Everyone loves pizza. It's just a known fact. Boston must have caught on to this and decided to create an amazing festival to showcase this glorious food at the first ever Boston Pizza Festival. Vendors from places as close as the North End and as far as Naples, Italy came to City Hall Plaza to share their pizza pies with eager Bostonians. Here are the top three pizza creations I tried at the festival.
1. Cafe Quattro
Hailing from the South End in Boston, Cafe Quattro featured three of their popular pizzas: cheese, pepperoni, and their bianco pizza (pictured here). This is a white pizza which means it is made without any tomato sauce. In its place is cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. Cafe Quattro's take on the bianco is made with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, and fresh basil. I really enjoyed this pizza because, honestly, who can go wrong with cheese and bread? The ricotta was especially creamy and added a layer of decadency to this awesome slice.
2. Da Peppe e Figli Pizzeria
Da Peppe e Figli's Pizzeria is based in Naples, Italy. They offered an authentic pizza experience for festival goers and had one of the longest lines. There was only one type of pizza these Neapolitan chefs were serving up and that was the classic Margherita. Their dough was super fresh, the sauce was packed with flavor and the gobs of mozzarella cheese completed the slice. One bite into this Margherita pizza and I was transported to Italy. The flavors were classic and authentic and did not disappoint.
3. Bricco & Quattro
My personal favorite was from the North End's very own Bricco. This stellar slice was made with prosciutto, arugula, fig, and goat cheese. It hit the sweet, salty, and savory notes all at once. I had never had figs on a pizza, but it was definitely a good choice. This was one of the more dynamic pizza creations at the festival which is why I was drawn to it. All of the ingredients created a perfect marriage of flavors and made this my favorite slice from the pizza festival.
With old staples like Regina Pizzeria and new favorites such as Da Pepe e Figli, Boston's first ever pizza festival showcased the best of the best. One can only hope this delicious festival will become an annual event.