The new Power Plant Live! restaurant celebrates its grand opening Tuesday.
"We're called Two Boots because Louisiana and Italy are both geographically similar to boots," said part-owner Leon Hartman.
The fusion extends beyond the Cajun-Italian cuisine. When I noted that Hartman sounded neither Italian nor Cajun, he said he was the product of "a West Virginia girl and Long Island Jew." His parents, indie filmmakers who love pizza, beer and New Orleans, founded Two Boots in New York City's East Village in 1987.
Two Boots has grown to eight New York locations, plus one in Connecticut and another coming to Los Angeles. Most of those sell just pizzas and salads, but the Power Plant location is a full-service restaurant with po' boys, pastas and jambalaya.
Each location has a signature pizza developed and served there, and only there. At Power Plant, it is The Old Bay Beast, which has crab, shrimp, andouille sausage, jalapenos and, of course, Old Bay.
Two Boots plans to open a second Baltimore location in the Fitzgerald apartment building, near Maryland Institute College of Art. The goal is to open by Thanksgiving.
Photo courtesy of Two Boots