Next stop on the tour was Luzzo's. It's on 1st Avenue between 12th and 13th. I heard about this place from my friend Emilie and she said it was great. She was certainly right. This place doesn't advertise how great their pizza is. They take a more modest approach and so you won't find it draped with banners that proclaim to serve the planet's best pizza and it won't be packed with tourists.
Luzzo's has a coal oven and makes traditional Naples style pizza. They use mozzarella de bufala (mozzarella made from buffalo milk) and place it in large drops onto the sauce. The crust is thin, not crispy, but perfectly charred in a way that only a coal oven could produce. The sauce is simple, sweet, and tasty. The buffalo mozzarella is very creamy. Overall, the pie was light and delicious. It is a very unique pizza and we found the combination of the coal oven crust with the mozzarella de bufala cheese to be perfect.
As a bonus, this place is very charming. Dae and I felt like we could have been eating in a small cafe in Italy. One side of the place is lined with small booths and the other side with small tables. Exposed brick covers one of the walls, giving Luzzo's a very rustic feel. The service was excellent. All servers and Pizzaioli are Italian, along with many of their patrons.
This place also serves up more than just great pizza. Dae and I tried the Italian cheese fondue as an appetizer and were not disappointed. It had a combination of smoked mozzarella, parmesan, and goat cheese and was served with some great crispy toasts. We definitely can't wait to go back. In addition to a 16" pizza ($19) we want to try the Gnocchi Alla Sorrentino. We knew this place was going to be great because when we walked in we spotted Furio (from the Sopranos) having dinner by himself in a booth in the back.
With Luzzo's under my belt, there are only 3 more coal oven joints to try. Stay tuned!
2 comments:
Holy cow, Furio was there? You could of walked up and said, "Stai zitta, putana!", but that probably would have been a bad idea. Overall it sounds like a pretty great place.
Dear lord, I should not have read your blog when I was hungry. So far I want to try Luzzo's the most b/c Furio was there...I like to go where famous people go because it makes me feel good about myself. I KID. I want to go there for the pizza (obviously) AND the fondue...and the gnocchi. That Lombari comparison pic made me depressed. Because I'm so broke Totonno's is also calling my name and since you and Daen suggested Grimaldi's that time that I came over and gave you both the plague, I have been there. It was great. Keep them coming!
-Deidre
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