THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Donatella

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Donatella Restaurant Review:

Donatella Arpaia is a restaurant empress who has mostly reigned uptown, and especially in the East 60s. But she has come downtown---Eighth Avenue and W. 20th Street in Chelsea, to be exact---to serve up pizza and other casual Italian treats. The long, narrow room is crowned at the back by a shiny gold-tiled wood-burning oven. The pizzas here are thick in the Neapolitan manner. There are several unique variations, including an eponymous pizza with sweet piennolo del Vesuvio tomatoes, stracciatella, arugula and basil. The pies here are good enough---the soft dough, however, could use a few more minutes in the oven---but the other offerings steal the show, including gooey arancini (filled with mozzarella, peas and sausage) and bruschetta with unorthodox toppings like compote lemons and ricotta cheese. The wine list leans heavily toward Italy and desserts include zeppoli, among other classics.