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By Doug Singer
This new West Village eatery has quickly and authoritatively thrown their hat in the ring as a true contender in the realm of world-class pizza establishments. Yes, it is that good... and for that reason alone, you should grab a pen and jot down their website, address, or simply the unassuming name they have given their welcomIng and family-driven eatery, Pizzetteria Brunetti. |
A refreshingly homey, yet modern space that is welcoming whether you are strolling in for a beer and appetizer at the bar, on a date, or something more significant. If you are like me, the atmosphere will grab you by the shirt and coax even the most wired of New Yorker's into a true state of ease.
Derived from only the finest, freshest ingredients, this knockout of a restaurant delivered from the get go. We started off with a couple of selections from their “Italian only” wine list. The Empire Builder (New York State) and the Grillo (Sicily) were available on tap and were an excellent pairing with an amazing selection of focaccia (olive, roasted garlic and tomato) and the screamingly fresh and seasonally correct Finocchio Salad (shaved fennel with fresh orange segments, taggiasca olives, arugula, EVOO and Sicilian sea salt).
Moving on, we delved into some additional wine selections including the Sannio Moscato (Santiquaranta, Campania, 2012) and the Barbera d’Alba (Elio, Altare Piedmont, 2012) to pair up with the Arancini (Italian rice balls made with saffron risotto, veal, pork and beef meat filling, peas and melted mozzarella) and the star of the appetizer round Grandma’s original recipe Mary’s Meatballs (Mary Brunetti’s 100% beef meatballs in an Italian tomato ragu, fresh sheep’s milk ricotta and basil)—a tremendous beginning to taste sensations that seemed to know no end.
Derived from only the finest, freshest ingredients, this knockout of a restaurant delivered from the get go. We started off with a couple of selections from their “Italian only” wine list. The Empire Builder (New York State) and the Grillo (Sicily) were available on tap and were an excellent pairing with an amazing selection of focaccia (olive, roasted garlic and tomato) and the screamingly fresh and seasonally correct Finocchio Salad (shaved fennel with fresh orange segments, taggiasca olives, arugula, EVOO and Sicilian sea salt).
Moving on, we delved into some additional wine selections including the Sannio Moscato (Santiquaranta, Campania, 2012) and the Barbera d’Alba (Elio, Altare Piedmont, 2012) to pair up with the Arancini (Italian rice balls made with saffron risotto, veal, pork and beef meat filling, peas and melted mozzarella) and the star of the appetizer round Grandma’s original recipe Mary’s Meatballs (Mary Brunetti’s 100% beef meatballs in an Italian tomato ragu, fresh sheep’s milk ricotta and basil)—a tremendous beginning to taste sensations that seemed to know no end.
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Let’s take a minute to breathe here. Wait for it… Yes the pizza! In this writer’s opinion, the execution of these masterpieces is peerless. Let’s start with the fact that the oven was built by an Italian artisan that brought over the bricks from Italy and constructed the gorgeous pizza oven on site. Rightfully named “Bella,” this scorchingly hot oven will cook to perfection your selection in 60-90 seconds.
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We started off with the signature Vongole (fresh shucked and chopped local Long Island clams on top of a garlic and herb butter sauce, with a fresh parsley finish). This was truly an epicurean fantasy— a briny and fresh mouthful, that drizzled with the house-made chili pepper infused olive oil, was truly addictive. Next up was the Spezie pizza (sautéed broccoli rabe, broccolini with spicy Italian sausage, on top of creamy house-made burrata cheese, hot peppers and chili pepper infused olive oil) and let’s just say “Wow!”
To finish off an amazing meal we were served orange zest laden Zeppole served with an ooey, gooey chocolate dipping sauce. This with a glass of sparkling d’Asti was enough to call the experience a dream come true and absolutely assure a return visit to my new favorite—Pizzetteria Brunetti.
www.pizzetteriabrunetti.co
To finish off an amazing meal we were served orange zest laden Zeppole served with an ooey, gooey chocolate dipping sauce. This with a glass of sparkling d’Asti was enough to call the experience a dream come true and absolutely assure a return visit to my new favorite—Pizzetteria Brunetti.
www.pizzetteriabrunetti.co