If you’re still feeling patriotic post-July 4th, don’t declare yourself independent from this pizza.
Americans can enjoy all of their favorite foods in one bite: pizza, hot dogs and French fries thanks to Ribalta‘s new Americana pie ($18).
“It’s a good pizza,” Ribalta owner Rosario Procino laughed when asked about the new– not to mention highly caloric– creation.
“When I opened Ribalta [in 2012] I wanted to create Neapolitan Pizza 2.0,” Procino said of his modern yet still highly traditional pizzeria.
Wanting to show the “fun” side of Neapolitan pizza, beyond the traditional Margarita, Ribalta has fun with toppings, as evidenced by the patriotic Americana slice. Ribalta uses local greenmarket ingredients (eggplant, arugula) as well as high quality imported Italian toppings (anchovies, speck).
For the Americana pie, Ribalta starts with a traditional crust and fresh tomato sauce, topped with fresh basil leaves, mozzarella and quickly fired in the oven with slices of Hebrew National hot dogs on top.
A far cry from imported Prosciutto di Parma, Procino believes Hebrew National produces the “best quality Frankfurters.”
After the cheese is all melty, cooked French fries are tossed on top for that all-American flare. Think glorified cheese fries with fancy Ketchup — it’s pasically a ball game on a Neapolitan crust!
“The Americana pizza symbolizes what we do,” Proncino said of the Italian-American fusion creation.
The red, white and French fry pizza has been reportedly most popular with Italian ex-pats, however.
In true American style, the pizza is available with a gluten-free crust for a $4 upcharge.
Ribalta Pizza, 48 E. 12th St., 212-777-7781, ribaltapizzarestaurant.com
