Pizzette: Authentic NY Pizza and Italian Cuisine Worth the Drive
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| The Old Style Sicilian at Pizzette Pizzeria in Tresckow is a special pizza worth the drive. |
Pizzette Pizzeria is a little pizzeria in a tiny town called Tresckow, which is about 5 minutes away from the City of Hazleton. This pizza shop first came on my radar several years ago when they joined the NEPA Pizza Madness tournament to compete. As I do with every pizzeria in NEPA that I’m aware of, I quickly went to their facebook page and checked out the photos of their pizza. I try not to judge a book by its cover after being proven incorrect on several pizzas, but their pizza looked so authentic, and so appetizing that I immediately added it to my spreadsheet to review. Fast forward a couple years and an opportunistic road trip later, I had the chance to spend some time at Pizzette (pronounced Pizz-et-uh) owners Vito and Patricia to learn a little more about the business and their food.
After entering this little pizzeria, I was greeted Vito and Patricia the owners who showed me around a little, and it was an easy tour because everything in the kitchen was open to see – my favorite type of place to eat and review pizza because I get to see the whole operation and see how it works. Before I knew it, I was watching Vito making pizza and learning a bit about why their pizza was so unique – I’m not at liberty to say why, but I’m confident there aren’t many pizzerias locally doing things with pizza the same way as Pizzette does it. I’d later learn what I observed in nuances definitely made a difference in taste, texture, and experience.
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| Pizzette is known for their arancini (rice balls). |
I learned that I was slated to try the New York Style Pizza as well as the Old Style Sicilian Pizza for this review, but as I waited for those to bake, I had the opportunity to try the arancini, which they are known for. For those who aren’t familiar, arancini are stuffed rice balls which are breaded and deep fried. The two arancini I tried were one stuffed with Italian meat, and another stuffed with cubed prosciutto and fresh mozzarella cheese. Both were wonderfully flavorful and fun to eat – I could easily eat a half dozen of either! Perhaps the biggest highlight of trying the rice balls was that they were served with Pizzette’s marinara sauce which is top notch, simmered for 6 hours, and bursting with flavor.
The first pizza up was the classic (and authentic) New York style pie. The crust on this pizza was what made it so unique. Crafted from a different type of flour, it had an ultra tender and chewy texture, floppy center and crisp edge. The sauce provided a punch of flavor from fresh herbs and sweet tomatoes, and really lead the pack in terms of flavor profile components – and I think it needed to have this punch with the amount of flavor also coming from the crust and cheese. There was a ton of contrast and complexity in this pizza and I enjoyed the heck out of it. As you can see in the video review above, it was a little messy, but a lot of fun to eat and you can see what else I had to say about it!
The Old Style Sicilian was made from the same dough and sauce, but starts with a base of fresh mozzarella cheese, sauce stripes, and fresh garlic and herbs on top. It’s a simple equation that netted an incredibly complex product. The dough is pressed out into a razor thin, almost transparent crust. It’s cooked in a pan which creates a super crispy bottom and edge. The aroma of the pizza was equal parts exciting and intoxicating. The steam bellowing off of the surface of the pizza provided a scene that looked like a professionally staged TV commercial – except shot with a smartphone by a guy who isn’t a photographer!
Judging by looks alone I could tell this pizza was special and the first bite confirmed my suspicions – is was heavenly. The crust and sauce may have been crafted from the same ingredients as the round pie, but the flavors and textures were totally different. The sauce didn’t have cheese on top to trap in the moisture so it created a more concentrated reduction that heightened the unique flavors. The perfect amount garlic and herbs was applied on top and the whole pizza just came together wonderfully to create a spectacular pizza.
It was an exciting pizza review, and I traveled nearly an hour and 20 minutes to get there. I can safely say, it was absolutely worth a round trip of over 2 and a half hours of driving. Pizzette has an interesting dynamic with that New York soul, philosophy, and attitude in a quiet coal town. I don’t know how else to describe it other than to say the pizza carries my full recommendation based on my experience and detailed ratings below and you should just try it for yourself!
The Ratings
Restaurant: Pizzette Pizzeria
Location: Tresckow, PA
Date: December 2019
Eat In/Take Out: Eat In
Pizza Ordered: New York Style Pizza
Price: $11.00
Crust: 7.9
Sauce: 8.7
Cheese: 8.9
Overall Taste: 8.4
Crispy/Cooked Properly: 8.4
Overall Value: 8.4
Pizza Ordered: Old Style Sicilian
Price: $18.00
Crust: 9.1
Sauce: 8.8
Cheese: 8.8
Overall Taste: 9.2
Crispy/Cooked Properly: 9.4
Overall Value: 7.9
OVERALL RATING: 9.0
