#88 – MONTANARA PIZZA at FORCELLA

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

Perhaps the most popular dish of all of last year was the Montanara pizza at Forcella. I’m a little embarrassed it didn’t make my Top 100 of 2010 since it made practically everybody else’s. But the truth is I never got around to visiting Forcella in Williamsburg in order to taste it.

Part of everybody’s excitement with the Montanara is that it’s a style of pizza we hadn’t really witnessed before in New York City. Forcella was the first, but now the montanara is on quite a few Neapolitan pizzeria menus in the city, including the first place I tried it, Don Antonio.

So what is it already? Basically, it’s fried pizza. You might imagine the ridiculousness that they serve at Chip Shop, where they batter and deep fry an entire slice of cheese pizza. That’s not what this.

This is the Italian way of deep frying a pizza. The dough is quickly dunked in oil, then topped with the margherita toppings of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil, then it’s finally all baked together.

It’s served as a smaller pie as the other pizzas here and that’s probably for the best. The dough is richer and heavier, but still amazingly greaseless. Biting into the bread reminds me of days at a carnival eating a funnel cake. There is a similar sweet crispness with a light, airy finish. It’s a unique texture, but I’m still not sure it necessarily enhances the pizza experience.

The sauce is tangy and sweet and the creamy mozzarella adds some moisture. But this pie is mostly about the dough, which is no doubt delicious but richer than most. I don’t think it’s one I would order on my own, but instead, something I’d like to introduce people to. It’s a welcome addition to the varied NYC pizza culture, but not something that I think will continue to top best pizza lists.

Would Forcella’s The Montanara make my Top 100 of the year? If it does, it’s strictly for being so special and different and to make people talk about it. The flavors are solid so it gets an 8 out of 10, but it’s not going to be a repeat order for me.