31 Days of Pizza: DAY 31, Pizza Month 2009

DAY 31: OCTOBER 31st, 2009

LOCATION: Keste (271 Bleecker St, NYC)

ORDER: 1 slice of Margherita, 2 slice of Keste, 1 slice of Margherita du Bufala, 1 slice of Pizza Del Re

GUEST(S): David Bluvband, Ruby Marez, Whitney Meers

REVIEW:
Keste is the Best-ay! Keste, when translated from Italian means "this is it" and, well, how appropriate. Naples pizza at it's finest.

Take, for instance, the Margherita. Hand-crafted wood-fired crust loaded with the perfect amount of San Marzano tomato sauce and topped with melted fresh mozzarella, a pinch of basil, and shimmering with a light drizzle of olive oil. Bellissimo. The only thing better than looking at it was eating it. Normally I don't advocate eating works of art but that's the artist's intent.

The artist name is Roberto Caporuscio. He''s not only the artist but he's also the president... of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (APN) "whose mission is to protect and preserve the Neapolitan pizza tradition" (from Keste's website). Needless to say, Keste is APN certified.

Roberto's mastery of the art of pizza making was further verified with my slice of Pizza Del Re. It isn't easy for me to fall in love with a tomato sauce-less pie but just one bite of the Pizza Del Re sent my heart aflutter. Typically I lean towards savory over sweet but the truffle oil combined with the prosciutto delivers just the perfect combination of both that I hope it's on the menu in heaven's pizzeria. Come to think of it, if heaven just opens up a Keste, there would be a lot less sinning in this world.

Keste is another name of a pizza on the menu. So, I ordered it. Loaded with rich tomato sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto di parma, arugula, gran cru, and extra olive oil - it will fill you up and put a smile on your face.

Not to take anything away from the top quality ingredients, but what truly sets a Keste pizza apart is the mastery of the Naples style crust. Hand mixed, kneeded, and sculpted before topped and tossed into the imported Italian bell-shaped wood-fired oven, the dough is under close watch as it undergoes the metamorphosis into the soft, chewy crust. The 800'F oven heat may delicately singe the outer edge but nothing more, under such brilliant scrutiny.

I will be back as soon as I can. So will anyone who ever visits Keste so beat the rush and get over there. It's only a matter of time before it's common New York knowledge that Keste is the Best-ay!

MISC.:
1. Dave Bluvband also celebrated Pizza Month by eating pizza every day. He also did a recording after the pizza with Whitney, Ruby and I which is available here. Hope he had as much as I did this month!

2. I was gonna be late for pizza so quickly through together my costume....Dr. Mardi Gras. One item from the closet (lab coat) and one item from the desk (Mardi Gras beads). Happy Halloween.

3. I had the pleasure of meeting Roberto. He's one of the owners of Keste and gave me a tour of the joint.