Magpie — Restaurant in Greenfield

Some dialogue from one of my favorite movies, "Breaking Away," about the Catholic sacrament of confession has always stuck with me: "Have you ever gone to confession?" one young man asks his friend. "Twice" the other guy replies. "Did it make you feel better?" asks the first guy. "Once" says his friend. Well, that's pretty much my experience at Magpie. I've been there twice and I had a great meal there once.

My most recent visit was with a group of friends and family on a warm spring Saturday evening. The small dining room was packed and we did not have a reservation. Ever optimistic, though, we put our names in with the person at the door who told us a table would be ready for us in about 25 minutes. We knew perfectly well this was about as likely as a good Republican healthcare plan, so it was no surprise that more than an hour passed before we got inside. But it was such a nice day that the wait in a small seating area overlooking the street was not entirely unpleasant. Servers popped outside occasionally to check on us and were happy to bring us drinks from the bar.

The atmosphere inside could charitably be described as "lively." Pandemonium might be a better description. It's one of those places where you have to shout to carry on a conversation above the din, which of course only adds to the noise. Accompanying the uproar in the dining room, like the percussion section of an orchestra, loud crashes of plates and glassware being dropped (or thrown?) resounded frequently from the partially open kitchen in the rear.

But what about the food? It was okay, but not as good as I remembered from my first visit. The restaurant boasts of its woodfired pizzas, so that's what I had -- a fairly conventional order of a pie with red sauce and mozzarella topped with sausage and mushrooms. The pies are just big enough for two to share, although if you're really hungry, a whole pie to yourself would not be too much. The sauce and cheese were generously applied and the toppings were of good quality, but the crust -- thin, dry, cracker-like -- was not to my taste. I prefer something a little thicker, a little breadier, a little chewier -- i.e., New York style, which these pizzas are not. And it was served lukewarm so that the cheese was no longer gooey and stringy but had begun to congeal. Too bad. I also ordered a Caesar salad on the side, which turned out to be torn leaves of romaine lettuce tossed with a creamy ranch-like dressing and little crouton cubes that might have come out of a bag from Stop and Shop. Not bad, but lacking anchovies, not really a Caesar salad either.

Other entrees ordered by our table included linguini and meatballs, ricotta mac and cheese, steak and shrimp, and something called a fazzioletti crepe. The meatballs were large, underseasoned, and had the texture of a well-done hamburger. The mac and cheese suffered from the same congealed fate as my pizza -- it should have been hotter. The steak and shrimp was a perfectly acceptable dish, like something you might have been served at a Connecticut country club in the 1950s. I did not sample the crepe, but it came with a side of Swiss chard as did several of the other entrees, which everyone said was "tough." Now, how a cooked leafy-green vegetable can be rendered tough is a mystery to me, but there you are.

The service was fine, with one exception: All our orders came out at approximately the same time but one (the crepe). When we inquired as to its whereabouts we were told that it had been dropped (passive voice -- mistakes were made) on the way from the kitchen. Thus one of us had to sit there glumly watching everyone else eat while her order was "re-fired." I gave her a slice of my pizza to...

want to love this place because they're good, enough of the time I order from them, which is a lot - I live close - but the times that they've messed up has overshadowed the good times. My partner is Kosher, so we ordered him a cheese pizza (his favorite cheese pizza in the Pioneer Valley), and got a pepperoni pizza instead. Only after he'd taken a bite did we realize the mistake since the meat was under the cheese. It (legit) looked like a cheese pizza, but wasn't.

We ordered again this evening because they've always been accommodating and convenient for us, despite minor hiccups, however tonight didn't go well either. We ordered a pizza with meat that came out beautifully, but the cheese pizza we ordered (see pics) was less satisfactory. I brought it back and they refunded me and made another, better cheese pizza, but the smug display upon bringing it out will keep me away. "Here's your pizza! We all stood around in the back asking each other if this was" a...

The atmosphere and staff are a treat when the place is full or empty, and hardly ever over-bearing for those who may be easily over stimulated. The downhill of my experiences come with the cleanliness/quaility of glassware/seating area/chairs. The Pizzas never have the chance to deliver on their advertised experience as the pizzas are crafted to a burnt end - both the thin often wafer thin crust and cheese, when topped. The oven isn't the problem, it's the mortician like approach to its use. The sides and other dishes, often meet expectation but never meet the value. The best way to experience this place is for it's atmosphere and staff. so perhaps a drink with an appetiser or shared dish. Just don't eat...