Caprese Slice (Large pie $20)
I’m a firm believer that less is more, especially when it comes to pizza. For me, it’s not the oozing tomato sauce that warms my heart, it’s the stringy cheese that seems to stretch infinitely when you pull that first slice from the pie. So the fact that I fell in love with Gino’s Caprese pizza is a testament to how genuinely delicious it was. Their Caprese is simply diced vine tomatoes tossed with fresh mozzarella cheese, a bit of chopped basil, a pinch of salt, and cracked black pepper. That’s all stacked on top of the most fragrant flatbread you can imagine. To finish it off, you drizzle your own balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
It’s strange, because Gino’s is not at all what you’d expect as a pizzeria that offers such a high quality pizza. For one, the tables are McDonalds reminiscent and the plastic salt shakers are in a second-hand, passed-down white shade. Two, the glasses showcasing the pizza are anything but sparkling clear and the oven has those old grease stains that are a hassle to get rid of. But as mother probably taught you, never judge a book by its cover, because sometimes the best things come from inside the ugly duckling. (I do however, believe they may have another dining room inside that is more “upscale” but it was blocked off when I went).
My cousin ordered a gourmet pizza, half and half. One half Caprese and the other Spinach, Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes. They were both delicious in every way.
The Caprese: There is something to be said about fresh ingredients, and if tomato and mozzarella could be captured at its finest, it’s in Caprese. Caprese is usually served as an appetizer (what I described above but without the flatbread; you probably see it all the time at Italian restaurants with slices of tomato laid on top of slices of mozzarella) and the saltiness from the cheese blends wonderfully from the muted sweetness captured by the tomato. The mozzarella absorbs the balsamic so well, and the acidic tinge is quite welcoming. It’s not at all a hard pie to make and after this escapade, I returned home, looking for recipes for a simple flatbread. I have yet to find the perfect recipe, but I promise I’ll post it when I do. However, that didn’t stop me from bringing my version of Caprese pizza for two weeks straight to work.
The Spinach, Garlic, & Sundried Tomato: This was delicious in its own right and completely different from the other half of the pie. The pizza dough was smothered in olive oil and the sauteed garlic left traces of its scent on every part of the surface. It was a bit more difficult to eat, considering how it’s difficult to break apart sauteed spinach with your teeth, we were often left with patches of oiled bareness. And I don’t think I need to explain how the sundried tomatoes complimented the pizza because we all know how sundried tomatoes can make just about anything taste that much better.
Situated across from Queens College, the people at Gino’s are are nice and humble. Maybe it’s because my cousin was a frequent customer back in the day when he was a student, they seemed awfully nice for such a pizzeria. If you talk to any student from Queen’s College, mention Gino’s and undoubtedly, a smile and a nod of approval will appear.
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6501 Kissena Blvd
Queens, NY 11367
You should also check out:
- Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever
- Saturday brunch at Locanda Verde
- Bobo in the West Village
- Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill: Brunch
- Five Napkin Burger
