In an interview in Blackbook, former director and current restaurateur Bob Giraldi issues a strong statement:
In Italy a pizzeria is a casual restaurant where you can have other foods, but they take their pizza very seriously in Italy. We eat a lot of pizza in New York, but it’s made all over by a lot of different people, and it’s not made properly—in my own and in an Italian’s opinion. We brought in a chef from Naples, and his approach is world-class Neapolitan, which is where pizza is generally regarded as the best in the world. We’re going to try and give people in the East Village a really superior product. Let’s face it—you can go anywhere on a street corner and order pizza in New York City, but it’s usually made by many cultures, and it’s not made the way you make it in Italy.
OK. Being generous, I'll assume that Giraldi means the average New York slice, which, let's face it, is nothing special. But, please, the East Village already has some great and amazing pizza, so it's not like Tonda is "giving the people in the East Village" something they don't already have. Please see: Una Pizza Napoletana, Luzzo's, and Vinny Vincenz for starters.
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