Trulli scrumptous: Pasta purveyor to 25 Naples restaurants opens new pizza & pasta cafe
Want to know a secret?
Around Naples and Marco Island, more than 25 of the best-known restaurants say their pasta is “house-made” on the menu.
But only The 239 at Mercato gives credit where credit is due.
The actual “house” where the pasta is “made” belongs to Barbara Gallone Bosco and Domenico Bosco, the husband-and-wife owners of Trulli Pasta.
Two years ago, this reporter fell in love with their fresh noodles after visiting their East Naples warehouse, where they debuted a retail component to their wholesale business.
On the night of May 28, the fun duo soft-opens their new Trulli Pizza & Pasta, a casual Italian café. He is top chef, she is the manager.
This isn’t the couple’s first restaurant rodeo: They previously owned and operated Kitchen 41, a sous-vide midtown restaurant that closed in October 2018. Their new spot replaces Fusion Bowls.
Why am I excited about this opening?
Because I’ve cooked their fantastic pasta, made from two ingredients ― Italian semolina and eggs ― at home. It's divine.
It took Bosco more than 2½ years to develop his pizza recipe, which uses 100% semolina from durum wheat grown in Italy and purchased from Puglia, where he's originally from.
“We only use semolina so it can be consumed by people with gluten intolerance,” said Bosco.
Other differences?
He uses a 75% hydration ratio, meaning there are 7.5 pounds of water for every 10 pounds of semolina.
He compared New York-style pizza, saying that ratio uses 60% to 62% hydration.
What does this mean for pizza lovers with gluten issues?
“The pizza is more digestible, more fluffy, and the cornicione (meaning crust for those who don’t parliamo Italiano) is full of air.”
The gleaming new electric conveyor tunnel oven by Moretti Forni in Italy is “a new generation of technology.” It uses air to cook several pizzas simultaneously and allows dedicated pizza chef Luigi Sonani Mantova to balance the temperature between the bottom and the top for a crisp cornicione that’s soft inside.
"It will be the biggest cornicione you've ever seen," said Bosco.
A Friday night drive with his brother revealed the space was for rent. Bosco looked inside and said "this is the place."
He loved the open kitchen, allowing guests to glimpse the making of their meals.
Dining review: Behind red velvet ropes, new Naples Design District restaurant serves luxe comfort food
What to know before you go
Address: 7700 Trail Blvd., suites 107 and 108, North Naples
Call: 239-734-3872
Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Also
BYOB for now; the couple applied for their liquor license on May 23, before the holiday weekend.
The couple's retail warehouse on Mannix Drive remains open.
Bar seating available
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Pastamaker to 25 Collier restaurants opens new pizza & pasta cafe
