Neapolitan Fact or Fad

[JConk007]

Neapolitan does seem to be blowing up all over the country! NYC and Now San Fransisco see this article. Plenty a bonus for the west coast tour right!, it may take 2 days  http://sanfrancisco.grubstreet.com/2010/03/how_many_neapolitan_joints_wil.html  they dont even mention Tony G or Mozzeria ? I think the fact here  is- its so good when done right.  Fad Yes Can we sustain it I Hope so ! Here in Bergen  County NJ we have Amano,  a great representation of this style, but certainly not one on every corner or even  every town. Plenty of wanna be wood fired ovens around but not Neapolitan I think the Fad has room here. How about by you ?all are they all over the place yet ?
or still open for the fire. John 

[capamando]

John,

Here in Northampton there is one wood fired pizza establishment, the rest of the pizzerias range from horrible to edible. Our one experience with the wfo pizzeria was fair at best, it was not cooked enough. We will give them another opportunity in the future but we are not very optimistic. You are absolutely correct in saying that just because a pizzeria has a wfo does not mean that they are making neopolitan pies nor making a quality pizza no matter what they want to call it.

[olsonmatt]

In the Boston area I can think of only one that is truly trying to do authentic Neapolitan, Posto in Somerville.  I am surprised there aren't more yet, but I am sure there will be as we usually are a few years behind the trends in New York.  We've been particularly slow on this one though.  Any Boston people know of any that I'm missing?

[trosenberg]

Olsonmatt, I checked out Posto's site;  looks like a great place. Is the food as good as it looks online?

[BrickStoneOven]

Olsonmatt, I checked out Posto's site;  looks like a great place. Is the food as good as it looks online?

The pizza isn't.

[widespreadpizza]

John,  to get back to your original question,  I picture this like craft beer in the middle 90's.  Everyone jumped on board.  Eventually the medicre/poor breweries were weeded out and the overall numbers declined. The bubble burst.  I do not know if anyone  thought that the situation would get back, and ahead of where it was.  The bubble is back,  it may burst again,  but this time 90 percent of the beer is excellent,  not 50,  and the numbers are stagerring.  I think the mediocre neapolitan places will indeed turn a bunch of people off to the style and make them miss the right place at the right time.  Thats the unfortunate part.  Personally,  I have yet to be satisfied with any Neapolitan place that I have eaten at,  and I have tried quite a few.  It may take a similar situiation to happen with Neapolitan pizza.  -Marc

[olsonmatt]

Trosenberg -- I think it's worth checking out.  I don't have a large frame of reference for this kind of pizza, but I thought it was good both times I went.

BrickStone -- I take it you're not a fan?

[gabaghool]

For my two cents.......and Im pretty good at finding trends (if im good at anything)...is I think this Nea thing , while I think it is here to stay, will continue to grow and then the herd will thin out DRAMATICALLY.  And not all those thinned out will be bad pizza either.  Great pizza is only PART of doing this for a living.  You can do the best pizza in your state, but, no business sense and it WILL be adios....after a while...and sometimes that while will be 4 or 5 years...a pretty good run.

But, the ONE thing I SEE coming out of this Nea movement is I beleive the wood fired oven will be here to stay....FINALLY.  And I beleive that a new movement will come out of it.  One that combines Neapolitan style pizza, dumping VPN, and combining things that are great about American pizza, toppings, local ingrediants, fermenation styles....places like Bianco's.. or Lucali's...places that are SOMEWHERE on the Nea plane, but would not be considered traditional Neapolitan pizza.  Especially in the toppings area.  IMHO, and I still need to get much more knowledge to say this for sure.....from what I read an see...the VPN is HOLDING BACK some great pizza in this country....again, just my opinion and I don't even know if I am stating this correctly.  I've noticed a few new toppings, but I've also noticed that those toppings were introduced in Naples, not here.

I LOVE wood burning ovens, but, to ME, a two minute pie is much more appealing than a 60 second pie, and I LIKE Nea pizza.  BUt....just a BIT more crisp, a bit more color to go along with the leoparding, and some inventive, thought out toppings....I think THATS where this is all heading.

[gabaghool]

Oh, and while Nea may not be the thing for many based on its texture and flavor....I believe most people at least LIKE it.....I think many americans have a problem with $$$$, since pizza was always seen as a cheap meal...and even as a guy in the pizza biz, I've done the math, and some of the prices are waaaay out there.

Its gonna be a tough run if Nea pizza turns off the working mans meal road and tries to go up to the "high end" road. If the prices can stay reasonable...I think more will survive.

[JConk007]

The pie you are speaking of sounds alot like  a place we just visited- Paulie Gees!
fantastico!

[scott123]

The pie you are speaking of sounds alot like  a place we just visited- Paulie Gees!
fantastico!

John, I was thinking the same thing. If, on a clock, Neapolitan pizza was 6:00, then I'd place Biancos at 5:00 and Paulie Gee at 5:30. Paulie is almost a Neapolitan/Bianco hybrid.

[gabaghool]

Paulie Gee's?  Really?

See, thats what I mean when I wrote that I need to know this more......would either of you fill me in on where (besides toppings) Paulie deviates from the Nea norm??

Thanks.