Author Topic: neapolitan franchise??? (Read 2600 times)

artigiano · « **on:** September 10, 2009, 10:53:02 PM »

Here is a pic of me in Perugia, Italy. I noticed a neapolitan pizzeria in the city with my cousin and we decided to try it. It was a great experience since Tonino the pizzaiolo let me slide a pizza into the hot oven. I was surprised to find out that they have locations everywhere in Italy and even in Miami. They are called fratelli la bufala, google them they have a website. They are all over Italy and also in Miami Usa and other parts of the world such as Instanbul, etc. I thought I would share the site since Neapolitan pizza and franchise seem like a strange mix, but these guys are definately doing it. Next summer it is definately off to Naples, didnt get the chance the last time in Italy but I will try it this time to compare against the franchise. My favorite pizza is still in a restaurant in Taormina Sicily believe it or not, especially for the crust. If I had to say where I had the best mozzarella on my pizza that would definately be in Rome.

PizzaPolice · « **Reply #1 on:** September 10, 2009, 11:24:49 PM »

Sweet heat management.

shango · « **Reply #2 on:** September 11, 2009, 08:24:27 AM »

I've been to the Miami store. It was just ok.

They also opened a store in Georgetown back in April. It ran into a lot of problems right away, although people were raving about it on Yelp. I actually wound up filling in for them for one Friday night after all of the other Pizzaiouli walked out. I wasn't impressed with the set up or the management, and declined their offer to stay on and help them more. They closed shortly after that. I think the shop was only open for 2 1/2 months. Strange things behind the scenes..

The oven was nice, I believe it was built by the same people that built Amano's oven.

DC8702 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 11, 2009, 04:51:21 PM »

I ate at the DC location a couple weeks before it closed (roughly 2.5 mos. ago) and thought pizza was very good. The guy I was with and I had a conversation with the owners before we left and was told that they were going to break with the franchise and eventually reopen on their own.
I work in the area so I've been by a couple of times and saw workers going in and out as well as a summons for unpaid rent plastered to the door. Still closed as of today, so who knows.

artigiano · « **Reply #4 on:** September 12, 2009, 01:20:41 PM »

I agree Shango,

The pizza didn't really turn my crank either and I was surprised they loaded it with a lot of toppings for a Neapolitan pizzeria. The oven was definately really nice and very hot. They were definately over 900 degrees by the heat blasting through the opening. The pizzaiolo in the pic was telling me that every place they open they send a guy from Naples to work in the place. I am not sure if he stays or just helps the place get up and running. When I was in Perugia (central Italy) he was the pizzaiolo and he was from Naples.. very charismatic guy.

Al

bicster · « **Reply #5 on:** September 12, 2009, 08:07:50 PM »

the miami one is pretty marginal. it was a pound of cheese with a couple ounces of bread.

in aventura, not far from miami, there is a brick oven place that is attached to a car wash. really strange idea.

scpizza · « **Reply #6 on:** September 13, 2009, 08:59:23 AM »

Quote from: artigiano on September 12, 2009, 01:20:41 PM

The oven was definately really nice and very hot. They were definately over 900 degrees by the heat blasting through the opening.

Not an indicator of quality. A well-designed, hot-running pizza oven will have only modest heat hitting the operator.

artigiano · « **Reply #7 on:** September 13, 2009, 12:20:03 PM »

You will feel heat depending on where you are standing which I indicated was right by the entrance. Lets not complicate things, you have a 1000 degree inferno with a small doorway to it.... you are going to feel heat. Many people there don't rely on thermometers they rely on the amount of heat they feel when their hand is right by the door. Hot means hot oven. Do you see any design issues by looking at this oven?

David · « **Reply #8 on:** September 13, 2009, 01:35:07 PM »

Quote from: scpizza on September 13, 2009, 08:59:23 AM

Not an indicator of quality. A well-designed, hot-running pizza oven will have only modest heat hitting the operator.

I stood in front of the oven at Spacca Napoli in Chicago during lunch service.The heat was more than modest I assure you.That oven was built by arguably the finest from Naples.Similar experience at Keste in New York.I think that unfortunately most commercial wood fired ovens in the US are not run high enough,and this is clearly evident in the output.

shango · « **Reply #9 on:** September 13, 2009, 02:50:00 PM »

I can say from experience with this oven and many others, That it was a very fine oven, and that it was quite warm standing in front of it.

60 second pizza, no problem, with time to spare.

Matthew · « **Reply #10 on:** September 13, 2009, 05:07:36 PM »

Quote from: shango on September 13, 2009, 02:50:00 PM

I can say from experience with this oven and many others, That it was a very fine oven, and that it was quite warm standing in front of it.

60 second pizza, no problem, with time to spare.

Who is the manufacturer?

artigiano · « **Reply #11 on:** September 13, 2009, 06:13:49 PM »

The oven in the photo is in Perugia, Italy.

Matthew · « **Reply #12 on:** September 13, 2009, 06:23:09 PM »

Quote from: artigiano on September 13, 2009, 06:13:49 PM

The oven in the photo is in Perugia, Italy.

Yes, I know, who fabricated it?

Matt

shango · « **Reply #13 on:** September 13, 2009, 06:40:47 PM »

Can't say for sure.

scpizza · « **Reply #14 on:** September 13, 2009, 08:35:30 PM »

We're probably all talking about the same thing as regards how much heat escapes from a high quality oven. I will say the Forno Napoletano I worked in front of running at full temp did not have heat "blasting through the opening" in my opinion though obviously that phrase is pretty vague and subjective. I found if I got my hands anywhere near the mouth I was taken aback at how hot it really was inside, but standing back a few feet it deceptively felt not that hot.

My only point is that feeling a lot of heat shooting out the front of a wood oven is not a good indicator of a high quality oven - and in fact can readily indicate the opposite. For example I saw an operator cooking pizza in an improvised large metal drum type, outdoor, wood-fired chamber with a huge front opening. Even standing several feet back she was sweating profusely as tons of heat really was blasting out the front and right into her face.

PETE · « **Reply #15 on:** September 13, 2009, 09:29:21 PM »

I had my new Ferrara oven deck in the low 900's for 3 hours today and there is not as much heat released as I would of thought, put your hands under the arch in the mouth, different story but the hood/vent that extends from the mouth funnels the hot air up and thru the flue.

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2009, 09:45:38 PM »

In my experience, much of the heat I feel standing in front of the oven is radiant heat from the coals. This heat will be most intense on those body parts in line of sight of the coals and will depend on the size of the live coal bed and how close I am to the coals. I destroyed a camera that got too close to the coals. I regularly film pies cooking in my oven and the camera is fine as long as it is out of line of sight or far enough away.

I don't think oven quality has much to do with this effect.

Mo · « **Reply #17 on:** September 13, 2009, 11:01:14 PM »

Quote from: David on September 13, 2009, 01:35:07 PM

I think that unfortunately most commercial wood fired ovens in the US are not run high enough,and this is clearly evident in the output.

interesting...

wannamakepizza · « **Reply #18 on:** September 14, 2009, 03:40:48 PM »

You mentioned best mozz pizza in Rome, where? I was just there and agree very surprised at some great pizza (not all neapolitan), my wife is huge fan of Nea style and was surprised when she stated this was the best she had. Pizza by the slice not out there worry eating. The bufala mozz was great everywhere, wish I could have that everyday!

artigiano · « **Reply #19 on:** September 14, 2009, 08:08:06 PM »

The difference is that they get that fresh cheese delivered that day. Most pizzerias in Rome use the freshest cheese, even in a big city. How can you compare that to anything we get over here? pretty tough unless you go to a high end restaurant that just hits the tip of the iceberg and charges an arm and a leg. The agricultural aspect of food in I think a lot of Europe is closely intertwined with the consumers and every day life. They simply are too competitive for someone to go buy a pizza with some plastic type of mozzarella we are all too familiar with when someone is doing what is in my opinion the right thing and getting it fresh from a farm. I have some cousins that live there so naturally they took me to different good places. That being said, the places they took me to were also casual, walk in the door and say ill take a slice of that.. even though sometimes the pizzas are often cut in squares, since they cook them by the meter or "pizza al metro" even in brick ovens (you can google it, there are some pics there).

I have been to places that cooked the pizzas then threw some fresh cow milk mozzarella after the pizza was cooked so it melted in.. different but that cheese is something that you don't forget about and I have been to some VPN pizzerias in Seattle. I have to say the Seattle pizzerias are very good but I can't remember what their cheese tastes like.. but I think of the fresh cheese in Rome and it makes my mouth water. I guess you can chalk it up to years of tradition.. but if you ask me I feel the American market is too comfortable with what is seen in our grocery stores since we arent exposed to much else. We are used to big corporate companies that know how to supply a product that costs them very little so they can earn a lot and most of us buy it.

The other day I went to the Italian store and bought some rabbit to eat and my Canadian girlfriend was not happy. I am also Canadian, but I have spent at least 2 years in Italy spread out throughout my life and born into an Italian Canadian family so I am brought up with different ideas for dinner. Hopefully she comes around but I can't blame her as she did not grow up eating rabbit where as I did. What I am basically trying to say is there is a lot more out there that is great than that of what most people are used to and are comfortable with. The most unfortunate part is when people are judged by it from others that aren't familiar with something. The reason I really like this site is that everyone is open minded and builds on knowledge that each other carries with respect.

Al