Randolfi's Makes Neapolitan Pizza Perfection

Randolfi's Makes Neapolitan Pizza Perfection

In the fall of 2010, I visited a pizza place called The Good Pie, located off Lindell Boulevard with my law school roommate Aaron Moores. It was across from the soccer field at St. Louis University. Little did I know that seven years later I would visit its offspring, Randolfi’s, in the Delmar Loop with a law-degree and as a distinguished food critic. 

Back then, with the limited pizza knowledge that I had, I failed to appreciate the thin, flimsy crust that I had to eat with a knife and fork. Now with my advances in pizza knowledge, I have a greater appreciation for this style of pizza and the true uniqueness of Randofi’s in the Loop.

The pizza here is Neapolitan-style, named after the city of Naples, Italy and is considered the most original and authentic style of pizza. Neapolitan-style pizza became famous in 1889 after Italian Queen Margherita visited Naples and enjoyed a pizza pie topped with white mozzarella cheese, red tomatoes and green basil. Coincidentally these are the colors of the Italian flag. Queen Margherita and Italians alike enjoyed this style of pizza for more than fifty years before it grew in popularity in the United States after World War II. 

Neapolitan-style pizza diverges from my more American taste in pizza, as I prefer pizza loaded with toppings of sausage and pepperoni. The Neapolitan pizza at Randofi’s does not center on the toppings but focuses on the specially sourced ingredients and the interplay of the dough, sauce, and olive oil. When tasting Neapolitan pizza for the first time, some people are caught off guard by the somewhat soupy center of the pizza, and that the middle isn't crisp. But Randofli's is worth it just to taste authentic Italian pizza.

Stlpizzaguy gives Randolfi's the "P" of Approval. Pepperoni is and always will be his favorite kind of pizza. 

SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEAPOLITAN PIZZA:

Neapolitan Pizza is the most heavily regulated style of pizza. A true Neapolitan pizza has very strict standards disseminated by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) in an 11-page guide. Randolfi’s was the first St. Louis pizza restaurant to pursue VPN certification for true Neapolitan Pizza.

The person making the pizza at a Neapolitan pizza place is known as a pizzaiolo, which is Italian for pizza maker. They are much more highly trained than a pizza maker at other restaurants.

THE SAUCE: A true Neapolitan pizza place uses a specific sauce of hand-crushed San Marzano plum tomatoes, grown in the rich, volcanic soil near and around Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy. Authentic San Marzano tomatoes come to the U.S. in a can and will have an official DOP (Designation of Protected Origin).  The tomatoes are known for their sweet flavor, bright red color, and low acidity.

THE DOUGH: The pizza dough must be made with at least 80 percent highly refined Italian 00 flour and a long fermentation period, with the dough taking almost 8 hours to rise. Then the pizzaiolo takes the dough and flattens it into a circle with a thin middle, and a thicker border known as the cornicione.

THE CHEESE: Add buffalo mozzarella cheese and a precise baking method of 90 seconds or less at more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit in wood-fired oven and you’ll have yourself a great Neapolitan style pizza.

Besides the strict requirements for the ingredients, the unique domed pizza oven at Randolfi’s is critical for success. You can have the greatest ingredients in the world, but still fall short if you don’t have the proper equipment to bake the pizza. At Randolfi’s, their Ferrara domed wood-burning oven was built by hand in Naples and is THE big-name oven for all serious Neapolitan pizza places. The crown and the dome are made with hand-pressed bricks, while the oven’s floor is made from special clay from Italy’s Sorrento region. The oven is built to withstand heat up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and is durable for more than 20 years.The cost of such an oven is around $13,000 to buy, and does not include shipping and importing. This oven enables Randolfi’s to cook their pizzas in 90 seconds or less. 

ATMOSPHERE AT RANDOLFI'S: Cozy, smaller family type of Italian restaurant that you might find in Italy, complete with red and white checkered table cloths. They have a large bar and an open kitchen, with a large wood-fired pizza oven.

RECOMMENDED PIZZAS: 1. The Pepperoni, which has mozzarella, San Marzano Tomato, chili flake, and pepperoni. 2. Randolfi, which has mozzarella, white bolognese, tomato, and oregano.

Taylor Hamilton, the pizzaiolo at Randofi's, was a very nice, approachable young man who sincerely cared that my pizzas were made perfectly and that I enjoyed them. As obsessive as I am about eating tasty pizza, he obsesses over making quality pizza. I was also greeted with great hospitality by Executive Chef Tommy Andrew. I thoroughly enjoyed Randolfi’s pizza and I make this the first place that is not on my top 10 list to have my P of Approval.

Randolfi's is located at 6665 Delmar Blvd. University City, Mo. 63130