Ribalta, Italian Pizzeria & Restaurant opens with three distinct pizza ovens

New York, NY (April 2, 2012) A team of Italian restaurateurs, including world famous Master Pizzaiolo Graziano Bertuzzo, have come together to open Ribalta, their first Italian pizzeria and restaurant in the US. Ribalta’s commitment to both quality and tradition makes it the only pizzeria in New York with three distinct pizza ovens, each one ideal for the three traditional varieties of Italian pizza they make – Napoletana, Pizza in Pala and Classica.

“We know that New York is the most sophisticated pizza city in the world and we are excited to bring our knowledge and love of the perfect pizza to the table,” said partner Stefano Cavinato. “We want to bring all these beautiful varieties of Italian pizza under one roof, and for that you need three distinct ovens.”

In one corner of the 90-seat restaurant designed by Studio Costa (Eataly), you’ll find the oven trifecta. First up, an Italian brick oven that has been certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana as perfect for making pizza napoletana, the light and fluffy pie that has become so popular in New York. Then, there’s a stainless steel convection oven, which is required for an even bake of the slightly thicker crust of the Roman-style, rectangular, pizza in pala, which is baked twice to create an almost bread-like quality, comparable to ciabatta with its thin crispy crust housing a soft and chewy interior. Last but not least, a brick oven is used for a special section of the menu that highlights classic Italian pizzas found throughout Italy.

In order to ensure the best possible dough—pizza’s most important element!—Ribalta developed its recipes with 5 Stagioni, Italy’s leader in specialty pizza flour, who also provided the restaurant with their proprietary yeast generated from a mother dough that is more than eight years old. At the helm of the kitchen is Florentine Chef and Master Pizzaiolo Massimiliano Crocetti. He will offer seasonal pizza specials that blend traditional Italian ingredients with fresh, Union Square Greenmarket finds.

Ribalta also features antipasti, insalate and several classic Italian primi and secondi piatti. Ribalta has a full bar where you can order Italian wines, beers and grappa, or traditional Italian cocktails like the negroni or sgroppino.

Ribalta will double as the New York installment of the esteemed Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli founded in Italy in 1988 as a place to learn the science behind the perfect pizza and to certify students in making traditional Italian pizzas. Crocetti is a certified instructor and will be teaching the Scuola’s first New York Class in May.