SOME SPECIAL SEASONAL EATS

Just a quick update: We have been running some wonderful seasonal specials which will continue for another week or so.

The first, Il Granchio, from Nate Appleman of San Francisco’s celebrated A16 restaurant, has been a hit. Using soft shell crabs from Maryland, not the Dungeness of the Pacific, we sautée them with extra virgin olive oil, white wine, and lemon. Rapini with a touch of anchovy is placed over garlic bruschetta and then topped with these delicate, delicious gifts of the Chesapeake Bay.

Fiori di Zucca are another special treat which bring a smile to those familiar with them. The blossoms of the zucchini are filled with ricotta and other treats. They are then lightly battered, fried, and sprinkled with a touch of salt. Another item to make its way into our kitchen is Bietole. From my aunt Joyce Goldstein’s cookbook, Kitchen Conversations, Bietole is a wonderful summer salad consisting of Treviso radicchio, oven roasted beets, a warm pancetta vinaigrette, and crumbled goat cheese. As in past summers, when the honeydew has achieved its sweetness, we pair it with our Greci and Folzani prosciutto crudo. Come try them while they are still on the menu!

Si mangia bene a Spacca Napoli!

Buona Estate!

SEPTEMBER BEGINNINGS

After almost two weeks of pause, we are about to refire the oven. I am excited to get back in the dough room, to begin thinking once again of our pizze, antipasti, wine and sweets. I am excited to have the staff return, to see many of you who have come in on a regular basis and to make new acquaintances as well. It has truly been a pleasure to see our community grow.

I find taking a break helpful. The opportunity to rest and reflect allows me a moment to focus more clearly on what we are trying to do with Spacca Napoli. None of this would have happened without my and my family having had experienced the good life of the Mediterranean. I have tried to share some of those qualities that seem to make that life special and enjoyable: good food and wine, a slower pace, a celebration of both young and old. I have tried my best to select worthy cheeses, oils and vinegars, to put forth fresh ingredients that my aunt Joyce Goldstein, a continuing inspiration, (see www.JoyceGoldstein.com) would describe as “simple and unpretentious.”

Pizza is a wonderful thing. It is simple to prepare. With just a few ingredients, you can have something dance in your mouth, even make you cry. It can be eaten at the table

or on the street, by yourself or with a large group. Watching the hands of those who extend the dough and work the oven is a thing of beauty. There is art in those motions.

I am appreciative of my pizzaiuoli (pizza makers) and the others who help me put food on the table. Every day I feel want to start at the beginning. I am always asking about the dough; how it feels, performs, tastes. There are many styles, all are good.

DE GUSTIBUS NON DISPUTANDUIUM EST. TASTE IS NOT TO BE DISPUTED. Over the past two years, several artisanal pizzerias have opened, I am proud to be one of them.

It is my wish to learn more of this wonderful way of being.. In our first week open this fall Roberto Caporuscio of the Associazioni Pizzaiuoli Napoletani will be in residence. I look forward to his guidance, his gentle voice and soft touch. I want Roberto to look at our hands, how we touch the dough, how we add ingredients that give life to the pies we make. There is constant discussion about the nuances, of taste, texture, the feel of the dough, its resilience, its air… For me, its all about passion; to share something good, to enjoy all those who come in. I have a lot to learn, I have only just begun. During the latter half of October I will travel once again to the Gargano in Puglia, Napoli and the Cilento further south in Campania. It is always my desire to taste something new, to deepen my understanding of what I have already experienced. Thank you all for your support and kindness. My apologies to those for whom I have not done enough.

GREETINGS AND BUON ANNO!

I would like to thank all of our customers and friends for making 2007 a wonderful year. As our 2nd anniversary approaches on February 14 and we begin our third year there is so much to celebrate and look forward to. We are grateful for being embraced by the local and larger food community, as we strive to continue to bring you the best from the true food culture of Italy. We cherish the relationships that have formed with all of our customers and want to express how much these are valued! Our hope is that Spacca Napoli continues to evolve into what my aunt and chef Joyce Goldstein (of Square One Restaurant and Mediterranean Kitchen fame) has written of as the need in our lives for a 'third place' — along with home and work — a place where friends can meet, dine, talk and enjoy life and feel in relationship to others, neighborhood, and a kind of authenticity.

In 2008 look for us to introduce more pizzas and some new appetizers.... We are planning some special food treats for our anniversary, so please stop in and help us celebrate! The entire week of February 14th we will celebrate and invite you to join us!

Auguri