Monday, January 11, 2010
Pizza Porta Via Pizza, Wanna Come Back to My Place?
Posted by Carrington Fox on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 9:15 AM
This week's dining review features Porta Via. I loved just about everything on the menu at White Bridge Road's new Italian eatery--from the creamy tomato pasta to the certified Neapolitan pizza. The only thing I didn't like was when we took the pizza away from the store, which is disappointing, given that the name of the restaurant translates loosely to "take-out." In our experience, the drive home took its toll on the handkerchief-thin pizzas coming out of the 750-degree bell-shaped brick oven, and we were never able to recapture the magic with reheating at home.
That's not to say we won't keep trying. That pizza is worth some perseverance. Does anyone have any tactics for reheating pizza so that it retains its paradoxically crisp elasticity?
Comments (24)
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I found the best way is to re-heat it in a skillet so the heat goes directly to the bottom crust. Microwaves never work for me and ovens dry everything out.
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I had half of Porta Via Diavola left after our last visit...I preheated my oven to 500 and popped the leftovers in directly on the rack for about 3 minutes - melty cheese, crispy-chewy crust.
Reheating pizza in the oven on a pizza stone seems to work pretty well.Preheat the oven and stone to 400 degrees F.Place the slices on the stone for about 5-10 minutes and serve.
I agree with Linda. I used the skillet to reheat my Porta Via, but the crust was still underdone when I took it home.
After a few minutes in cast iron it was like a good flat bread.
BTW we had a home pizza disaster last night when we didn't take quite enough time to defrost the take-home dough from the Teeter. Lesson learned.
When I order takeout Pizza, I ask for it not to be sliced. That way the sauce does not mingle with the bottom crust
We shared a pizza there this weekend and I was not impressed. The crust was not crisp enough and by time we got to the second slice it was soggy. I liked the room, I liked the service, I liked the gellato and I'll come back and try other dishes. but next time I want pizza it's back to Pizza Perfect.
Not to go all "in Naples" on you, but... In Naples (and everywhere else in Italy, the pizza is not served cut into slices. This style of pizza is meant to be eaten straight out of the oven. If you want pizza to take home, I would go elsewhere. "To go" pizza in Italy is served by the kilo, has a different crust, and is a different species entirely. That makes the name and concept of this restaurant perplexing to me.
This is actually the second iteration of this establishment. It was originally an eatery in Bellevue. When there they had a very eclectic menu of which they have returned with the italian favorites, the Apollo Sandwich for one. Porta Via, when it was in Bellevue, would also deliver. The pizzas are new on the menu with this go around. I have yet to try the pizzas, yet I do know that the sandwiches and gelato are quite good! I for one am extatic that they have returned and wish them the best of luck!! (for very selfish reasons!)
I should add that I love neapolitan pizza and look forward to trying Porta Via, but I'll eat it there!
I learn so much from the comments on this blog.
Thanks especially to Zorro and Diana!
First, leftover pizza? Eat it COLD. With black coffee.
In fact, if you cannot eat a slice of leftover pizza "the morning after" it is not worth the trouble. A certain lauded eatery in Brentwood makes a pie whose crust is stone like stale by the morning. Pizza Perfect? I've eaten more of theirs cold than warm, superb. Don't like their cheese and sauce tho-(!)
Frankly, a VPN pie is too small not to finish, and is ideally suited for on the spot consumption. This american phenomena of 'take away' does it no justice, despite the take away boxes available. Consider a Porta Via pie in the same terms as french fries: as soon as they hit the table eat as many as possible immediately because it is a lost cause after that.
Toaster oven for a slice or two, or as others have suggested, a hotter-than-typical regular oven (400-500 degrees) for larger quantities of leftovers. A pizza stone is even better, or just pick up a large, unglazed tile from Home Depot. Much cheaper and you can get an 18" square tile that actually fills up the oven rack. We have travertine in our oven.
We reheat pizza from Joey's House of Pizza all the time in the toaster oven and such and it's arguably better the 2nd time around.
Still wanting to try Porta Via very much, but found out last week they're closed on Sundays. D'oh!
On the reheating of pizza: Yep, put your oven on full-blast and get it as hot as you can before adding the pizza.
While I think it is silly to judge a pizza place based solely on the quality of the leftovers, I have noticed that some kinds of pizza are more conducive to reheating than others. The difference seems to be from the thickness and amount of fat (butter or oil) in the crust. Mellow Mushroom crust, slathered in butter, reheats like a champ. Pie in the Sky is a close second. Major chains fall somewhere in the middle. NY-style places like Joey's (my *personal* favorite for a fresh pie) are a distant third, their crusts usually being low-fat and thinner. They just get crunchy and cracker-like in the oven.
Hmmm. Authentic Neopolitan Pizza (TM). Who is this governing body that puts a Trademark after the phrase, Authentic Neopolitan Pizza? Why, it's the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, of course, and for 3 days and just $1,300, they'll teach you ($2,200 for the week) how to make proper Neopolitan pie. Then you get a piece of paper called a certificate.
Something whispers in my ear and it it is the sound of snickering, with an Italian accent, of course. Are we so gullible in Nashville? Ma, si!
How to turn your regular oven into an 800-degree pizza oven:
#1 Agree with your spouse/ roomate/ significant other that although your abode will be graced with the unmistakeable aroma of delicious pizza, you are risking voiding the warranty on your oven. And getting a 3rd. degree burn.
#2. Shall I continue?
The best way to re-heat pizza is in a skillet. Hold's up much better than the oven or the microwave.
We followed the reheating instructions on Porto Via's website (500 degrees, on hot pizza stone) and the pizza was amazing. I was surprised how well it reheated. i suppose this is obvious, but you have to let the pizza stone heat up fully before you put the pizza on it.
We ordered a pizza margherita with pancetta on one side - and the pancetta showed up raw, on a separate plate. The waiter insisted it was cooked, so I put it on a couple of slices and ate it, didn't much care for it though.
Maybe this is how it's supposed to be and I just don't know enough about Italian food to appreciate it - any thoughts?
Can't comment on our salad, because it never arrived. Overall experience: pizza had a nice crust but was nothing special, room was too bright and too loud, we used to get their sandwiches when they were in Bellevue and those were good so next time we'll try that.
For certified neopolitan pizza you basically follow proven recipe, which is a shame. The dough, when made correctly, is very delicate and calls for tweaking to make it perfect. Also, chef's experiments are what bring exciting flavor combinations to light! I digress...
@basset: pancetta is dry cured so its totally safe!
Next time, try Coco's Italian Market!
>>pancetta is dry cured so its totally safe!
well, maybe so, but I was expecting it on the pizza and cooked.
Correcting a misconception here:
As of October 2010, Porta Via has NOT been "VPN Certified". Claiming (as they do) to follow the AVPN guidelines and actual certification are two very different things. Even with certification, it is no guarantee of an exceptional Neapolitan pizza.
For a full list of official VPN-certified pizzerias in the USA: http://anticapizzeria.net/vpn/members.html
Are you looking over my shoulder, Pizzaluvr? I have a post about exactly that subject in the queue coming out tomorrow.
Thanks for the heads, up though. You're absolutely correct.
As of May 2011, Porta Via IS "VPN Certified". Not that it matters, Porta Via is delicious either way.
http://anticapizzeria.net/vpn/members.html
