On fire, indeed. The compact igloo-shaped oven crackles with applewood, hickory, and maple flames that scorch up to four pizzas at a time. Sicilian-born pizzaiolo Elio Bartolotta handcrafts each one, lovingly applying ultrafresh toppings—whether basil, eggplant, mozzarella, mushrooms, plum tomatoes, spinach, or zucchini—and supervising the constant traffic in and out of the oven. The guy … Read more
Admit it: A part of you rooted for the failure of this out-of-town behemoth, a star-studded Italian grocery store slash fine-dining restaurant slash casual grazing spot. It’s too big, too loud, too tourist-trappy. But if you can get past your prejudgments, you can revel in one of its sublime pies dappled with glorious mozzarella—often handmade … Read more
“The pizzas come when they come,” you’re told when you order. That means you could be midway through your relaxed dinner at this temple of rustic Italian food when your pie makes its grand appearance and overshadows everything else on the table. A thin, snappy base laden with milky mozzarella and note-perfect toppings (spicy fennel … Read more
This is what deep dish once was: a light, crunchy yellow crust thinly veiled with mild mozzarella and sweet, chunky sauce hiding nubs of fennely sausage and fresh vegetables. It’s a pie with a capital P—less filling than it is exhilarating. Bartoli’s owner, Brian Tondryk, has pizza in his blood: Fred Bartoli, a founder of … Read more
Nella Grassano arguably introduced the Land of Deep Dish to Neapolitan-style pizza while the pizzaiolo at Spacca Napoli (see No. 27), where she crafted the impeccable Margherita pies that put the place on the map. Grassano was destined for her own pizzeria, complete with a fancy oven, which she and her husband, Frank, opened in … Read more
A side of heavy drinking often accompanies Boiler Room’s pizza. That’s no shock, given the sheer enormity of the pies and the existence of the PB&J: a slice of pizza, a Pabst Blue Ribbon tallboy, and a shot of Jameson for $8.50. But given BR’s rep as a late-night party spot, it is a surprise … Read more
They don’t make them like this anymore: the low-ceilinged, wood-paneled, Christmas-light-covered dining room; the vinyl-topped barstools filled with old guys who bring to mind Bill Swerski’s Superfans commiserating over $1.50 Old Styles. Same goes for the pizza, an exemplar of a regional style that gets far less love than its thicker counterpart. The crust is … Read more
Surprise! A restaurant with a patty-slinging name in a suburban strip mall just happens to serve top-notch pizza. Once you figure out that the big chef is Cristiano Bassani (Bice, Coco Pazzo, Carlucci), the spacious layout, cloth napkins, charming service, and sophisticated bar start to make sense. And the stocky paisano clearly knows the secret … Read more
Luxurious white tablecloths, a sleek glass-topped communal table, and über-modern barstools say “ristorante” more than “pizzeria,” and plenty of avant-garde pasta, carne, and pesce dishes stream out of Tocco’s kitchen. But the two timeworn wood-burning ovens behind the bar also have a story to tell. It’s the story of chewy-centered, delicately scorched crusts that refine … Read more
Nothing says tradition like a third-generation dough recipe, a well-worn rotating deck oven, and irregularly shaped blasts from the past—like this cheesy, saucy specimen. 2124 W. Lawrence Ave., 773-275-1700
