Return to Sorbillo on the Bowery NYC for Pizza

I went to Sorbillo Pizzeria on the Bowery in NYC when it first opened.  Together with a friend, Michele and I had  three different pizzas. Michele liked them better than I did, but even she did not think they were that good. Then last month I was invited by Roberto Caporusio of Keste Wall Street to celebrate Neapolitan pizza being granted World Heritage Status by the United Nations. Roberto invited pizzaioli from NYC and other parts of the country.

Pizzaioli: Pietro Nesi, Antonio Esposito and Geggè Cozzolino

I noticed that one of the pizzaioli was from Sorbillo on the Bowery in NYC. I watched him as he made a pizza and when it came out of the oven I went over and had a slice or two. It was wonderful and I asked him his name and he said it was Geggè Cozzolino and he was from Naples. I told him next time I come to Sorbillo I wanted him to make my pizza. He said he would, but I should not come on Monday as it is his day off.

Yesterday Michele and I and 3 friends went to Sorbillo for lunch and Geggè made the pizza for us.  It was wonderful.

Geggè

Geggè with the Margarita

 

The Margarita — classic Neapolitan pie with tomato, mozzarella fior di latte and basil.

Folded pizza stuffed with escarole, olives, cheese and pine nuts.

Pizza with Pancetta and Nduja, a spicy sausage, and cheese

Bologna style, with Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, tomatoes and mozzarella.

Other than the Margarita, we let Geggè decide which pizzas to make for us.  Everybody agreed on how good they were and we will be going back soon.

We brought our own wine and it was a perfect combination with the pizzas.  A Toscana Rosso, Fontefossoli  2014, the wine is made from 60% Montepulciano and 40% Ciliegiolo and the vineyard is certified organic. This is an easy drinking wine with nice red fruit aromas and flavors. The producer is Ceccherini.

Pizza Fritta in NYC

Twenty years ago there was only one pizzeria serving Neapolitian pizza in NYC and that was La Pizza Fresca. Since then, a number of others have opened including Keste, Don Antonio Starita, and Ribalta, to name just a few.

Now Zia Esterina Sorbillo by Neapolitan pizza expert Gino Sorbillo has opened on Mulberry Street in Little Italy. He also plans to open another location on the Bowery.

First a little background. At the moment Gino Sorbillo owns the most popular pizzeria in Naples located at Via dei Tribunali, 32. In February we tried to go there but the line was so long it blocked the street. Sorbillo has several locations in Naples including:

Gino Sorbillo Lievito Madre al Mare at Via Partenope, 1. New York’s Zia Esterina is a clone of Antica Pizza Fritta di Zia Esterina Sorbillo, Piazza Trieste e Trento 35 

The NYC shop is very small and you place your order and pay a man in front. You can stand at the counter and eat or grab a spot at one of the few small tables in the front of the shop or on the sidewalk outside.

I especially wanted to try the pizza fritta, which is not easy to come by in New York. It consists of a large sheet of dough folded over a filling and deep fried. Imagine a calzone, fried instead of baked.

Pizza Fritta varieties include:

Salame: Ricotta, Smoked Mozzarella, Salami, Organic Tomato, Black Pepper

Prosciutto Cotto: Ricotta, Smoked Mozzarella, Italian Ham, Organic Tomato, Black Pepper

Provola E Pomodpro: Smoked Mozzarella, Organic Tomato, Black Pepper

Michele and I shared the Salame version. She thought it could have been crisper and there was little flavor of the mozzarella and salame. I, however, liked it. 

They also have a regular pizza menu which we were not able to try:

Margherita: Mozzarella, Organic Tomato, Basil

Marinara: Organic Tomato, Garlic, Oregano

Little Italy: Ricotta. Smoked Mozzarella, Italian Ham, Salami, Black Pepper

We plan to return when we come back to New York from Copenhagen and try it again.