Pulino's

282 Bowery
NY NY 10012
212-226-1966
(Lower East Side)
From Times Square, take the Downtown F train and get off at 2nd Ave., exit near the intersection of E Houston St. and 2nd Ave, and go west on E Houston, then turn left onto Bowery....about 25 minutes.

September 3rd-

So I was watching TV one day, and happened upon a story about a pizza place called Pulino’s. Ok, another pizza place, yeah, yeah. They’re all the same in New York, all thin crusted, and all claiming they are indeed the best, or the first, or some other claim to fame. I wasn’t too hopeful, but then, they started showing me things like breakfast pizza. Yes, breakfast pizza......and I don't mean the cold slab you pull out of the fridge the morning after. I was intrigued. At my first opportunity, I was there. I wanted to experience this first hand. After all Nate Appleman is the chef, and he is supposed to be oh so fabulous. I decided to give him a chance. Why not?

We get there and are greeted by friendly staff, and taken into a very bistro looking dining room, airy, with tiled walls and a high tin ceiling. It has the same kind of feel as Schiller's or Pastis, which I personally like. It's pretty full for being 2:30 on a Friday afternoon. Maybe everyone else saw the show on TV, too?

As we peruse the menu, we see some of what is so unique about this place in particular......the creative combination of upscale, gourmet toppings. They list toppings which include things like grana, pork strutto, pickled chiles, pancetta, smoked ricotta and prosciutto. This is pizza for foodies. Yeah! I'm in the right place. They have various combinations already laid out for you to choose from, or you can customize your own. We decided to start with one of their suggestions and tweak it. We ordered the prosciutto and arugula pizza with mozzarella, pecorino and garlic, and added tomato sauce and an egg. I mean, it was, in fact, the breakfast pizza that had drawn me in here in the first place. You didn't think I would go home without trying an egg on my pizza, did you?

They did have other things on the menu besides pizza. There are several versions of bruschetta, some salads and even a cheeseburger, but the pizza definitely takes center stage. By the way, there is no better compliment to pizza than sparkling wine. They have this, and actually also possess quite a unique, fun, cocktail menu with drinks called the Aranciata Amara, an Aperol and vodka concoction, and the Journalist, which is gin based. Maybe I will try these next time when I come back for dinner.

I have to say, I very much enjoyed my lunch at Pulino's. It was more than a meal, it was an experience, and that is always what I am in search of.