#PeachysPicks #TerrificTakeout @KestePizzeria A Peachy's Pick Since 2012, Spring 2024 #Keste by Founder and Owner Roberto Caporuscio, U.S. President of PAF Pizza Academy Foundation #Manhattan
It's never been who you know; it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know Roberto Caporuscio, Founder and Owner of Keste and also U.S. President of PAF Pizza Academy Foundation. There he is with Peachy and the Burrata Roberto!!!
Huey Lewis, you ought to join us here sometime! There will be no IF involved.
Just like Whom You Know, it is a Statement, not a Question.
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What do the best do?
They get better.
This time Roberto had a secret weapon: Executive Pastry Chef Graziella Caporuscio who flew in from Rome to make the review that much sweeter! We were delighted to meet her and Peachy and her aunts will tell you that all Roberts have AMAZINGLY talented sisters and Graziella is a prime example of this.
This time Roberto had a secret weapon: Executive Pastry Chef Graziella Caporuscio who flew in from Rome to make the review that much sweeter! We were delighted to meet her and Peachy and her aunts will tell you that all Roberts have AMAZINGLY talented sisters and Graziella is a prime example of this.
Of course we were graciously welcomed with water from Italy- no ice and citrus as the picky one here requested. Throughout the experience, Oscar Gonzales was a total professional to work with and he's a server that you'd be lucky to have.
Roberto is to pizza what Bill Gates is to computer software and Elon Musk is to spaceships (Thanks Elon for our recent earned Blue Checkmark!!!). Their menu welcomes you to Naples, Italy, where pizza was born and informs you that you no longer need to travel 4,000 miles.
We love the humor. Keste hit the ground running as a Peachy's Pick in 2012, and it took us WAY too long to return. We were also happy to see Roberto recently at the New York Restaurant Show earlier in 2024.
Avid readers know that Peachy is into salads as part of the meal, and we are BEYOND impressed there are ten different salad choices at Keste and aspire to try all of them. We narrowed it down to three, and you should know that these are not run-of-the-mill salads. The elevated elegance of the Siciliana, above, boasts a nice base of fennel and is accentuated with oranges, gaeta olives, lemon and evoo giving you a fresh, unique start. Below, meet the Artichokes Salad: a gorgeous presentation. Artichokes, Pecorino Toscano, just the right touch of fresh mint and lemon zest await you with an evoo lemon dressing, which they put on the side as we requested. You know who ALWAYS wants dressing on the side.
The final salad was absolutely gorgeous: don't hate it because it's beautiful: eat it!
Oscar tells us it is his favorite and we can see why: Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Radicchio, Arugula, Avocado, Belgioso crescenza cheese, parmigiano reggiano, Moliterno truffle cheese, fig jam, vinegar, lemon and evoo team up for a firework extravaganza of a salad called Autunno A New York but we'd say it must be fabulous any season.
We began with the Truffle Burrata Pizza.
This should surprise no one, given that there is a Truffle Peachy column and a Burrata Peachy column. Homemade Burrata filled with Black and White Truffle cream reigns triumphant lording over all other pizzas in the universe, especially when you consider the grape tomatoes of perfection, basil, prosciutto di Parma and evoo. Words cannot begin to approach the majesty of this pizza and this might be our favorite. It goes without saying that the wine list here is smashing and we happily sipped a glass of Fabvlae Must wine (Aglianico grape) and we can confirm its versatility with all of the culinary endeavors at Keste with its ravishing full body which we love.
We don't recall having Pistachio on pizza before but we love it now!
Pistacchio and Salsiccia is Fresh Pistachio pesto, sausage, fresh mozzarella, pecorino romano, basil and evoo that combine in a most innovative endeavor that will fabulously grace your palate in wondrous elevated style that emblazons a culinary memory evidencing exactly why Roberto is President of that Pizza Organization you see in the title. Some people mediate and do yoga but we get in touch with our inner being by eating on this kind of pizza which is obviously much more fun and delicious.
It's a culinary explosion emanating heaven-sent goodness in its luscious invitation to eat it.
You should know that Keste goes beyond the pizza: meet Basil Cream Lasagna GF:
It is exactly that beautiful and be advised we NEVER edit pictures.
You excel like Roberto or we do not publish.
Inside you see the traditional Italian Lasagna layered with Homemade Basil Cream that can be found under "Keste Specials."
Do you know there is such a thing as Stuffed Pizza!?! You do now: Vesuvio!
It sounds like a Phil Collins song but inside you'll meet fresh ricotta, fresh mozzarella and salami.
On top you'll encounter tomato sauce, roasted Italian pork, fresh mozzarella, assorted mushrooms, basil, artichokes, and evoo. It packs a tremendous punch of flavor!
It's very serious pizza and the crust is up to the task of the weight and is winningly strong and soft.
In contrast, on the lighter side, meet Marinara Keste.
It reminds us of the song "Here Comes the Sun" because it is bright and pure.
Tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, oregano, fresh garlic, grana, basil and evoo combine in perfect proportion to do a classic in ideal fashion.
Next is another obvious signature pizza: Burrata Roberto!
Homemade Burrata, grape tomatoes, basil and evoo are also combining to do a classic but you all know Burrata makes absolutely everything better. It's to-die-for.
The Paninis are in it to win it: featuring the Toscano!
Look at Peachy's hand to see the scale!
Roasted Italian Pork, Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Mushrooms, Pecorino Romano and Evoo are perfectly pressed and piping hot ready to mix it up and deviate from the pizzas for a bit. Just delicious!
If you are looking for a Gluten Free Pizza, you should know there are great options in this realm at Keste including this one they suggested: Salciccia and Friartelli. Imported Smoked Buffalo Mozzarella, Broccoli Rabe, Sausage and Evoo confirm that you might not even miss the gluten!
You are in for a treat, and that is an understatement, if Roberto's little sister Graziella is in from Rome when you visit!
Pastiera Napoletana: Neapolitan Tart made with cooked wheat, eggs and ricotta is a light and fresh way to kick off spring, above!
Graziella must be reading because everyone knows Peachy's favorite color is green.
Maritozzo Romano is a Romano dessert (Note: If you are going to have a Roman dessert, you ought to eat one made by an expert from ROME like Graziella) crafted with imported Italian flour, Honey, Homemade Chocolate cream and Homemade Pistachio cream. It was intoxicatingly delicious and even if you think you are full you absolutely must find room for it. We count ten dessert choices plus five more gluten free dessert choices.
Not only does Keste knock it out of the park with quality, but Keste also knocks it out of the park with elevated variety.
Oooh la la check out the outdoor space as the temperature warms up later this year...
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Keste continues to be Highly Recommended by Whom You Know!
Their website says:
My Story
Roberto Caporuscio began his authentic pizza-making skills straight from the source РItaly. Roberto was born and raised on a dairy farm in Pontinia (Italy) where he first developed his culinary skills producing and selling cheese. It was, however, in Napoli, the birthplace of pizza, where he went to study the art and craft of Neapolitan pizza with the most talented pizza masters, including Antonio Starita. After training with the best, he established two successful pizzerias in Pittsburgh, PA, then A Mano in Ridgewood, NJ, and ultimately in New York City in 2009 when he opened Kest̩ Pizza & Vino on Bleecker Street, followed by Don Antonio in Midtown in February, 2012.
Roberto has become one of the most highly praised pizza chefs amongst his peers and in the media, critically acclaimed as “#1 Pizza in New York” by New York Magazine, “Best Pizza” in New York State by Food Network Magazine and among the top 25 “Best Pizza Places in the US” by Food and Wine. A passionate advocate of the Neapolitan Pizza Industry, Roberto serves as U.S. President of PAF Pizza Academy Foundation, the elite Italian governing body teaching the 300-year-old art of Neapolitan pizza making, and certifies adherence to authentic procedures. The pizza maestro is called upon by numerous restaurants throughout the United States, for private consultations, and conducts an intensive, ten day Neapolitan pizza-making course at which he issues APN certification to aspiring Neapolitan pizza makers and restauranteurs around the world. Currently, Roberto is the president and owner of Keste Pizza & Vino where he teaches the art of cheese making at the Fulton location’s pizza school.
