Rubirosa Pizza Made Christmas Merry and Bright

As far as I can tell, the maelstrom of 2020 has done little to dim Nolita’s shine as a pizza haven; the lines are still down the block for Prince Street Pizza, Lombardi’s has started offering individual slices out of the ol’ coal oven, and new-school sit-down establishments like Rubirosa Ristoranta have continued to feed the pizza-hungry masses with excellent whole pies via delivery.

My only prior experience with Rubirosa was earlier this year, when a friend of mine claimed to have become ‘addicted’ and ordered their pizza at least three times in one week. Now, I’ve had worse addictions, but Rubirosa does operate on a tried-and-true formula; the founder, Angelo Pappalardo, uses the same thin cracker-style crust as Joe & Pat’s, the Staten Island pizza institution started by his dad, Giuseppe.

Browsing Seamless on Christmas yesterday, I decided that I’d been a good-enough boy this year to splurge on a bit of Nolita’s finest. I was initially put off my game by their offering of only small and large options; knowing that I should expect a thin crust — and also, you know, it was Christmas — I decided a large would be the best bet to sate my yuletide hunger pains. I opted for the ‘Honey Pie,’ with mozzarella, fontina, soppressata, spiced honey and parsley, and added extra mozzarella as well.

Merry Christmas to me, right?

The pizza came fast, hot and fresh; opening up the box, beholding the beautiful steaming dish within, I had to admit — Rubirosa really does make the platonic ideal of New York City pizza. Look at that oiled-and-tanned cheese, those thin cuts of soppressata — that perfectly charred crust!

I dove right in, noshing down one hot slice in a few quick bites, nibbling at the end a bit, before tossing the bone and going for another. And another. Then another. I probably didn’t stop to take a breath until about five slices in. The thin crust affects a particularly serious case of eating-way-past-the-point-when-you-realize-you’re-full; ‘addictive’ is about the right descriptor.

But let’s not give all credit to the crust; every element of the pie melded together to create a beautiful whole. The sauce, dappled under-and-around the cheese and soppressata, was bright and sweet; the cheese was rich and plentiful. Did I mention I added extra cheese? I’m glad I did so; the soppressata, beautifully marbled and married to the cheese, added bursts of salty-savory stimulation throughout.

I finished that pizza in clean under an hour. I don’t eat large pizzas to myself often. It’s not a habit; I don’t want it to be a habit. But for Rubirosa’s Honey Pie, on Christmas 2020, it was absolutely the move to be made.

A 5 out of 5 for Rubirosa; a stand-out pizza in a year full of, if nothing else, really great pizza.

Until next time.