There are classic recipes that many restaurants in New York City have, but they don’t date back to over five centuries ago. Can you actually make something from that long ago and make it not only modern, but taste good? This was the test that I experienced when I hopped on bus and headed to the East Village to dine and dish at Tramonti Pizza, located at 130 St. Mark’s Place.
Owned and headed by Chef Giovanni Vittorio Tagliafierro, Tramonti Pizzeria goes beyond the norm of what good Italian cuisine can be with his inventive dishes, many of which I have never tried before. And coming from someone who has had his fair share of delicious and authentic Italian food, that is truly saying a lot.
Chef Giovanni provided myself and a guest with three unique and absolutely heavenly dishes that show what a force he is when it comes to providing Italian cuisine in the best way possible. This goes for the pizza, pasta, and dessert where for the first time I had a chocolate dish with, get ready for this… eggplant!
The first dish that we were presented with was their ‘Ndunderi, a kind of gnocchi made with fresh ricotta, considered to be by UNESCO “one of the oldest types of pasta in the world”. With some of the best sauce I have ever had, the nnunderi was a great example of a gnocci with a twist, and given how cold the weather is getting out there, was a great dish to warm you up and keep you satisfied.
I have always been a huge fan of the calzone, but I have never seen one presented this majestically to me that it almost made me shed a tear. The Calzone Tramonti is one for the ages, and for your mouth to devour, as it comes with light tomato pulp, smoked provola, mozzarella, hot soppressata and black pepper. Hands down the best calzone I have ever had in my entire life, and I really do mean that. When you combine some incredibly fresh and authentic cheeses with a meat as incredible as the soppressata inside the breadiness that comes with a calzone, then you have no other choice but to open wide and be happy with the end result.
Now, onto the Chocolate Eggplant for dessert, or as it’s properly called “melanzane dolci” which translates to “sweet eggplant.” This may be a acquired taste for some, but not for me, as I really thought I was just going to eat an overtly sweet eggplant but that couldn’t be far from the case. They really did a good job of blending both, where neither overpowered the other, and I would definitely go back for seconds as it was out of this world fantastic.
For more information on Tramonti Pizza, please check out their official website.