This top-notch pie puts the cheese on bottom.
Gennaro’s Tomato Pie proves that time machines do exist. Open the door to Gennaro’s, walk through the curtains, and you’re instantly transported to a 1940s pizza shop. The genuine vintage ’40s propaganda posters adorning the walls, timeworn radios blaring big–band swing and antique chairs from the original Lombardi’s pizza shop in New York make it hard to remember that it’s 2013, not 1943.Gennaro’s appetizers offer a tantalizing preview to the pies. Aside from fresh ingredients, Gennaro’s salads ($7.50–$8) have two unique elements: croutons made from baked pizza crusts and a noteworthy dressing. Simplicity is key, according to owner Mike Giammarino, who revealed that the house salad’s dressing is only an oil and vinegar mixture.
For an appetizer, we ordered the meatballs ($5). Although intimidating at first, the two large meatballs covered in a rich tomato sauce were gone instantly.
We tried two pies: the classic tomato with pepperoni, and a white pizza with spinach and pancetta, both on thin, well–made crusts. Thin crust pizzas are risky, and I’ve eaten one too many that taste like pizza sauce slathered over a saltine cracker. However, Gennaro’s method for success lies in its unique oven system, which replicates the effect of a brick oven but uses electricity in place of coal, resulting in a crispy, chewy crust that complements the toppings.
The white pizza is topped with a mix of whole milk mozzarella, ricotta and romano, with the pancetta adding the perfect touch of savoriness to the otherwise more simply–flavored cheeses and spinach. But the star of the show was the pride of the restaurant, the classic tomato pie. It was a great example of the variety that results from the construction of the tomato pie (cheese first, then the sauce is drizzled over): each bite was unique and delicious, and each mouthful was dominated by a different flavor, rotating between the tangy basil–infused sauce, warm cheese or a bit of chewy pepperoni goodness.
As good as the pies are, you have to save room for dessert. Gennaro’s serves house made, authentic American–style desserts, not your ad nauseum tiramisu or zeppoli. If you want something rich and creamy, go with the chocolate cream sponge cake ($5) (a recipe passed down from Gimmarino’s grandmother), or if you’re more for tangy and sweet, go for the pineapple upside down cake ($6.50).
Gennaro's doesn't try to make pizza more than it is. Rather, the pizzeria's strength is in the details.
Gennaro's Tomato Pie 1429 Jackson St. @GennaroTomatoPi (215) 463–5070
Don't Miss: The namesake pie Skip: Salad, obviously $
