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.

Arte e Cibo

The next time you eat at Tonda, your waiter might not just be the one serving you pizza. He might have made me the art on the walls. Cacho Falcon is the waiter, artist, and wonderkid on display at Tonda right now, and his art is getting as many accolades as our cuisine. Because it's never enough for us to just bring you the Neapolitan food we love, we'd like Tonda to be an experience. Why is why we're planning special Sunday brunches with DJs and Monday night events throughout the summer and into the fall. We'll keep you posted on all of this right here on the blog. Oh, and because we're loving the whole internet/restaurant world, we've gone and made ourselves a Facebook. Just one more way for Tonda to be a part of the community.

Behind the Scenes

We know Bob Giraldi, the Renaissance man/owner of Tonda, quite well. In fact, we get to see him almost every day. But not everyone does. And while he'll be at Butcher Bay, and would love to say hello to loyal patrons, Black Book Magazine gets us up close & personal with Bob for their column "Industry Insiders". Its a long, hefty interview, fitting a resume as long as Bob's, and writer Nadeska Alexis covers everything from food to film shoots, and even sneaks a Michael Jackson reference into the intro. Just as important, they used one of our favorite photographs, taken by Daniel Krieger at Tonda!

Quite Presidential

We usually turn to Time Magazine for the latest news about Barack Obama. But now we've got another excuse to pick up this weeks issue: Tonda, and owner Bob Giraldi, are featured in a story called "Posh Slice: Pizza, a Budget Staple, Goes Upscale". We're in good culinary company in the article, not to mention writer David Kaufman calls out one of our favorite dishes, the Pesto Pizza. Since Time is so political, we just hope someone at the White House happens to catch the article. Michelle and Barack, we'd love to have you next time you're in town.

Superiore Chef

We watch Top Chef as much as any culinary-minded New Yorker, so we were pretty thrilled when Season Four contestant, Spike Mendehlson, who knows a thing or two about pizza, told New York Magazine he was including us in his self-described "New York pizza binge". Next time, Spike, say hello when you come to visit, and we might even throw you an apron and put you to work.

Cucina di Estate

We love pizza in the summer as much as anyone. In fact, so much is pizza associated with our youthful school vacation daliances that we can hardly separate the two. Little league pizza parties, anyone? But we're adults now, we've experienced New York City in balmy Augusts, and sometimes the heat leaves us wanting something a bit lighter for our plates. So we thought we'd remind everyone that while we'd never stop serving up our pizzas for kids at heart, of any age, we have some lighter fare for those upcoming summer heat waves.

First up is our Seafood Salad. Nothing satisfies us quicker on a scorching day than seafood:



Next is a salad of a different sort. Less seafood, more mixed greens, black olives, and cherry tomatos. But because Mediteraneans have learned over centuries that a little sea food goes a long, refreshing way, we top of the Haricots Verts with Italian Tuna:



You still need a morning cup, even in the summer, so why not a Brunch-time cappucino mixed with cooling Greek Yogurt and Granola:



And lastly, here's something that requires no appetite at all. Our Frappes, like this Mixed Berry version, are cold enough to stop the heat:



These choices, our variety of beers (try the Lucky Beer in the green Buddha bottles), white wines, and proseccos, and our wide open, airy windows, we hope to keep you cool summer.

Paninos for Brunch

Yesterdays post about brunch just wasn't enough. We can't just tell you about our daytime cuisine, we've got to show you our delicious creations. And so we picked what we're hungry for this very moment: a Panino with Proscuitto and Egg, on crispy, hearty bread, with a refreshing pear salad. The exact thing we'd want to be eating al fresco in the sun. We'll have to wait for the weekend to come to indulge, but for now, this fantastic picture will suffice.

Ready For Our Close-Up

One of the pros of being a restaurateur/filmmaker, like Tonda's illustrious owner Bob Giraldi, are the beautiful cross art and genre possibilities. Tonda is one of many amazing pieces in Bob's repertoire. Which brings us to the premiere of "Leaving Naples", a short cinematic ode to Neapolitan Tonda chef Michele Sceral and the restaurant that he helms. Enjoy the film:

Manic Monday

Ok, so its Monday. And a Brunch-filled weekend seems a million miles away. But we want to give you a whole week to prepare: Tonda is now open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. New York Magazine was excited enough about it to post the announcment on their site. We're glad they put the Brunch Menu up as well so you'll have a whole week to pick out exactly what you'd like to eat, and which of our freshly made, all natural Frappe's to pair it with (The Mixed Berry Frappe goes fantastically with the Spinach, Pear, and Fennell Salad). This weekend will arrive quicker than the time it takes to say "Buon Appetito"!

Il Ristorante della Settimana

Paper Magazine bestowed their highest culinary honor upon us recently, "Restaurant of the Week", and we're proud to accept. It puts us in pretty good company, like our sister restaurant Lulu, which was similarly honored last year. Maybe they were bowled over by the Scagliuzzoli (pictured left), Neapolitan fried polenta balls, filled with cheese.

Dopo la cena

When you open a Neapolitan pizzeria in the heart of New York City, most of the attention is, of course, on the pizza. Which is perfectly and understandably fine, except that we'd think it a shame if people missed out on dessert & coffee. So let us remind you to order dessert and coffee (like the Tiramisu, to the left, which is as light as a feather). We had a decaf cappucino last night that relocated us right to Italy. And that might be because all of Tonda's coffee, even the dainty cups that its served in, come straight from Segafredo Zanetti, the leading Espresso producer in Italy. Its so good, Tonda could stand alone as a cafe. That doesn't mean we'll stop serving pizza, it just means you have more options.

Zagat

It might not mean as much to you, the faithful Tonda diner, but to us, recognition from Zagat, a guide we follow all around the world, is serious business. So today when they put our listing up, and some amazing pictures on their site, we were pretty pleased. We also wanted an excuse to post the amazing picture to the left for you all to see. On a rainy day like today, the light shining through the windows in the picture looks especially inviting.

Affamato?

New York Magazine's Melissa Hom took some beautiful photos of Tonda for their First Look feature that ran on the site last week. And, they were kind enough to let us show you some on the blog.







That last amazing picture is of our Shrimp, Arugula, and Parmigiano Pizza. Thanks to New York Magazine, and go here to see the rest of Melissa's wonderful pictures.

L'uomo dietro la pizza

We've spent so much time talking about the pizza, that we've barely given a shout to the man behind Tonda, Bob Giraldi. Bob is the renaissance man of the New York restaurant world. A Pratt graduate, a "Mad Men" ad-exec in the 60's, a professor at SVA, a commercial and music video director (Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battefield" and Michael Jackson's "Beat It", heard of either of those?), and now, one of the most prolific restaurateurs in New York. With Jo-Jo, Jean-Georges, Vong (and its London and Hong Kong outposts), Patria, BREADTribeca and Diablo Royale on his resume, New York just wouldn't taste the same without him. His expansive creativity allows him to not only provide the best food, but the best visuals as well. Bob directed a commercial for Tonda last night himself. Look out for it on NBC LXTV (and a video of it here on the blog). There were over a hundred people there to join the celebration.

Photo by Daniel Krieger