2Amys toujours

(Photo: Ra Boe / Wikipedia, Original; License: CC by-sa 3.0)

The first, and probably only, time I ate the genuine mozzarella di bufala was in the courtyard of the Castel Nuovo, a medieval castle in the heart of Naples, Italy. There was a press reception during the 1994 G-7 summit in Naples, and smart young women dressed in special Missoni knits were bringing around large bowls filled with creamy white balls of cheese swimming in cloudy liquid, which prompted me to abandon all the other hors d'oeuvres and focus on the mozzarella.

Real mozzarella is supposed to be made the same day from the milk of water buffaloes, and particularly those in Campania, the region surrounding Naples. A fresh cheese, mozzarella is by definition somewhat bland and I can't recall after all this time the nuances of flavor that cheese in Naples might have had. But the scene itself, twilight on the cobblestones of this medieval courtyard with all the glamour and power of the heads of state of the seven biggest economies in the world, has left an indelible memory.

This memory came back when we went to 2Amys and I ordered one of the specials of the day, a white pizza with buffalo mozzarella and the house sausage, garnished with eggs and chives. I am sure it is real buffalo mozzarella -- there are several U.S. producers -- and this yielded a melted cheese that was stringy but delicate, with just a hint of earthiness. The sausage was rich, tasting of fennel, and the chives set just the right accent. The egg set perfectly in the center of the pizza and breaking the yolk created a mix of flavors that went far beyond your typical breakfast sandwich. The marvelous pizza dough had its usual yeasty, smoky flavor from the wood-fired oven.

We go to 2Amys only once in a while. It is always crowded and there is always a wait. The downstairs is high decibel as the tile walls reflect the chatter and clatter from dozens of tables squeezed into a space that is too small for them, and families and kids talk loudly to be heard over the noise. This time, even the bar was too crowded for waiting, so we passed the brief 15 minutes outdoors (fortunately no rain). We were quite happy then to be shown upstairs to a corner table that was an oasis of quiet. Another time upstairs we were seated at the table right at the top of the stairs, with no shelter from the coming and going of the runners and busboys, so it was not altogether pleasant. This time we were comfortably isolated and even discovered there is a window, which currently offers a bird's eye view of the big building site where Giant used to be.

We always like to say that 2Amys has the best pizzas in town but is also one of the best restaurants in town because the wide variety of starters, small plates, salumi are all equally outstanding. I had the salt-cured sardines with bread, which once again took me to the shores of the Mediterranean with a taste that had as much ocean as fish in it. The crusty Italian bread -- if only we could get some of that at home -- soaked up the olive oil and salt to make a very satisfying appetizer. Andrea's roast corn and aged goat cheese was also delicious. The kernels had grown quite tiny with roasting, which concentrated the fresh corn flavor, and they were dressed with a spicy vinaigrette that had just a little kick to it. The dense, flavorful cheese set off the corn nicely.

Part of being one of the best restaurants in town is the efficiency and professionalism of the service. Servers in black T-shirts take the orders, check on on your needs and bring you the bill. Runners in white T-shirts bring up the food not only to the right table but set it in front of the right person. Drinks were brought, water was filled, plates were cleared with an easy informality that made you forget about service and freed you to enjoy the meal -- not something every restaurant can claim.

2Amys makes a lot of their DOC pizzas -- certified authentic -- but they don't need a label to tell you you're getting a genuine slice of Italy.