PHOTOS: JAMES BUCK
Slicing It Twice « P.42
“We like to keep it a little hot,” Pizzutillo said. “It gives that crust a nice pop; we call croutons crunchy but not too hard. A crock it a little kiss.” of meatballs ($9; Erceg’s grandmother’s Pizzutillo and Strand, 28, moved from recipe), smothered in red sauce and melty Philadelphia to Monkton in the spring of 2017 housemade mozzarella, balanced fluffy after working for about a decade at Philly lightness gleaned from a dollop of ricotta restaurants. Investing in a pizzeria, Pizzuwith the heft of the pork and beef. tillo told me later, “was always our dream.” No one could argue with the wings ($7 They opened Ida six weeks ago in the to $12), which were tossed in a tingly, frombeautifully renovated former home of Very scratch Buffalo sauce the chef learned Pepperoni-and-sausage Merry Theatre. Ida is itself a merry little to make as a teenager. Its secret, Erceg square pie at Pizza 44 theater, with its cathedral ceiling painted confided, is lots of butter. slate blue, lighting by Conant Metal & We were half full by the time our pizzas Light, music by the Dead, and dialogue by arrived, but we enjoyed them anyway. The Pizzutillo and the lucky bit players sitting Neapolitan-style crusts were properly blisat his counter. tered and chewy. The toppings were agreeThe theme of the show, of course, is able enough, though all at my table noted food — and the star is pizza made by Pizzuthat a cheddar-apple-bacon number ($18 tillo with a purity of purpose. His dough is for a large) could have used a little somenaturally leavened, his sauce made with thing more — ranch dressing? We unanimported San Marzano tomatoes and sea Fall greens salad at Pizzeria Ida salt. Toppings are limited and change up, imously praised a puffy deep-dish pie Chef Steve Erceg topped with pepperoni, sausage, onion and at Pizza 44 with choices including garlic, roasted shalpeppers ($17). lot, pepperoni and anchovy. Last week, Erceg explained that each The pies come in two styles: Neapolitan, new batch of pizza dough is leavened with its thin and crispy crust, and a square with a poolish — baker lingo for any preSicilian made from a three-flour dough blend that is aged for a few days before fermented dough made with a pinch or more of commercial yeast. becoming pizza. This imbues the bread “Our first batch of dough is in every with flavor, for a result that reminded me batch of dough,” the chef said, when asked of the simple but mouthwatering tomato how his crust differs from others around pies at the Italian Market in Philly. “It gets back to doing things in a slower town. “We use three-day-old dough as our starter, but we’re using flour, water and way,” Pizzutillo said. “It creates a much yeast like everybody else.” more beautiful, natural, living bread that H.P.E. old-world people are used to.” Owners Erika Strand and Ida will serve take-out pizza if it has boxes, Dan Pizzutillo at Pizzeria Ida but Pizzutillo said the pizza is made to eat in-house, where it tastes better. In addition to the pizza bar by the kitchen, the restaurant 662 Riverside Ave., Burlington, has one near the front door and two tables. A instagram.com/idapizzapies pizza and salad will serve two people, though Pizzeria Ida in Burlington’s Old North End I could probably eat a Neapolitan by myself. has no Facebook page, no phone number A round pie costs $15 to $18, and a square one and no website. It’s located in a parking lot $24 to $28, plus toppings. off Riverside Avenue, with no sign pointing Salads ($12), snacks such as olives and to it and none on the building. (The name is artichoke ($8) and escarole and bean etched in the glass on the door.) ($10), and sweet offerings such as houseBut I knew I’d found Ida, which I scoped baked pie made with Ploughgate Creamout during off-hours, when I heard a voice ery butter and Yates Family Orchard apples calling to me: “Hey, how long are you going ($8 per slice) shuffle on and off the menu. to be there?” Its permanent features include a cheeseThe question concerned my car and and-tomato calzone ($22) and a margherita where I had parked it. “Just a couple of pizza with buffalo mozzarella ($18). minutes,” I said, tracing the voice to the window. “I’m I hadn’t had a bite of his pizza, and I was already a “We get bored,” Pizzutillo said. “We have a new salad looking for a pizza place.” fan. My affection grew with each of my two visits to Ida. on the menu: arugula and baby kale, salt-roasted beets, I returned that night with my daughter and beer. (Ida is baby artichokes, local apples … We like to have a well“That’s us,” Dan Pizzutillo said. I’d already figured that out. Pizzutillo and his partner, BYOB.) We took a seat at the counter facing the blue-tiled, dressed salad to pop in your mouth.” Erika Strand, are from Philadelphia, and I’m intimately wood-fired pizza oven that was imported from Naples. While you won’t find Ida on Facebook, you can check familiar with that city’s tradition of yelling at strangers This gave us a front-row view of the pizza-making coun- out pictures and hours (Wednesday through Saturday about parking. ter and a chance to engage in Philly-style banter with starting at 5 p.m.) on Instagram. I told Pizzutillo I wanted to know if they’d be open Pizzutillo. You’ll know you’re in the right place if the dough man later that day but couldn’t find their phone number. Along the way, we ate a divine Caesar salad — Inter- comments from within about where you park, you find the “We don’t have a phone,” he told me. “We like to talk vale-grown lettuce with bits of bacon and Parmesan, space inside clean and contemporary, and the soundtrack to people.” dressed in olive oil, egg and anchovies — and devoured a is Dead-forward. I’m grateful for all of it. No Facebook, either? I checked. “I’m 31 years old, and blistery, chewy pepperoni-and-shallot pizza that emerged S.P. I’ve never used Facebook,” he said. from the 900-degree oven in 90 seconds.
BOTH PLACES EXPRESS PRIDE IN MAKING NEARLY EVERYTHING FROM SCRATCH — WITH AS MANY LOCAL INGREDIENTS AS POSSIBLE.
PIZZERIA IDA
44
SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 7-14, 2018