MAMA’S TOO!
Cacio e Pepe Slice / Poached Pear, Gorgonzola, Hot Honey Slice / Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Slice
Pepperoni Slice
The House Pizza
Owned by Frank Tuttolomondo, his parent’s Restaurant titled Mama’s Pizza just a few blocks away, it was by way of an ecstatic Pete Well’s review that Mama’s TOO! became a destination, though word of the young man’s top quality Pies had already been circulating amongst legendary Pizza makers like John Arena several months prior.
Located at 2750 Broadway, and now easily identifiable by a line that begins before opening daily, Mama’s TOO! is, in reality, a tiny and unassuming space with just six seats along a countertop plus one large oven, the staff of three including Frank working non-stop to keep up with demand for what the Times called “The New York Slice that slices through tradition.”
At this point offering take-out slices only, though a menu to the right suggests this was not always the case, it is while in queue that guests will hear staff repeatedly turn down phone-calls for both pre-order and delivery, a first case of five Pies gone quick and replaced by more though by 12:30pm there is already a second group of guests gathered to the side specifically awaiting Pepperoni squares.
Selling both triangular Slices and what most would call Sicilian-style, the “House Pizza” one of the former and readily capable of standing straight when supported by just the Cornicione, it is by laying down Mozzarella first that the two-day fermented Crust is protected from becoming soggy, a “fold” down the middle causing light crackles beneath added Tomato chunks, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Basil.
Using gas ovens instead of coal or wood, and thus better able to control temperatures that differ between upper and lower chambers, it is after removal from pans that square slices are placed directly up top, the following minutes creating a deep golden color and craggy base that eats like a Grandma-slice with more lift or Detroit-style but lighter.
Offering much more than just Pepperoni, though many are willing to stand aside and wait up-to-forty minutes for Mr. Wells favorite, there is no doubt that charred Cups, Cheese and Tomatoes are tasty, but for the same price of $4 per square there is equally as much to love about four Cheeses and plenty of Black Pepper or Poached Pears and Gorgonzola with Hot Honey added after baking, though the real standout on this day was heavily caramelized Onions and Wild Mushrooms that flooded the palate while additionally offering textural contrast to the crunchy edges overlapped by Cheese.
www.mamastoo.com
