At A Mano, Pizza Still Reigns Supreme

A Mano–"by hand" in Italian–has been turned into a Neapolitan trattoria, but as soon as you walk in and see those wonderful twin, wood-fired ovens with chimneys rising two stories through the ceiling, you think pizza.

And there are 28 of them on the menu, though manager Greg Stott said a new menu is in the works and the number of pizza offerings will probably be reduced in favor of other dishes, some created by visiting Neapolitan chefs.

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But while there will be more meat and fish entrees on the new menu, A Mano is one of only three U.S. restaurants to get a certificate authenticity from both sets of Italian "Pizza police"–the Verace Pizza Napolentana and The Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani.

These two trade groups certify that the pizza meets the official standard based on the style of pizza developed by a 19^th Century Neapolitan chef named Raffaele Esposito.

Various types of flatbread with toppings had been popular in Mediterranean countries since the middle ages, but in the late 19^th century, Esposito made the first "Pizza Margherita" to honor the Italian queen's visit to Naples. It's topping of mozzarella, basil and tomatoes represents the colors of the Italian flag.

And, as I was soon to learn, it is quite different in texture from typical American pizzas or the thin-crusted, crisp pies made famous by Wolfgang Puck a couple of decades ago.

On a recent visit, we started with a plate of calamari, which was good if not great, and a very nice A Mano mesclun salad with roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, parmiaggiano dressed in oil and balsamic vinegar.

For a main course, my partner chose pappardelle with alfredo sauce and asked the young waiter if it could be topped with some grilled chicken. He hesitated just a second and then said sure. He was a very good waiter.

The chicken and sauce were very good. The pasta, however, had not had quite enough stirring during the cooking and my partner found large lumps of stuck together strands which are not easy to eat. (Every kitchen has an off night and I think they are more likely on Monday, when restaurants are not busy.)

Eyeing those wonderful ovens, I, of course, chose pizza, the Margherita with mushrooms. To me, the crust tasted a bit "soggy" and I couldn't believe I would eat the whole thing, but I did. There was nothing left for lunch the next day.    

For dessert, we picked up a pair of gelato cones as we left, and they turned out to be really, really good, smooth as silk and infused with our chosen flavors, strawberry and vanilla. I don't eat gelato often and this may be the best I've ever had.

In a later interview with Stott, I asked him about the pizza dough and got my lesson in Italian versus American pies. He winced when I described the pie as soggy, saying, "We prefer to call it soft and pliable. If it is crispy, it's burnt." 

Pizza Chef (Pizzaiuolo) Moises Reinoso gave us a lesson in pie making Italian style, sliding pies into the 1,000 degree oven, picking them up after a couple of minutes and putting them right back down in the same spot for a few more seconds to make sure the bottom is lightly charred and then raising them up to cook in the higher, hotter, part of the oven.

"A Mano is all about authenticity," Stott explained. It is owned by six Italians who are all in the food business. And A Mano diners can pick up their own supplies of the imported Caputo flour and San Marzano tomatoes used in the pizza. Individual packages line the back dining room used for private parties. (There is also a balcony above the main dining room.)

The pictures lining the walls show the restaurant's original pizza chef, who now has his own restaurant in Manhattan, turning a dough ball into a pie. All of the inlaid tiles and the tables and chairs are from Italy.

A Mano is also a very kid friendly place with high chairs and booster chairs and we've gone there with parties of adults and children and had a good time. Some of the salads and appetizers are pricey, but on Mondays and Tuesdays, A Mano has a good two for one deal for entrees.

As for the authentic Italian pizza, I found it an easily acquired taste. 

Food: Very Good

Service:  Excellent

Entrée Price Range: $8.99 - $24.95

Atmosphere: Friendly

BYOB

Credit Cards Accepted

OpenTable: No