Luzzo's Pizzeria Review

[pftaylor]

David,
I make no apologies for my early critical remarks about Naples 45 as I was one that initially raked Naples 45 over the coals - err, I mean wood. Here's why; Their menu describes a pizza which is really not offered. You can't buy what they charge you for. For that singular reason, I have a right to be critical. If their menu doesn't match what they sell, what else should I be wary of?

I have managed only to come to grips with Naples 45 after realizing that they sell 500 - 600 pizzas a day (mostly at lunch) and the product choices were made out of necessity rather than out of a desire to mislead the public. Having said all that, I would still like their menu to reflect the truth. If Naples 45 bellied up to the table so to speak, I would still have them ranked where they are - above UPN but well below Patsy's and Luzzo's. So net net, they are what they are and the vast majority of the public wouldn't know a true San Marzano from a Louisville Slugger.

Speaking of Patsy's, the pies Jose made for my family were outstanding. Kept down only by their use of questionable ingredient quality. Patsy's is the one place where their pies can either be great or pedestrian at best. The swing in quality is hard for me to understand. They are consistently inconsistent which sort of defines NY pizza anyway. At least they know their heritage and stick to it. They are genuine and for that I respect them.

[Pete-zza]

I had hoped to stop by Naples 45 to see Charlie during my recent trip to NYC but the restaurant was closed over the weekend. Naples 45 is located in the MetLife business complex just behind Grand Central Terminal and does a very big lunch business where it is common for Charlie and his pizza makers to make a few hundred pizzas over the course of a lunch period. When I last met with Charlie in September, I did ask him about the idea of using a starter of some sort. He said that it would be difficult to do on the large scale of the existing business and that it would be hard to convince management to do such a thing (Naples 45 is part of a group of restaurants) given the success of the present operation (which, I was previously told, is quite profitable). Moreover, Naples 45 is not presently set up structurally and personnel-wise to accommodate a major change in their operations. I agree with pftaylor and David that Naples 45 doesn't get as much credit as it deserves. I really like their pizza by the inch offering, which allows one to try different toppings, at a price that turns out to be quite reasonable compared with other alternatives. Admittedly, the pizzas are not "authentic" in the sense that they faithfully replicate the pizzas made in Naples, but they are quite satisfying nonetheless. As we have seen, we can't be sure that we can rely on UPN and Luzzo's for that authenticity either.

Peter

[scott r]

Has anybody actually seen a hobart in there?

He has told some people it is a hobart........others that it is hand kneaded.

Marco

[varasano]

I recently raised Naples 45 on my ranking from terrible to ok.  The pie I had years ago was tasteless cardboard. Truly awful. But the recent one was decent. Not spectacular by any stretch. But ok.

Jeff

[pftaylor]

scott r,
Are you referring to Luzzo's or Naples 45?

[scott r]

sorry, I am wondering if anyone has actually seen a hobart at luzzo's.

[pftaylor]

Scott,
I asked for visual confirmation of the biga and naturally he refused to show me the back room where it was supposedly stored at room temperature. Or was it refrigerated for nine days? No, I clearly remember Michael stating it was festering at room temperature for eight. What a joke. So I cannot confirm what he uses...

pizzanapoletana,
You have asked more than once if anyone noticed a lack of salt in the crust.

I have twice.

From the very first bite I knew there was a salt deficiency. However, on my first visit I thought it stemmed from a lack of salt in the tomatoes or the cheese. I have since come to realize the lack of salt was from the crust - thanks to your prodding. Regarding your question about the digestability of the pie, I cannot comment for I do not suffer from any kind of problem even when eating chain pizza. I would, however, appreciate, you completing your thought on this point. I have my suspicion where you are going.

One interesting point to note is that Michael took great pride in explaining chapter and verse why his pie is in fact so digestible.

[varasano]

I asked him about the lack of salt and he said that the american customers don't like it salty. 

[Arthur]

Had a pizza new years weekend in New York.

I first went to Pasty's on Thursday night (the one in spanish harlem).  Great pizza although too burnt on the bottom even for my taste.   They still have a great sauce.

On Saturday before new years I was hoping to go to UPN and Luzzo's.  UPN was closed until tomorrow - this was fine since Luzzo's (around the corner for those who don't know) was open.  There were eight of us and we were first in the place.  I got a chance to talk with Michael for a while - interesting guy

First my thoughts on the pizza.  I've never had a lighter crust than at luzzo's.  It was incredible how light the crust was.  It wasn't airy - the cornice didn't look like mine   - just light.  Thin, but not crispy.  Like others have mentioned, I didn't taste any salt nor did I get a sour taste from the dough at all (i.e., no starter).  I really enjoyed his pizza.    He offered me a job - too bad I'm not local.

I watched him closely.  He does put oil on before baking (suposedly extra virgin).   He puts on a little basil leaf before cooking and a big one (or two) after.  Bufalo mozz.

Mind you, some of what I mention here I'm not sure I fully believe, but I think I could tell when he was throwing me a fast one.
He let me touch the dough to show that it was cool - not warm and not cold.  He mentioned that he had a fridge to keep the dough in after he made it initially -  not a cold fridge but a cool one (like 50 degrees).  He claimed the dough I was eating was 3 days old.   As for the sauce - San Marzano with a bit of salt.   He said Caputo didn't work for him with that oven.

On Sunday I went to Modern pizza in new rochelle - let's just say I don't care to comment.

 

[BenLee]

I made another trip to Luzzo's over the weekend.  I had their Diavolo pizza which is Buffalo Mozz., sauce, basil, and spicy salami (pepperoni).  IMO, easily the best pie there.  The pepperoni might be the best I've ever had.  We also ordered a Martha, but unfortunately, they ran outa truffles so we ended up with a white pie with Proscuitto on it, which was also top notch. 

Side note: I tried their olive oil that they have on all the tables and my god, it was the smoothest, lightest, best tasting olive oil I've ever had.

[scpizza]

I was there this weekend too.  The place was nearly empty and after waiting a half hour for a pizza to arrive and watching others who arrived 15 minutes after I did get their pizzas and getting the attention of the server but still getting no pizza, I simply walked out.  Some friends had a similarly bad service experience.

They may feel the quality of their pizza outweighs the need for basic customer service, but it does not.

[pcampbell]

So we are taking a trip to the city tomorrow.  Can anyone offer suggestions as to where to go    We will be in the neighborhood of Luzzo's and UPN!

[David]

FYI.I foolishly drove 1 hr last night to take a friend to Luzzo's.Instead of calling first to see if they were open,I just checked on a Take Out menu that I had at home,which stated that they opened at 4pm on Mondays.Be advised....Now they DON'T!
We ended up going to Bread Bar@Tabla.A very well positioned nice space with typical Meyer inspired service ,but the food was nothing special IMO.Tried all of the Nan on offer (Sourdough,Garlic,Rosemary)  small,overpriced but O.K.
David

[joeyboca]

I was there last night and the pizza was excellent!

[pftaylor]

I just finished a few days in the big apple and have an update on Luzzo's. I wish I had good news to report.

First, I toured the dough room and there was absolutely no high gluten flour, brominated or otherwise, to be found. There was however abundant amounts of San Felice 00 flour. There was also a Hobart mixer with a spiral attachment.

Second, the coal fired oven is now also burning wood during business hours and just coal after hours. I timed three pizzas and each took over two minutes to bake. Closer to 2:30 to be more accurate. The bake was uneven with the top nearly raw and the bottom nearly burned. Why they are burning wood and coal is perplexing. I understand why they are trying to approximate a wood buring oven, but it simply doesn't work in practice.

Third, the balance of the pies were completely off irrespective of toppings chosen. The sauce was overly bitter from citric acid in canned tomatoes. Consequently it overwhelmed my palate.

The crust still had no discernable fermented flavor only this time, it didn't possess the perfect texture it once had. I felt like crying about this one.

Overall, every single major aspect of the pizza at Luzzo's had slipped to the point where I will not go back. Life is too short to give this joint another try.