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The
simplest of ideas, and an ancient one, that of flat bread topped
with various herbs and ingredients. In the Italian mezzogiorno,
pizza, like its northern cousin polenta, was once a dish
associated with the poor, street food thought to be unfit for a
proper bourgeois kitchen. In the Middle East, lahmacun,
made from flat bread topped with minced meat and sprinkled with
lemon juice, is a staple throughout Turkey, Syria, and
Lebanon. Manaeesh bi'za'atar, popular in Arab
countries, is made simply from dough topped with the fragrant
mixture of spices called za'atar. To diehard Napoletani,
only Pizza Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil) and Pizza
Marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil) qualify as
true Italian pizza.
eCognoscente
recently dined at Roberta's
in
Bushwick, where the allure lies in the ingenious mixture of
sometimes uncommon ingredients. The inventive menu is
constantly changing…and on the night we visited, we tried four
pizzas, each one cooked to crusty perfection: The Hawk
(topped with ramps, pepperoncini oil, ricotta, parmigiano, and
breadcrumbs); a classic Margherita, the Axl Rosenberg
(mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, double-garlic jalapenos, and
soppresata); and the Specken Wolf (speck, mushrooms,
oregano, onions, mozzarella). The
large former warehouse has been converted into a warm space with
exposed beams, with long old wood tables and an assortment of
flea-market chairs -- and there's outdoor seating and a beer
garden as well. Roberta's is owned by musician
Chris Parachini and his partners and co-chefs, Brandon Hoy and
Carlo Mirarchi; Parachini imported the brick oven from
Italy. You might justifiably think that you've taken a wrong
turn as you approach the restaurant's graffiti-covered brutalist
gray brick wall at 261
Moore Street, located in a neighborhood of
old factories and converted lofts. It's a minute's walk from the L
train Morgan Ave. stop, and, we think, well worth the gastronomic
trip….!
Eat:
Roberta's
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