ETA that now that I’ve read the article, WHOA x2. i’ve never had UPN but of course have read about it. My Neapolitan pizza education was courtesy of Roberto Caporuscio when he was at A Mano in Ridgewood (Bergen Cty). He literally brought this kind of pizza fame in the U.S. and has since opened Keste and Starita Don Antonio in the city. The first time I ate at Porta (long before I lived here), I turned to my friend and said “This is the only pizza I’ve ever eaten that comes super close to Roberto’s.” Guess who trained Porta’s pizzaolos? Roberto.
It felt like once A Mano gained a following that a lot of people tried to get the trend going, but in NJ, that was really tough (not so in Phoenix, where Chris ___ has what’s supposed to be incredible pizza)…but then along came Dan Richer in Maplewood. SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOON. So the fact that he’s friends with Dan tells me something. WHOO HOO for us!
Was just at Keste for the first time a month or two ago. Fantastic. Starita it has been a while since I’ve been, but the fried pizza is fun for a change of pace…as well as the “regular” pizze.
I can speak to two of those, Cafe Mattise and Pascale and Sabine
Cafe Mattise is worth every penny, although we have not been in a while since we moved full time to Asbury.
Pascale and Sabine, I hate to say, we have not been going to as much as we once did. I still like sitting at the bar and tying one on but table service has slipped, and I hear that from many people, and the food had not been wowing us the last few visits
Chris Bianco - Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix AZ - and yes the pizza is incredible.
As for UPN, I first tried Anthony’s pizza at his original shop in Point Beach and it was revelatory. It was my first taste of true Neapolitan pizza and I haven’t had any better since. I am very psyched by this news as I haven’t been back since he moved to SF.
Pig & Prince in Montclair is suddenly closing Saturday June 8th. I’ve always wanted to try this restaurant but never quite made it. It was one of the few restaurants in Montclair that had a liquor license. Chef Michael Carrino (who is also a former Chopped champion) is very talented. I used to love his previous restaurant Passionne. There was no reason given for the sudden closure but it seems like a major redevelopment of the site could be a big factor.
“Carrino could not be reached for comment, but in an interview with Montclair Local last July he voiced concerns with how the restaurant would survive with the possibility of no electricity and bulldozers during construction.”
Currently have a reservation for Monday night at Iron Whale. I know this board is not a fan of the McLoone’s restaurant group (and honestly, I’ve yet to have an outstanding experience), but they reached out to me yesterday to invite me to dine at the new Iron Whale and review them. Justin and I are celebrating our anniversary on Monday, so I went out on a limb and chose this as the place to have dinner.
I go in with an open mind and will not let past opinions (and on the flip-side, their generous offer) sway me. I am, however, really looking forward to seeing the interior which everyone claims is gorgeous.
