When I entered the restaurant, it was so bare I thought they were having a soft opening (cement floors, black walls and plastic chairs etc). Simple designs are nice but this was too bare, and felt a bit cheap..
Isn't fior di latte and mozzarella the same thing?
The Salsiccia was alright. The sausage was yummy! I didn't enjoy the pizza dough at Barbarella's. Although there was a nice char, it was very soft and doughy, and didn't have the crisp bottom and edges which I prefer.
The Amatriciana with smoked pancetta was greasy, with a layer of oil gliding on top. This pizza needed serious napkin dabbing. The pancetta had a nice smokey flavor together with the pizza but I didn't enjoy this one.
The Fuoco was relatively similar to the Amatriciana, with capocollo and jalenpeno. Not spicy enough! By the third pizza, I thought all of them tasted pretty much the same: doughy, some type of cured meat and oily.
The last pizza was the most memorable and my favorite of them all.The Cavolini with brussel sprout leaves and pancetta really stood out. The crunchy brussel sprouts paired pancetta went very well together. If it was up to me, I would ask for less cheese.
Overall
I didn't enjoy it a a few reasons: the dough was very soft and doughy (no crispy botton/crust!), and too many ingredients on their pizza making it a bit over whelming and greasy.
Perhaps their pizzas a "NY x Neapolitan" and I just missed the concept.
Lack of parking
No reservations
Lack of parking? There's tons of street parking right in front after 6pm or on adjacent side roads. :P I know what you mean about the floppy crust, but I don't mind it too much. Of course, being the brave soul that I am, I completely neglected to dab the Amatriciana...
ReplyDeleteHonestly, if you don't like this pizza then you don't like good pizza or know what good pizza is!! 00 organic flour, spring water, sea salt, wild yeast starter and you don't like the dough? The layer of oil you talk about is $60 a litre Golden Eleni organic single estate extra virgin olive oil. You dabbed that with a napkin? Insane!!! Mushroom soup on a pizza? Fontina cheese, bechamel, roasted cremini mushrooms, white truffle oil. Where can I buy that mushroom soup? I also think you are confusing bechamel with cheese when you say it was too cheesy. I don't think you know that NY/Neapoletan pizza is supposed to be soft with a light crisp exterior. Not crispy or crunchy!!!! You are meant to fold a slice and eat it. Not just pick it up like a 99 cent slice. I agree with Andy about the parking. There is tons of parking after 6pm. I have been to NY many times as well as Naples. This pizza is as good as any I have ever had!
ReplyDelete@Andy
ReplyDeleteWe ended up using knives and forks for the pizza. Too floppy.
@Anonymous
I'm just stating my own opinions, and I'm no professional food critic by any means.
Isn't fior di latte and mozzarella the same thing?
ReplyDeleteFior di latte is a subset of mozzarella. Other forms of mozzarella includes mozzarella di bufala which is made from water bufalo milk. In the case of fior di latte, it is made from cow's milk.
Perhaps their pizzas a "NY x Neapolitan" and I just missed the concept.
Unfortunately, that's what happened. If you have visited the other recent "fancy" pizza shops (such as Verace) and Barbarella to be similar, you were doomed to be disappointed from the get go. As mentioned above, they have completely different characteristics. In this case, while Neapolitan pizza tend to be crisp, NY style tend to be foldable. Since Terry used to live in NYC, he took both and "married" them somewhere in between. Probably not for everybody; but, as mentioned, if you were expecting something "crispy", you won't like it.
Also, I am not certain there were "too many ingredients". From the pictures above, they were "OK". Also, you might have found it greasy probably because of the extra olive oil usually added. In a way, it is "part" of the eating experience, not necessarily the same greasiness as, say, Pizza Hut...
Using knives and forks! That is exactly how you eat pizza in Naples and most countries in Europe. You should not write a negative blog about something you are not educated about otherwise you would understand that Barbarella makes a truly authentic New York x Neapolitan fusion pizza. Neapolitan pizza should be chewy and soft, not crispy like McDonalds Pizza which you mentioned is your favourite?!
ReplyDeleteEven though you mention that you are not a professional food critic (which is very obvious),the way you express yourself is very mean and negative without respecting pizza culture and it's authentic food. You don't compare apples with oranges, so why compare Neapolitan style with American?
By the way, Barbarella does not have a wood fired oven. Next time do a little more research about the food before you blog, that would make you a more credible blogger as well.
Well, I guess it all really depends on who's tasting it. Though for me, with the looks of it, it seems delicious. I'm gonna have to try it out myself to know for sure.
ReplyDelete-Lawrence Banks
I agree with you Lawrence, every individual has different preferences in taste so I guess let's just respect everyone's opinion. I love pizzas especially with ham and bacon and a lot of onions and bell peppers as toppings so I guess I'll be fine here.
ReplyDelete-Bethany Morrison