West First Wood-Fired Pizza

West First is located in Hendersonville on, guess?, W. 1st. I always like when a restaurant uses its address as the name. One less thing I have to remember! Fat Kat and I had tried to go there another night - around 7:30 on a Friday, but it was mobbed and we were starving, so we left, opting for lesser food that could be consumed immediately. But, we vowed to come back. Finally, made it back with some friends last Saturday. It was definitely worth the wait! Fridays must be the busiest, because we got there about the same time as our first attempt, but this time, got right in. West First is run by the same folks who do Flat Rock Bakery - also a stellar establishment. It is great to now see them downtown as well.

West First is a lively, modern atmosphere with an industrial feel, but warm at the same time. Their big, beautiful, wood-fired oven is the focal point at the back of the restaurant. They specialize in unique thin crust pizza, but have other choices, like pastas and salads. Their wine and beer list is interesting and reasonably priced. Since this was our first visit, we HAD to try the pizzas. Fat Kat and I decided to split a pizza, so I ordered a side salad for a starter. The salad was excellent with fresh mixed greens and a delicious dressing. I thought was generously sized for a side salad too. Fat Kat had a few bites, but was more interested in the pizza. We ordered the proscuitto pizza and our dinner companions ordered the goat cheese pizza. West First has about eight choices of pizza and they all sounded interesting and delicious. Unfortunately, I was so fixated on the pizzas, that I don't remember what they had for pasta entrees. I could eat pasta every day of my life, so I should've taken note. But, if they're anything like the pizzas, they will be worth a try on another night.

Either our pizzas came out really quickly or we were talking so much that I didn't notice how much time had passed. Whichever it was, the pizzas showed up while I still had a few bites of my salad left. Now, I will back up a little and say that, typically, I prefer a thick crust pizza over a thin crust. If I wanted a cracker, I'd eat a cracker. BUT, this thin crust was AMAZING. It was truly thin, but still a bit chewy - fantastic! It has changed my mind about thin-crust. The pies were about 12". It is plenty for two if you get something to go with it or a healthy meal for one. Our prosciutto one was excellent. We must've said how great it was about ten times, intermingled with a lot of "yummy noises". Our dinner companions have been there several times and tried about four of the pizzas. They said you just can't miss - they're all good.

Since I had to make sure I was being thorough for the review, I had to order dessert (big grin!). They had about five choices, but several had nuts, so I immediately purged those from my list of options, and unfortunately, my memory. I went with the flourless chocolate torte, while our dinner companions opted for the hazelnut tiramisu. I love tiramisu and would've gone for that if not for those pesky nuts. Like the pizza, the desserts came out quickly and were fabulous. My torte was not huge by Sweet Tooth standards, but it is rich and came swimming in a sea of delicious chocolate sauce, so was more than enough. It's hard to go wrong with a flourless torte and this one did not disappoint. It was excellent with a rich, chocolate flavor. And gone in a flash. The tiramisu was a more generous portion and looked great. If they have another version of it next time we go, I'll have to give it a try.

One funny side note - if you go into the restrooms (which were very clean, by the way), be forewarned about the air hand driers. They have the force of a jet engine and will blow you across the room if you don't have your feet firmly planted. But, your hands will be dry in about 1.3 seconds! You don't normally share stories from a visit to the restroom, but we all laughed about that.

Fat Kat and I will definitely be back to West First. We had Carb Boy and Zippy Spice drooling with the description of the fabulous food, so we are anxious for them to try it with us. It seems popular enough that it will hang around. I hope so. It draws a slightly younger crowd and the place fills with energy, so not really your romantic getaway, but hey, we're there for the pizza! And remember, this is more of what you'd call "gourmet" pizza. If you want your basic pepperoni pizza dripping with grease, this is not the place for you. If you want a fantastic and unique pizza in a great environment, then jump in your car and get to West First!