totonno's - totally top notch

Last week I visited Totonno's for the first time since it's February 12 reopening (after a March 2009 practically destroyed the place).  The owners restored Totonno's previous decor with, thankfully, no unnecessary "improvements."

The pizza was 100% top notch. 

Totonno's crust is simply masterful.  When you fold it, it cracks on the outside, but the inside, despite its thinness, holds together and stretches, conveying a perfect bread flavor and chewy flexibility.

I had the white pizza and the standard cheese and tomato.  I tried the sautéed peppers and onions on half of each type.  Both styles were incredible: the simplicity of the excellent ingredients shined through with every bite.  The Totonno's white pizza, unlike a ricotta white (which is the New York standard when it comes to white), is prepared with fresh garlic, mozzarella, and olive oil.  I like it much more than ricotta white variation.

In fact, I'd say I'm addicted to Totonno's white pizza and can still taste it, almost a week later!

Totonno's is the oldest family owned pizzeria in the country.  The operating-owner, Louise "Cookie" Ciminieri, commented on how in the 1950s, the invention of the gas-powered pizza oven and an increased demand for pizza resulted in the opening-up of pizzerias everywhere.  She said, rather bluntly-but-truthfully, "But it all stems back to us."  

Well, Totonno's does not simply exist because of its history: the pizza it's serving in the present day provides every reason one needs to justify a trip to Coney Island.

There have been fewer than half a dozen pizzaioli (pizza-makers) at Totonno's during its 86 year history.  All have been family.  That is, until recently.  Today, native Coney Islander Michael Gammone makes the pies. But he is not related to the owners.  

When asked how this came to be, Cookie says, "Well, we ran out of family, so we adopted him!"

Click the photo above to view an short audio slideshow featuring Gammone making pizza at Totonno's. Assisting him is Totonno's server Jami-Lee Galati.

Map Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitano (call ahead for days/hours).

totonno's reopens

Totonno's, in Coney Island, has been baking brick oven pies since 1924 and lays claim to being the longest continually operating family-run pizzeria in the US. But in March 2009, a fire originating above the old oven spread to much of the restaurant, and for several months there were doubts about whether the place would reopen. The three owners held a vote and decided to go ahead with repairs that, ultimately, ended up taking much longer than anyone expected. Totonno's finally reopened this month.

Prior to the reopening, I was privileged to visit the restaurant on two separate occasions. The first time I stopped by, they were firing up the old oven for the first time since the fire. It was a particularly emotional moment for Antoinette - the one owner who was present that day. She tearfully explained that the reason she voted in favor of repairing and reopening Totonno's was for her grandfather, (Totonno's founder) Anthony "Totonno" Pero.

Pero had gotten his start as the pizza maker for Gennaro Lombardi - the man widely credited with introducing pizza to the United States. Because Pero was Lombardi's pizzaiolo, the Totonno's family believes that when it comes to proclaiming who made the first pizza in the US, their place merits mention alongside Lombardi's.

However you slice it, a visit to Totonno's is a trip back in time. Only pizza is offered there. And Totonno's pizza is continuously ranked best or second best in the city by nearly every reviewer and blogger reporting on pizza.

More on Totonno's soon....

Map Totonno's (call ahead for days/hours).