Pizza Adventures In Italy (Part 9): Sorbillo In Naples

During my fourth and final day in Naples, I took a break from pizza related activities until dinnertime. I spent the afternoon climbing up Mount Vesuvius -- a spot in which vegetables such as tomatoes benefit from the high concentration of minerals of the rich lava soil. There are many arguments as to what makes the pizza in Naples so great. And it is generally believed that part of the reason is because of the flavorful tomatoes the region is able to produce.

Having had little to eat all day, I was excited to pay a visit to Sorbillo (32, Via Tribunale, 081-446643) which is located down the block from Di Matteo where I'd eaten the previous evening.

When we'd passed by Sorbillo the night before (Friday), there were dozens of people waiting to be seated around 9PM. We figured we'd try to beat the Saturday night crowds and get there when they opened around 7:30PM. When we arrived, it appeared that the restaurant had started seating parties prior to 7:30PM, so take their hours as flexible. Luckily, though, we did not have to wait for a table. Sorbillo is set up in a similar fashion as Di Matteo with the oven and a dining room on the first floor and multiple dining rooms on the second floor. Sorbillo, however, is the fancier of the two. The place was more dimly lit than any other pizzeria we visited and is adorned with artwork and artifacts rather than newspaper clippings and photographs.

Sorbillo -- to be honest -- was not a pizza place I'd intended to go when I arrived in Naples. But there was a lot of buzz surrounding it. The crowds I had witnessed the previous night were convincing, but I'd also been sent multiple recommendations for Sorbillo from friends and blog readers throughout the week. And finally, posters of Gino Sorbillo, like the one below, were plastered all around town. Thus, Sorbillo went from a potential stop to a necessary visit.

A visit to the kitchen was very representative of what I found in many kitchens throughout Naples: pride. In New York City, although some pizzerias and restaurants are very welcoming, others are scared when patrons whip out a camera. Will these photos end up on a blog? What if they're bad quality? Is the place being reviewed? In Naples, people are so proud of their pizza and so confident in their craft that they welcome you into their kitchens as if their kitchens were their homes. They pose for photos with their pies, like artists showing off their masterpieces.

I was hoping that the pies tasted as good as they looked... and they sure did. Nice and chewy, the fresh mozzarella combined with the sauce for a a top tier Neapolitan pie. The Margherita pie (€3.30, about $4.50) was superior to the Elena pie (€4.80, about $6.50) which featured artichokes -- although the artichokes were more flavorful than veggies we had on pies at other places. The crust, in particular, stood out with it's airy texture. You can see more bubble action going on here than anywhere else.

As it was my last night in Naples until I would return at the end of my trip (I was off to Rome and Barcelona for a week), we capped off our meal with some limoncello (€2.00, about $2.50) and a chocolate, tiramasu-like dessert (€1.70, about $2.00). Every meal should end this way.

Although Sorbillo wasn't my favorite place in Naples, I thought it was better than Da Michele and Di Matteo -- two places with which it should be compared. They're all in the center of Naples a few blocks from one another, attract a mix of locals and tourists, and have a long history of making pizza. In other words -- they're institutions.

After heading back to the hostel, it was time to take my appetite to Rome, where I set out to find pizza that lived up to that in Naples.

The above piece is the 9th article in a 13-part series about my pizza adventures in Italy (January 2011 - February 2011). You can access the other parts of the series here:


Introduction (Part 1)
Da Michele - Naples (Part 2)
Pizzeria Brandi - Naples (Part 3)
Caputo Flour Mill - Naples - (Part 4)
Salvo - Naples (Part 5)
Pizzeria Starita - Naples (Part 6)
Buffalo Mozzarella Tour - Caserta (Part 7)
Di Matteo - Naples (Part 8)
Sorbillo - Naples (Part 9)
Dar Poeta - Rome (Part 10)
Forno Marco Roscioli - Rome (Part 11)
00100 Pizza - Rome (Part 12)
Pizzeria Pellone - Naples (Part 13)

$1.00 Pizza Slices @ Lil' Frankie's

There are many places in NYC to grab a slice for a dollar, but I doubt any taste as good as the pizza at Lil' Frankie's (19 1st Avenue). Now through Friday, swing by from 12PM-5PM and snag a grandma slice for just $1.00.

Matzah Pizza For Passover W/ Spike Mendelsohn

Making matzah pizza this week? There are still two days of Passover left. It's time to learn from a pro!

Check out a video of Spike Mendelsohn cooking some matzah pizza at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC. Although the video is almost a full hour, the pizza portion runs from 31:00 - 44:30.

Since filming this video a few years back, Mendelsohn has opened We, The Pizza.

Earth Day: Free Basil Seeds & Pot At Pizza By Cer Te

Pizza By Cer Té (132 East 56th Street) is Manhattan's only eco-friendly pizza place. So it makes sense that they're putting together an awesome Earth Day special. Be one of the first 200 people to swing by the store starting today at 11:30AM and they'll show you how to grow your own basil on a windowsill. You'll be given a packet of basil seeds, a pot, and a coupon for a free slice of pizza (for use during your next visit).

Passover: My Least Favorite Week Of The Year

Passover began on Monday, which means that I'm current in the midst of my annual eight day pizza hiatus. Last year, I did attempt to make some matzah pizza (Matzah Pizza Porn? Thank God There Are 51 Weeks Until Next Passover) which was better than frozen matzah pizza I'd tried the previous year (A Day In The Life Of A Matzah Pizza). Who knows what kind of fun I'll be getting myself into this year.

For those of you who don't keep Passover, have a slice for me this week!

Pizza Hut's Ultimate Stuffed Crust Pizza

I'm posting this video on here for the sole reason that I love Jimmy Kimmel and his awesome sidekick/security guard Guillermo. They recently did a promo for Pizza Hut's new stuffed crust pizza. And while the clip bombs just as bad as I'm sure the pizza will... props to whoever is behind the marketing campaign which calls for pizza lovers to tweet what they'd stuff in their crust.

Pizza Adventures In Italy (Part 8): Di Matteo In Naples

After spending the majority of our third day in Italy at a buffalo mozzarella farm near Capua, we made our way back to Naples for dinner. Although the day had already exceeding my culinary expectations, I was pumped to try one of the city's most famous pizzerias: Di Matteo (94, Via dei Tribunali, 081-455-262). It's located in the heart of Naples' historic district and is considered an essential stop for any pizza lover.

Perhaps that's what Bill Clinton was thinking when he famously paid a visit here when he was in Naples for the G7 Summit in 1994. Bill Clinton is much beloved by the Italians and a large poster of him chowing down on some pizza is displayed by the entrance at Di Matteo. In fact, Clinton's pizza outing was such a big deal that the chef from Di Matteo who personally served Bill Clinton decided to open up his own pizza place down the block in 2000. It's name? Pizzaiolo Del Preisdente.

Di Matteo has been around much longer -- since 1936 -- and is a no-frills, bi-level spot known just as much for their pizza as for their fried goods such as pasta cresciuta (dough balls), arancini di riso (rice balls), and crochette di patate (potato croquettes). When we arrived at 8PM on a Friday night, the place wasn't particularly crowded. We made our way upstairs -- through the oven area and small first floor dining room -- where there were an abundance of available tables.

 

We started off our meal with fried goods -- arancino (a fried rice ball), crocchè (a fried potato croquettes), and frittatina (a fried macaroni pastry). These were the exact same items that we'd gotten at Pizzeria Salvo the previous day... and they were not as good. My inclination is that it's best not to order fried goods at Di Matteo when you're seated at a table and don't know what's fresh. During my week in Naples, I occasionally purchased fried goods from the window out front as I passed by the pizzeria on the way to other Via Tribunali restaurants. I always ordered what was hot and it always tasted delicious. The fried goods we were served with dinner were lukewarm and uninspiring. So keep an eye on the deep fryer and order whatever it is that's hot.

 

As for the pizza... it was only slightly better. I'll admit that my expectations for quality pizza were set higher after our sensational meal at Pizzeria Starita the previous evening. We ordered two pizzas -- a Margherita and an Ortolana (fior di latte, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, vegetables, peppers, oil, cheese, and basil). That's a whole lotta toppings! Although it held together well, it wasn't quite as good as the Margherita pie. There is nothing specific about the Margherita pie that I can pinpoint as being excellent or disappointing. It was a great pie, but it just didn't stand out in a pizza-packed week. The price was right though -- at just €3.00 (about $4.00), the Margherita pie was the cheapest I had in Naples. The Ortolana was €6.00 (about $8.00).

When we left Di Matteo around 9PM, it was full but not packed. As we walked down Via Tribunali, I noticed the contrast between Di Matteo and Sorbillo, another famous pizza place, where dozens of people were waiting to get in the door. I knew that was where I wanted to eat the following night.

So is Di Matteo worth a stop? It's certainly easily accessible and is one of the more well-known spots in town. If you're only in Naples for a limited time though, grab some pizza elsewhere and swing by for some fried goods for dessert. The pizza was solid, but in Naples that is not enough. Each bite should be transcendental. Although no experience surpassed that at Pizzeria Startia, the following night would at least give Starita a run for it's money.

The above piece is the 8th article in a 13-part series about my pizza adventures in Italy (January 2011 - February 2011). You can access the other parts of the series here:


Introduction (Part 1)
Da Michele - Naples (Part 2)
Pizzeria Brandi - Naples (Part 3)
Caputo Flour Mill - Naples - (Part 4)
Salvo - Naples (Part 5)
Pizzeria Starita - Naples (Part 6)
Buffalo Mozzarella Tour - Caserta (Part 7)
Di Matteo - Naples (Part 8)
Sorbillo - Naples (Part 9)
Dar Poeta - Rome (Part 10)
Forno Marco Roscioli - Rome (Part 11)
00100 Pizza - Rome (Part 12)
Pizzeria Pellone - Naples (Part 13)

Barbecue What? Pizza In Houston!

Pizza and Houston aren't two words your typically hear together. But Rishi Singh, who writes for the website Hungry In Houston, recently posted about his obsession with pizza. Although apparently there is a pizza "renaissance" taking place in Houston now, Singh suggests making pies at home. His tips are accompanied by some mouth watering photographs. You can check out his posting here.

A Sneak Peak Of Brunch At Paulie Gee's

It's the moment we've all been waiting for! No, the Messiah is not coming. But Paulie Gee is rolling out his brunch menu shortly. Eat to Blog got a sneak peak last week which you can check out here.

Pizza Adventures In Italy (Part 7): Farm To Table Buffalo Mozzarella Tour With A.B.C. Coop

As you might recall, the purpose of my trip to Italy was not only to eat delicious pizza, but also to learn about the pizza making process. We followed our fascinating visit to the Caputo flour mill and headquarters during our second day in Naples, with a trip out to the Italian countryside to learn about how buffalo mozzarella cheese is made.

In recent years, especially in New York City, there has been a lot of emphasis placed on the "farm-to-table" food movement which promotes locally grown or raised animals, vegetables, herbs, and fruit. In other words, the movement focuses on the consumption of food so fresh that it comes directly from where it was produced. On our third day in Naples, we were able to experience this firsthand.

We hooked up with A.B.C Cooperative (Allevatori Bufalini Casertani) which produces fresh mozzarella from buffalo in Italy´s Campania region. We took a train out to Capua which is a town in the province of Caserta. It's 16 miles north of Naples and takes approximately one hour via train. A representative from the company picked us up at the station and we made our way to the day's first stop: a buffalo farm.

As you might imagine, this is the first step in the cheese production process. Every morning before the sun even rises, buffalo from 15 different farms are milked. The particular farm we visited was home to more than 1,000 buffalo, some just a few days old. We learned about the life cycle of each buffalo -- with an emphasis on the post-insemination (a.k.a. milk producing) years. Their daily routine, when they're not being milked, consists mostly of playing the mud and eating.

As the milking is completed at each of the 15 farms, trucks arrive to transport all of the fresh milk to the A.B.C. cheese production facility. It is there where the milk is made into fresh mozzarella, packaged, and sent around the world.

I won't go into detail about the the cheese making process, as it's quite complicated (in other words, even after spending a few hours learning about it, I'm not sure I completely understand what goes on). I do know, however, that he raw milk is pasteurized and then coagulated to form curds. Once the curds reach a certain pH level they are cut into small pieces and mixed with hot water in order to form the cheese. Got it?

The highlight of the day (or maybe even my culinary life!) was sitting down to a delicious lunch featuring cheese that had just been made a few minutes ago. There were two sizes of mozzarella balls, ricotta cheese, and even fresh butter for bread. The mozzarella, especially the larger balls, were so juicy that when I bit into them, liquid seeped out into my mouth. I will occasionally use the term "mouth-watering" to describe great food -- but this took the phrase to a whole new level. It's one of those meals I'll remember for the rest of my life. No cheese I've ever eaten has tasted so incredible.

The above piece is the 7th article in a 13-part series about my pizza adventures in Italy (January 2011 - February 2011). You can access the other parts of the series here:


Introduction (Part 1)
Da Michele - Naples (Part 2)
Pizzeria Brandi - Naples (Part 3)
Caputo Flour Mill - Naples - (Part 4)
Salvo - Naples (Part 5)
Pizzeria Starita - Naples (Part 6)
Buffalo Mozzarella Tour - Caserta (Part 7)
Di Matteo - Naples (Part 8)
Sorbillo - Naples (Part 9)
Dar Poeta - Rome (Part 10)
Forno Marco Roscioli - Rome (Part 11)
00100 Pizza - Rome (Part 12)
Pizzeria Pellone - Naples (Part 13)

NHL Post-Game Pizza Creep Show -- Canadian Style!

There's nothing like chowing down on a warm slice of pizza after a hard fought sporting event. But it's one thing if you're standing shirtless behind a teammate as he conducts post game interviews.

Such was the scene in Vancouver Canucks' locker room recently when Ryan Kesler some fun behind forward Raffi Torres.

Torres, who clearly knows it's not worth it to indulge in pizza from Canada, politely declines to have a bite.

You can check out the footage over at Deadspin.

Pizza Adventures In Italy (Part 6): Pizzeria Starita in Naples

After a brief nap following our journey back to the hostel from Pizzeria Salvo, Scott and I headed out for a highly anticipated meal at Pizzeria Starita (27-28, Via Materdei, 081-5573682). It's about a 30 minute walk (1.5 miles) from the Central Train Station in Naples, but is also accessible by the R4 bus which goes up Via Toledo and drops you off a block away. After a tiring day, we opted to take the bus.

Pizzeria Starita has found itself in Italy's national spotlight a number of times since it opened in 1901. It was featured in a famous Sofia Loren movie -- L'Oro di Napoli (The Gold Of Naples) -- back in 1954. More recently, pizza maker Antonio Starita was given the honor of preparing and presenting a special pie for Pope John Paul II for the Jubilee in 2000. The pie -- Pizza Del Papa -- is now featured on the menu at the pizzeria.

Despite all of this notoriety, Pizzeria Starita is rarely one of the first places that come to mind when locals are asked about their favorite spot in town. Perhaps it's because it is a bit out of the way. Or maybe they simply want to keep the tourists away. Whatever the reason -- Pizzeria Starita should be on the top of every list of the best pizza places in Naples. It was where I found the most delicious pizza I ate while I was there. It was so good, despite the fact that Scott and I were trying to pace ourselves throughout the week, we ordered three pies. Each was spectacular.

But before we get to the pizza, a bit about the place itself. When we arrived on a Thursday evening around 8PM, Pizzeria Starita was just starting to get busy. The first room we entered, where the oven was located, was packed with people placing take out orders and waiting to be seated. The dining area, which is off to the left, is divided into three connected rooms in a railroad style. Decorations include various news articles, memorabilia, and historical photographs.

The menu takes some time to work through. Believe it or not, Pizzeria Starita serves more than 60 pies! There's quite a difference between here and the two options at Da Michele. This was the only place where we were not given English menus (I'm not sure if they were available), but luckily we had a pretty good sense of what we wanted to order. There were so many pies that looked delicious, and had we been able to devour more than three I might have opted for a Pizza Al Pesto (smoked mozzarella and pesto) or gone a little crazy and tried a Lasagna pie (tomato, fior di latte, and ricotta).

But other than the Margherita pie -- which we tried at every place -- we had to order a Pizza Del Papa (butternut squash, smoked mozzarella, peppers, and zucchini). Both were out of this world. They were cooked to perfection. They held together well (you'll notice they're not falling off the plate either) and every bite melted in your mouth. The crust was adequately charred, yet still maintained a soft and chewy complex. The Margherita pie was €4.00 (about $5.50) and the Pizza Del Papa was €7.00 (about $9.50).

 

The first two pies were so good that we wanted to try another. I was leaning towards the Fiorilli and Zucchini pie (smoked mozzarella and zucchini) and when we asked our waiter for a recommendation, that's the one he suggested. What are the odds? I guess about one in 60. Although not quite as awesome as the first two pies, it was still delicious. Sadly, I had very few cheese heavy pies while I was in Naples, but this was one of them. All of the vegetables tasted fresh and were adequately cooked, unlike at some other spots where they were carelessly thrown onto the pie. It cost €6.00 (about $8.50).

On our way out, we stopped to say hello to the legendary Antonio Starita (Scott and him had previously met at various pizza events and conventions). Although he spoke little English, it was clear he was happy about how much we loved his pizza. On occassion, he's popped into New York's Keste Pizza & Vino (which also has a version of the Pizza Del Papa on its menu) while passing through the city to man the oven there. You can sure I'll be stopping by the next time that happens.

As we made our way out of Pizzeria Starita, the crowded front room had turned into a mob scene which poured out onto the street. A mix of families, couples, and college-aged folks were eagerly waiting for the chance dig their faces into some of the city's best pizza. Whether or not they were just starting off their night, or grabbing a bite before heading home... I can't think of a better way to spend an evening in Naples.

The above piece is the 6th article in a 13-part series about my pizza adventures in Italy (January 2011 - February 2011). You can access the other parts of the series here:


Introduction (Part 1)
Da Michele - Naples (Part 2)
Pizzeria Brandi - Naples (Part 3)
Caputo Flour Mill - Naples - (Part 4)
Salvo - Naples (Part 5)
Pizzeria Starita - Naples (Part 6)
Buffalo Mozzarella Tour - Caserta (Part 7)
Di Matteo - Naples (Part 8)
Sorbillo - Naples (Part 9)
Dar Poeta - Rome (Part 10)
Forno Marco Roscioli - Rome (Part 11)
00100 Pizza - Rome (Part 12)
Pizzeria Pellone - Naples (Part 13)