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The Brooklyn Paper / Daniel Krieger

Enlarge this image

The Brooklyn Paper / Daniel Krieger

Nothing says lovin’: Hearty appetizers like the veal meatballs, above, and the cheesy arugula salad, top, are a “splurge,” said Tina, but also “generous and sharable.”

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I was anxious to give Oven, the buzzed-about new restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, a try — until I noticed the address. Here we go again, I thought, remembering the succession of eateries that opened at the pretty Henry Street locale and then closed not long after.

Oven had the right idea of combining a wine bar and designer pizza place — a good move in Brooklyn Heights where, until the recent addition of Le Petite Marche, there were only a few decent places to dine.

Oven takes up a third of the space that the former tenants did, sharing the property with takeout spot Busy Chef and the Blue Pig, an ice cream store. With its spacious bar, 15 tables and a romantic nook in the corner outfitted with a comfortable booth, the room is large enough to hold a bustling group, but not so big it feels cavernous. And, once the permit is issued, patio seating will bring more tables to the street. With the sunny Tuscan colored walls, copious amounts of warm wood and country style light fixtures, the room resembles an elegant wine bar more than a pizza parlor.

Unlike the average slice shop, appetizers here are a splurge. The starters are all $10 and up so, while I wasn’t expecting mozzarella sticks, I was glad to find generous, shareable entrees for diners who want an upscale option to pizza. The “oven-roasted diver scallops” included a quartet of enormous mollusks, crisp on the outside and tender within, resting on a nest of homemade, silky pappardelle noodles. Tiny cubes of chorizo sausage and roasted corn kernels created an unctuous, spicy sauce for the shellfish, but was pushed a step too far on the sweet end with a smear of tomato ragout.

The chef’s sweet tooth appeared again in a hearty goat cheese salad topped with sweet sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. A heavy hand with the dressing upset an ideal balance of roasted Roma tomatoes, crunchy toasted pine nuts and saline pieces of black olives. With the dish came a thick slice of warm Italian bread baked on the premises with a chewy, brittle-crust and a tender crumb slathered with tart Vermont goat cheese.

The list of pizzas also has its standouts, like the “Inglese” pie with bacon, Vermont eggs, sausage and mozzarella over tomato sauce, and the “Florentina” of spinach and eggs, black olives, Parmesan and mozzarella baked in garlic oil and tomato sauce. There are also oddities such as the grilled, free-range “BBQ Chicken” with roasted green peppers and Roma tomatoes, caramelized onions and mozzarella baked in a chipotle ranch dressing. It sounded like a castoff from California Pizza Kitchen’s menu. At the height of the gourmet pizza spectrum, there was even a $30, pull-the-stops-out pie with slices of Kobe steak, roasted tomatoes and mozzarella on a crème fraiche base, finished with Balsamic vinegar and black truffle oil.

I opted for a simpler pie, one with slices of eggplant and pine nuts. The crust was crisp and thin, but lacked salt and chewiness. Without a more satisfying base, whatever is put on top is just decoration — although good decoration in this case, with an acidic tomato sauce, sharp, bright Parmesan, provolone and mozzarella.

The tiramisu, strongly recommended by our waiter, was light and not too sweet. I’ll return in the fall though, for the retro chic chocolate fondue, served here with angel food cake and fresh fruit.

Owner Chris Fehlinger’s 180-plus bottle wine list only added to the experience. The 10-page round up is divided into selections available by the glass, half bottle and full bottle. Additionally, Fehlinger has arranged each wine into a category like “fresh, crisp and clean,” or “lush, elegant … liquid velvet.” These classifications made narrowing down a selection from the international list that much easier. Not exactly sure of the rose, I asked the waiter, who recommended the Chateau La Gatte ’06 from Bordeaux, which was crisp, fresh and dry. Perfect. Another asset: Most of the wines fall in the $20 to $40 range, making Oven an ideal spot for an everyday meal or a place to splurge.

Oven has a great wine list and a good concept. Once the kitchen works out a few kinks, I suspect the eatery will break the curse of this address. As any local will tell you, another good place to dine in the neighborhood wouldn’t be one too many.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper