Perfect Pizza at Motorino 06.10.2011

You know how much I used to love the Atomica pizza at Pizzeria Paradiso before it started tasting generic.  You know that, right?  And you also know that Pizzeria Paradiso is not dead to me, but in a coma.  It will remain in a coma, but I am briefly resurrecting it as  a topic for this piece because I had pizza the other day that tasted exactly as the Atomica used to taste and as it should taste.  (For previous coverage on this issue, click HERE.)  

On Wednesday evening while I was in New York City for a cloud computing conference, I met up with our family friend, Roberto, at Motorino Pizza in the East Village.  Eric has known Roberto since he was born; I have known him since his Bar Mitzvah.  Roberto is now a writer for the Food Network and Cooking Channel, and just interviewed Flavor Flav about...recipes?!  Yes.  That's right.

The restaurant filled up quickly.  We talked the entire time, pausing from time to time to quietly appreciate the food.  

I started with the Fire Roasted Red Peppers in olive oil, parsley, capers, and olives.  There were yellow and orange peppers, too.  I can't resist bell peppers, especially the roasted variety.  They could have been roasted a minute or two more, but I was content.  

I asked our waiter for the spiciest pizza and he recommended the Soppressata Piccante, with mozzarella, spicy soppressata, garlic, and oregano.  I only have two words when I eat something this fabulous:  

1. Jesus, and

2. Christ

This is what the Atomica should be.  Really.  I'm serious.  But compared to what Motorino served up, Pizzeria Paradiso's Atomica tastes plastic.

The Soppressata Piccante was a thin-curst pizza, probably made for two people, but it was so delicious and spicy and delicious, I could not stop.  I asked that it be made extra spicy, but still added more pepper flakes, as one does when one is of Indian origin.  The dough and the ingredients tasted fresh, and the salt level was pure delight to my Indian-based heart.  Oy.  I should really watch that.  Note to self. 

Motorino East Village is a small space and you know how irritated I get when I'm in a room with bad acoustics, but the conversation and pizza were so good, it didn't matter.  The upshot of our conversation was that The Picture of Dorian Gray was badly developed, especially the end.  I suggested Oscar Wilde may have been in a rush to meet a publishing deadline.  Thoughts?

Motorino East Village

349 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10003
212-777-2644

What Happened to My Pizza? 12.31.2010

For the past 15 years, I’ve known one consistent pizza fact:  the Atomica pizza at Pizzeria Paradiso was the bomb.  It was.  It was meaty and salty and fiery with red pepper flakes.  A crust thick, soft, and crispy at once, and the tomatoes and salami and black olives crafted and baked to look like art.  Whenever I was with child, I would go there, find a corner seat so no one would see a pregnant woman devouring a large Atomica with extra red pepper flakes all by herself.  The babies demanded it – that’s how good the Atomica tastes.

The family and I went to Pizzeria Paridiso in Dupont Circle earlier this week for lunch and I was horrified to be presented with a pizza that lacked any element of what makes the Atomica a great pizza.  The crust was flat in flavor and texture – almost as if someone forgot the yeast or used the wrong flour.  The tomatoes, cheese, and other ingredients had smaller real estate on the dough – a clear sign of betrayal.    But to add insult to injury, there was less cheese and salami than usual.  It simply did not taste like the Atomica.

Eric is not a Pizzeria Paradiso fan, but indulges me from time to time.  He agreed the pizza was subpar.  Had I been alone I would have lingered and talked to the manager, but the two small children dining with us were about to lose it.  Super Boy was throwing food at people throughout the meal, which should have tipped me off.  He may be one-and-a-half, but he’s pretty brilliant.

For years I’ve tolerated the bad service at Pizzeria Paradiso because of the Atomica.  Before I end the relationship, however, I’m going to give it one more chance.  I plan to dine there in the next few weeks and will report back.  Because we all have bad days, right? I have them all the time.  I just don’t promise anyone consistent cheesy-meaty-pizza goodness.

The one bright spot to this week’s visit there was the wine.  I had a glass of the house white, which is the 2008 Monferrato Bianco.  Lovely.  It was neutral -- hence it being a house wine -- but if it had to lean anywhere, it was in the direction of a chardonnay.  At the restaurant, it sells for $6 a glass, and $20 for a bottle.  I’ve put it on the list of things to stock up on if I learn the world is coming to an end.