A mano: Ridgewood, NJ

Update (20080119):  the Bergen Record reports that Roberto Caporuscio is no longer with A Mano.  More troubling, the approach to pizza-making has changed as well.  Back to the original post...

I've been closely watching the progress of Jerry's Gourmet in Ridgewood for months now.  Jerry's in Englewood is a favorite of mine, and I was very pleased to see that they were opening a branch in Ridgewood.  I was even more excited to hear that the restaurant attached would be a pizzeria, and serving real Neapolitan style pizza.

The excitement hit a fevered pitch earlier this week when I read on the Pizza Making Forum that a renown pizzaiolo (fancy-pants Italian word for "pizza maker") named Roberto Caporuscio would be manning the wood-fired ovens.  The long-awaited climax came this afternoon, when I had the first bite of his creations.  A Mano has finally opened.

Let's get right to it...

The "Regina Margherita" is the classic pizza of Bufala mozzerella, tomatoes, basil, and EVOO.  It is an absolutely wonderful pizza, with a perfect balance of flavors.  It's also a tremendous value at its current price of 10.99.

The "Mano" pizza is Bufala mozzeralla, proscuitto di parma, arugula, cherry tomatoes, shaved Gran Cru, and EVOO.   You'll notice immediately that these ingredients are top notch.   The arugula tastes as though it was just picked from a garden.  The prosciutto is sliced thick enough to provide a nice chewy mouthfeel.

The dough is soft and chewy, just like I like it.  You'll also get some nice char on the crust and bottom, due to the crazy-high heat of the oven, and the fussing over the pizza during cooking...

Wood-fried brick oven pizza making is far from a "throw it in the oven and let it go" process.  Roberto often tends to the pizza, adjusting its position within the oven, lifting it above the pile of wood, feeding the fire with more wood.  All of this fuss really pays off.  I'm pleased to say that this is some of the best Neapolitan-style pizza that I've ever tasted.  It compares favorably to the brilliant Anthony Mangieri of NYC's (formerly Point Pleasant Beach's) Una Pizza Napoletana.

A Mano is going to be ridiculously popular, with both local families, and pizza-loving foodies who will no doubt be coming in droves from New York and who knows where.  Get yourself down there before you can't get near it.  They're in "preview" mode right now rocking and rolling, so it's probably a good a time as any to get your fix of Neapolitan pizza which, by the way, is the way God intended pizza.

A Mano : Chestnut Street at Franklin : Ridgewood, NJ : 201.493.2000

Comments

[Pete]

Great pizza - finally a GOOD pizza place in NNJ. HOWEVER, the gelato servings are near MICRO sized - Ive had bigger servings as samples at Whole Foods! C'mon!

[lori]

Great Authentic Pizza as good as in Italy. Gelato was delicious. And quite a large serving. Can't beat this place.

[tommyeats]

While a single pizza is more than enough for the average person, I agree with Pete that the portion size of the gelati is a bit small. Then again I don't care much for desserts, so it's pretty much a good size for me.

[John]

Can I bring a bottle of chianti?

[tommyeats]

it is in fact BYOB, which i didn't explicitly report, so yes.

[Ev]

Finally made it to A Mano...in short, pizza was fantastic, service, um, not so much.
We shared the fried dough 'salad' for an app, which was unusual and very tasty. Next time, the salume and formaggio plate!
I had the arugula and prosciutto pizza. My friends had the classic margherita and the margherita con salume, and we were all raving about them.
Agree that the gelato portions are tiny, but like Tommy, I don't care too much about dessert. Coffee was great. The really big issue is the service; hopefully that will change, but it still won't prevent me from getting back there! I'm also looking forward to checking out Jerry's, as it was closed (Sunday) when we were there.
Gorgeous space and those ovens are stunning! Another nice touch is the red pepper in the pepper mills.
Grab a bottle (2?) and some friends and enjoy!

[Ev]

It's official...I love A Mano! Was back this week, and my new favorite pizza is the Ortolana, which has fresh mozz, basil, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms and artichokes(I chose to omit those). Full of flavor, perfectly cooked (as they all seem to be), and delicious, especially with the right red wine--in this case (Tom, if you can make it a pretty link, go for it) http://www.winebow.com/wine_det.asp?ID=197 . :-)
I'm not a big dessert fan, but the chocolate/Grand Marnier cake with blood orange slices was simply stunning. Moist, flavorful, and best of all, not overly sweet.
The people who work here seem very nice, and we were discussing the fact that they seem to be enjoying themselves, which you certainly can't say at a lot of restaurants! The only thing I hope they change is the way they deal with wine. The easiest solution? Pre-set each table with wine glasses and then remove them if people don't bring wine, as it's really frustrating to have an open bottle and no glassware, and this happened the last time I went as well. Thankfully, Jerry was nearby to handle it for us.
We had the pleasure of meeting Jerry, Roberto and the pastry chef; all three were warm and welcoming, but I have to say that Roberto is particularly charming. If you get a chance to chat with him, it takes all of 10 seconds to see/hear how passionate he is about the restaurant and what he's doing there. :-)

[tommy:eats]

the service can definitely be spotty. and there are some frustrating language barriers at times.

it's one of those places where your experience is improved by taking control a bit. i generally try to take control of the experience on some level at pretty much every restaurant i go to, but the payoff is greater at some than at others.

[chefdave]

I've been there a couple of times over the last few weeks for dinner, and it always seems to me like they could use 1 or 2 more wait staff.....or maybe just a runner or two. The biggest problem for me has been having to wait an unreasonably long time for "things" - whether it's glasses, more napkins for the kids, the check. Luckily the quality of the pizza allows me to forgive them their service hiccups.

BTW - my current favorite is the Padrino (Cacciocavallo cheese, soppresata, olives, extra virgen, and basil)

[tommy:eats]

The folks at PMQ's Pizza Magazine seem to understand A Amano. Nice article here.

[Ev]

So...? Are you going to take the training class? :-)
Great article. Thanks for sharing, Tommy!

[Zman]

Ate here on Saturday night and thought the pizza was excellent. Granted, my wife and I never ate there while Roberto was manning the ovens, however, the pizza was still some of the best I have had.

[tommy:eats]

glad you liked it, Zman.

Have you had that style of pizza prior to your visit?

[Ev]

SO bizarre that a post popped about A Mano today, as I ate a very late lunch there on Saturday, and actually sent Tommy a note to let him know that they (UGH) now have an NJ wine license. You can still BYO (which I suggest you do, since only Alba wines are offered), but there it is.
Let me say it if it isn't clear from prior posts-I loooooved A Mano when Roberto was there. It's a solid 25 min drive from home, and I'd go 2x in a week if friends were game to join me. Alas, it's just not the same any more. I will say that compared to regular American pizza it's still a good thing, but I was disappointed enough on this visit that I doubt I'll trek back over there any time soon. It's blatantly obvious that in addition to a different 'vibe' in the place (GET RID OF THE GRUMPY OLD GUY WHO'S MANAGING THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE!), the ingredients have changed, the crust has changed, the cheese has changed, and although some of them were trained by Roberto, the guys manning the ovens don't quite have it down. I had spots that were overcooked and others that were undercooked. Not worth sending back, just not what it was. This happens, I know. I'm anxiously awaiting word on Roberto's next move in the NY/NJ area!

[Danny]

I do not know what the previous person "ev" is referring to by loving A Mano when Roberto was there. Nothing can compare to the friendliness, bending-over backward service I am now receiving in A Mano; at least compared to the dissertation I would receive from the management everytime an individual requested a change to the pizza.

A Mano's "vibe" is that of a relaxed, friendly, open atmosphere where the managament is much friendlier, less hostile crowd then previous. The wine, which although may be thought as "generic" through Alba, is delicious any way you cut the mustard.

Now while I do admit I was dissapointed at the problems with the gelato case, the lack of gelato compelled me to sample the other aggregate desserts offered (the lobster tail is by far the best offered).

A Mano, to me, represents a quintessential napolitan pizzeria, one unfounded anywhere else in America. Unlike Ev's view, Roberto's uncouth attitude drove me away from A Mano. With friendlier staff and management available, I am now able to enjoy my (still delicious and consistent) pizza, with friendlier service, an aggregate array of seemingly ubiquitous dolci, and a nice italian espresso to finish the meal.

I highly recommend A Mano Pizzeria for the authentic taste and representation of Italian food.

P.S. The store next-door (owned and operated by the same people from what I am told), gives any other Italian Deli in this area a run for their money!

[Mikeg]

I agree with the guy above me, Danny. I went a few times during the summer with my girlfriend and was pleasantly surprised with the service. While I truly loved Roberto's warmth and friendliness, it was next to impossible to get half-way decent service.

My girlfriend and I, though, were charmed by a Robert-Deniro look-alike who checked up on every table during his walks up and down the aisle.

My girlfriend and I have been receiving impeccable service by the wait staff, as well as good advice on different appetizers. Their seafood salad appetizer special was a light, refreshing dish paired with the Dry Riesling.

[tommy:eats]

The most amusing aspect of shills is that they are completely and utterly ignorant to the fact that they come across so obviously as shills.

The only reason I am leaving the last two comments up is to illustrate to everyone how dopey this person is, and to hopefully teach future shills how not to shill.

[Ev]

And before I scrolled all the way to the end of the comments, I knew it would be there. This is why we (okay I) love you, Tommy! :-) Yeesh, people.

[david&yansi]

FANTASTIC. Felt as if I walked through the front door to arrive in Italy. Simple, fresh, delicate, perfect! Have been there now 4 times and the food and service and been flawless every time.

Thanks for figuring it out! You have fans for life.