Growing up in Pittsburgh, I certainly had no lack of options for good pizza. From my paternal grandmother’s Sicilian pies — homemade sauce, homemade dough and hand-cranked sausage — to the local family-owned joints with names like Sorrento’s, Bellisario’s, Mineo’s and Aiello’s, pizza was a common yet still special treat.
Most of the Italian shops served New York-style pizza: round pies, chewy dough and a pillowy thick crust. There was no Pizza Hut pan pizza, no Domino’s or Papa John’s and no Neapolitan or artisan wood-fired. Some of those local Pittsburgh joints still serve what made them successful, but as Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changin’.”
Pizza around the country has evolved. Chicago deep dish, wood-fired thin crust and thick, chewy Sicilian squares offer diners options to suit almost any taste.
Toppings have evolved, too. Traditional Italian meats and common vegetables have given way to pineapple, seafood, chicken, fruit and even eggs. Count me out. I still crave the old-school toppings: pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, black olives, mushrooms and onions.
With that in mind, I’m still willing to stray and expand my horizons. (Although I still refuse to fold a slice in half and eat it like a sandwich.)
When I began looking for a favorite local spot in Atlanta many years ago, I didn’t know what Neapolitan-style pizza was. Now that I do, it’s my go-to. The crust is very thin and charred in a wood-fired oven, made with finely ground flour and minimal yeast. The pies are rustic, letting the toppings shine.
That is certainly the case at Sapori di Napoli — Taste of Naples — in downtown Decatur. The restaurant, on busy Church Street a block south of Ponce de Leon Avenue, is the brainchild of two brothers from Naples. It’s a good place for pizza, homemade pasta and desserts, Italian ambiance, specialty beverages, and people-watching.
On a recent blistering hot Sunday afternoon, we ventured out for a taste of Italy. Greeted and seated by cheerful Gina and delightfully quirky but jovial Freddy, we started with an order of mixed spicy olives from southern Italy and four arancini.
I had never had arancini, though I’ve often seen them on menus at Italian restaurants. Four fried balls of rice mixed with ground beef, peas and carrots, they came with a side of tomato sauce. At $13, they were a curiosity but not something I would order again.
The olives, at $7, were far more enjoyable. Not spicy at all, but at least six types offered a nice variety of flavors and textures.
For main dishes, we chose the Quattro Stagione pizza and an order of pappardelle boscaiola. Quattro Stagione means four seasons in Italian, and the pie is topped with buffalo mozzarella, cotto ham, soppressata, artichoke hearts (a personal favorite), Kalamata olives and sauteed baby bella mushrooms.
The pizza is flash-cooked in a wood-fired oven at more than 900 degrees for about 90 seconds. The result is a slightly blistered and charred outer crust, an earthy flavor and a thin, almost watery bottom.
Generously topped with savory meats, cheese, salty olives, earthy mushrooms, a light and fresh tomato sauce, marinated artichoke hearts and a couple of fresh basil leaves, it was as delicious as it sounds. For $25, each bite offered a variety of textures and flavors that really excited the palate.
The pappardelle boscaiola consisted of wide pasta noodles, baby bella mushrooms, onions and Italian sausage bathed in a rich tomato cream sauce. The homemade egg noodles were firm and perfectly cooked — sturdy enough to stand up to the flavorful sauce yet tender and chewy.
Charred crust and scrumptious toppings on this wood-fired pizza made for a flavor-packed pie.
JOE VELARDITA/APPEN MEDIA
They were the perfect carbohydrate foil to the chunks of sausage, infused with the strong fennel flavor so reminiscent of my grandmother’s homemade version. For pasta lovers with a taste for tradition, this $22 dish is sure to satisfy.
Sapori di Napoli has an open feel, with large windows for people watching on Church Street. Soft Italian music with a jazz vibe fills the space, and Italian artifacts and pictures grace the walls.
The restaurant offers a wide selection of Italian beverages, including specialty cocktails, wines and beers, and several homemade desserts: cannoli, tiramisu and a sponge cake soaked in lemon juice and served with vanilla ice cream, lemon sauce and pistachios.
The menu also includes several eclectic salads, four pasta dishes, calzones, a highly lauded eggplant parmigiana and lasagna, four 15-inch white pizzas, a wide selection of 15-inch red-sauce pies and a few gluten-free options.
Several outdoor tables line the Church Street sidewalk, and two spacious indoor dining areas open to the air when the weather cooperates.
Sapori di Napoli is closed Mondays. It is open 3 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 3 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant has a small free lot, and street parking in Decatur is free all day Sunday and after 6 p.m. other days — making it easy to find an excuse to visit this authentic local spot with old-world hospitality and made-from-scratch Italian cooking.
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Dining and Cooking