We were nervous. Our reputation was on the line. But, the
intrepid Pizza Guru needed to taste the pizza at Triangolo, so we met him at a
designated parking lot and set out on our venture to find a truly good pizza.
Set deep in the Carpini valley, the mysterious town of
Pietralunga seems an inauspicious place for a pizza worthy of
consideration. The omens were not
looking good when we arrived. No table outside, so we awkwardly camped around
an indoor table facing the TV screen, when lo and behold a table outside became
available. Pizza Guru has a six sense about these things and he was ON that
table before we knew what happened.
The table was reset and we explored different uses for the
little paper bag that is used to hold the napkin and silverware. This is a
weird phenomenon that happens around here, your silverware gets put into a
totally useless little bag. Does
this happen anywhere else, or is there a powerful silverware paper bag cartel
operating in Umbria?
As our mixed antipasto plate was put in front of us, the
next bad omen occurred. Pizza Guru’s fork was so flimsy it bent at the touch of
salami. While I wondered about Pizza Guru’s strange powers, he was waxing on
about a pizza place near Lago Trasimeno that has the most perfect pizza knife;
it has a serrated angled tip that just slices right through crust.
And now for the moment of truth. His pizza arrived and I tried not to look, or be too
anxious. But after a few bites, Pizza Guru set down his fork, looked around and
pronounced, “This is a fine pizza.”
Whew. It’s a serious business, this eternal search for goodness. We must
respect the pizza.
Renegade Paul threw all caution to the winds and ordered the
“Doppio” pizza… behold its awesomeness, covered in anchovy and caper cream. It
just blows a purist's mind.
And as for the gelato place next door? I had a fig and
walnut gelato that truly rocked. Mitch, are you paying attention? Fig and
walnut. The walnuts were in syrup, the figs were fresh. It sent shivers to my core.
N.B. Confidentiality agreement prevents us from posting any actual photos of the Pizza Guru.
Yes, I am! So, were the walnuts candied? This may be my next gelato, since I’ve seen some figs at the market called Whole Foods.
And this pizza guru, a New Yorker? Cause I don’t know if it counts if he/she isn’t…just ask Mr. Lombardi.
Can that thing in the picture really be called a pizza?