What do Italians eat in New York? Lobster rolls, burgers, hot dogs, bagels, crab legs, and exquisite meat. But also pizza. Yes, the same thing they often ate up to the day they left. Because they still miss it while on vacation. And after trying a few classic New York slices – especially with pepperoni – they couldn’t resist the call of home. So here we are, walking along 12th Street to taste the Neapolitan pizza at Ribalta (and a dose of that Italian spirit transplants to New York can’t live without). Italian expats flock here to watch the Italian Serie A soccer games, to meet up before going out, and above all, to feel at home. Once inside, we immediately understood why.
We were received with a warm welcome from restaurateur Rosario Procino and chef and pizza maker Pasquale Cozzolino, who bring us back to Italy with their spontaneity and lack of excessive pleasantries. Everything in here is Italian, from the language spoken in the dining room to the menu, with dishes besides pizza and authentic ingredients such as Piennolo cherry tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, Prosciutto di Parma, burrata and fior di latte mozzarella.
“We search for the right ingredients obsessively. That’s how we overcame one of the main problems we had when we first opened here in America. The products we needed weren’t available because chefs weren’t asking for them. Those looking for ingredients to make pizza didn’t know how to choose from among the products offered by importers. Our menu has certain products, such as Piennolo grape tomatoes from Vesuvius, which are a real gem because they’re rare even in Italy. We discovered we could import them here six years ago, and we’ve been using them to make spaghetti with tomato sauce ever since. And because of this there was also a media frenzy, in the sense that once we had the right product in our hands, we wanted to make the best possible dish. We tried 20 different types of spaghetti on the market to see which one went best with this type of grape tomato. We chose a pasta factory that exports exclusively to us, because it was the only one that could supply us with the “spaghettone doppio,” which from a textural point of view is perfect when served al dente with the Piennolo cherry tomatoes and their skins.”
Even New York Magazine noticed this level of detailed attention to ingredients, and in addition to nominating Ribalta’s spaghettoni al pomodoro the best in the city, it also shared the ingredients that make this dish special with its readers.
You’re probably wondering if we tried it, too. The answer is simple: no, we wanted pizza. We really, really wanted pizza, even better if Neapolitan. This means round with a diameter no greater than 14 inches and a soft, fragrant, unburnt crust 1/2-inch to an inch thick. To play it safe, we ordered the best of the best: the Margherita STG with tomato sauce, fior di Latte mozzarella imported from Naples, and basil. And it was fantastic. One bite and we were in Italy. Two bites and we were in Naples.
When we finally reopened our eyes (and finished the pizza), we barely had time to compliment Pasquale and Rosario before another pizza was plopped down in front of us. This time “alla pala” with cherry tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and a finishing touch of buffalo mozzarella. With fresh ingredients and a light dough, it reminded us of summers by the shore when we would grab slices directly off the pizza peel (aka the “pala”) and devour them while watching the sun disappear behind the sea. But we were in New York, and after this meal, we went to see the sun disappear behind the Empire State Building, illuminated with the colors of the rainbow to celebrate Pride.
Photos by Sabina Montevergine