GrandLife NYC

Go East, GrandLife NYC proclaims in their East Village roundup. And we heartily agree. Especially because they included both Butcher Bay and Tonda in the article:

There is a feel for the New England coastline at four-month old Butcher Bay. With its cheery red façade and intimate, honey colored wood dining room, you’ll swear you’re at a high-end clam shack on the Cape. The artfully tattooed Chef Eric Simpson (formerly of Jean George Vongerichten’s Perry St presides over an open kitchen that churns out a limited but well-executed menu that includes lobster rolls, fish and chips and even a barbecued tofu option. The staff is more than eager to help pair your oysters or lobster B.L.T. with one of their artisanal beers on tap. Unfortunately, zoning regulations keeps the large backyard off limits to patrons

One of Butcher Bay’s partners, restaurateur and filmmaker Bob Giraldi, has slung his dough into the pizzeria ring and opened up Tonda a block away in the large space that once held E.U. The restaurant’s outdoor patio makes it the perfect spot to people watch while enjoying the crusty yet chewy Neapolitan-style pizza. Inside, a wood fired oven has a rotating stone so that each side of the pie gets equal exposure to the fire emanating from the center of the 900-degree plus oven.

Photos by Alia Mansoori

Meditteranean Specials

Tonda is not just about pizza. We do pizza well, don't get us wrong. But we've also always given special care to our less doughy friends. Tonda has a number of new specials on the menu that are perfect for summer. For nibbling, there's Marinated Olives and Baccala Fritters. Refreshing and healthy salads like the Octopus, Tomato, Potato & Olive Salad and the Watercress Salad with Crispy Prosciutto, Avocado & Toasted Walnuts. And for dinner, we're pan searing a Sockeye Salmon with a Roast Parsnip Mash. But one of our very favorites is one of the simplest: Asparagus wrapped in Speck (pictured left), a perfect combination of flavors and textures.

New York Times

Frank Bruni from the New York Times gave Tonda a shout-out in his New York pizza round up today, noting us for our "attractive setting, attentive service and side notes like respectable salads and snacks. Such niceties matter...".

Press-ed

The New York Press, one of our favorite free publications, has taken notice of Tonda in a big way. Beverly Barnes gave Tonda a long and lengthy review, highlighting some of our very favorites. "A pizza with tuna, capers and olives ($13) may sound like a stretch, but it actually makes for a satisfying and delicious meal since all of the potent flavors manage to soothe one another and create a sharp—but not overly briny—harmony." And she loved the deserts, especially "Tonda’s Nutella pizza ($5), which is especially tasty when paired with a simple, sweet bowl of pineapple ($5)."

Buona Società

Time Out New York gave us a great, great shout out in this weeks issue, and took some beautifulphotos, like the one pictured to the right. Just as flattering, they put is in company with some of our favorite pizza places in New York (yes, we can enjoy other people's pies!). We've posted our favorite part of the review, and make sure to pick up this week's copy of TONY:

The man guarding this inferno is Michele Sceral, a graduate of the venerable Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani. Ever the apt pupil, Sceral displays a slavish attention to detail: The tomatoes are San Marzano specimens; the cheese is a milky, low-water Italian import (buffalo is available for an additional $5). Even the H20 used in the dough has been considered—Sceral uses filtered water, which he says helps control overbubbling of the crust.

THE RESULT:
The pies, if not your sweat glands, are the better for all that heat. They emerge from their turns in the oven (each pie makes two to three 30-second rotations) with a crisp yet elastic crust. The low moisture of the mozzarella keeps the cheese from pooling, and the sauce expertly balances sugar and acid. Sceral is a hard-line traditionalist, so take your cues from him and stick to the classics when ordering. The Margherita pie is exemplary...

Amici

Amateur photographer Jacob Donaldson was so impressed with his Brunch pizza last Saturday, he sent us in this delicious looking photo. If the pie doesn't look all too familiar to you Tonda-goers, its because its a bit of a custom job. Jacob is a vegetarian, but loves the Roasted Egg, Asparagus, and Cherry Tomato brunch pizza. Since it usually comes topped with piles of Speck, Jacob asks, and recieves, something a little special. And here's the result:

Guida di Estate

The New York Press, a paper we've long admired for thinking outside the book, has included us in their Summer Guide to Food & Drink. And after soaking up the sun at Tonda's brunch on Saturday, we'd have to agree that Tonda is the perfect place to spend the summer, especially with one of their oh-so-refreshing Frappes. We've also included in the post one of our favorite photos of Tonda, by photographer Robert Goethals. The light through the windows speaks to just how bright and sunny this summer promises to be.