Delivery, Dinner, LunchKerry Alaric CheeseboroAbitino's, Delivery, Grandma, Italian, pie, pizza, pizzeria, rectangle, sauce, tomato, Yorkville1 Comment

A Visit from My Italian Grandmother

Delivery, Dinner, LunchKerry Alaric CheeseboroAbitino's, Delivery, Grandma, Italian, pie, pizza, pizzeria, rectangle, sauce, tomato, Yorkville1 Comment
Abitino's (UES) | 1592 First Avenue (bet. 82nd & 83rd) | 212-734-8800 | abitinospizza.com
[mappress]

SO, I'M A FAN OF the website Slice's Facebook Page, and this morning, in the middle of a raging hangover, I received an update from them wherein a blogger wrote a glowing review of the nonna, or "grandma" pie at a place called Abitino's, a pizzeria not even a year old and only a few blocks away from my apartment.

I have been loyal to Fat Sal's, even closer, and not just because my friend Amir own's it, but it also serves some damn good NYC-style pizza, with a nice thin(ish), crispy crust the tastes a little charcoal-y, holds the New York fold very well, nice sweet, tomatoey sauce, and nice stringy cheese that stays on the chewy—thogh not doughy—bread.

But for someone to write such a glowing review, I'd be remiss as a foodie, blogger, and Yorkvillian to not at least try it out. So I order a nonna pie, well-done, pop open another Gatorade, and wait for it's arrival.

It shows up in about 20 minutes, smelling good through a whimsically seasonal cardboard box, and looking very classically "homey" in its presentation once the box was open.

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First slice of a square pie always comes from the extra crusty corner...!

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All around a tactfully deft, simple sicilian slice, with the requisite crunchy crust, a light but rich sauce that had a nice roasted tomato flavor, serviceable cheese (I will always prefer fresh mozzarella, and might next time order with such and fresh basil as well), and from what I can tell, a very aromatic drizzle of olive oil. It was sparsely seasoned with little more than salt and pepper, which I thought let the main ingredients stand out more, and I could definitely see evocative of something coming out of Grandma's kitchen.

All things in a vacuum this was not. I was hungover, hungry, tempted by the slices I saw on the Serious Eats blog, and half medicated with Tylenol PM when I started eating. And since I need only that pizza be made by people who want to make good food, and not just a lot of it, to make me happy, I was made happy.

I was also made full and sleepy but could go to sleep comforted with the knowledge I would have more slices of simple and tasty pizza to wake up to.

See you after my nap, Nonna!

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

Abitino's (UES) | 1592 First Avenue (bet. 82nd & 83rd) | 212-734-8800 | abitinospizza.com