Porta National Park........Asbury Park, NJ.... Revisited......

After my first two visits to Porta National Park

  I thought I needed to make a third visit.

As stated in an earlier post:

“They have all of the correct puzzle pieces but some just do not fit.”
http://amusebouche1.blogspot.com/2011/09/porta-national-park-pizzeriaasbury-park.html 

It is not the fault of the wonderful personable staff, nor the pizzaiuoli ….

I feel they do not have a clear play book/job aid.....
No consistency... 

But I like what they make…..
The start point is perfect.....
But the pie/business plan (sorry) is not fully baked......

On my first visit I did not notice the picnic tables set up for sharing/family style……

I like that…..

Order pies, pass the pies and the plates …..

It will happen anyway…….
Nice..... 

I like dark beer....
Verdi Italian Imperial Stout with Chipotle

 (11.50 oz) $12.00

Ouch, but one is ok......

No heat....

On this visit I ordered the three trees salad......
 The lettuces are not from trees but lettuces,
but ok, nice name……
radicchio, belgian endive and arugula
with roasted prosciutto, toasted almonds,
pear, rosemary-shallot vinaigrette 
Loved the salad......
Not the rosemary....
Please add more prosciutto and pear.....
They were almost missing.....
$9.00

On the recommendation of my favorite bar tender .....

 I orderded the "arugula" pie

topped with...... 

San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella,

garlic, arugula, truffle oil

What could be bad.....

 $14

I think it would have been better finished with truffle salt......

 and prosciutto.......... 

Oh, well.....

Salad ($9.00),one high priced beer ($12.00),one at $6.00 and a San Marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella, garlic, arugula, truffle oil pie $14.00

Total $41.00

Plus tip.....

But I have  breakfast or lunch...

Eat Like A Local............ Carroll Gardens Brooklyn NYC

I have been to a few sections of Brooklyn

but not to

South Brooklyn

or

"Carroll Gardens"

renamed during a battle

to level the neighborhood

for urban "renewal".

Its charm was a true surprise…

It is almost suburbia with a

city feel....

The tree lined streets with

setbacks for gardens....

(by design) are lovely,

the buildings are low....

Smith Street,

the main thorough fare

feels like Main Street...

it is.....

Carroll Park

The Park and Carroll Gardens
are named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton
(September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832)
he was a wealthy Maryland planter and
an early advocate of independence from Great Britain.
He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and
later as United States Senator for Maryland.
He was the only Catholic and the longest-lived (and last surviving)
 signatory of the Declaration of Independence, dying at the age of 95.

I was there for a walking tour with my

friends at Urban Oyster Tours

http://www.urbanoyster.com/tours.html

Our first stop......

Seersucker.....
http://seersuckerbrooklyn.com/

A locally owned small farm to table restaurant....
And that was the theme of the tour....
Small locally owned independent shops...

The in house biscuits with jam made

with berries from the local market  were lovely……

Ok, it is a diverse neighborhood…..

How wonderful…

Oh my.....

I almost created a separate post for

STINKY
http://www.stinkybklyn.com/

Four types of prosciutto

 cut fresh from the leg!!!!!!

Take out beer in NYC

can only be sold in grocery stores.....

Nice selection

We tasted three cheeses

Stop three

One Girl Cookies

http://www.onegirlcookies.com/

Our tasting........

Where the pita was first introduced to America.....

The above are all within a block of each other near

the intersections

Smith Street and Court with Atlantic Avenue

We stopped for iced coffee.....

Next stop

Farmacy

and it was a pharmacy

for an egg cream....

Now a condo complex......

Our last stop.....

For boiled peanuts

Fries with house made ketchup

and Goose Island beer

Pork sliders....

Nice selection on tap.....

Breakfast For Dinner........

I frequently have lunch at Brickwall Tavern in Asbury Park, NJ.

http://www.brickwalltavern.com/

I like their beer selection, the friendly atmosphere and my favorite bar tender works lunches.  She knows my likes, dislikes and in many ways is a “friend.”

She also knows I like tater tots over chips. 

Today, as usual I had many leftover and a breakfast pizza was born.

Tomato sauce, tater tots, egg,

smokey Westphalia ham/prosciutto, mozzarella and fontina,

roasted garlic and diced red onions…..

 Ready to bake.....

Ready to eat.......

Porta National Park "Pizzeria"........Asbury Park NJ........

Recently, a new Neapolitan “Pizzeria” opened in Asbury Park, NJ. 

The name is Porta National Park.

 http://www.pizzaporta.com/

  Porta has a lot going for it.  First a great personable staff, two wood fired Neapolitan ovens, they use Italian “00” flour and trained/visited with Roberto Caporuscio at Keste’ on Bleecker Street in NYC.  Keste’ is the official location in the USA for APN (Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani) whose mission is to protect and preserve the Neapolitan pizza tradition and promote the art of pizza making. The organization also certifies professional pizza makers in the tradition of Neapolitan Pizza. Roberto is President. I do not know if the staff is certified or just went for pizza and chatted.

As you can see from the pictures , Porta is in an odd location and not welcoming from the outside. But it is one block from the boardwalk/beach and directly behind Asbury Park’s legendary Stone Pony/ once home to Bruce Springsteen.  At one end of the space are three large garage doors that lead to an outside gravel patio with a bocce ball court.  I imagine in the summer Porta will be packed.

  
The inside is also as industrial as the exterior.
The walls are unpainted cinderblock, the floor is cement. The beams and duct work are exposed and even the bar feels handmade but not by a carpenter. The tables are picnic tables. It is cavernous and loud. The two ovens are located at the back as is the prep/serving area.

I have been there twice and both times I ordered a carbonara. It is topped with guanciale (cured pig jowl), parmigiano reggiano, roasted egg, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, black pepper $13.  I had the parmigiano replaced with fresh mozzarella.  The pies could not have been more different.  Pie one was mostly crust with little mozzarella but nicely cooked.   Pie two pictured below, was nicely cooked but suffered from too much cheese. But I liked both for different reasons.

My wife ordered a Margherita (not pictured) with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, basil $12. She felt the crust was under done. It was also a different diameter from mine. We noticed this was a trend at other tables. As for the crust, it contains no sugar or eevo.  It will char but not caramelize

On my second visit a friend of mine ordered the italian stallion, pictured below. It is topped with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola, sweet italian sausage, hot italian roasters/peppers $16. It was good, but not great.

I would go back in a few weeks to see what has changed and order the arugula. It is topped with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella,garlic, arugula, truffle oil $14 and have a Verdi imperial stout (11.2 oz) $12.

I will go back in a few weeks to see what has changed and order the arugula. It is topped with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella,
 garlic, arugula, truffle oil $14 and a Verdi imperial stout (11.2 oz) $12.

  But I do think Porta National Park has all the correct pieces of the puzzle, the menu for me is happily edgy (guanciale where else?) , but some pieces need a better fit.

  Porta National Park

  911 Kingsley St

 Asbury Park, NJ 07712