Motorino @ NYC **

My new friend Kimberly Belle may not have gone to culinary school, but she certainly knows a whole lot about food. While sipping champagne hurriedly transplanted from neighboring Resto Leon where we had patiently been awaiting a table, three foodie fans listened with rapt attention to the tale of Motorino’s august predecessor, the painstakingly, obsessively authentic Una Pizza Napoletana. If only I had come to this East Village venue just a few months earlier, I might have had the most exciting pizza-eating experience of my life!

Instead, although physically cosier than Kesté (and with infinitely friendlier staff!) and featuring such seasonal ingredients as squash and brussel sprouts, Motorino is just a little bit off. All four pies that I sampled were uniformly soggy in the middle (suggesting either too much sauce or an improperly heated oven), with crusts that were overwhelmingly doughy.

Despite Anthony Mangieri’s cryptic statement, that a new location will be found “in the very near future,” I think  for my next pizza-themed girl’s night, Una Pizza’s re-opening is worth waiting for.

Details: 349 East 12th Street, New York, NY (+1-212-777-2644)