Photography by Andre Baranowski
Chef Shea Gallante opened Italian Kitchen in his hometown of Ardsley. |
Imagine a restaurant whose ambience is whatever you want it to be, like a farmers’ market, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, or even your backyard. It’s the ultimate expression of a chef-driven restaurant, because it’s one without waiters, beverage service, or an HVAC system. Better still, it’s by Chef David DiBari of The Cookery. How can it be bad?
This past spring, DiBari debuted DoughNation food truck—a mobile, wood-fueled Neapolitan pizza oven—and, with one stroke, he raised Westchester pizza’s already high standards. The perfectly textured, reverently Italian rounds that emanate from this oven are made with The Cookery’s excellent house-made ingredients: the pomodoro sauce, the tender mozzarella, the delicately fennel-tinged pork sausage. Look for stylish innovations on classic pies, like clam (with garlic, thyme, chili, and Parmigiano-Reggiano) and sausage (fontina and green-tomato jam), as well as stunningly original pizzas like DiBari’s fresh lemon (with smoked mozzarella, basil, and garlic). In the last, fresh lemon slices are tamed by the oven’s 800-plus degrees until they offer a mellow, citrusy counterpoint to the cheese’s dairy richness.
Italian Kitchen’s pasta dishes are hearty enough for Sunday dinner, or could be split between two people for a pasta course. |
While DoughNation has no phone or fixed address, you can find the truck’s regularly scheduled appearances on The Cookery’s website (cookeryrestaurant.com), or follow DoughNation on Twitter (@CookDoughNation) or Facebook (facebook.com/The CookerysDoughNation).