Antico Pizza Napoletana– in pictures
My friend PT, aka the pizza enabler, invited me to lunch at Antico. I had never been so I jumped at the opportunity. That was Friday. I’ve been back twice since. To say it was the most fun lunch would be an understatement. Giovanni was not only the most gracious host — he’s funny, witty, and absolutely passionate about his craft. Lunch that day was more like a seminar on pizza making. I could probably open my own pizza joint afterward, armed with all his pizza-making “secrets”. But then again, yeah right — I can’t even bake to save my life!
First, it’s all about the ingredients: specially milled flour and authentic San Marzano tomatoes (canned within 4 hours of harvest with each can having a serial number and necessary seals/certificates) imported directly from Italy, fresh ingredients, delicious cured meats, extra virgin olive oil, all contribute to the makings of a great pizza. Then, the dough. It is a work of science in itself. The consistency is adjusted depending on the weather. Finally, the oven. At over 1000 degrees, the pies are baked an average of 60 seconds. The result, a masterpiece — the dreamiest pies ever — springy, crunchy crust with amazing char, gooey buffala cheese, outstanding pizza sauce, a bit of sogginess which is to be expected, and an excellent melding of sweet, spicy, salty flavors.
I have tasted all the pizzas but my absolute favorites are the San Gennaro and the Diavaola. In the San Gennaro, the spicy sausage chunks are tempered by grilled onions, the red peppers add sweetness, the buffala provides a chewy texture, and the crust supplies the canvas for the flavors to shine. While I do find the crust blandish on its own, it’s not really meant to be eaten as is, much like in Asian cuisine where you don’t really eat the steamed rice by itself.
The Diavaola combines spicy, garlicky sopressata, housemade peperonata, and fresh buffala. The sopressata is very tasty with the right amount of mild saltiness to it. The slices are thick enough to provide meatiness in a every bite. The peperonata is pleasantly spicy. Simply delicious.
While Giovanni does not allow you to customize your pizza, there’s a perfectly good reason to it. The ingredients on each type of pizza are designed to provide the best combination of flavors and textures, thus, the resulting pie is of the highest quality overall. Here’s a short video of Giovanni with a brief explanation:
To cap off a perfect meal, one must have perfect Italian espresso made from an old-fashioned maker. The coffee is strong and so good.
And what goes with espresso? House-made cannoli and sfogliatelle. Both are delectable and freshly made daily.
Lastly, some Limoncello. Also made in-house daily. Strong. Tart. Sweet.
Finally, it’s time to go. Verdict: pizza perfection made the old-fashioned, authentic, Italian way. As a parting shot here’s Giovanni with my moo card.
There are over 100 photos on this set. Click on the picture below or here to see more pictures:
The scoop:
Antico Pizza Napoletana
1093 Hemphill Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 724-2333
Technorati Tags: pizza, Midtown, Neapolitan, Westside Atlanta
digg
stumble
reddit
tag this
4 responses so far ↓
1 pizza in atlanta georgia // Nov 9, 2009 at 11:28 pm
wow I wish somebody would also cook for me….
2 First Impressions: Antico Pizza « Living In The LP // Apr 9, 2010 at 5:04 pm
[...] one size. I was taken aback by this at first, however an interview of the owner by Chloe from Chow Down Atlanta helped shed some light on this policy. Basically, he says that all of the pizzas at Antico are [...]
3 Jimmy Sobeck, Eat It Atlanta | A is for Atlanta // Feb 11, 2011 at 1:15 pm
[...] garlic, capicola, and Emmentaler cheese. I still think Varasano makes a better pie than the beloved Antico. Finally, we’d end up at Holeman & Finch for cocktails and many small plates, hopefully [...]
4 The Kids Are Alright, am1690 The Voice of The Arts | A is for Atlanta // Aug 15, 2011 at 2:30 pm
[...] science center, not museum, and you feel like you’ve driven far, far away. Last we stop by Antico Pizza (all other pizza is dead to me) and pick up a pie and some cannoli to take to the Starlight [...]
Leave a Comment