This is the second episode of The Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour, 2009. For this part of the tour, I went to apizzo, located in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.
OK let's set the record straight. First: the official name is actually apizzo Pizzeria Napoletana.
Second: while apizzo is located in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, you can cross the streeet and be in Westerly, Rhode Island.
With that said, our party arrived, expecting a fairly good pizza. Pawcatuck, is after all, the home of noted pizzaiolo, Jon F.. If Jon F. says a pizza is good, its good.
What struck me immediately, was the ambiance of the place. Stefan Ambrosch the co-owner, and operator, explained to us, that the restaurant was completely designed with his own personal vision of what a great pizzeria should be.
Next, I was amazed at the ornate wood fired pizza oven. Imported from Italy, it is, very attractive, yet functional. The entire restaurant was re-designed around the oven, once it had been installed.
Discover a taste of appizo, with the following video I created:
Before our pizzas had arrived, Jon F. and I cornered Stefan in the kitchen and hammered him with a whole range of questions. Stefan was gracious and polite as he answered each query.
He told us his philosophy of pizza. ("I love pizza. Always have, always will.") He also explained the pizza operation is a family effort with his brothers, Ben and Jeff making pizza and serving pizza. ("I couldn't do this without my brothers here".) The rest of the wait staff also has strong family ties.
He went into depth about his pizza influences. (He gave appreciation to: New York Pizza, Pepe's, authentic Neapolitan pizza as well as Legend of Pizza, Chris Bianco and noted pizzaiolo, Anthony Mangieri (Pizza Blog, February 2009)
He discussed his struggles to find just the right combination of dough and pizza ingredients. (He uses 100% Caputo flour, and a five stage reverse osmosis water filter).
Amazingly, he also kiln dries his wood. This is done to get all of the moisture out of the wood. In this video, Stefan discusses the imported wood fired oven:
Jon F. and I peppered him with so many questions, that by the time we were finished with the interview, our party had nearly comsumed all of our ordered pizzas.
Not to worry explained Stefan, as he personally created a Margherita and a Prosciutto and Arugula so we could taste the pizzas right out of the oven.
The pizzas were in a word, simply amazing.
The crust, the crust, the crust!
Slightly charred in spots, this added to the pizza experience. The fact the dough is given a 48 hour ferment, was clearly evident. Light, airy, tasty, with a full flavor.
You read it here first: Stefan Ambrosch is one of the rising super stars of pizza. He is a young gun, and that's a fact. I predict that his pizza will just get better and better.
Given the fact that Stefan, is able to share his responsibilites and passion for pizza with his brothers, ensures his longevity.
You can visit the apizzo Pizzeria Napoletana website, to find directions and more information. Jon F. and I will be releasing more of the interview with Stefan in the near future, so stay tuned.
If you are planning to go on your own pizza quest, I want to encourage you to visit: apizzo Pizzeria Napoletana. You will not be disappointed. And if you go now, you may not have to wait in line.
This is the kind of pizzeria, where, people will gladly wait in line for this amazing pizza.
Apizzo
59 West Broad Street
Pawcatuck, CT 06379
860-599-2222
Monday: (Closed)
Tuesday - Friday: 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11:30 am to 9:30 pm
pizza in Pawcatuck, Good Will to Westerly,
albert
Pizza Therapy
I was with Al on our visit to Apizzo and yes indeed the pizza there is extrordinary. However, several times over the past few days there has been a discussion of will people appreciate the quality of the pizza. It is an example of "there is no accounting for people's tastes." The cunundrum in my mind arises over quality and authenticity contrasted with a certain leveling of people's tastes. You see Apizzo pizza and Pepe's style pizza is cooked in very hot ovens and there may be some charred areas on the crust. Some people cannot tolerate that despite the fact that the pizza tastes fantastic. I hesitate to call these pizzas "gourmet" because in fact they are more authenitic to the origins of pizza than say Pizza Hut pizza. I realize that tastes differ. Some like a thin, crispy Neopolitan style pie, others like a thick crusted Sicilian style pie. My problem is I like the Apizzo pie and want to them thrive in the marketplace so I can indulge my hunger for what I most enjoy in pizza eating.
ReplyDeletei would love to try this place out
ReplyDeleteI can't say enought about apizzo. Try it and you will not be disappointed.
ReplyDeletealbert
Pizza Therapy is pizza