At his friend Maurizio DeRosa's urging, Celeste chef Giancarlo Quadalti set out to make authentic Neapolitan pizza in the gorgeous wood-burning oven installed in the corner of his restaurant. A year later, DeRosa concluded that New Yorkers didn't want the real thing. "It was too wet for people. People would take napkins and blot the pizza to absorb moisture. We were devastated. We would look and suffer in silence."
But after an appropriate mourning period, Quadalti made the necessary adjustments. Now Quadalti drains the tomatoes just the way many American pizzaioli do. As a result, Celeste's pizza is probably not authentically Neapolitan, but it is quite delicious and Italian in conception. That means they use double-zero Italian flour, imported canned tomatoes (drained), and excellent cow's-milk mozzarella, imported from Maspeth, Queens. The crust is a little crisper than any I found in Naples, but trust me, Giancarlo, that's the way we like it. I usually have either the Margherita or a marinara (made with tomato sauce and anchovies here), but sometimes I get crazy and order the one with prosciutto and arugula. It doesn't matter what pizza you eat at Celeste. They're all delicious. After devouring your pie, it is imperative that you have gelato for dessert at Celeste. They're all made by the mad-genius gelato maker, Gino Cammarata, from the tragically shuttered restaurant Bussola. If you're with a group, have the "porcini mushroom" ice cream, made with hazelnut ice cream and chocolate sauce in the shape of, yes, a porcini mushroom.
CELESTE Location: 502 Amsterdam Ave. (84th/85th), New York NY Phone: 212-874-4559 Ed's Rating: 3 pies (out of a possible 4)
Ed Levine is a regular contributor to the New York Times Dining section and is author of New York Eats and New York Eats More. He also maintains a blog: Ed Levine Eats. This entry is an excerpt from his book Pizza: A Slice of Heaven, published on Slice through special arrangement.
I am a true pizza lover! I could eat a different kind of pizza everyday - and there are so many yummy variations! If you are ever in the Wyoming Valley area of Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre, Wyoming, Old Forge) be sure to hit the pizza places listed below. Although I believe that you like the pizza you grow up on, if you are open to new tastes, the experience can be fun and endless. Unfortunately, there are some real disappointments out there, but the only way to find that out is to try it! In Wyoming, try VICTORY PIG BAR-B-QUE on Wyoming Avenue across from the Midway Shopping Center. It is an unusual "fried" pizza that comes in rectangular cuts. When I was a kid, it was $.10 a cut, it's now $1.50. Some copy cats have developed in recent years, like PIZZA L'OVEN and although not quite the same, it is just as good and sometimes better! Also in Wyoming, just up the road on the right, is SABBATINI'S Pizza. Round pies with a great sauce and a crispy, thin bread-like crust, but not too thin and oh so tasty homemade sauce. Continuing up Wyoming Avenue, you will eventually see signs for Old Forge. Now here's a melting pot of the best Italian varieties. There are restaurants on both sides of the street and not a bad one in the bunch. However, for the best WHITE PIZZA you have ever tasted -and so different from your round pies with mozzarella & ricotta -try GINGERELLI'S. These rectangular slices with a double crust , cheese, and wonderful seasonings on top, including onions and rosemary are exceptionally delicious hot or cold. There is also a place out at Harvey's Lake, in what they call "the Back Mountain/Dallas, PA called Joe's Grotto. You can also find Joe's in DE at the beach on Rehoboth. Delicious! And finally, there is bakery in the little town of Swoyersville, on the border with Forty Fort, called OWEN STREET BAKERY (on Owen St.) that has the best bakery slices with a slightly sweet sauce and a cheese that isn't mozarella. This pizza ia absolutely different from regular pizza, but pizza it is and I love it! Happy Landings. I gotta make a trip there this weekend and pick-up some pizzas for my freezer!!
"I ordered a Margherita and a calzone and watched Andreas Rinaldi, who learned to make pizza in his native Buenos Aires, do his thing. " A funny connection-- there is a pizza joint called Nina's Argentine Pizza Restaurant on the far UES (E 91st/2nd Av) that sounds interesting. It's curious that Italians immigrated to Argentina and how that effected their pizza making, which some ex-Argentines brought to NYC! Must admit I haven't been to Nina's but I live nearby. Gotta try it. P.S. Wonder if Manu Ginobili, of the NBA San Antonio Spurs, makes Argentinian pizza? http://www.yelp.com/biz/63nH8K_70cm91FvfaAVUughttp://newyork.citysearch.com/review/40842069http://www.nba.com/playerfile/emanuel_ginobili/index.html
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But after an appropriate mourning period, Quadalti made the necessary adjustments. Now Quadalti drains the tomatoes just the way many American pizzaioli do. As a result, Celeste's pizza is probably not authentically Neapolitan, but it is quite delicious and Italian in conception. That means they use double-zero Italian flour, imported canned tomatoes (drained), and excellent cow's-milk mozzarella, imported from Maspeth, Queens. The crust is a little crisper than any I found in Naples, but trust me, Giancarlo, that's the way we like it. I usually have either the Margherita or a marinara (made with tomato sauce and anchovies here), but sometimes I get crazy and order the one with prosciutto and arugula. It doesn't matter what pizza you eat at Celeste. They're all delicious. After devouring your pie, it is imperative that you have gelato for dessert at Celeste. They're all made by the mad-genius gelato maker, Gino Cammarata, from the tragically shuttered restaurant Bussola. If you're with a group, have the "porcini mushroom" ice cream, made with hazelnut ice cream and chocolate sauce in the shape of, yes, a porcini mushroom.
2 Comments:
I am a true pizza lover! I could eat a different kind of pizza everyday - and there are so many yummy variations! If you are ever in the Wyoming Valley area of Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre, Wyoming, Old Forge) be sure to hit the pizza places listed below. Although I believe that you like the pizza you grow up on, if you are open to new tastes, the experience can be fun and endless. Unfortunately, there are some real disappointments out there, but the only way to find that out is to try it! In Wyoming, try VICTORY PIG BAR-B-QUE on Wyoming Avenue across from the Midway Shopping Center. It is an unusual "fried" pizza that comes in rectangular cuts. When I was a kid, it was $.10 a cut, it's now $1.50. Some copy cats have developed in recent years, like PIZZA L'OVEN and although not quite the same, it is just as good and sometimes better! Also in Wyoming, just up the road on the right, is SABBATINI'S Pizza. Round pies with a great sauce and a crispy, thin bread-like crust, but not too thin and oh so tasty homemade sauce. Continuing up Wyoming Avenue, you will eventually see signs for Old Forge. Now here's a melting pot of the best Italian varieties. There are restaurants on both sides of the street and not a bad one in the bunch. However, for the best WHITE PIZZA you have ever tasted -and so different from your round pies with mozzarella & ricotta -try GINGERELLI'S. These rectangular slices with a double crust , cheese, and wonderful seasonings on top, including onions and rosemary are exceptionally delicious hot or cold. There is also a place out at Harvey's Lake, in what they call "the Back Mountain/Dallas, PA called Joe's Grotto. You can also find Joe's in DE at the beach on Rehoboth. Delicious! And finally, there is bakery in the little town of Swoyersville, on the border with Forty Fort, called OWEN STREET BAKERY (on Owen St.) that has the best bakery slices with a slightly sweet sauce and a cheese that isn't mozarella. This pizza ia absolutely different from regular pizza, but pizza it is and I love it! Happy Landings. I gotta make a trip there this weekend and pick-up some pizzas for my freezer!!
Slice Jan from CT at 5:13PM on 11/09/06
"I ordered a Margherita and a calzone and watched Andreas Rinaldi, who learned to make pizza in his native Buenos Aires, do his thing. " A funny connection-- there is a pizza joint called Nina's Argentine Pizza Restaurant on the far UES (E 91st/2nd Av) that sounds interesting. It's curious that Italians immigrated to Argentina and how that effected their pizza making, which some ex-Argentines brought to NYC! Must admit I haven't been to Nina's but I live nearby. Gotta try it. P.S. Wonder if Manu Ginobili, of the NBA San Antonio Spurs, makes Argentinian pizza? http://www.yelp.com/biz/63nH8K_70cm91FvfaAVUug http://newyork.citysearch.com/review/40842069 http://www.nba.com/playerfile/emanuel_ginobili/index.html
Slice Matt at 5:39AM on 04/26/07