PIZZA REVIEW: Sottocasa

My search for the best pizza in New York continues….

Like so many places out there in the wilds of New York, I should have visited this place a long time ago. Sottocasa is one of those neighborhood spots that has quietly been praised and packed by locals and has even expanded to Harlem. But the original is a modest little subterranean restaurant steps away from the brownstones of Cobble Hill.

I’ve been giving tours of this neighborhood for years but by the time I finish, Sottocasa has not yet opened for dinner. Finally the timing was right and I walked in just as they opened. A mother and her young son had beat me to it, but there was more than enough seating in the restaurant.

Normally I would order the traditional Margherita as a base to review their pies. But it was cold out and I was craving something a little saltier and meatier, so I had to find a pizza with meat. I thought the Salsiccia would do the trick and since it had mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil in addition to hot sausage, I thought it wouldn’t be too far off from the Margherita.

The spicy sausage came nestled between giant globs of mozzarella. There wasn’t much restraint here with the pizza. I found it rather sloppy and muddied – a bit different than the more refined Neapolitan pies in the city.

That being said, it tasted pretty good. The dough was excellent, but I thought it could have used a deeper char in places. I also found the tomatoes to be a little too acidic and heavy. And while it is common to be light-handed with the basil, I was hoping for more than one sprig.

Perhaps it was an off-night or I should have ordered my usual Margherita. If you’ve never had true Neapolitan pizza or are not as fussy about your pizza, you will probably love your experience at Sottocasa. It’s a nice place to have in these neighborhoods, but I’ve had better Italian pies elsewhere.

It’s too bad I didn’t come here months (or even years) earlier because I bet they were on fire in the early days. I wonder if the expansion has caused some of the details to slip away. So while the pizza was good but imperfect, I’ll take some of the blame on this one for not coming sooner.

Is Sottocasa the best pizza in NY? This is a nice cozy spot and I think they know what they’re doing, but my pie was lacking just a bit. It gets a 6 out of 10but might be higher on another day or at a previous time.