone this week, where he’ll serve his signature Neopolitan-style pies along with an array of antipasti like crispy pan-fried artichokes, saucy meatballs, and burrata with prosciutto di Parma. The restaurant at 158 Seventh Avenue, near the corner on Garfield Place, officially debuts on Friday, November 14.
Il Leone’s blond wood-lined space and candle lighting make it a shoe-in for date night. But my eye is also on that back patio being a prime destination for us all to reemerge in early spring to sit around a couple pies and down a few Negronis with friends.
The wine list is heavy on producers from Campania — Italy’s birth region of pizza. Wexler-Waite spent significant time traveling all over the country to seek out lesser-known winemakers and ended up visiting most of the ones featured on their list, so be sure to ask for a recommendation to go with your pies.