Being one of the best known pizza tasters in the state has it perks. When a new spot opens they look for people that not only will be impressed but can get the word out. Thank God they found me. OK, I’ll come clean, I went to them, but some of that is true. One of the owners recognized me from Nomad Pizza in Hopewell where he used to work http://www.nomadpizzaco.com/.
Ah’Pizz located in a nice space on North Willow St. in Montclair serves Neapolitan style pizza. You might be thinking “What is Neapolitan style Pizza?” To answer your question it is pizza made as it is in the motherland. In fact Ah’Pizz is flying in a crew from Italy to certify them with VPN and APN Certifications. Currently only THREE pizzerias in the entire USA carry these certifications. One of the three also hails from NJ, A Mano in Ridgewood . Not to bore you with this but these certifications are a big deal to pizza aficionados like me. The VPN and APN are Italy ’s version of the “Pizza CIA”. They make sure the correct flour, tomatoes, etc. are used, (San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the shadows of Mt. Vesuvius’ in rich volcanic ash, Buffalo Mozzarella imported daily from Italy and so on) along with all other aspects of how this pizza is made from the cradle to the grave.
Now to get to the stuff you have all been waiting for, the pizza itself. This perfect looking pie tasted as good as it looked. The crust had a nice char around the edges which you can only get using a wood fired oven. This particular oven was ordered and flown over from Italy , (the price of oven should be estimated somewhere between $30 and 40 K)! The sauce is made from San Marzano tomatoes. If you have never had a San Marzano tomato once you try one you may never want to eat any other variety again. They have a nice sweet taste that does not require much of anything else to make a delicious sauce, most of the time it is not cooked before it is put on the pizza. After the sauce the pizza is then topped with fresh mozzarella, which I have to come to notice (after visiting 333 pizzerias) is rarely used by other places in the area and followed by a little bit of fresh basil. The pies are then cooked in the oven for 2-3 minutes (the oven temp reaches as high as 1,000 degrees hence the quick cooking time).upon removal from the oven the pies are topped with more fresh basil, a swirl of imported Extra Virgin Olive Oil and finished with the perfect amount of grated Pecorino Romano Cheese. Hopefully understanding the amount of the work that goes into one of these pizzas will explain why a 12 inch pizza can run you $12.
Although the menu at Ah’Pizz is still in the works, they do plan on featuring a nice salad of some type yet to be decided and a few different varieties of pizza ranging from Margarita to Fresh Clam, when is season. When is clam season anyway? I also know they are looking into deserts from Bindi and that they will most definitely have a NUTELLA Desert Pizza, which I have had at Nomad and is a must try!
I can’t comment on what the atmosphere will be like, I went at an off time of day when it was only the two owners and me. My only real complaint was the “Colorful” attitude of the front end owner. However it was made up for by his friendly partner who spent a year in Italy learning his craft and will be making the pies and manning the oven. I have had his pies at Nomad and they are killer. I do have faith that this place will be a huge hit in Montclair .
WARNING: If you like doughy pizza with undercooked pale cheese this is NOT for you. This pizza is what pizza was created to taste like.
can't wait to try this place.
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