14" Original Pizza: Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, and Basil
In 1905, Lombardi's Pizza became the first pizzeria in the United States. Their coal oven technique has been used for over a century, and last night we were able to try a few historic slices. The restaurant was predictably busy, so much so that we were seated in a room completely detached from the original restaurant. Lombardi's serves only a white pizza and their original, plus a few toppings that you can add on top. Because we had eaten some monster pastrami sandwiches from Katz's deli only a few hours ago, we ordered only a 14" original pizza. This included mozzarella cheese, San Marzano tomato sauce, and fresh basil on top of the thin crust. The coal oven charred the pizza crust to an appropriately black color, and it was very very thin. The char was not off-putting from a flavor standpoint though, in fact it added to the flavor and gave the crust a nice crusty and almost smoky accent. This was probably the most simplistic pizza we have had thus far, from the tomato sauce to the mozzarella to the basil. The sauce had very little seasoning and the sweetness of the tomatoes really shined through. I wish that there had been more mozzarella, because it was very thin and sparse, and added little in terms of creaminess to balance the acidity of the sauce. There was fresh basil on the pizza which was a very welcomed addition to the relatively unseasoned pie. Although the restaurant has existed in the same location since 1905, I thought there would be a more historic atmosphere. It was almost out-of-place in an otherwise very Italian part of town. This aside, the pizza was unique and has used the same recipe for many years, clearly not disappointing the customers. We wish we had another New York pizza with which to compare Lombardi's, but that search for the city's best will never end. All in all, Lombardi's gave us a nice refreshing meal after some football in the park, and a little historic taste of NYC.-The Hungry Crusaders
I don't know if you are still in New York, but you hae done well. If you are still there you MUST go to Joe's Shaghi on mott and Pell. Order the soup dumplings and chicken with chilis and cucumbers. Cash only, and you are likely to be seated with another large group. if you are still questing hop on the A/C 2/3 or 4/6 across the river to Broklyn and go to Grimaldi's to make a comparison against Lombardi's. Would love to hear your take. There are about 1,000 other places I could recommend, but I can't say enough about the soup dumplings. unique and addictive and cheap.
ReplyDelete