Napolita Pizzeria and Wine Bar has enough charm to make you give it a whole handful of second chances. With its devoted local following and exceptional wine offerings, there are reasons to keep the sophisticated little outpost on Wilmette’s main drag in your suburban play cycle when Neapolitan pizza crosses your mind.
Sometimes thought of as a purist’s pizza, the Neapolitan approach has everything to do with simplicity. A few top tier ingredients and classic flame baking have been resulting in a delicious all in one meal for over 200 years.
Originating in Naples, the first Neapolitan pizza featured only three ingredients in its center, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil; the colors of the Italian flag. In 1984, an association was founded to formalize the standards needed to qualify as a true Neapolitan style pizzeria. Requirements not only included the use of a wood fire dome oven but also the use of refined Italian type 0 or 00 wheat flour. Only a few hundred restaurants carry VPN certification worldwide and Napolita is one of them.
The second outing to the restaurant proved that things can still go wrong even though you’re working with all of the right tools. Early on, all of the bells were ringing. Happy Hour starts at 2pm and features half off bottles of wine listed at $78 or less. Glider smooth and just the right balance of soft sweet and touch of tart, a Pieropan from Veneto Italy proved sensational. Rice ball appetizers were also a great pick. Not quite as big as a baby’s head, they were still opulent, well-formed and stuffed with beef, parmigiana, bel pases (a semi-soft cheese) and peas. A bit too mildly seasoned but lovely to behold. In the end, they represented the highlight of the dining portion of the meal. That and the take-your-breath-away fresh Caesar salad with its subtle anchovy infused dressing.
The jury may be out forever on what should go on a traditional Neapolitan pizza or even how it should taste. Few will argue high quality ingredients invariably insure the purest flavor profile. These days, toppings vary widely as they do at Napolita. The key is to keep them down to just a few per pizza. Many say the crust or base of the pizza should be thin with the charring on the puffed border reflecting a proper baking temperature. Early Naples pizzas didn’t go beyond 10” because a raw tomato sauce made them difficult to slice.
Our crowd didn’t stick with the tradition. Some chose a salsiccia rossa consisting of house made sausage, roasted peppers, caramelized onions, mozzarella and basil while the conscientious went for the vegetable centric like the quattro stagioni (artichoke, mixed olives, mushrooms, cheese). Although they all looked stunning and presented extremely well, taste didn’t match the visuals. The base of each was ever so slightly wet and tough; giving them far too much chew. The caramelized onions had no sweetness and the sausage was devoid of salty richness. It’s dismaying to say a frozen pizza would have been better.
That disappointment didn’t damper curiosity about the restaurant’s pasta menu. Thinking of dinner later, ziti Genovese with beef ragu’ as its base and an earthy mushroom risotta sounded like great take home treats. Again, flavor in the ziti was more phantom than real. Neither raves or rocks were thrown at the risotto. It was simply a rather drab appearing adequate.
Early happy hour meant the restaurant was idling on purr. Service was attentive, a little shy and helpful. The restaurant, enveloped in dark wood and scaled for conversation, is inviting and gracious. I’ve got to believe somebody there knows how use that oven the way it’s intended. We’re more than ready to go back and find out. Besides, the wine’s great.
Napolita Pizzeria & Wine Bar
1126 Central Ave.
Wilmette, IL 60091
224-215-0305
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