What I Got: Regina Margherita Pizza, Cacio E Pepe Pizza, Nutella Pizza

Price: $$$

Location: NYC

Review:

San Matteo is an authentic Italian restaurant with incredible Neapolitan-style pizza made in a wood-fired oven.  The most important part of a Neapolitan style pizza is the crust.  San Matteo makes the perfect puffy and airy, yet chewy crust with a perfectly thin layer of dough in the center of the pizza.  The crust has gorgeous air bubbles and “leopard spotting” from the wood-fired oven while remaining tender on the inside.  It is the best Neapolitan pizza crust I’ve had in NYC.  Their toppings are equally as delicious and fresh with a variety of incredible pizza and sandwich options. 

Regina Margherita Pizza – The Regina Margherita Pizza includes tomato sauce, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano.  This pizza is your typical Margherita pizza taken to the next level.  The tomato sauce is fresh and flavorful alongside the fresh basil which compliments the sauce with its savory, herby goodness.  The buffalo mozzarella is melty and rich, and the parmigiano reggiano adds a layer of complexity with its sharp flavor.  Both cheeses meld beautifully with the tomato sauce.  The cherry tomatoes are juicy and bright.  They add freshness and texture to the pizza which I find creates a more exciting and flavorful bite.  I usually find margherita pizzas boring, but this pizza is packed with flavor and complexity.  It is so delicious it’s impossible not to devour the whole thing on my own.

Cacio E Pepe Pizza – The Cacio E Pepe Pizza includes dry cured pancetta, caciocavallo cheese, and fresh cracked pepper.  It may sound simple due to the few ingredients, but it is a unique pizza.  The way it is made creates sections of melty cheese, crisp cheese, and creamy cheese similar to the sauce on cacio e pepe pasta. This is achieved by putting ice cubes on the pizza, so the melted ice cubes and cheese create a “sauce” together.  The different textures and luxurious cheese make the pizza unique and delicious.  The layer of cheese is thin, so it is not overly rich.  The bits of pancetta add excellent salty and savory flavor.  The fresh cracked pepper gives the pizza a gorgeous kick of rich, flavorful spice that brings together the cacio e pepe flavor.  If you are a fan of cacio pepe pasta, you must try this pizza.

Ortolano Panuozzo – The Ortolano Panuozzo is a sandwich with homemade mozzarella, grilled eggplant, roasted peppers, and baby arugula on a fresh pizza-style bread.  I am a huge fan of eggplant, especially on sandwiches.  This sandwich was everything I hoped for.  The eggplant is grilled to tender perfection.  There is the ideal amount on the sandwich, so the eggplant shines through while melding with the other ingredients.  The mozzarella is warm and melty.  It compliments the eggplant beautifully and gives the sandwich just enough richness.  The roasted peppers are sweet and juicy while the arugula is fresh, bright, and peppery.  The bread is fresh with great texture and the perfect hint of saltiness.  All the flavors come together to create an amazing sandwich!

Nutella Pizza – The Nutella Pizza is a dessert pizza slathered in sweet, melty Nutella.   It’s like Nutella on toast taken to the next level.  The pizza crust is gorgeous as always with a hint of salty flavor that balances out the sweet Nutella.  The Nutella is beautifully warm, sweet, melty, chocolaty, and nutty.  Do you like pizza?  Do you like Nutella?  Then get this pizza.  You won’t regret it.