You won’t want to miss this.
One of the best new pizzas in New York City is now one of the hardest to get in the city. The artisans who carefully craft these precious $28 pies, served on designer tableware, wouldn’t have it any other way.
At Cucina Alba, an upscale Italian restaurant in Chelsea, only 15 of the unusual mashups of Neapolitan and New York are served one night a week, on Mondays.
And despite the cost, demand for the particular Neapolitan-style creation, which miraculously boasts the crispy bottom of a New York slice style, is so high that guests are encouraged to visit W. 18th St. early in the opening hours. A must go to restaurant.From 5pm
Usually all the dough is gone within an hour.
Last Monday, the last 12-inch pie (one size fits all, or everyone who gets it) was ordered by a lucky table at 6:22 p.m.
Could this be a shameless ploy to fill the dining room on a traditionally quiet evening?
Of course, fans of the weekly event, which started about a month ago, aren’t worried.
“I wish they would make more pizza. I go every Monday,” neighbor Jake Taub, 27, told the Post, who tried the pie for the first time last week.
Taub and neighbors said they first heard about the off-menu deal through word of mouth. on social media.
“We talked about the idea of pizza and how fun it is to eat something you don’t usually get,” says the chef, master baker and author of the home baking guide The Flour Lab. Adam Leonti told the Post.
Wanting to increase customer numbers, the restaurant decides to throw the proverbial ball of dough at the wall, but it gets stuck in the wall.
“I think the crowd more than doubled on Monday,” Leonti said.
And what exactly is it that makes this precious pizza stand out from the thousands of competitors nearby?
Leonti wanted to evoke the classic, crispy crust pizzerias of old in New York, served by the slice.
He especially loves Sal & Carmine’s on the Upper West Side. He told the Post that this popular Broadway staple was the inspiration for his latest production of Cucina Alba.
More than that, everything is as modern as possible. The sourdough is super moist and he is baked twice for a total of about 18 minutes.
This is to avoid this, Leonti explained. inevitable result When you try to eat most gourmet pizzas, the cheese and sauce slide off the soggy pie.
“It’s amazing…it’s so crispy and yet so soft at the same time,” Taub says.
Atop the sauce and Leonti’s sourdough dough (his favorite recipe for over 15 years) is a blend of three types of mozzarella cheese and chunks of fresh raw tomatoes.
Fellow pizza newbie Gracen Eyres, 24, of Chelsea, particularly liked the texture of the tomato. “They make it look great,” the customer enthused to the Post.
The pizza also contains a blend of herbs and spices that give it a kick similar to the flavor of warm soppressata.
Why just a few pizzas a night?
And while the restaurant has managed to grab attention with its Monday night menu, it’s unlikely to be making more six-slice pizzas anytime soon.
There is a simple explanation for this.
In the hallway behind Cucina Alba’s main kitchen, Leonti can be seen making his own pies (the dough alone takes three days to prepare) and tossing them into the restaurant’s kitchen. Castelli roman ovenbefore moving on to other duties.
“If you did this in a pizzeria, it would take all night,” joked Leonti, who lived and trained in Bergamo, Italy, for a year and a half.
“In New York, Luxury is everywhere. I think it’s interesting that luxury is something that isn’t expensive…we’re not trying to do a $50 pizza here. ” he declared.
But the glimpse of upper-class high life lies beneath the standard-priced pie, served on a black-and-gold authentic Versace platter imported from the Old Country.They are Retail price is approximately $500.
“Pizza is a Neapolitan dish, right? Then why not serve Versace’s food?” Leonti said with a smile.
“Everyone always reacts the same way. [to the servingware], I don’t think it’s real. It’s like, ‘Oh, you made it, right?'” Leonti revealed.
And while maintaining that exclusive atmosphere, Leonti added, “We try to be as democratic as possible.”
Alba makes every effort to help patrons who have missed out on narrow opportunities, including helping them get reservations for the following week.
Sometimes I’ll make a note that the customer tried to come in to buy a pie before.
For his next chef hat trick, Leonti will make Sunday a dessert day, one day a week where customers can enjoy a sumptuous dessert cart paying homage to sfogliatelle and many other delicious Italian pastries. I’m planning something.
But for now, Monday brings us a whole week’s worth of stories.
“I just made another reservation for next Monday at 5 p.m.,” diner Alisha Kamat told the Post after trying the pizza for the first time.
