1880 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island NY (Grant City; at Slater Blvd.; map); 718-979-7499; salvatoreofsoho.com Pizza Style: New York–Neapolitan/coal-oven Oven Type: Gas-coal hyrid oven The Skinny: Longtime pizzaman Salvatore Ganci is turning great, thin, chewy-crisp pizzas that stand shoulder to shoulder with the best coal-oven places in the city Price: Small Margherita, $9; large, $18
Just a couple blocks down from Pasticceria Bruno of Greenwich Village you'll find Salvatore of Soho. Geographically impossible, you say? Then you haven't been to Grant City, on the eastern shore of Staten Island, where this pizzeria has been cranking out coal-oven pies since late last year. That's Salvatore of Soho, mind you, not Salvatore's of Soho, located in The Bronx.
Oh, so now you're saying a coal-oven pizzeria on Staten Island is impossible? Well, you might be half right. Salvatore's of Soho uses a unique coal-gas hybrid oven with a rotating stone disk that turns out some great pizzas. A small, glowing coal chamber assists in heating the spinning surface above it and also imparts that smoky coal-oven flavor you've come to know and love at the legendary coalers in Coney Island (Totonno's), East Harlem (Patsy's), and, yes, Soho (Lomardi's).
Top: The end crust autopsy, for a sense of oven spring and hole structure. Above, from left: Upskirts from our first and second visits. Below right: The coal box on Salvatore of Soho's gas-coal hybrid oven.
In fact, co-owner Salvatore Ganci, a lifelong pizza man, did time at Lombardi's, helping reopen the current location in 1994. What he learned there on Spring Street has served him well on Hylan Boulevard. Where Lombardi's pies can often be a bit too thick and chewy, Salvatore's pizzas are perfectly thin and chewy-crisp, with a respectable amount of oven spring and moderate hole structure. At times, however, the crust can exhibit a bit too much char. (Did you ever think you'd see me write those words?)
And that's all before you get to the sauce (vibrant, fresh, and tomatoey though applied a bit too sparingly) and cheese (creamy, house-made fresh mozzarella). On a Margherita pie, there's a nice balance of flavors—saucy sweetness mixed with the saltiness of pecorino Romano and a little bit of nuttiness from some additional Parmigianno-Regiano. And during growing season, Salvatore's uses fresh organic herbs—basil and the like—grown on a farm in Hudson County owned by Ganci's business partner, Ralph.
Top: A white pie from our first visit. Above, from left: The first half-sausage-and-onion pie with cheese below the sauce, the second with cheese above the sauce.
On two separate visits, we tried a Margherita (sauce, cheese, basil); a white pie (mozzarella and ricotta, no sauce); and a half-plain, half sausage-and-onion pie. Of these, my favorite was the sausage and onion, which we tried two ways—sauce on top of cheese and sauce below the cheese. (I preferred the cheese-on-top version.) The sausage is Italian fennel sausage applied in a loose crumble rather than in sliced rounds.
There are a number of nonpizza dishes on the menu that are quite good as well. We sampled a fried calamari appetizer; cheese ravioli; and penne with grilled chicken, garlic, and sautéed spinach. Each item was clearly more than an afterthought or a sop to non-pizza-eaters, and there were a number of people in the dining room (still packed with locals around 2:30 p.m.) eating various pasta dishes, including a couple orders of mussels marinara. For dessert, we had a quartet of gelati (coconut, fig, rasperry, and hazelnut with a bit of cookie mixed in; the fig was an unexpected runaway favorite).
Back to that packed dining room—there's a reason why people crowd the place at lunch and, reportedly, at dinner. Ganci and Ralph have put in a lot of effort to make the place feel welcoming and friendly—gleaming white subway tiles line the oven area, waitresses wear uniforms that invite '50s-era nostalgia, and many fixtures and decorations are antiques salvaged from around Staten Island.
Salvatore's definitely ranks up there with the best coal-oven pizzerias in the city. Many thanks to Max, who first hipped Slice to the joint, and to Famdoc and Paulie Gee for further intel.
Adam, awesome photos and write up.....I second leyways sentiments!
Interesting oven and the narrow space has that old timey pizza joint feel to it. Yet another stop I need to make before crossing the Verrazano on my next trip to Brooklyn! --K
The char was amazing! It's like having a cigarette included in your dinner...and I mean that in a good way. Now I'm just wondering how I'm ever gonna make it back there, short of renting a car just for the occasion.
@Michele: I was scoping out bike routes. Looks like it would be a fun ride to bike to the S.I. Ferry, boat it over to Shaolin, and then take the bike trail (it looks like S.I. has an actual nonroad bike route) down the eastern shore to Salvatore. First step: Get a bike!
@pizzaexpert: It's almost apples to oranges, since Denino's and, say, Joe & Pat's are such different styles—even from one another. This is coal-oven-style pizza like you'd find at Totonno's. That's probably the closest coal-oven comparison I can make. Denino's is a whole different animal. Nunzio's is another renown Staten Island place (as I'm sure you know), but again, Nunzio's is more in line with pizza you'd find in Brooklyn or Manhattan. Good, but not super unique. And I know I've had Staten Islanders tell me that "There's more to S.I. pizza than Denino's, Nunzio's, and J&P's," so I'll also make the comparison to Lee's Tavern, which I sampled recently; this is miles above Lee's. (Sorry, Lee's partisans! :/ ) The only other pizzas I've had on S.I. have been Jimmy Max and Brother's. Brother's, again, is more a typical New York slice (like you'd get in other parts of the city), and I can't really compare Jimmy Max's pizza to Salvatore because when I did sample it, I didn't get enough of it to make an accurate judgment.
hey adam, longtime slice reader here. before i talk about my experience at salvatore of soho, i just wanted to give you props for having created such an informative site. keep up the great work, man.
so anyway, i recently made it to this restaurant for the first time. i was optimistic based on your review but still had guarded expectations, mainly because a lot of newish restaurants can be uneven.
my group ordered the clam pie, the regular neapolitan pie, and the sausage/broccoli di rapi pie. while our group enjoyed all three pizzas, the clam pie was easily the standout. if you haven't tried it here, you should do so next time around. the clams tasted fresh and juicy (not canned or overcooked like at some other places) and the crust was nicely charred and crispy on the edges while retaining a slightly puffy interior and chewy, pliable texture. the garlic, seafood, romano, and olive oil flavors were perfectly balanced, making this the most satisfying of the three pies we ate.
i can honestly say that based on this one experience, the clam pie here blew away any other version i've had in the nyc metropolitan area. really, the only clam pies i've ever enjoyed more were up in new haven, ct.
now if they only offered bacon as a topping to go with those clams...
as for the other two pies, they weren't nearly as satisfying but still pretty good overall. the neapolitan pie was certainly tasty, but the flavors didn't really wow me the way the clam pie did. i'm not sure what it was - the crust was similarly great, the sauce and cheese were obviously high quality, and the basil was eminently fresh. perhaps we had a letdown after eating the clam pie, which we'd ordered first and devoured quickly so that the clams wouldn't get cold and rubbery on us. or maybe we've developed difara- or lucali-like expectations for our cheese (i.e. a blend of different cheeses that form a creamier coating for the pie, as opposed to the fresh mozzarella used at salvatore of soho).
in any event, i'd like to try the neapolitan pie again sometime soon - one without toppings (as we did this time) and one with a topping (perhaps the coal oven roasted peppers or sicilian eggplant?).
the least satisfying of the three pies was the sausage & broccoli di rapi pie. now, i'm a big sucker for anything that comes with broccoli rabe, and the batch used for this pie didn't disappoint (fresh, slightly bitter, and not overcooked or mushy). and once again, the crust on this pie was perfectly fine. my complaint, though, is that there was hardly any sausage - and the little that was there wasn't particularly memorable. to be fair, we were all pretty full by the time we started eating this pie, so perhaps our taste buds were off. but at the very least, the broccoli rabe-to-sausage ratio needs to be improved in the future.
i would've loved to have tried some of the other toppings or perhaps the appetizers, but i guess we'll have to do so next time. i did have a little bit of room left over for dessert, so i got the fig gelato, which was delicious.
all in all, this was one of the better new pizzerias i've been to in a while in nyc. there are certainly lots of promising new places that have opened up elsewhere in the city, but this place really delivered good food at reasonable prices and without any pretentiousness. i'll definitely be back.
Was there last night (7/24.) Passed it many times when I got stuck taking the X1. Buddy called and suggested it.
Waited 25 minutes for a table for 4 (at 8:00 pm.)
Worth the wait. Had the Margherita and Vodka pies, calzone and house salad. Salad: good; Calzone: very good with a surprising sweetness to the ricotta; Vodka pie: good, Margherita: excellent. Perfect crust (nice char), good sauce, very good cheese. Waitress was a sweetheart in a damn busy situation. Owner very nice, comped us a half carafe of red.
Buddy and his wife had the Junior's cheesecake. I didn't want to taste anything else after the last slice, in case I died.
Go there. Hold a table for me. It's bloody hot in July on that asphalt parking lot.
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In fact, co-owner Salvatore Ganci, a lifelong pizza man, did time at Lombardi's, helping reopen the current location in 1994. What he learned there on Spring Street has served him well on Hylan Boulevard. Where Lombardi's pies can often be a bit too thick and chewy, Salvatore's pizzas are perfectly thin and chewy-crisp, with a respectable amount of oven spring and moderate hole structure. At times, however, the crust can exhibit a bit too much char. (Did you ever think you'd see me write those words?)
8 Comments:
i wanna lick my monitor!
leyway at 9:00PM on 05/29/09
Adam, awesome photos and write up.....I second leyways sentiments!
Interesting oven and the narrow space has that old timey pizza joint feel to it. Yet another stop I need to make before crossing the Verrazano on my next trip to Brooklyn! --K
Pizzablogger at 9:03AM on 05/30/09
How would this place compare to Denino's and some of the other ones known to be the best?
pizzaexpert at 6:18PM on 05/31/09
The char was amazing! It's like having a cigarette included in your dinner...and I mean that in a good way. Now I'm just wondering how I'm ever gonna make it back there, short of renting a car just for the occasion.
Michele Humes at 9:37PM on 06/01/09
@Michele: I was scoping out bike routes. Looks like it would be a fun ride to bike to the S.I. Ferry, boat it over to Shaolin, and then take the bike trail (it looks like S.I. has an actual nonroad bike route) down the eastern shore to Salvatore. First step: Get a bike!
Adam Kuban at 9:41PM on 06/01/09
@pizzaexpert: It's almost apples to oranges, since Denino's and, say, Joe & Pat's are such different styles—even from one another. This is coal-oven-style pizza like you'd find at Totonno's. That's probably the closest coal-oven comparison I can make. Denino's is a whole different animal. Nunzio's is another renown Staten Island place (as I'm sure you know), but again, Nunzio's is more in line with pizza you'd find in Brooklyn or Manhattan. Good, but not super unique. And I know I've had Staten Islanders tell me that "There's more to S.I. pizza than Denino's, Nunzio's, and J&P's," so I'll also make the comparison to Lee's Tavern, which I sampled recently; this is miles above Lee's. (Sorry, Lee's partisans! :/ ) The only other pizzas I've had on S.I. have been Jimmy Max and Brother's. Brother's, again, is more a typical New York slice (like you'd get in other parts of the city), and I can't really compare Jimmy Max's pizza to Salvatore because when I did sample it, I didn't get enough of it to make an accurate judgment.
Adam Kuban at 9:49PM on 06/01/09
hey adam, longtime slice reader here. before i talk about my experience at salvatore of soho, i just wanted to give you props for having created such an informative site. keep up the great work, man.
so anyway, i recently made it to this restaurant for the first time. i was optimistic based on your review but still had guarded expectations, mainly because a lot of newish restaurants can be uneven.
my group ordered the clam pie, the regular neapolitan pie, and the sausage/broccoli di rapi pie. while our group enjoyed all three pizzas, the clam pie was easily the standout. if you haven't tried it here, you should do so next time around. the clams tasted fresh and juicy (not canned or overcooked like at some other places) and the crust was nicely charred and crispy on the edges while retaining a slightly puffy interior and chewy, pliable texture. the garlic, seafood, romano, and olive oil flavors were perfectly balanced, making this the most satisfying of the three pies we ate.
i can honestly say that based on this one experience, the clam pie here blew away any other version i've had in the nyc metropolitan area. really, the only clam pies i've ever enjoyed more were up in new haven, ct.
now if they only offered bacon as a topping to go with those clams...
as for the other two pies, they weren't nearly as satisfying but still pretty good overall. the neapolitan pie was certainly tasty, but the flavors didn't really wow me the way the clam pie did. i'm not sure what it was - the crust was similarly great, the sauce and cheese were obviously high quality, and the basil was eminently fresh. perhaps we had a letdown after eating the clam pie, which we'd ordered first and devoured quickly so that the clams wouldn't get cold and rubbery on us. or maybe we've developed difara- or lucali-like expectations for our cheese (i.e. a blend of different cheeses that form a creamier coating for the pie, as opposed to the fresh mozzarella used at salvatore of soho).
in any event, i'd like to try the neapolitan pie again sometime soon - one without toppings (as we did this time) and one with a topping (perhaps the coal oven roasted peppers or sicilian eggplant?).
the least satisfying of the three pies was the sausage & broccoli di rapi pie. now, i'm a big sucker for anything that comes with broccoli rabe, and the batch used for this pie didn't disappoint (fresh, slightly bitter, and not overcooked or mushy). and once again, the crust on this pie was perfectly fine. my complaint, though, is that there was hardly any sausage - and the little that was there wasn't particularly memorable. to be fair, we were all pretty full by the time we started eating this pie, so perhaps our taste buds were off. but at the very least, the broccoli rabe-to-sausage ratio needs to be improved in the future.
i would've loved to have tried some of the other toppings or perhaps the appetizers, but i guess we'll have to do so next time. i did have a little bit of room left over for dessert, so i got the fig gelato, which was delicious.
all in all, this was one of the better new pizzerias i've been to in a while in nyc. there are certainly lots of promising new places that have opened up elsewhere in the city, but this place really delivered good food at reasonable prices and without any pretentiousness. i'll definitely be back.
pauliewalnuts at 7:45AM on 07/25/09
Was there last night (7/24.) Passed it many times when I got stuck taking the X1. Buddy called and suggested it.
Waited 25 minutes for a table for 4 (at 8:00 pm.)
Worth the wait. Had the Margherita and Vodka pies, calzone and house salad. Salad: good; Calzone: very good with a surprising sweetness to the ricotta; Vodka pie: good, Margherita: excellent. Perfect crust (nice char), good sauce, very good cheese. Waitress was a sweetheart in a damn busy situation. Owner very nice, comped us a half carafe of red.
Buddy and his wife had the Junior's cheesecake. I didn't want to taste anything else after the last slice, in case I died.
Go there. Hold a table for me. It's bloody hot in July on that asphalt parking lot.
dough_griller at 4:08PM on 07/26/09