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“Nicoletta”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	East Village	Moderate	Great

y pizza pie has ever seen, and the prosciutto cotto is layered in such abundance you’d almost think it was looking for a sandwich and got lost along the way, only to wind up under a bubbly blanket of fresh mozzeralla. The Calabrese is also a pin-up: topped with checkers-sized slices of thick-cut pepperoni, homemade fennel sausage, red onions, pomodoro, and mozzarella ($21). It arrived at our table to a hush of whispers from our neighbors; it was like we had been joined for dinner by Emma Stone. Food envy was in the air.

Certainly, if you don’t care to have a pre-ordained pie, make your own from a base of tomatoes, whole-milk mozzarella, and pecorino romano, and add on your own meats, vegetables, and cheeses. It’s doubtful you will go wrong.

While pizza is the star here, the menu also offers a traditional antipasto. We started with a summery salad of zucchini blossoms stuffed with cheese, topped with tomatoes, basil and sweet corn scraped from its milky cob. But you might try one of the snacks like the brick-oven baked Neapolitan meatballs pomodoro ($10), whole stuffed squid al forno, with soppressata and bread crumbs, or confit fried chicken thigh, with primosale cheese, broccoli rabe, and Calabrian hot chili vinegar ($10).

For dessert, the restaurant offers one wonderful option: soft-serve fior di latte gelato. While you have no choice as to gelato flavor, you do have a world of garnish opportunity, including warmed Nutella, crushed torrone, blueberry limoncello sauce, and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Our waitress, an efficient and knowledgeable type, shared her favorite topping combination: pistachio brittle and salted caramel. We took her up on her suggestion. This might have been the best advice I’ve gotten in the past decade. I would seek her out for stock tips if her financial acumen is anywhere as good as her topping tips. But even without the killer toppings, this was the gelato to end all gelatos. The custard is luscious, soft and smooth, and suffused with sweet cream. To this pristine almost innocent palate, adding that slap of salt, sweet, and crunch was almost criminal. But I’d do it all over again. Those coeds aren't so bad after all. 

Nicoletta is located at 160 Second Avenue, 212-432-1600. Lunch and dinner are served seven days a week from 11:30am to 3am. No reservations. Pizza is available for dine-in, take out and delivery service.

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Posted: July 27, 2012

Other restaurants in East Village :
+ Yujin-- Closed   + Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar   + Mermaid Inn   + Five Points   + Lavagna   + Five Points   + Bond Street   + Jewel Bako   + Alphabet Kitchen   + In Vino   + Bao 111   + Chikalicious   + Il Buco   + Hearth   + Lima's Taste   + Mercadito   + Hedeh   + Momofuku   + Una Pizza Napoletana   + Winebar   + Uovo-- CLOSED   + Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction   + Gotham Bar & Grill   + Colors   + Chinatown Brasserie   + Knife and Fork   + European Union-- NEW CHEF; SEE APRIL 2007 Review   + Aroma Kitchen and Winebar   + Stand   + European Union   + Mercat   + Gemma   + Back Forty   + The Smith   + Seymour Burton   + Belcourt   + Graffiti   + The Redhead   + Double Crown    + Apiary   + Joe Doe   + Apiary by guest reviewer Kiri Tannenbaum   + DBGB   + Northern Spy   + Goat Town   + Saxon + Parole   + Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria   + Acme   + Calliope   + Nicoletta   + JEPPNEY by Claire Jaffe   + Feast   

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