Om Nomz Hero note to Self: After eating at 2 Neapolitan pizza joints in succession under an hour, I have come to the conclusion, it is not possible for me to get tired of eating Neapolitan pies
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| Hidden on Lorimer Street- sadly they do not sell furniture nor books |
When I first discovered the joys of a Neapolitan style pizza, one of the places that I first visited was Olio Pizza e Piú. It was somewhat hip, new and also had a crazy Italian sounding name with accents and such so I had to try it. In addition, their main guy was a man named Giulio Adriani, which is a sorcerer of pizza, I mean if you ever see a picture of the guy, he looks like Dumbledore (hey, it’s a Harry Potter weekend right?) decked out in Caputo flour gear.
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| More awards, plaques on the wall than my Doctor's off |
To say this man knows Neapolitan pizza is an understatement, it is asking if Jay-Z knows how to rap. He is an instructor for the Vera Pizza Neapoletana association (VPN) which teaches and certifies Neapolitan pizza joints all over, straight up Obi Wan status. Unfortunately, the pies at Olio were on the level of “ehh” and wet and I never went back. Adriani has recently showed up back on the pizza radar with the quiet opening of Forcella, in March and SeriousEats recently did a profile on the place giving it a rave review, I needed pizza, pronto.
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| As they say on Cribs- where the magic happens |
Located in Brooklyn, a few blocks down from the Lorimer stop I came here from brunch and arrived a little after 12. I apparently was the first one there and had that awkward moment of standing in the basically empty space and roaring pizza oven, wondering if it was open. For future reference, they open at noon for brunch and in my defense, no where on their website or online menu does it say what time they open. After a bit of a rocky start, I ordered a Capri salad and since I got there stupid early, I wanted to try the fried pizza mentioned on SeriousEats, however, Adriani was not in yet so I opted for the other interesting and brunch suited pie, the Carbonara. Food After the Jump!
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| the Capri |
The Capri salad is a bit misleading in the sense that there were a total of two cherry tomatoes and the only green was the basil puree drizzled on the ball of mozzarella. However, the salad lacking components were instantly forgotten after the first bite of mozzarella. The mozzarella is made fresh daily and epitomizes what mozzarella is and should taste like. It was salty, creamy, and unbelievably smooth and it was still slightly warm, a sure as any indicator that it was truly freshly made and dressed with the basil puree and olive oil, I could have skipped the pie and ordered one or 2 more of these and called it a day.
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| the Carbonara- reason enough to come here |
I am a fan of an egg on top of basically anything, and the Carbonara pie which was eggs, pancetta and pecorino unleased its Siren call, you know after not being able to try the fried pizza. However, the Carbonara pie at Forcella was different from what I was expecting, meaning that most places that are throwing eggs on top of a pie basically crack an egg or 2 right on top and the eggs are done up, Sunnyside style. However here, the eggs are scrambled on top of the pie but the eggs were by no means toothsome, rubbery or anything that resembled the eggs from your college dining hall . The eggs were creamy and topped with slices of salty pancetta and the pecorino to balance it out exemplified the tastes and flavors of a Carbonara. I cannot get over the eggs and even as I write this, thinking about the eggs on top of the pizza makes me salivate a bit. Upon reading how this pie is done, and asking my server Cliff and seeing it, ice is the secret to the creaminess of the eggs and ensuring that the eggs do not overcook in the inferno-like oven.
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| Great char |
The usage of this technique shows cases why Adriani skill and understanding the craft of Neapolitan pies. The pie itself was what I will call aggressively charred which is not necessarily bad, because it imparts an assertive smokiness to the pies which some may not enjoy but I think the aggressive char, you the earthiness and wheat from the flour is able to stand out more. With this aggressive charring, the pie are crispier than pies at Keste or Motorino, but still imparts the chewiness that Neapolitan pies are known to have and I suspect combats the wetness of the pies.
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| Both crispy and chewy |
The meal ended with a millefogile which was basically a piece of puff pastry, drowned in zabaglione cream and a drizzle gianduja chocolate and as messy as it looked, it was light, sweet bite and a nice ending to the meal.
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| millefogile |
I originally was set to trying the fried pies but it seems like Adriani is the only one that these pies and is just added to the already growing list of reasons to comeback. The service started off a bit shaky; however the service redeemed itself and in the end was warm and helpful. Forcella is out of the way for me and is tucked away, but it is worth seeking out and expect more from them in their future, especially that fried pizza that I need to try.
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| Pisshh- they don't fold their pizza-noobs |
Forcella NYC
485 Lorimer St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
forcellaeatery.com
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