I am interrupting this week’s international cuisine series with a little exploration in Brooklyn. On July 12th, my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and after being in quarantine for so long, we decided to safely celebrate and follow the story of their marriage starting from the beginning.

To start, we traveled to L&B Spumoni Gardens where my grandpa first had the courage to propose to my (very intimidating) grandma. Then, we traveled to other various places in Brooklyn from Carroll Gardens to Bensonhurst, following their narrative of where they first met and where they would eventually raise their children.

I was in charge of putting together a photo album of their time together, arranging a bouquet with flowers from my garden, and preparing a wedding breakfast granola.  Perhaps most importantly, I was in charge of the food. This meant I had to find a spot in Brooklyn that would not only serve authentic Neopolitan pizza for a judgy crowd, but it also had to be outside in a safe space. After looking through many many reviews of Brooklyn pizzerias – and trust me there are many – I decided I had finally found the best one.

Sottocasa

Sottocasa – meaning “under the house” in Italian – is an authentic pizzeria headed by two Italians, Luca and Mariarosa, or Mari. Luca had worked at the Italian-run Kestè on Bleecker Street, one of my favorite pizzerias back in Manhattan. My family set up an arrangement so that we could have private dining in their backyard. Mari greeted us with a mask and had set up a beautiful table arrangement, adorned with disposable menus creatively rolled through a pacchero (a cylindrically shaped pasta) and multiple glass vases of tiny flowers.  With tented ribbons and a small garden of herbs along the perimeter, the backyard was extremely charming. Mari was extremely kind offering to change the table arrangements if you wanted a certain space between us.

Restauranteurs should be warned that my family can be quite passionate when it comes to food, who should be eating what and how much, and where each meals ranks (e.g. Could we have made this better at home?).

For starters, we all shared a delicious “Rughetta” arugula salad ($10) with fresh bursting tomatoes, marinated artichokes, drizzled with a summery lemon dressing and sprinkled with shaved parmigiano. The staff was extremely flexible with my dairy restriction, and made my salad and the rest of my menu without cheese. My cousin additionally ordered “Tonno e ceci” ($10), which is a dish with chickpeas, tuna, capers, red onions, garlic, and lemon dressing. It was also very fresh.

A couple minutes after, the focaccia came out and all the kids scrambled to collect slices before the adults. It was doughy, salted with coarse salt, and flavored with rosemary.

Then, we the pizzas began coming out.  I went for their “Verdure” pizza ($17) which had eggplants, caramelized red onions, radicchio, mushrooms, and tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was bright red, the eggplants were fresh, and the caramelized onions were irresistible. Although I’m mainly gluten-free, as of late, I’ve been experimenting with gluten by incorporating it more in my diet. Nonetheless, their menu is very accommodating for gluten-free and dairy-free eaters. My other family members went for more complicated dishes like “Amatriciana” ($17) which had tomatoes, caramelized onions, pancetta, pecorino, and basil.

Sottocasa seamlessly pulled off a difficult achievement for my family: everyone loved their pizza and adored the intimate atmosphere.  Mari and her staff were quick, gracious, warm hearted, and did an incredible job at making my family feel safe in our first ever outing since March.  At the end, my cousin got a Nutella pizza which disappeared in seconds.  

Quite honestly, I didn’t get to snap too many pictures of the food because it was so delicious, that everyone devoured them in record time!

If you ever happen to be in Brooklyn or Harlem, where they have their second location, make this restaurant a destination. If you are longing for an Italian escape this summer, this restaurant a destination. Note: If you don’t feel comfortable eating out yet, know that they also do delivery.

I highly recommend Sottocasa! They make you feel a casa 🙂