Tony's Pizza Napoletana in North Beach, which has long had an encyclopedic selection on its pizza menu that makes ordering decisions difficult, will for the first time offer a tasting experience that will let diners taste across multiple styles.
It's called The Pizza Around the World Tasting Experience, and it consists of seven pies — which is limited to a table for six, so there will likely be leftovers of the last couple at least. There is a first course of starters and a salad, and the whole thing will run you $500 for the table — plus optional wine pairings.
Owner and master pizzaiolo tells Eater that customers have been bugging him for years to offer a tasting menu, and he says, "I kinda finally did it after nearly 15 years."
The full menu at Tony's Pizza Napoletana, as fans know, has about 80 pizzas on it separated into 10 types — and there's even more when you start customizing. And they don't make mini pies (though some are just 12 inches) so the tasting menu is a full-pie situation, times seven.
And you can do it with four or five people if you want, but the experience is geared toward the max of six, and the price doesn't change, so you may as well find a sixth. Tables are available by reservation — no waiting, which is nice for this place — Wednesday through Sunday at 5 pm, 7 pm, and 9 pm.
The first course comes family style with a Caprese salad, an Italian chop salad, fried string beans, and fried squash blossoms. Then the opener is a classic, wood-fired margherita Neapolitan pie, which helped put Gemignani, and his pizza place, on the map.
Pizza Number Two: Artichoke Joe. Gemignani is calling this American canotto-style pizza — referring to a modern style being made in Naples using a specific flour that causes an extra puffy, almost fried-seeming crust.
Pizza Number Three: New Haven Clam Pie. In being encyclopedic about pizza styles, Gemignani insists on having a coal oven in order to make the only coal-fired pizzas in the city, and to be authentic in recreating this shellfish pie from Connecticut.
Pizza Number Four: Grandma the Hippie. Gemignani's nod to grandma-style pizzas, which have become all the rage in recent years at places like Shuggie's. This one is vegetarian with house-made agave pesto, peppadew peppers, and goat cheese.
Pizza Number Five: Sicilian New York All-Star. This is Tony's take on the thickest style of pizza outside Chicago, the Sicilian. This one comes topped with sliced mozzarella and two types of pepperoni.
Pizza Number Six: Detroit Motorhead. This is a classic red-top Detroit-style pizza, with the addition of sausage, salami, pepperoni, bacon, mushroom, and ricotta.
Pizza Number Seven: St. Louis-Style. This is a cracker-thin pie with extra-sweet tomato sauce.
Wine pairings are available for $45 or $60 per person — minimum of three people at the table participating — with the lower tier being an introduction to Italian wine, and the other option being a bit more refined.
Snag a reservation for one of these six-tops — they're likely to go fast after today's announcement.
