Neapolitan pizza, pasta in Eastchester is Jeanne Muchnick's Best Thing She Ate This Week
Looking for a place that never disappoints? Burrata in Eastchester is my go-to — and has been for years. Their Margherita pizza is like the little black dress I have hanging in my closet. It's forever timeless, forever classic and forever the perfect people-pleaser.
This standby staple is the best thing I ate this week.
Open since 2012, the soul of the operation — and the heart of the dining room — is the gold-tiled wood-fired oven, visible from the front door. According to Owner Chas Anderson, it was imported from Italy and built by a third generation master oven builder from Naples, the birthplace of pizza. On any given night, it's a beehive of activity and for an Instagrammer like me, a source of wonder in capturing the perfect pizza pic. I love that it says "hearth" on its front.
What makes the pizza so special is that it's made with 0 flour, a finely ground Italian flour that goes through a fermentation process for a minimum of 48 hours, making it easily digestible. The blistery crisp crust will have you swooning thanks to its light, crackling char that's slightly springy and yeasty.
What also makes the pizza so delish is its sweet tomato sauce, imported ingredients and milky mozzarella. I'm a fan of the traditional tomato and cheese but other varieties include Tartufo (with black truffles, mozzarella, smoked pancetta, chili flakes and parmesan), Shrooms & Jalape?o (with wild mushrooms, tomato, mozzarella, jalapeno, red onion, thyme and parmesan) and Goat Cheese (with walnuts, balsamic red onions, baby arugula and truffle honey).
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Anderson takes the process and philosophy of bread making, developing flavor and structure, very seriously. Which is why the pizza (and pastas) are always solidly good, no matter what day of the week you go or how crowded it is (and it's always hopping so reservations are strongly suggested).
Of course you can't visit an Italian restaurant without also sampling its pasta, all of which is made in-house. Popular dishes include Agnolotti (short rib filled pasta, butter, aged balsamic, Piave and toasted bread crumbs), Gnocchetti (with lamb Bolognese, ricotta, oregano and pistachios), Rigatoni (with New York Rohan duck ragu, porcini, parmigiano and orange zest) and the ever-classic Spaghetti (with tomato, basil, garlic and parmigiano), the latter of which was better than anything I ever make at home.
You also can't visit a place called Burrata without sampling the Burrata Salad, with creamy burrata, roasted sweet peppers, shaved red onion, capers and sherry vinaigrette. (As an FYI Burrata, an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream, means "buttered" in Italian.)
Save room, too, for dessert: The cascading tiramisu and warm Valronha chocolate domed cake (with Taitian vanilla cream, anglaise and hazelnuts) are sooooo worth it.
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If you go
Address: 425 White Plains Road, Eastchester, 914-337-3700, burratapizza.com.
Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Price: In the $14 to $20 range for entrees and pizza.
Good to know: There's' no gluten-free pizza on the menu but the crust is made with an easily-digestible flour.
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Muchnick's Best Thing I Ate: Burrata in Eastchester never disappoints
