Mama’s Too has been open on Broadway & 105th Street for about three months now. I was tipped to them when third-generation owner Frank Tuttolomondo slid into my DMs with some legit-lookin’ pizza slices.
In this case the book lived up to its tantalizing cover. Fantastic slices here, people. The square is amazing, with Tuttolomondo saying he’s inspired by noted Roman pizzamaker Gabriele Bonci—but that he’s trying to bridge the gap between Roman-style pizza al taglio and New York squares. Judging by the handful of slices I’ve tried on my two visits (so far), I think he’s nailed it. The squares have a satisfying crisp-chewy quality and a nice open crumb that still stands up to the substantial toppings—all ringed by a Detroit-pizza-like “frico crust.”
Tuttolomondo is clearly working in the current pizza zeitgeist, taking inspiration from his own background (his family has run UWS staple Mama’s for decades), from around the country, and around the globe.
Oh, and the regular slice? It reminds me of Di Fara. But Di Fara when it’s firing on all cylinders. Like Dom DeMarco, Tuttolomondo does the whole post-oven cheese-grating and tons-of-basil thing, but with a nice 24-month Parmigiano-Reggiano (as opposed to Di Fara’s grana padano). The crust is made from a 70% hydrated dough—for non-pizza nerds, that just means it’s high in water content, which leads to a very open, airy crumb and a light, crisp bite. Like most pizza, it’s best eaten fresh, but I do emphasize eating a regular slice as fresh from the oven as you can, because it does lose some of its ethereal qualities when you, um, let it sit for a while while snapping Instagrams of it.
Speaking of Instagram, you’ll probably see Mama’s Too popping up a lot on my feed, because it’s well within my lunchtime roaming radius.
Mama’s Too: 2750 Broadway, New York NY 10025; 212-510-7256