New Pizzeria Hopes To Be Haven For Kensington

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Kensington Cafe owner, Lauren Passaro, is due to open her second neighborhood eatery on Monday, March 25 in a bright and airy space hung with two large works by local artist Kelsey Brookes, Passaro's husband.

The Haven Pizzeria, named after a local landmark with an interesting history, aims to be a comfortable neighborhood eatery, with accessible, home made food.

The Haven's chef,Kevin Strombel, is considerably pizza-proficient. His last gig was at Rancho Santa Fe's Dolce Pane E Vino, which had a wood fired pizza oven, and before that he worked at Sammy's Pizza. He has developed whole wheat and gluten-free versions of pizza dough, and the crust is described as a cross between American-style and traditional Neapolitan; it crisps in a 700 degree gas oven.

There are two pizza sizes, 8" and 14", which can be customized with toppings or pre-set with mashups of The Haven's favorite creations, including the PBTO with hazelnut pesto, candied bacon, tomato and caramelized onions. General manager Kate Grimes is partial to the Total Package, loaded with roasted garlic sauce, Brussels sprouts, onions and mozzarella.

The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner; a lunch special of a house salad and 8" pizza is $9.99.
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Haven Pizzeria