NYC's Adoro Lei Throws Down The Pizza Gauntlet

The owners of New York City's Adoro Lei take pizza seriously. So seriously, in fact, that they've decided to offer a different pizza varietal to those who love everything about this Italian favorite. The restaurant, opened in 2015 by partner and creative director Michael DiBugnara, launched with an extremely specific goal: to have the city's best Neapolitan pizza around.

 

As time passed, the owners saw a growing interest in New York style pies as well and made the ultimate decision to include both styles on their newly-launched menu. "Wood fire pizza has truly given traditional brick oven pizza a run for its money here in the pizza mecca, New York City," explained DiBugnara.

 

So, the owners put their money where their mouths were and installed both types of ovens at their establishment for those who prefer one style over the other, or for pizza enthusiasts looking to have a side by side tasting. They also feared that given their delivery business, the Neapolitan-style pizza didn't perform as well after being transported given how temperamental the dough can be.

 

"Once Neapolitan pizza cools off, it hardens quickly. So you can imagine how delivering it in a box effects it. We decided to spend the money on the Brick Oven, and not deliver a pizza we felt was not up to par," said DiBugnara. "New York- style pizza dough travels much better."

 

When word traveled between customers, the Adoro Lei regulars found out that both styles of pizzas were being offered, with the New York-style pizza being an off-the-menu specialty. Given its popularity, the team decided to rethink the menu, come up with several new dishes, and offer both styles of pizza to their guests at any time. "After some polling, it became clear there was a place for both styles at Adoro Lei. We are confident the quality matches that of our top ranked Neapolitan, and that we will be able to satisfy all of our customers' personal preferences now," he said.

 

Not only are the pizzas served up in two different fashions, but they can also both be prepared using gluten free dough in either oven, with either style.

 

For those who can possibly even think beyond pizza, the newly-launched menu will keep the house favorites like the burrata divine with eggplant, ripened tomatoes, arugula and house made truffle honey drizzle, with several new and creative panini and pasta additions.