New ‘Kid’ on the Block Heats Up Dining Scene with Modern Take on Italian Eatery

Looks like the team behind Motel Morris got a little frisky and had a Kid just a stone’s throw from their first restaurant. Okay, not a literal child, but a welcome addition to the family. Alongside Motel Morris and the coffee shop Chelsea Commons comes Kid, or, as its website is addressed, www.kidpizzanyc.com. But this place isn’t just about pies, and it certainly isn’t daycare or summer camp . . . although depending on one’s experience with either of those, it can be just as fun.

An enormous white-washed space with lots of tile and clean lines would be easy to wipe down in case some child did, in fact, have a red-sauce spasm. But for the most part, Kid caters to adults. It appeals to the inner child in all of us, with cheeky elements of ‘70s/’80s decor, complete with a working video-game console and (non-working) rotary telephones in the loos. The servers were all full of smiles, clad in simple white T-shirts with KID in bold red all-caps (soon perhaps to be for sale).

Owners and brothers Brett and Sam Nidel, and Brett’s wife, Tamara McCarthy, have joined forces with Executive Chef Ian Coogan and Culinary Consultant Max Blachman-Gentile. Coogan has a stellar resume, having cooked alongside Dan Kluger at two of the ABC empire locations and other noteworthy destinations Lodi and Altro Paradiso. Blachman-Gentile’s influence is seen in the chewy, pliant crusts of the aforementioned pizzas, having come from the acclaimed Roberta’s and Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. Marc Ellert-Beck completes the team and reinforces is competence as director of operations, and to this end, was the gracious welcoming smile that ushered us to our table.

The restaurant is spacious—around 5,500 square feet including the upper level. The dining room seats 75, and 10 more can be accommodated at the bar, but even with a full house there is a still a lot of elbow room. Downstairs are two private dining spaces, each of which can hold up to 50 guests. There’s a huge LCD screen down there that is currently projecting an eternal crackling-log fire, but there are plans in the works to show movies and perhaps add karaoke nights or other food-and-fun-paired activities for grownups with juvenile proclivities.

There is no specific kid’s menu at Kid; the food is decidedly grown-up. Yes, pizza is a childhood crowd-pleaser, but ostensibly a topping of Brussels sprouts and pancetta might deter typically finicky offspring. Certainly a youngster could make a desirable meal from the offerings, however. Mozzarella Fritters could be enjoyed without their spicy marinara dipping sauce, and who doesn’t like Cheesy Garlic Fingers?

The more intriguing items show a little more innovation and sophistication. The Anchovy Pizza, featuring the uniquely meaty Cantabrian fish, has been an unexpected crowd favorite. Brett recommends this and the White Pie al Limone, but his favorite is still the Plain, a classic New York pie that was basically the impetus for opening up another restaurant when they began planning it way back in 2020. The pandemic delayed those plans a bit, but it also inspired a less pizza-centric menu as options for that have multiplied in recent years. But the owners, all Chelsea residents, “love the neighborhood,” which “has so many advantages,” and were determined to create a place that serves the community and fills a void in its dining scene. Check, and check.

For right now, it’s dinner only, but take-away (almost a must for pizza) is in the works. They will try to orchestrate delivery with their own manpower, avoiding third-party platforms in an attempt to keep things tight and avoid leaching profits.

Lunch and brunch are simmering in the forecast as well, but “Chelsea is not so much a lunch neighborhood,” one of the owners noted. Definitely is a brunch one, though, and that menu could be a lot of fun. For now, however, they’re open Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aside from pizzas, the menu is veggie-forward and approachable, with lots of unexpected nuance. Pea Shoots are sautéed in copious garlic and chicken shmaltz, taking that fresh little harbinger of spring into seriously decadent territory. Shaved Fennel is bright and light in its minted citrus dressing, zipped up with red finger chiles. Even a whole roasted seabass is the best example of its simplicity, its meaty flesh slathered in an herbacious green parsley slurry. Large-format meats seem a little pricey, but in their generous portioning, coul easily serve three.

Desserts are elemental. They tout a Ronnybrook soft-serve as arriving imminently, but for the time being one will have to cap things off with a sweet, oversize black-and-white cookie or a simple poached nectarine. Actually, get both: Each could benefit from the other. The fruit conjures up Grandma’s preserved peaches, which would partner well with the mild cookie. Once that soft-serve becomes available, a ménage-a-trois of all three would be superlative. (Earmuffs for the young’uns.)