First Look: Double Zero

Octopus with escarole, chickpea, pickled red onions, and roasted pepper emulsions.

You left sandy springs for emory village. What was the vision for the new location?
The original vision we had here with the design firm [ai3] was that we were going to play along the lines of what a street would look like in Naples: graffiti walls, the manhole covers on our logo, loud colors, our big gate. This location feels very fun and more urban than the old space.

How did you channel that into the food?
We wanted to play along the same lines, erasing everything we’d done for the past five years, and just getting back to the roots of what we wanted to cook. We sat back and went, “What is it that’s fun for us to cook?”

There’s a new focus on shared plates.
We try to encourage all of our guests to order more and spread it around the table instead of doing a traditional manner where everybody gets their own antipasti, salad and entrée. We want people to get the most out of their dining experience by trying more things in one setting. That said, we also have large formats on the menu that a party of any size can choose from. So you have a little bit of everything.

There’s definitely an Italian influence, but the dishes seem much more diverse.
We’re inspired by Italian techniques, tradition and culture, but we’re not sold on doing just Italian food. The oxtail on our menu is by no means an Italian concept. You also see a lot of local influences on our pizzas, using local ingredients and charcuterie while replicating the techniques used in Italian cuisine. As long as the food is delicious and the guest enjoys it, I think we’ve accomplished our goal at the end of the day.

How do you see Double Zero evolving into the Emory neighborhood?
The Emory neighborhood has already embraced us; our goal is to be the best restaurant in Emory Village. Hopefully we can create this little hub within the neighborhood where people want to come as a destination to eat.

doublezeroatl.com