My friend got a surprise when this bruschetta pizza was delivered to our table at Osteria Procaccini in Kingston.
We’d been so busy chatting that it hadn’t really registered when the waitress made a point of saying it was an uncooked topping as my friend ordered it. The pizza is quite cool, therefore, although the crust and mozzarella under the topping had been baked in the brick oven, of course.
I tried a piece and loved the good burst of flavor from the pesto and balsamic reduction, but it was really too cold for my friend. (I can see this being real refreshing in the summer, though.)
But she took home the uneaten slices and reheated those in a frying pan the next day, re-crisping the crust and heating up the topping – much better! We also shared the La Pera (pear) salad, and I loved my il Tartufo di Gianni mushroom pizza. We even tried – and loved – the limoncello dessert on the menu, it is one of those pre-made Bindi desserts, gelato with a nugget of limencello in the middle, but thankfully, it was not served frozen rock hard, so there was a bit of softening which allows the flavors to really came out.
The Osteria remains my go-to place for great pizza, and I’m so glad I live nearby. I love DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies too, but it’s a long way to Robbinsville, and really too far on a work night.
By the way, check out Michael Evan’s short film Naturally Risen, on Vimeo, featuring master pizzaiola Anthony Mangieri at work with his dough!
NJ SPICE 