|
|
|||
Authentic, Artisanal Pizza On Long Island Artisanal Pizza is pizza as nature intended it – expressive, natural, flavorful and intimate. At Red Tomato in East Norwich you’ll find fresh, authentic, Neapolitan style pizza that will excite your taste buds with just one bite. The pizza depicted here is a true representation of how pizza is served overseas in Italy, freshly baked for roughly a minute and a half in a wood fired oven filled with cherry, oak and hickory woods.
Everyone
is treated and fed as if they were family at Red Tomato. This eatery is the newest
venture from the Messina Family, who also own and operate Messina Market, La Bonne
Boulangerie Bakery, Girlfriends
clothing store
(located in the same shopping center as Red Tomato), Dortoni Bakery in Levittown,
Messina Market Express in Manhasset and La Bonne Boulangerie in Port Jefferson. The
patriarch of the Messina Family is Napolitano Raffaele “Lello” Messina and he,
along with sons Corey and Donnie and longtime friend Chuck Berg, added pizza to
Messina’s expanding empire just a few months ago. Here they use only the freshest
organic ingredients of the highest quality imported straight from Italy to provide
patrons with an exceptional dining experience. Upon entering you are graciously welcomed by the polite staff and the alluring scent of wood fired pizza. The dining room features modern décor and an extremely comfortable, cozy ambiance. It seats about 32 people with additional seating at the bar counter and outside, which is an ideal place to dine in the warmer months.
Their menu includes a variety of options including antipasti, le pizze 12’’ pies, le pizze bianche 12’’ pies (tomato-less), insalate, calzones, sandwiches and 8’’ pizzas for the bambinos. Beer and wine is also available to accompany your meal. The men behind this incredible pizza are two pizzaiolos who learned the craft in their hometown of Naples. They are both extremely passionate when it comes to their job and truly take pride in their work.
On our visit to Red Tomato we were treated to four incredible pizzas and two desserts, beginning with the Tartufo pizza (below left). This offering is topped with prosciutto, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and truffle oil and was a flavorful delight. All ingredients were extremely fresh and accent each other nicely. Just a heads up, a liking for truffle oil is a must if you’re going to order this delightful pizza.
The
Regina pizza features tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil and extra virgin olive oil
(above right). The sauce is unbelievably flavorful and fresh, cooked only in the
oven as the pizza is prepared. The simple ingredients unite to create a palate
pleasing indulgence and this pie quickly became a unanimous favorite amongst the
table. Putting potatoes on a pizza is a unique concept and we are sure glad Red Tomato came up with it. The subtle Patate e Porcini pizza is topped with roasted sliced potatoes, porcini mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and truffle oil (below left). The flavors are delicate and just divine creating a delicious treat for your taste buds.
The
children’s menu consists of a variety of bambino-friendly options including your
standard Pepperoni and Margherita pizza’s. It also offers more creative choices
like the Ballpark pizza topped with sliced hot dogs and fresh mozzarella and the
Macaroni and Cheese pie, in which we were lucky enough to sample (above right).
Macaroni and Cheese and Pizza are both child friendly foods, put them together and
it’s a child’s dream. It is a big hit amongst the kids who dine here, and take
it from us; the adults would enjoy it just as much! A dessert you surely want to save room for is That S’more Sweet Pizza, a creation from Nonna Messina herself, with nutella, marshmallow and a graham cracker crunch. It is a dessert pizza like no other and is presented two ways – in pizza pie form (below left) or sliced and stacked (below right). This creation is a nutella powered, Italian style s’more!
Lastly we sampled a decadent, homemade Italian Cheesecake from La Bonne Boulangerie (below left). It sat atop a sweet raspberry sauce and was a great way to round out our dining experience at Red Tomato.
The pizza found at Red Tomato is definitely worth the drive from wherever you may live on Long Island. Next time you’re in the area or simply craving authentic, Neapolitan style pizza, be sure to make your way to East Norwich for a real treat. You won't find pizza like this anywhere else on the island. Like the old saying goes, "You've tried the rest, now try the very best!"
|
