At first bite: “I feel like I’m back in Italy!” That’s the delighted response heard over and over again at Nonno Alby’s, the Grande family’s wood-fired, brick-oven pizza specialty restaurant located on Penn Avenue in West Reading. There are three reasons why: ingredients, ingredients, ingredients. Many of them are imported from Italy, while the produce, fresh herbs and certain cheeses come from carefully selected suppliers from Berks to Jersey to Wisconsin.
Of course, there’s a fourth, very important reason for the authentic Italian taste: Chef Raffaele Cirandine, from Italy — specifically, the Calabria region. Massimo Grande and sister Tina Grande-Cirandine have Italian roots and travel back to the old country frequently to visit family, get recharged and hone their culinary focus. The ideas for all the pizzas come from Italy, says Tina.
Wonderful Water
Even their water is superior. Some folks say “water is water.” But icy cold Mangiatorella imported sparkling water with two wedges of lemon has a deliciously refreshing “water flavor” all its own; it’s not the same as Pennsylvania water, so order it and see if you don’t become a complete convert. There are numerous other waters, soft drinks, and coffees to choose from. If you want wine or other alcoholic drinks, it’s BYOB; the servers are more than happy to bring glasses to the table and uncork your wine for you.
For starters, consider the Eggplant Starter (one of Chef’s favorites), an oval platter heaped with thinly sliced, grilled sweet eggplant wearing coats of cheesy goodness: smooth ricotta and provolone. There’s just the right amount of garlic flavor plus Italian herbs, and the dish is finished in the wood-fired oven with plum tomato sauce.
The Petite Caesar Salad is built like a sculpture, and it’s not really petite. They use only the most perfectly tender leaves of crisp romaine, layered in stacks on garlic focaccia bread and drizzled with Caesar dressing, then garnished with generous shards of what’s possibly the best cheese on earth: aged Parmigiano Reggiano. Melt-in-your-mouth crunchy, herb-laden croutons are stacked on the side.
The Capresa with Buffalo Mozzarella is outstanding. Again, it’s the ingredients that make a world of difference. The chef places warm, herbed focaccia bread on the platter, then cuts huge, New Jersey beefsteak tomatoes into thick slices, and tops each slice with a heavy portion of buffalo mozzarella. This delicately textured mozzarella is a super-smooth, juicy, lightly sweet cheese imported from Italy, exceedingly high in quality since it’s been soaked in the milk of water buffalo (distinctly different from American bison). Extra-virgin olive oil plus fresh basil and oregano seal the deal on this must-try appetizer.
Pizza Perfection
As you check out the salads and starters, Chef Raffaele is already hard at work making your individual personal-pan pizza, 12 inches in diameter. (Gluten-free pizza is an option, incidentally.) The wood oven is the clear focus of everyone’s attention. In fact, you can watch your pizza being made when you sit at the curved dinner bar; otherwise, you can gaze from one of their intimate tables. Original bricks in this building were exposed to enhance Nonno Alby’s rustic look and feel, and the antique red brick truly mirrors the warm hearth.
There are no less than 17 pizza varieties. For vegetable lovers, the Primavera is a winner: gracing the dough are roasted bell peppers, fresh mushrooms, imported San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, grilled zucchini and eggplant, sautéed rapini (broccoli rabe) and caramelized onions.
The starring role of the Salame Picante Pizza is the Calabrese hot salami and fresh whole basil leaves for a hot, zippy flavor, balanced by an incomparable, richly red marinara sauce.
Frutti di Mare Pizza brings the Mediterranean to mind with its combined toppings of calamari, shrimp, baby octopus, clams and mussels.
For cheese fanatics, the Quattro Formaggi rules. This white pizza is unlike any you’ve eaten before, and, even if you had all four of the cheeses Chef uses, it certainly cannot be duplicated at home, since the wood-firing contributes mightily to its success. Gorgonzola, mozzarella, imported Taleggio and Parmigiano Reggiano form a flavor powerhouse as they are spread separately (not mixed together) across the dough then baked in the hot air till they meld right into the pizza crust itself. Fresh basil leaves and cracked black pepper kick the pizza up a final notch, and, as you take each satisfying bite, you can literally pick out each of the fine cheeses that give this pizza its tangy, rounded, memorable flavor.
Nonno Alby’s prides itself on its gourmet burger menu, including a Classic Black Angus burger and, for vegetarians, a Black Bean Burger. As always, ingredients are creative and top-notch. A hearty but lean Bison Burger features Wisconsin Cheddar topped with Dijon, cabernet onion and escarole.
Last is an elegant tiramisu in a glass bowl, with chocolate streaks across the mascarpone custard. Memories of Nonno Alby’s…
