Exclusive First Look: Tufino Pizzeria Napoletana Opens Tomorrow

Tufino's Margherita pie, with organic Italian tomatoes, fior di latte, parmigiano reggiano, and basil

This is an expanded version of my post earlier today on Grub Street for New York Magazine.

Tufino Pizzeria Napoletana | 36-08 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria | (718) 278-4800 | www.tufinopizzeria.com

Ever since 1905, when Lombardi's applied to the city for the first license to make and sell pizza in the U.S., New York has been synonymous with some of the best rounds, squares, rectangles, and slices in the country.  Although the Big Apple has been longtime associated with its own thin-crust version, a recent surge in pizzerias devoted to the original style born in Naples has led to a revitalized fanaticism for classic, artisan pizzas.

The oven warms up to over 1,000 degree Fahrenheit, cooking pies in under two minutes.

While Brooklyn and the Village seem to boast the most popular concentration of brick oven Neapolitan pizza joints (Motorino, Keste, Franny's, and the late Una Pizza Napoletana are personal favorites) , the past year has seen a notable change on the pizza front in Astoria, Queens.  Neighborhood staples Rizzo's and the coal-fired brick oven pies at Sac's Place have been recently joined by Antika, Via Trenta, and most notably Basil Brick Oven, whose Northern Italian style pizzas have garnered much well-deserved recognition--though no pizzerias serve a pie in the authentic Neapolitan style.

A sign on the Ditmars Blvd storefront announces an official opening Tuesday, December 18th. 

All of that change's tomorrow when Tufino Pizzeria Napoletana opens its doors to the public.  On-line community boards have been abuzz since August, and it seemed as though the opening was perpetually prolonged.  Momentarily thwarted by plumbing woes, Astoria’s hottest new oven has cleared its pipes and is now ready to sing on Ditmars.

Co-Owner and pizzaiolo Stephen Menna pulls a pizza from the wood-fired oven.

I was beyond excited when owner and pizzaiolo Stephen Menna (a vet of Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn, he co-owns the pizzeria with is wife, Maria) allowed me an exclusive first look (and taste) at the place and its pies.

A nod to the Greek neighborhood, the kalamata-studded Il Greco gets a squeeze of fresh lemon after baking.

Boasting a menu of 18 different pizzas, each pie bears a personal story. The Nonna features his grandmother’s meatball recipe; the Pistachianco—with the aforementioned green Sicilian nuts, fior di latte, and ricotta—is a shout-out to Chris Bianco. Another is named after his neighbor, who suggested adding raisins to a prosciutto pie, which ended up making the cut.

Menna describes the San Gennaro as "a sausage and pepper hero on a pie" -- the drizzle of picante honey is a nice touch

 “We will have weekly specials… I probably have around forty different pies in my head right now,” smiles Menna… all of which will be browned to bubbling bronze beauty in a Stefano Ferrara wood-fired oven born from the volcanic ash of Mt. Vesuvius.  Pizzas range from $9 to $16 per 12-inch personal pie, which which aligns the cost with Queens prices fairly well (Margherita pizza = $11 at Tufino and $10 at Basil versus $13 at Keste and $15 at Motorino).

Husband and wife co-owners Maria and Stephen Menna

Coincidentally, Menna is the fifth generation Stephen (or Stefano) in his family, which traces back to the town of Tufino (population 3,400) in Naples. It was a visit there in 2006 with cousin (and fellow pizzaiolo) Stefano, that sparked his passion to make Neapolitan pies. The fiery oven, which must warm up to around 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, bears the mosaic moniker ‘di Maria’ in tribute to Menna’s wife, who built him his first pizza oven in their backyard as an anniversary gift.

Storefront window art also identifies the pizzeria as a 'frigittoria', which means they will be crisping up some fried treats—or ‘dolci fritti’—including arancini, prosciutto croquettes, and deep-fried calzones.  The opening menu is just a teaser, as other treats are planned down the road, including a dish that uses hand-scooped spheres of chilled angel hair and a blend of cheeses, rolled in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried with a crispy golden coating.  Beverage service will include a carefully edited selection of craft beers, along with 7 red and 7 white “pizza wines.” Ciabatta and crostini for the sandwiches come from neighborhood favorite, Gianpiero Bakery.

The Trio of Cannoli dessert

Desserts are the handiwork of family friend, Pastry Chef Savva Ioannou, of The Garden City Hotel in Long Island, who will be at Tufino personally preparing the sweets three days a week.

Tirami Choux and espresso

'Dolci' will include a fresh seasonal fruit tart (a pear tart will be offered currently), a cannoli sampler, the "Tirami Choux' (a cocoa pastry puff with Kahlua mascarpone cream), as well as Menna's take on a Nutella pizza.

So how is the pizza, you wonder?  It's not just good.  It's phenomenal, achieving what many of the city's neapolitan nooks cannot...  The sourdough is leavened naturally... a 200 year old technique that takes nearly two days.  Menna is an admitted admirer of Una Pizza Napoletana's Anthony Mangieri.  Like Mangieri, Menna counts the baking time in seconds, rather than minutes, with most pies averaging around 90.

So an exquisite dough is gently hand-stretched like a dopey dwarf cap that falls loosely down the pizzaiolo's forearms as it twirls.  A shallow layer of choice toppings are meticulously applied (Menna places mozzarella crumbles as if setting jewels in a crown).  He then gently places the pie in the flickering dome opposite the embers in indirect heat, and the flames and pie have a staredown.  The pie rises slowly as if posturing, then gently blisters in the heat, as charred bubbles of condensed flavor arise on the outer crust.  And then just before succumbing completely to the heat, Menna retrieves the pie at its most vulnerable stage, carefully checking its underside with a long wooden peel before sliding it onto a metal disc to serve steaming to the table.

Do you see those edges, the flaky and chewy bubbles filling the puffy end crust, in contrast with a flatter, crisp inner crust?  After you eat the tip, you rip the edges as steam escapes, to dip the salty spongy sourdough in the spilled cheeses and olive oil.  The pies are served with a knife--unsliced--to avoid compromising the crust as toppings and sauces escape under the pizzas.  This also allows the guest to rip and tear at the gourmet rounds at their own pace.

The addition of fontina to the Greek added an earthiness I loved, with those tangy (and pitted, thank goodness!) kalamata olives, but the sprinkle of oregano with the chilled mist of lemon juice added post-oven really makes the pie special, with flavors that pop.  On the San Gennaro, the drizzle of a playfully spicy picante honey makes the pie particularly special.  It's like what the street festival in Little Italy might taste like in a dream.  But there is always something to be said about an excellent margherita, which is the standard by which I gauge any pizzeria.  Although I now feel compelled to return until I have tried several other pies, I will most likely intermittently order the excellent margherita--whose simple, bright, satisfying flavors and scents are what we think of as pizza when we crave it most.

Stephen Menna, Junior and Senior

Menna, who makes his own dough each morning, has every intention of making pizza as long as he can.  "Detail is everything... and staying true to what I believe in," which is something he's been doing his whole life.  "My dad and I have been making pizzas together since I was born."

Lunch and dinner will be served Tuesday through Sunday beginning at noon daily.  Tufino is closed on Mondays.  Welcome to the neighborhood, Stephen (Junior and Senior), Maria, and the whole Tufino crew!