Saturday, June 24, 2006

Una Pizza Napoletana (CLOSED 7/09)

Today, I braved the thunderstorms to travel over to the brand-new S'mac, home of 10 different varieties of homemade macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately for me, half of NYC had the same idea, and by the time I arrived, S'mac had actually run out of food. It was 6 p.m., and they would not reopen until 7. Crestfallen, I walked out of the shop. A few doors down, Una Pizza Napoletana was half-empty.

I'd always heard wonderful things about this little pizzeria, so I sat my cheese-craving self down. The room evoked simple, Old World charm, and the menu described mouth-watering ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, Southern Italian extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh buffalo mozzarella.

UPT offers only four pizzas: cheeseless tomato, tomato mozzarella, white pizza, and tomato cheese with cherry tomatoes. So, if you're looking for a ham pineapple shredded chicken affair (blasphemy!) this is not the place for you. But the ingredients are of such high quality, and the pizzas so lovingly and artfully prepared, that you won't miss a thing.

I ordered the Margherita (tomato mozzarella) and was struck by what an aromatic pizza it was. A tumble of moist fresh basil decorated the olive-oil drizzled center of the pizza. The dough was fresh, a bit tangy and only slightly charred. (Some famous pizzerias in town tend to over-blacken their crusts.) Chunks of tender buffalo mozzarella melted into rich, fluffy pillows over a simple, delicious tomato sauce. All of the components, delicious on their own, came together in a delectable synergy.

Yes, I will attempt to make another effort (or three) to sample S'mac. But if the lines are as long as those of Shake Shack, I'll just dine at my new favorite pizzeria.

Una Pizza Napoletana: 349 East 12th St., (212) 477-9950.
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