8 Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 January 3–9, 2020
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Philomena’s Elevates the Art of Pizza
‘Dough Nerd’ Dave Acocella Slings NYC’s Best Squares at Philomena’s in Queens
“I don’t mean to take anything away from
other pizzerias, but I bring a different style
of pizza,” Acocella says while deftly pulling
a pizza margherita from one of the ovens he
imported from Italy. That classic combination
of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil is
just one of 18 personal pies on the menu.
One of the best sellers, the Jersey Shore,
inspired by Acocella’s fond memories of sausage
and pepper heroes eaten during summer
beach vacations is topped with a zesty combo
of sweet and hot sausage and peppers and
onions in addition to mozzarella. Then there’s
the Cheese & Onions—topped with tomato
sauce, pepperjack cheese, shaved white onions,
and mushrooms—which takes its name
from a song by Beatles novelty cover band
The Ruttles.
Traditional or new-fangled, all of the pizza
at Philomena’s, including the personal pies
Acocella characterizes as “New York Neapolitan,”
has one thing in common. It’s cooked
cooked in an array of Moretti Forni ovens.
What makes the personal pies “New York Neapolitan”
is a difference of 300°, says Acocella,
who studied with master Neapolitan pizza
maker Gino Sorbillo and apprenticed under
Brooklyn pizza guru Paulie Gee. Instead of
cooking at 900°F as they do in Naples, Sunnyside’s
pizza maestro cooks his pies at 600°F,
all the better to taste a dough that he makes
in the wee hours of the morning and then lets
ferment for 72 hours.
“If I bake this dough at 900 degrees you
won’t taste the flavor of the crust and that’s
what it’s all about for me,” says Acocella. “It
would just taste like char, this you can taste
the crust.”
As tasty as his personal pies are, Acocella’s
magnificently airy crunchy square slices are
a revelation. The self-professed “dough nerd”
says the secret is a high moisture content of
90% versus a typical 60%; 72-hour fermentation;
and a starter he brought of Ischia, Italy.
The standard pepperoni is lovely as is escarole
with a shmear of white bean topped with
pignoli nuts and olives, and the gloriously
simple carb on carb potato with oregano and
olive oil. Covered in ultrathin slices of potato
that crisp and caramelize along the slice’s perimeter,
the latter is a recipe that comes from
Acocella’s mother Violetta. Since Philomena’s
squares are so light, it’s totally possible to
sample several in one sitting without feeling
overfull.
It took Sunnyside’s master pizzaolo almost
a year to add his take on a classic New York
City style slice. And what a slice it is, a balance
of zesty sauce and cheese with a shattering
cornichon that calls to mind matzoh.
“Everyone kept asking for a regular slice,”
says Acocella, who says for years his favorite
old school New York City slice was the storied
Joe’s Pizza in the West Village.
“Dave’s just didn’t have a good ring to it,”
Acocella says when asked about his love letter
to dough, sauce, and cheese, which is named
for one of his twin daughters, Philomena. The
restaurant’s motto, “Made with love,” is evident
in every bite.
Philomena’s
41-16 Queens Blvd., Sunnyside, NY 11104
(718) 255-1778
www.philomenaspizza.com
BY JOE DISTEFANO
As the Culinary King of Queens, I’m
so very fortunate to live in the most
diverse and delicious destination in
all of New York City. I’m not royalty
though, I’m an ambassador, and a
hungry one at that. Today, we visit a
cuisine more in line with my Italian-
American heritage, pizza as prepared
by Sunnyside local Dave Acocella at
Philomena’s, which just celebrated it’s
first anniversary.
It took almost a year for Philomena’s to add a
classic New York City slice, but what a slice it is.
Stellar squares include this potato and oregano
created by Acocella’s mother, Violetta.
Sunnyside pizzaiolo Dave Acocella is a master of his culinary craft.
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