Associated Inaugurates Lunch This Week

Starting today, Southeast neighborhood bar and pizzeria Associated offers lunch, and the move brings overhauled food and drink menus. Associated comes from pizza chef Nick Ford, co-founder of the sensational but short-lived hip-hop pizzeria, P.R.E.A.M.

Located at 2133 SE 11th Ave., Associated is now open Sunday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Lunch is served daily, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

When Associated fired up the ovens one year ago, it equally focused on meaty and vegan versions of tacos and pizzas. The new menus remove the former and beef up the latter; unfortunately, they do not mark a return to Ford’s more playful, earlier style, when he was serving masterpieces like the kale pizza, with lardo, smoked mozzarella, onion, honey, and chile. But Ford’s baked pastas, like the broccoli alfredo with fusilli, are back on the menu.

And long-time Lightning Bar Collective (Bye and Bye, Jackknife) barman Jake Powell has also taken over as bar manager, revamping the cocktail program to serve “proper '70s cocktails.”

Here’s a selection of pizzas from the new Associated lunch and dinner menus:

• White pizza: garlic cream sauce / smoked mozzarella / black pepper ricotta / spinach
• Sit down: cauliflower base / buffalo sauce / FYH mozzarella/ roasted mushroom / celery / vegan blue cheese
• American pie: tomato sauce / mozzarella / italian sausage / pepperoni / basil / parmesan
• Pretty thing: tomato sauce / FYH mozzarella / vegan sausage crumble / spinach / cherry peppers

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