ReNapoli Pizza Napoletana Greenwich, CT Review

[polishpizza]

So I went to try out Pizza Napoletana for the first time today at a place in Greenwich, CT.  I've heard a bunch about the style and wanted to see what it was all about.  I have to say I was unimpressed.  I read the website thoroughly and I was expecting something completely different.  The site did not match the restaurant.  Overall I would give it a 6 out of 10.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  I'm used to eating the occasional charred crust from Wooster street but the crust of one of these pies was black as was the undercrust.  The char just dominated the taste overall.  Maybe if you like that then it would be fine.  I don't care for it all to much.  BTW, I timed the pie and it was 1:40 bake time with one turn at around 1:20
then out to the plate.

[widespreadpizza]

Wow those look really bad.  They shouldn't even be selling those.  -Marc

I have altered my post,  but to me,  that does not look like caputo at all.  Almost see sugar in the dough.  Wondered if they were buying it and it was malted  who next,  my next thought,  bad oven.

[shuboyje]

My exact thoughts.  That screams sugar in the dough, be it malt or some other form.  These compared to real Neapolitan pizza are like Pepe's compared to Chuck E. Cheese.  Don't let them steer you away from the style.

[polishpizza]

This was the kicker...just say'n...

Here is the website as well...

http://www.renapoli.com/

[widespreadpizza]

I just realized more about this venture.  I am guessing this is a tony gememani collaboration with bruno his partner,  met them both at tonys place in sf.  They made mention of an east coast venture back then.  there is also a pie named the tony g.  where is a picture of the oven?  -marc

edit tony is in all the pictures too.  marketing pure marketing.

[polishpizza]

Boom...

[shuboyje]

They also state their dough is Caputo, salt, water and yeast.  Something is way off with the pie your were served, I'm now a bit surprised considering the rest of this information.  That pie really has a look of sugar too me.  I've never seen a lean dough brown like that, let alone in a wood fired oven at that bake time. 

[Serpentelli]

So I went to try out Pizza Napoletana for the first time today at a place in Greenwich, CT.  I've heard a bunch about the style and wanted to see what it was all about.  I have to say I was unimpressed.  I read the website thoroughly and I was expecting something completely different.  The site did not match the restaurant.  Overall I would give it a 6 out of 10.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  I'm used to eating the occasional charred crust from Wooster street but the crust of one of these pies was black as was the undercrust.  The char just dominated the taste overall.  Maybe if you like that then it would be fine.  I don't care for it all to much.  BTW, I timed the pie and it was 1:40 bake time with one turn at around 1:20
then out to the plate.

The pictures do not speak well for the restaurant. Hopefully they will get their act together. Did you ask them if they read/post on PM.com?

I asked the owner of a place called "Toro" in Durham NC that question and he looked me and said "Huh?"

John K

[polishpizza]

I didn't mention anything to them, I really was just paying attention to the way they made the pie and bake time. 

[widespreadpizza]

that makes a lot of sense.  That oven has no business being in a pizzeria.  I watched them struggle with that oven firsthand in SF.  At that time,  I knew my oven that I built myself functioned better than that thing and had better proportions.  The floor of that oven is 36 inches if they are lucky,  and can only hold a couple pizzas at a time.  Now the tough part to understand,  I watched tony work the pizza he made us like noone should ever have to,  way too labor intensive and unbalanced.  The pizza he gave us was ok and looked much better than the one in this picture,  that being said it was not great.  Either tony and bruno have never used a good oven or they are just too committed to the story of how the american tony took home the championship with his beehive oven, and I am fairly sure of the later.  I know TXcraig had a great pizza out of tonys place when he was there,  but there is little doubt that Craigs pizzas are superior to the one he had there.  Anyhow,  I have said enough,  probably too much.  -marc

[PetersPizza]

painfully bad pie... I would be interested to see their NY style pies.

from their site.

Pizza Napoletana is a style that has been gaining  respect and popularity in the U.S. since the nineties.  The last few years it has progressed into a movement, a revolution, and war amongst artisinal pizza makers all over the country.   ReNapoli's Pizza Napoletana is our contribution to this movement.  Our dough method is "in giornata" which means made and used in the same day, so some days we do run out.  The recipe consists of Caputo 00 flour, water, fresh beer yeast, and Trapani sea salt.   Mixed, cut, balled, and matured during an eight hour fermentation at room temperature in Neopolitan wood dough boxes.   Our red and white pies are pillowy soft, simplistic in nature, using far less cheese and toppings then we as Americans are accustomed to.  It is blistered or charred by the 900 degree Cirigliano wood burning oven, which gives it great flavor, and a sixty second cook time leaves the integrity, essence and flavor of the ingredients intact.  Sweet tasting San Marzano tomatoes are painstackingly stripped of the flavorless stems and seeds and the cheeses used are imported from Campania Italy, and made locally from whole milk curds in the Belmont section of the Bronx.

-Peter

[scott123]

Between this and putting eggs in NY style dough, I don't have a great deal of respect for Bruno- or for the pizza team in general. I know that they have a pretty big following, but, for me, it's just hype. There's, imo, a massive self congratulatory aspect to all of these competitions.

[David Deas]

There are so many Neapolitan places these days.  Only a handful around the country do it right.

Even worse are the places that have wood fired ovens, advertise wood fired pizza, but serve something that could have been made in a deck oven.

[JConk007]

David we have beaten that to death before on here.That "woodfired thing" You are correct. Many abuse that title. This just gives me more respect for people like Anthony mugniari who HAVE really kept it Neapolitan. As mark mentioned this is obviously a commercial venture using the name to attract  and similar to Tony's in sf with all the various styles. I have met Tony G great guy ! And very knowledgable, I am shocked and can't believe he is allowing this to go over the pass Looks like a pretzel crust ? . Hope he gets it all worked out as its a  great concept I like
The roma pie  , all trumps ? Or all purpose
Is there a gas deck oven in there as well ?
John

[polishpizza]

I don't think there is anything to work out as this place has been here for some time I believe.

On his wall he had framed bags of:

All trumps 50111

Napoli antimony caputo (sp?)  Bag was very colorful blue, yellow, etc. 

Yes on the gas oven and I watched him as he was pre-stretching dough and putting them on a wood rack in a stand up refridge I assume for dinner.  It was around 12:30 when I was there.