Una Notte a Napoli
After living in Chicago for about a year and a half, I have gained an appreciation for the city’s traditional deep dish and stuffed pizzas. These are rich, filling, pizzas that truly merit the follower “pie.” But when I envision my pizza ideal, it is much closer to the chewy, slightly charred Neapolitan-style pizza served at Spacca Napoli.
There are a number of factors that make the pizza here so good. First, the dough is hand-extended, not tossed, making for an authentic, beautifully textured crust. Secondly, the ingredients from Italian olive oils and flours, to fresh fior di latte mozzarella and beautiful, ripe tomatoes, are of the best quality. Finally, the pizzas are cooked in a wood-burning oven, giving them the delicious chewy lightness and the perfect edge of char. EB and I concur that the offerings here far surpass Italian-style rivals Pizza DOC and Gruppo di Amici.
Empanada Boy and I dined at Spacca Napoli last night with EB’s childhood friend English Muffin Pizza and the latter’s girlfriend, Spumoni. As is the case on most weekend nights, there was about a half hour wait to be seated. Luckily, it was a beautiful evening and we were able to order a nice bottle of Pinot Bianco to pass the time as we sat outside.
When we did sit down, we ordered this delightfully fresh and flavorful caprese salad made with imported mozzarella di bufula and a moscardini salad— grilled baby octopus atop arugula, with a flavorful olive oil dressing. (Note: I foolishly forgot to bring my camera to dinner, so these rather grainy shots are the best we could do with EB’s new phone.)
Our pizzas arrived soon afterward. The margherita (pictured above) was the picture of delicate simplicity. It came with a thin layer of lively, fresh tomato sauce spotted with melt-in-your mouth blotches of fior di latte mozzarella and scattered with fresh basil The pizza’s crust was wonderfully airy and infused with the deep flavors of olive oil and crackly char. We also tried the capricciosa, which was similar to the one I tried in Italy , with artichokes, olives and mushrooms, except it included prosciutto instead of sausage and was missing the fried egg in the center. The Neapolitan-style crust is also puffier and lighter than the Roman-style, which is thinner and crispier.
We were grateful for the lightness of the pizza when we succumbed to dessert afterward. EB and I shared a well-liquored and coffee infused, tiramisu, and English Muffin Pizza ordered a piece of his own. Spumoni earned her name by ordering a wedge of that eponymous rainbow-colored Neapolitan ice cream.
It was a beautiful meal from start to finish, and it was simple in the way that only the best Italian food— relying on the finest ingredients— manages to be.
Spacca Napoli
1769 W. Sunnyside Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
773.878.2420
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Empanada Boy said,
April 22, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
What delicious pizza! The crust reminds me so much of the pizza at Grimaldi’s, my favorite pizza spot in Brooklyn, NY where I lived for several years. (Other than incredible pizza, Grimaldi’s claim-to-fame is that it was supposedly Frank Sinatra’s favorite pizza in NYC). The toppings were mostly different because the pizzas at Grimaldi’s are Italian-American style rather than Italian, but the dough/crust is almost identical, and is also wood oven-baked. I left Spacca Napoli feeling as impressed, satisfied and happy as I used to feel leaving Grimaldi’s, something I can’t say about Grupo Di Amici or Pizza DOC, the latter at which we had particularly mediocre pizza, poor service, and an overall bad dining experience. This was my second time at Spacca Napoli (I went last time with my sister Sous Chef and her family) and was equally impressed both times. Once they set up the outdoor tables along N Ravenswood Avenue on a nice summer night, I bet this will be one of the best dining experiences to be had on the North Side. I highly recommend it!
Mango Mama said,
April 23, 2007 @ 12:09 am
Daddy Salmon and I just returned from a great pizza dinner at Nostrana here in Portland.
We were celebrating Mimosa’s birthday along with her parents, brother, Trader Joanna , and a few other notables. Nostrana was The Oregonian’s Restaurant of the Year for 2006 and rightly so. The pizza was stunning, just like the pizzas you described from Spacca Napoli. The best one we had tonight at Nostrana was a Margherita with a topping of arugula. It was amazing. We also had a fabulous salad of radicchio with a kind of Caesar salad dressing. We drank a nice chianti and topped it off with a flour-less chocolate cake made by Brownie Benefactress. We ordered 4 pizzas for nine people, which worked out just fine. It even kept the cost of the dinner in the Mango Lassie price range! Two more great things about Nostrana – they take reservations and they are open on Sunday night. I highly recommend a visit to Nostrana for lunch or dinner.
Daddy Salmon said,
April 23, 2007 @ 11:24 pm
The only thing that I miss about my childhood home in Valley Stream, NY is the pizza.
It was better than any pizza that I had when I visited Italy. Many of the Italians in VS
were from Sicily.
Popover said,
April 24, 2007 @ 11:52 am
Your description of the Margherita Pizza at Spacca Napoli could very well have been written about the Margherita Pizza I had last Sunday evening at The Continental restaurant, Fish Hatchery Road in Madison, WI. Toffuti Cutie and I were out on our motorcycles Sunday afternoon, tooling around Dane County, and we ended up at The Continental. This is a “branch” of the restaurant of the same name located on King Street, just off the Capitol Square in downtown Madison. The menu is identical, and the food is equally excellent. We started the meal with a mixed green salad (for her) and a cup of home made pureed mushroom soup which included slices of mushroom and lots of cream (for me). Cutie ordered a tomato-polenta dish which she said was heavenly. The pizza I ordered was topped with ripe tomatos, thinly sliced, thick chunks of melted mozzarella, basil and olive oil. Mine was on the appetizer menu and, while more than adequate for one with a modest appetite (especially after the creamy soup), came on a VERY thinly rolled crispy crust. It was light and delicious! I even took some home and had it for dinner last night. We recommend The Continental (either location) the next time you and EB are in town.
Mango Lassie said,
April 24, 2007 @ 8:27 pm
Thanks for the suggestion, Popover. I would love to try The Continental the next time I am in town. Maybe you and Tofuti Cutie can drive us there on your motorcyles.
Flava Flav said,
May 1, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Last week when Mango Mama and Daddy Salmon were visiting me in LA, we took a whole crowd of my friends to Casa Bianca, an old-time pizzeria, famous for its thin crust pizzas. With a table of 11 people who ordered drinks and huge salads along with our pizzas, the bill was impressively affordable. Next time any ML readers are in Eagle Rock, you should all stop by!
Mason Adams said,
May 19, 2010 @ 9:47 pm
i love Italian Food specially those juicy pastas. They are really delicious.:-*