Veloce

Crowded (and drizzled) out of the Dumpling Festival, we made our way into the East Village, our heads hanging and stomachs rumbling. And there like a beacon of delectability stood Veloce, home to the square Sicilian pie. How could we resist?


We didn't. Oh boy, did we most certainly not resist. First we started with frito misto. Not really sure what that was, we were overjoyed to discover that it's a fried salad. A fried salad! Each piece of cheese, tomato, onion, and lettuce had been lovingly dipped in batter, then crisped. Could there be a more marvelous way of deluding ourselves that we were actually being healthy even as we mainlined calories?


All delusions stopped, however, when the pie arrived. Four thick squares, sagging beneath a mixture of mozzarella, sausage from Porchetta, herbs, and sauce, atop a buttery, charred-just-so potato-based crust. One bite instantly turned a crummy day lovely; four bites, and Veloce shot to the top of our (admittedly extremely long) list of best pizza in the city.