Dear Ingrid,
I am deeply sorry we have disappointed you. However, I remember your table very well and I am sorry that I could not remedy the situation. Unfortunately, the night you dined at San Paolo we had a large number of reservations between 8:30 and 9:30. Although, when you came at 8:00 PM there were only two tables occupied, before we could accommodate you we had to check that we had availability, and it took a few minutes to shuffle some tables to accommodate you and your guest. I am sorry that we made you wait, but it was inevitable as we would like to honor reservations first, and we had to make sure there were sufficient tables.
As far as the pizza is concerned, I remember you have described the center as being bland. Normally, the center of the pizza is 3 MM and the frame about 2 cm. Consequently, if the frame was perfectly cooked as you have acknowledged, the center would be cooked as well, being thinner than the frame of the pizza. The center of a Neapolitan pizza is always rather elastic and never crispy, as Neapolitan used to fold their pizza twice and eat it standing up. You have graciously mentioned to me that in Italy you had pizza that was different than the one I serve. I believe that. In fact, in Naples the pizza is very different than the one you might eat in Rome that is very thin and crispy. I have many Neapolitan customers and they all complement my pizza for its authenticity. A internet search about our restaurant and Neapolitan pizza will reveal the characteristics of a true Neapolitan Pizza and our adherence to the rules that govern this very traditional product. By definition Neapolitan Pizza is never crispy and the fresh ingredients that are used as toppings contribute to a rather elastic texture. I hope that you will visit us again, and we can make you fall in love with our pizza. It's a fantastic product, appreciated for being very light thanks to the long fermentation of the dough. And also very healthy given the quality of the ingredients that we use and the cooking in a wood burning oven. However, the long fermentation, the freshness of the topping and the short cooking time on a very hot wood burning oven, contributes to a very fluffy dough that by definition will ever be crispy.
Sincerely,
MD