on my way to ny for the pizza enthusiasts tour i stoped at il pizzaiolo in mt. Lebanon pa. il pizzaiolo is a full service restaurant specializing in neapolitan pizza, and a full menu focusing on the foods of the compania region of Italy .
it was 8:30 pm and the restaurant was winding down for the evening there were only three or four tables still eating.being a nosy person i went up to the pizziaolo and asked lots of questions. first was how was pizza sales tonight?" not as good as the last few days, to bad because i got some good stuff tonight". i was excited by his comment. i ordered a misto salad and a margherita doc.which has mozzarela di bufala.the salad was very good light dressing of evoo and balsamic didn't over power the cheese or greens.after i finished the pizza maker went to work on my pie.didn't time it but since he knew i was a wood fired fan the oven was bright with a big beautiful flame. he cooked the pizza off of the floor quite a bit. the move good pizza cooks use of picking the pie up setting on on the floor quick turn and back up. repeating this until they are happy with the bake. my pie came to me with a nice, puffed edge, lots of basil and cheese. the pizza was outstanding! what i was looking for was crust tenderness. and flavor balance. these are areas i feel my pizza is inconstant in. the dough had a nice salt to it probably 3%, what i noticed was the tomatoes were salted at close to the same level which gave the pizza a nice balanced taste.the dry cheese seemed to be reggiano as it was quite mild, the olive oil was outstanding ,i need to find out what he uses. i was full with two cuts left which i would have to eat cold to see if the dough held its tenderness. i was able to eat the last two cuts later that evening and they were still tender .
i know there are a lot of reviews on this joint and this was a very positive visit. being that it is only 2.5 hours from my home i need to get their more often. pictures included.
