No. 28 Carmine

No. 28 Carmine Restaurant Review:

For aficionados of real Italian pizza (read: not the thick-crusted, liberally topped and over-sauced pies Americans have become acquainted with), there are few places in New York City that will take your taste buds back to Rome or Ravenna. Enter No. 28 Carmine. Billed as a Neapolitan restaurant, this Greenwich Village spot serves up pizzas that are more reminiscent of Rome: shaped more like a cigar or submarine than circular, the crust is thin and crispy and topped with tomato sauce that balances tanginess and sweetness. Chef Salvatore Olivella, who is as whimsical and fun as he is talented in the kitchen, churns out memorable pizzas like pizza al tartufo (mushrooms sautéed in truffle oil with rosemary) and pizza capricciosa (olives, artichokes, ham, mushrooms). But be sure to save room for dessert. Olivella makes a mean zeppole Napoletane (culled from his grandma's recipe), an old Neapolitan street treat of deep-fried dough balls smothered in powdered sugar. The wine, which mostly hails from Italy, is served in unpretentious tumblers.