Pizza Impressions: M Wood Fired Oven
Posted Wednesday, March 6, 2013M Wood Fired Oven is a new "casual dining" endeavor by owner Alex Mchaikhi and Excecutive Chef Owen Maass, both of whom the restaurant is ostensibly named after. Maass has established himself as a quirky, inventive talent at Cumin Eclectic Cuisine, which he's headed since 2009.
M is Cumin's next-door neighbor, which must make it easier for Maass and Mchaikhi to keep tabs on their two sets of staff. A virtual army of servers and cooks mill about the restaurant, several of whom can be found loitering near the bar area as they await the dinner rush.
Wood-fired ovens are so popular now that they teeter on the precipice of cliché. Pitted against area competitors like A Tavola and Betta's, which have all but perfected the art of delicious pizza, M has its work cut out for it.
M's oven is supposed to be the most prominent focal point in the room, but with the TVs and large paddles hanging on either side, the oven itself manages to look puny by comparison. I don't know if it's the close quarters, but somehow the oven over at Betta's Italian Oven looks twice as large, and I'm always dazzled by how many pizzas and calzones the owner there can slip inside.
As of this writing, M's pizzas seem to range inconsistently from wonderful to merely passable, sometimes perfectly crispy, with just enough chewiness, to doughy and underdone. The #4 pizza I ordered features house-made sausage, smoked mozzarella and apple.
While it had a decent tomato and sausage flavor, it was disappointing overall. The pie was limp, undercooked and greasy, with tiny, irregularly shaped bits of apple overpowered by the more abundant sausage. Where were the burnt edges that make wood-fired pizzas so special? Where were those crispy blisters of dough? This is likely a training issue; Maass himself is rarely seen cooking these pizzas and there is likely some time needed to acclimate to a new oven's "personality."
My first experience at M was more successful: they offer several courses beyond pizza, including small plates, salads, gratins and their "primal" course, which includes a quartet of large-portioned meats, like roasted chicken, pork, beef and fish. The primal course succeeds in overshadowing M's variety of wood-fired pizzas and the presentation of the bountiful dishes are apt to give your neighboring diners whiplash as they vicariously salivate over your selection.
M's desserts are interesting twists on classics: the "Nerd Cake" looks like a Dr. Seuss nightmare, with pink and purple and blue frosting covered in multicolored candies. We found our cake a little on the dry side, though the smokey, almost savory warm pear pie topped with a scoop of jalapeno gelato aroused the senses like a gentle smack to the face.
M is by no means perfect and is still going through growing pains, but it offers promise as a welcome Hyde Park addition.
3514 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208513-386-7783
Rating: 3.0 out of 4
= Outstanding
= Fair
= Poor
The best TACO joint in the city. I go there as a treat to myself every Monday. TEX MEX TACOS are delicious culinary treats that look beautiful and taste great. I'm so impressed with this place that I never explore the other items on the menu. If you don't get your taco fix here, you're losing in life.
posted: Tue., Apr 27th, 2021 @ 2:37 PM
My Wife and myself dined at Ferrari’s on Saturday and the Food and service was great/ I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with misc nuts and sauce and it was the best meal I’ve had there/ My wife had the Fish and Vegetables and was very happy/ I also got a couple of their pizza and olive loaves of bread/ The bread is always a hit at work.
posted: Mon., Nov 23rd, 2020 @ 1:14 PM
@Rick: Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to remember to give them a try.
posted: Sat., Nov 21st, 2020 @ 9:06 AM
Try Joe's Pizza located at Airway and Smithville Rd. You might like it...That's one of favorite haunts. I definitely think it beats Cassano's.
posted: Fri., Nov 6th, 2020 @ 4:19 PM
Hands down the best Indian in the area. I have yet to find their yellow Punjabi dish anywhere. It is my favorite, and what keeps me coming back time after time. I think I have been here over 100 times. I love this place.
posted: Thu., May 28th, 2020 @ 12:03 PM
I found a gyro I keep thinking about
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tazikis-mediterranean-cafe-cincinnati
their lamb gyro is about 2-3 bucks higher in cost than a gyro elsewhere - B U T - it is made with whole pieces of lamb meat, not the lamb and beef loaf that all other Gyro joints in Cincinnati seem to do
it is a chain. A minus for me, and I suspect for you as well.
But its good.
really, really good
one caveat: skip the baklava as it is not made in-house
posted: Mon., Dec 9th, 2019 @ 12:43 PM
I'll take your word for it, then.....it is fairly close to work so it'll be an upcoming lunch
I also need to try out this little taco wagon near Quatmans in Norwood
posted: Mon., Sep 9th, 2019 @ 6:21 PM
Hi @TJ - We were pretty impressed with the quality of the items, which I think justifies some of the pricing. I really liked the house-made tortillas and their salsas. Chilero offered some extra little touches that were a pleasant surprise. :)
Just by way of comparison...that same week we'd tried the new Mazunte location downtown...and our experience at Chilero beat them out.
posted: Thu., Aug 29th, 2019 @ 10:18 PM
Great food and fantastic atmosphere
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 8:29 PM
Seems very pricey for a mostly carryout/counter-service joint
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 5:51 PM