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Spacca Napoli
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On an unassuming corner just a short walk from where I live, in the shadow of the elevated roadbed of a commuter rail line, you can find one of Chicago's newest jewels. Named for the street that divides Naples in two, Spacca Napoli is a cheerful place that is heavy on tiled surfaces and wood and that generates so much happy chatter that hearing what the person across the table from you is saying can be a chore. If you're tempted to doubt the authenticity of what you're about to eat, stop just before you enter. In the window is a handwritten letter from a one-time Naples resident. When she first ate Spacca Napoli's pizza, she says, tears came to her eyes, because it was like being home. Naples, of course, is the birthplace of pizza. And there's no guarantee that a native of Naples would even recognize American products as being pizza. The dough is different there, the toppings too. And then there's the oven. The owner of Spacca Napoli spent years in Naples, and what he serves is the real deal. As of now, it's the only authentic Neapolitan pizza in all of Chicago. Part of the secret is in the dough, and I'm not enough of an expert concerning flour and yeast to tell you how that works. But a big part is the oven, and Spacca Napoli has one hell of a big wood burning oven that Jonathan Goldsmith, the owner, imported piece by piece from Italy. Hot? After the restaurant has been shut all night, the oven retains residual warmth. The pizza you eat is fresh out of that oven, and it's only been there a few minutes. In Naples, pizza is street food, and it's carried in hand, folded up. So don't expect the crust at Spacca Napoli to be crisp. But it's agreeably charred in spots, and it's full of hill and valleys and crispy blistered bubbles. The pizzas are very simple, consisting of combinations of a few basic cheeses and meats, plus arugala and a few other items. You will find five pizzas with tomatoes, five without and a few specials. Add about a dozen appetizers and almost as many wines, and you can do the entire menu on one page with space to spare. The pies themselves are individually sized. If you're not super hungry, one will do you. If you have a bit more appetite, share an appetizer with a friend. I've never been in Naples, but the arugala and mozzarella pizza tasted a lot like what I had in Florence. That is: it tasted good. In less than a year, imitators are bound to spring up. In the meantime, come to Chicago and, while you're here, visit Naples. Spacca Napoli |
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