Pizza
Renaissance
New Favorites from
Postmodern Pies to White Versions
The
explosion in the number of pizzerias became a national
phenomenon in France in the 1980s. Pizza was equally
popular across the pond in the U.S., where Wolfgang
Puck invented the designer version, and today pizza
is everywhere, offered by the slice in the streets
and delivered to the homes of the hungry. Who would
have thought that these humble pies, sold hot in the
streets of Naples in the eighteenth century, would
become such a staple in our modern diet?
In
Paris, city planning regulations forbid setting up
brick ovens, tolerating only already existing installations.
So forget about the inimitable smell of pizza cooked
in those fiery hearths. Nevertheless, there is good
pizza to be had, from trendy and postmodern to classic
white with a twist, as the following restaurants prove:
 |
| La
Pizzetta |
La
Pizzetta, on avenue Trudaine in Paris, is
the latest in a slew of "fashionable" pizzerias.
The décor and menu design are elegant, gray
and minimalist. You’ll find a dozen pizze, cooked
in an electric oven. The margherita is the only "classical"
pizza, showing the colors of the Italian flag. Salami
and fennel, Parmigiano, pear and prosciutto di Parma,
red pepper and basil, eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes
are the new toppings, providing flavors that slightly
veer from traditional tastes. A good find at La Pizzetta
is the organic whole-meal pizza. Orchestrated by a
talented pizzaïolo, it underlines the tastes
and colors of the quality ingredients, and is topped
with tomatoes, mozzarella and asparagus, all covered
with a thin layer of Colonnata bacon. La Pizzetta,
22, av. Trudaine, 75009 Paris, +33 (0)1 48 78 14 08,
www.lapizzetta.fr.
The ultimate pizza of pizze is, of
course, not on the menu: the white pizza, the one
you can only dream about. We’re not talking
about pizza “al tartufo,” with tomato,
mozzarella, basil and white truffle oil, with its
dreadful synthetic aroma. No, we are referring to
the original pizza. Before the addition of the tomato
brought back by Christopher Columbus, at the end of
the Middle Ages, pizza was the local adaptation of
an Anatolian recipe for "pide," which means
bread.
The
white pizza of lore gets a postmodern twist at Maria
Luisa, a Parisian pizza temple, just nearby
the Canal Saint-Martin. Made in an electric oven,
it is topped with cheese and Italian green lettuce
such as arugula, whose slight bitterness counterbalances
the usually bland taste of the tomato paste so often
used by undiscerning restaurant owners. Maria Luisa,
2, rue Marie et Louise, 75010 Paris, +33 (0)1 44 84 04
01.
The
pizza tradition is still very much alive around the
Mediterranean. Chez Etienne, a place
where each patron has a favorite, in the Panier area
of Marseille, has been faithful to its origins since
1943. “My father was already preparing pizza,”
says joyful owner Etienne Cassaro. His restaurant
is simply named “Pizzaria” and it offers
the best pizza in Marseille. Pizzaria, Quartier du
Panier, Marseille, no telephone; credit cards not
accepted.
Across
the Atlantic in New
York City, where you can find pizza of all kinds,
colors and toppings (even grapefruit), Frank DeCarlo,
a fiery New Yorker, operates Peasant, an extraordinary
pizzeria right in the heart of Little Italy. In a
red brick garage dating from the Prohibition period
he installed large, candlelit tables previously used
in a convent. From the dining room area, one can observe
the kitchen where the chef uses a wood oven to grill
meat and cook pizza the way it is done in Abruzzo.
Peasant, 194 Elizabeth St., between Spring and Prince
Streets, 212-965-9511, www.peasantnyc.com.
Top
10 Pizzas in New York City
Casa
Cristo, 20, rue Pierre Leroux, 75007 Paris,
+33 (0)1 45 67 86 07
Al Dente, 38, rue de Varenne, 75007
Paris, +33 (0)1 45 48 79 64
Grand Bar Restaurant des Goudes,
28, rue Désiré Pellaprat, Marseille,
+33 (0)4 91 73 43 69
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