04-03-2025
This pizza place in Wyoming offers one of my favorite new appetizers
Highly Recommended is a weekly spotlight on some of food writer Keith Pandolfi's favorite finds as he eats his way across Greater Cincinnati. Come back every Tuesday for more.
It was the name alone that led me to order the Lunch at Grandma's appetizer at Twelve08 Pizza recently. The image it painted in my mind was of a 1950s-era kitchen with white vinyl floors and a metal table set with a plate of cold cuts, pickles and cheese. The grandchildren are hungry and Grandma's at the ready.
At Twelve08, the pizza parlor and bar that opened in Wyoming in 2023, the plate includes thick slices of Boar's Head rosemary ham, a ball of mozzarella, olives, house-made pickles, house-made bread and a ramekin of dijon-aisse. It's served on a plain white plate, costs $14 and is more than enough for two people.
It's a nostalgia-fueled start to a dinner at Twelve08, which specializes in imaginative Neapolitan-ish pizzas that are baked in a wood-fired oven (they named it Claudia) and topped with regular things like sausage, pepperoni and cheese – and gourmet things like house smoked chicken thighs and locally sourced mushrooms. While the crust shares similarities with its Campagna-born cousin, it's sturdier, sweeter and, given the topping choices, Midwesternized.
My favorite, so far, is the Buffy the Vampire Slayer ($20). A smoky, savory and – hence the Ms. Summers moniker – garlicky feast of smoked chicken thighs, roasted garlic oil, mozzarella, shallots, tangy buffalo sauce and a swirl of ranch dressing. The Lion's Mane ($20), topped with mushrooms from Rich Life Farms, in New Richmond, is also good. But even the plain cheese pizza I ordered to take home to my daughter was memorable with its chewy crust and fresh mozzarella and Parmesan. The menu also includes salads, wings and desserts, including the sharable Cookie Jar, which includes 10 cookies for $15.
Like its next door neighbor, Tela, Twelve08 is a nice spot to take the family for dinner or have a glass of wine, scotch, bourbon or beer with a friend. The staff is friendly and up for a chat. Just like a good grandma should be.
Twelve08 Pizza, 1208 Springfield Pike, Wyoming, 513-679-7743,
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: This 'Lunch at Grandma's' appetizer found in Wyoming is pure nostalgia
