The Alex & The Eleanor + 1

So as it sometimes happens, I was starting to get a craving for pizza. I believe in going with a craving, if you want it, you want it, and its no use fighting it. But if I am going to eat pizza, I want to eat the best. Of course, the best pizza is not a easy thing to pick. There are different pies for different moods, and the one that I am most often in the mood for is La Pizza Fresca.

We happened upon this restaurant a couple years ago, quite by accident, and although it has won many awards and is very well reviewed, and is one of only 2 certified Neapolitan pizza places in NY, it seems to be under the radar still. I wish I could give a broad overview of the extensive menu – antipasti, pastas and main courses which all look fabulous, but I have only ever had the pizza.

This time round we were with 2 friends, who were the perfect companions for dinner as they were game to get a number of pizzas and split them. The pizzas are really one person pies  as a main course, and so we got four, and each had a slice of each. We got the Rustica,  the Savoia,  the Cime di Rapa and “La Pizza Fresca”. Though all the different pizzas I have had are fabulous – flavorful fresh cheese, chewy crusts and well composed and tasty toppings, its the Pizza Rustica that makes me come here when I have a craving over all the other great pizza in the city. Its a white pizza with buffalo mozzerella, pancetta and white onions. The tang of onions counters the richness of the cheese, the salty meat adds body to the whole thing. A perfect combination of toppings on a really great crust.

The Savoia had mushrooms, pancetta, fontina and mozzerella cheese – not being a fan of mushrooms I took them off,  and though the fontina was nice flavor, without the mushrooms, it was just too rich. The Cime di Rapa – broccoli rabe, sausage and buffalo mozzerella – the bitterness of the broccoli rabe was a nice foil to all the other rich pizza I was eating, but I think on its own it would have been a little too much. And “La Pizza Fresca” the only red pizza we had, with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, black olives, parmesan and basil. Very tasty, much more familiar toppings. The other 3 are great pizzas in their own right, I really only have eyes for the Rustica, at least for now. In fact, I think I feel another craving coming on…