*** Pizzeria Bruno has closed
The Missus and I aren't real big pizza people…… the huge amount of cheese, and way too much bread that characterizes typical "American Pizza" is just too much for us. Even the New York style pizza we've had has been touch and go, and most times since it's just the Missus and I, a whole large pie is just out of the question, as are wrinkled reheated slices. So when FOY, Kayoko, keeper of Umamimart told me that I just had to try Bruno when we had lunch last month…. well, of course I just had to check them out.
When you first enter Bruno, the first thing you notice is "Bruno" the wood fired brick oven that occupies the back of the kitchen area.
Ovens like Bruno are capable of major heat, upwards of 900 degrees, which does magical things with well made dough……
And I was thrilled to order my first pizza, the Bufalina ($16), which consisted of Mozzarella di Bufala (Buffalo Mozzarella), Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, and drizzled with a very flavorful olive oil, which I enjoy because it isn't too over-the-top in fruitiness, and thus doesn't interfere with the rest of the flavors.
When the pizza hit the table, I was just entranced by the fragrances. There were the characteristics of a classic Neopolitan Pizza, raised edges, the dough of the body of the pizza no thicker than 1/8 inch. The texture of the charred edges was wonderful, with a nice pull. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of coloring on the body of the pizza, and this was borne out as I tried to separate a slice and move it to my plate….. the entire middle of the pie stayed on the pan, saturated. When I tried to lift it, everything just kinda sloughed off the pie. Still I loved the wonderful, pure flavors that came through. You could taste everything. I ended taking two slices home since I thought this would be right up the Missus's alley. When She opened the box, She said, "you gotta be kidding"….. until She caught a whiff of the olive oil and basil. She scarfed the entire thing up cold…… except for the center which had turned to mush….
And soon enough, we made our way back to Bruno. We ordered two pies, the Brunoverde ($14) – Fresh Mozzarella, Parmigiana Reggiano, Ricotta, and Arugula.
We both loved the combination of milky flavors lent by the cheese, which was cut by the wonderfully peppery arugula. This time the crust was just about there, wonderful char on the edges, the pie was soft, and foldable. I was once told that when you had true Neopolitan Pizza, you should be able to fold a slice in half, then half again without the crust breaking. This sure filled the bill.
To be honest, we thought the simple Marinara ($9) – tomato sauce, basil, garlic, and olive oil, displayed the best of Bruno. Things were placed in perfect proportion for us.
All the items were displayed at its best, the tomato sauce made this taste like "sunshine on a crust". Without a doubt, the crust on this was wonderful, soft and moist, the best of all the pies we've had a Bruno.
This is the Missus's favorite here…. She'll order it requesting an extra drizzle of the olive oil on it.
Some of the other Pizzas we've had at Bruno:
The Blanco ($15) – Mozzarella, gorgonzola, Garlic, Roasted Onion, Pancetta, and Arugula:
There was an amazing char on this pizza, great crust. I think this was a case of too much of a good thing. There was just too much going on, and the combination of pancetta and gorgonzola made this a bit on the salty side.
I did enjoy the Diavolo ($15), though. A pizza topped with Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Pepperroni, Garlic, and Goat Peppers.
I just love looking at my photo of this pizza. Even though they call this Diavolo (the Devil), this wasn't very spicy. The peppers listed are goat peppers, which I've always thought were in the Habanero Family, but perhaps I'm wrong since these were slightly spicy, with a mild sweet-fruitiness to them. The Missus picked them off the pizza to eat!
As you can tell, we've been coming here a lot recently. And though we believe that items such as the Bread Plate ($8):
Really don't show Bruno at it's best; the Missus enjoys the salads, and She craves that Pizza Marinara…..
And we've found that we enjoy sitting outside on Bruno's patio, sipping on Limonata, Aranciata, or a Stella Artois. Celebrating the end of another week.
Some notes: The service has always been friendly, though a bit spaced out on one visit. Parking out front will be by meter so either have some quarters handy, visit on Sunday, or park further up the street near Henry's.
Pizzeria Bruno
4207 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92105
Please read Kayokos post on Pizzeria Bruno here.
For more information about Neapolitan Pizza, you can check the site of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.