A green "stinger" pepper marks a pizza annointed with the heralded "hot oil."
No salads, no sandwiches, no dessert. Apart from drinks, this comfortably worn tavern, which some say is the oldest restaurant in town, has just one item on the menu, in one size (14-inch pie; $8.50, plus $1.50 per topping). Though it's listed in familiar company (mushrooms, pepperoni, anchovies, and my standby, sausage) the peppery oil changes the character of the pie more than your typical topping: It works its way into the thin, firm, yet flexible crust and adds a spicy, oily lusciousness to every bite. Indeed, some folks think of Colony's "hot oil pizza" as a style in itself.
Without the oil, a mushroom pie was bland; the sauce and the meshlike layer of cheese were unremarkable. For that matter, on the pie seen here, even the fennel-laden chunks of locally made sausage were a little overmatched by the hot oil — which is less a criticism of the sausage than a compliment of the oil.
From the time you sit down, figure a half-hour wait for your pies (longer at peak hours, unrelieved by salads or appetizers) and order your fill up front. In the unlikely event that you don't devour yours on the spot, Colony's pies travel well.
Colony Grill
172 Myrtle Ave. (Elm-Frederick Sts.), Stamford, Connecticut
203-359-2184
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