The definition of a genuine Neapolitan pizza is that the dough consists of wheat flour, kneaded by hand and may be no more than 3 millimeters (0.12 in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire, and should be soft.
So, if you’ve been to Naples, Italy, the pizzas there are supposed to be simple. There’s the dough. A little sauce. Slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Maybe a little meat. No overwhelming sauces, the pizzas aren’t drowned in cheese, or smothered in garlic. It’s simple, tasty, and fresh.
Fuoco’s pizza was the definition of a Neapolitan pizza. Thin pizza, with just a little char underneath to bring out the natural taste from the wood burning oven. There’s just enough sauce to cover the pizza without making it completely soggy, and the fresh bufala mozzarella cheese was evenly distributed, yet not completely covering the pizza.
This hidden gem is located in downtown Fullerton, off Harbor Blvd., between Commonwealth and Amerige. I came here on a Wednesday night to catch up with my foodie girlfriends. We came on a good night because at 7:00, the place was busy, but not packed. We didn’t have to wait for a table, and even though the entire group wasn’t present, they still seated the 2 of the 4.
Wednesdays is also 1/2 off a bottle of wine. Our server suggested the 72100 Negroamaro Salento, a 2011 red wine. Normally I am not a fan of the red, but this one was very good, and didn’t make my lips pucker that many reds do. Normally the bottle was $48, but half off tonight.. the girls said, why not!?
Typically Neapolitan pizzas are generally small, about 10-12 inches, or the size of a large dinner plate. The girls decided on each of us ordering a different pizza, and we all share and compare. We chose
– the Vesuvio, a smoked bufala mozzarella pizza with smoked prosciutto,
– the quattro salumi, a pizza with 4 types of meats (2 types of prosciutto, salame and sausage),
– the quattro formaggi, a pizza with 4 types of cheese (mozzarella, ricotta, parmigiano, gargonzola) and
– the Bufala mozzerella, a simple pizza with fresh mozzarella, sauce and cheese, and a touch of basil.
Average price of a pizza is about $17. Oh My Goodness was it delicious!! Thumbs up… and it instantly brought back memories of my Italian vacation. However, this place may not be for everyone, especially if you like the “American” style of heavily cheese and meat covered pizza that you can pick up. If that’s the case, there’s plenty of pizza joints in Fullerton which can satisfy your meat and cheese craving.
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