keste lunch

[wheelman]

i got a chance to have lunch at Keste last week on my way through the city.  haven't fired my oven for a couple of weeks so i went looking for a good pie.  we got there early and went in as they opened.  Eduardo was manning the oven and was very gracious to show me around.  beautiful oven - absolute pros at the wheel.  it was a treat.  The dough was 3 days out and seemed really really fermented.  he said they use bakers yeast.  it was pretty hot so the dough must have been really difficult.  it was fun to watch.  i took a couple of photos and a quick video:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ6qO1gHNa8" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ6qO1gHNa8</a>

[norma427]

Bill,

Wow, they are great photos and video from Keste’s.  Thanks for taking the photos and video!  I find it interesting how overblown the dough balls looked.  Did you ever eat pizza at Keste’s before?  What did you think of Keste’ pies?  When I went to Keste’s some of the dough balls looked somewhat over fermented, but not like those dough balls in your pictures.  I even wonder how they managed to work with those dough balls.

Thanks so much for your report on your visit to Keste's. 

Norma

[Jackie Tran]

Bill, I'd be interested in your description of the crust.  Can you speak of the texture or flavor?  How did they compare to your pies?  Sorry for all the tough questions.   

Chau

[Pizza Napoletana]

i got a chance to have lunch at Keste last week on my way through the city.  haven't fired my oven for a couple of weeks so i went looking for a good pie.  we got there early and went in as they opened.  Eduardo was manning the oven and was very gracious to show me around.  beautiful oven - absolute pros at the wheel.  it was a treat.  The dough was 3 days out and seemed really really fermented.  he said they use bakers yeast.  it was pretty hot so the dough must have been really difficult.  it was fun to watch.  i took a couple of photos and a quick video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ6qO1gHNa8

Dear Bill, thank you for the description and the video!

[JConk007]

Its amazing how the dough resembles that of Amano where Roberto used to work and now trains
It does seem a bit overfermented ? here is the amano dough also a touch over? It allways tastes fine to me.
I assume They use refridgeration at some oint for the 3 day dough right ?
thanks for posting
John

[thezaman]

 that would be very hard to work with. you can see they were having a hard time with it.

[wheelman]

it was early in the day and it seemed they were just getting in the groove.  the dough was really hard to work with but he wasn't even thinking of using the other stack of boxes that he infered were younger and would be "much harder to open".  i thought the pies were very good.  the regina, with buffalo, was way better than the normal mozz margharita.  we also had several others which were all good.  i was a little surprised that the pies didn't have more of a puffy rim.  the crust overall didn't make me leave with a pizza craving like the best neo pies do for me.  it was tender and had perfect texture, but without something i find hard to describe but i look for - a little snap to the chew?  Eduardo was really nice and fun to talk to.  it was amazing watching him work with that dough using no bench flour after stretching.  he binned several pies getting up and running.  i was also surprised he used a metal peel. 

[pizza dr]

nice to see the pros struggle a bit once and awhile 

[norma427]

Bill, 

It seems like when Roberto was starting to make pizzas at Keste’s and when I went to visit Keste’s the pies did have bigger rims, but most of the dough balls looked something like you posted, when I went to visit Keste’s. I posted my pictures at Keste’s at Reply 26 and the next few posts. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,12388.msg117789.html#msg117789 
Slice posted about Keste’s on March 27, 2009 at http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/03/keste-pizza-vino-roberto-caporuscio-greenwich-village-manhattan-nyc.html
Those pies if you look down in the pictures looked like they have bigger rims. Do you think the same thing?  It makes me wonder since your visit to Keste’s if the dough balls that almost overblown and overfermented, if that had something to do with how puffy the rim was.  Do you have any opinions on almost over fermented dough ball and if the rim then gets smaller?  Sorry to ask these questions, but I am just curious.

Norma

[wheelman]

Norma,
you're right, the pics you posted show much larger rims and better looking pies to me.  the dough looks similar though, maybe not quite as much gas.  i'm not sure about overfermenting causing lower springs.  it's certainly happened to me but i can't really recall that part of the result.  i bet someone here will have an educated opinion on that. 
your photos are great, thanks for pointing me back to your thread.  i remember when you posted that but i haven't seen a good shot of NY pizza since i've made an attempt or two at it myself.  i have another post soon about my visit to Patsy's on our way back through the City on Wednesday.  needless to say, both were eye-openers for me...

[wheelman]

Norma's pictures got me thinking that the oven might not have been quite as hot when i was there but then i remembered that the bake time on the one pie i timed was 75 sec.   they told me the optimum time was 90 sec. so that's probably not the answer.   

[norma427]

Bill,

If you or anyone else is interested, Slice had an article on Keste’ today on Slice. http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/09/daily-slice-the-mastnicola-from-keste-pizza-vino.html

If you look on the comments at http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/09/daily-slice-the-mastnicola-from-keste-pizza-vino.html#comments
conaglio posted a video with a Mast’Nicola being made at Keste, along with other pizzas.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPeeym24djc" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPeeym24djc</a>

Seems like the Mast’Nicola is made with lardo strips.

I am interested in hearing about your adventures at Pasty’s.

Norma

[wheelman]

thanks Norma,  i watched that video and found a few more from Keste.  it seems that they all show the dough in the same condition.  it's amazing how they work with it when it's so soft.  also cool how the peel move is in slow and out FAST!  all or nothing, that's confidence. 

[norma427]

thanks Norma,  i watched that video and found a few more from Keste.  it seems that they all show the dough in the same condition.  it's amazing how they work with it when it's so soft.  also cool how the peel move is in slow and out FAST!  all or nothing, that's confidence. 

Bill,

I agree, it is amazing how they work with dough is so soft.  They must have a great deal of confidence to work with the dough and metal peel.  I never get tired of watching someone that knows what they are doing when making pizza.

Norma

[Jet_deck]

.... I assume They use refridgeration at some oint for the 3 day dough right ?
......
John

I found it interesting that Roberto reports that he does not have refrigeration.  At 8:00 here in the video that Omid posted.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvbYcABI2IA&amp;feature=feedu" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvbYcABI2IA&amp;feature=feedu</a>

[Jet_deck]

Beautifal shot at :50 of the balls in three stages.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ny71WX9Vs&amp;feature=related" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ny71WX9Vs&amp;feature=related</a>