Review: Brigantessa - Philadelphia PA

As Neapolitan pizza makers continue to pop up in every hip neighborhood, not all of them can be distinctive.  Some of the best ones are hybrids with a sturdier crust, such as the standout pies at La Porta (Media PA) and Bricco (Westmont NJ). And Philly has its share of superb Neapolitan pizzaioli at places like Vetri, Nomad, and Zavino.

Despite the ubiquity of Neapolitans, one pie at Brigantessa, in the heart of South Philly on Passyunk Avenue, caught my eye some time ago. The "Stella" features star points where the edge of the crust is cut and folded to create a celestial design and allow for an epicurean version of a "stuffed crust." As pizza scribe-turned-pizzaiolo Adam Kuban has said about some pies, that is a pizza which "haunts my dreams."

Exterior of Brigantessa 

We arrived at opening time (5pm) on a Tuesday. Downstairs is an attractive bar and a few tables; we were seated upstairs in a long cozy room overlooking Passyunk Avenue and Greenwich Street. The entire space seems to be a converted row home. We were the first diners but the place filled up quickly during our visit.

Second floor dining room

Beyond the appetizers, Brigantessa features Neapolitan pizza and Southern Italian pasta dishes; we decided to order one of each for sharing. Our meal began with thick slices of excellent crusty bread, with a plate of olive oil for dipping. Bread before pizza always strikes me as redundant, but not one bite of this excellent bread went uneaten.

Orecchiette

Our pasta was orecchiette (little hats) with fennel sausage, broccoli rabe, peperoncino, and caciocavallo cheese. The small dense hats were almost gnocchi-like with a perfectly al dente feel. This richly flavored dish was terrific, although very close to the high end of saltiness.

As with most Neapolitans, the pizzas are personal size. When you start with a personal sized pizza and fold in parts of the crust edge to create the pockets which form the points of the star, the final pie is pretty small in diameter. While ours was cut into eight tiny slices (one slice per star point), this is the kind of pie that could be served uncut, to be properly eaten with a knife and fork. But the slices made it convenient for sharing.

A slice of the Stella

The Stella is made with sheep's milk ricotta, pork sausage, San Marzano tomatoes, and mozzarella di bufala. The first bite of each slice contained the most red sauce, which was brightly flavored. The modest amount of mozzarella added a delicate creaminess and enhanced the texture. Despite the abundance of this excellent sauce, there were no soggy spots. The excellent sausage added a savory note without overpowering the more delicate cheeses.

Underside of the crust

Moving out toward the stuffed cornicione, each bite yielded a thicker section of the perfectly puffy, chewy, and tasty crust as well as the ricotta. I typically avoid ricotta on pizza because it is wet, heavy, and bland - adding little more than unwelcome moisture and throwing off the balance. But here it was superb. Dense, creamy, smooth, with a distinct yet delicate flavor. 

Menu item that we didn't have - "Pizza Rosa" (from www.brigantessaphila.com)

I loved that each bite offered a different mix of flavors and textures. First the red sauce and sausage and mozzarella, then a thicker bite with red sauce and ricotta, then the star point which was a wonderful puff of Neapolitan cornicione wrapped around a dollop of rich sheep's milk ricotta. All that moist cheese and yet no soggy crust here; this was a resounding success.

From www.facebook.com/pg/Brigantessaphila

I regret that we didn't have the time or appetite for the spuntini or antipasti, because there is great stuff coming out of this kitchen. We spent $60 (before tip) for two drinks, the pasta, and the pizza. If I was living closer, I'd be a regular. Wonderful Neapolitan pizza in a warm, hip, cozy setting. It's a great time to be in South Philly.