Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, which is exactly what I think happened on Wednesday, December 7. That day was my husband’s birthday. I happened to find 3 Palms Pizzeria & Bakery in Hudson and took him there for lunch.
Bobby is a third-generation Italian in this country, and he values his heritage highly. He also loves a good pizza, with a particular affection for authentic Neapolitan pizza. 3 Palms Pizzeria provided the perfect pie to celebrate his birthday. As soon as we sat down and looked at the menu I could tell that he would enjoy his meal. Under the pizza section of the menu was Margherita D.O.P.
Bobby’s eyes lit up and he said, “That’s what I am getting.” He had to explain to me why “D.O.P.” was such a big deal. I guess it means that the ingredients are from particular region of Italy. He didn’t realize the designation existed outside of Italy. (Neapolitan pizzas have to be made with San Marzano tomatoes from a certain region in Italy. This is likely where the D.O.P. comes in. The buffalo mozzarella cheese that comes from the Campania region of Italy has a D.O.C. designation.)
3 Palms explained on their menu that they bake their pizzas in brick ovens that are manufactured in Naples, Italy. The company that made it has been in business since the late 1800s. So, authenticity is important to them, which only seemed to enhance the day for us.
I got their pasta of the day. It included chicken, sun dried tomatoes and bacon in a parmesan Alfredo sauce. It was pretty good, but did include a lot of onions. (I don’t really care for onions.)
The pizza was awesome. Bobby shared a couple of slices with me. Bobby and I usually don’t agree on pizzas, but this one had great flavor and the char from the brick oven added a dimension that most pizzas don’t have.
I didn’t know what we would get when I planned to take Bobby to the restaurant. I hoped he would get a good pizza that he would enjoy. I didn’t know he’d get a taste of his homeland. I guess I just got lucky. And, he also got a cannoli.
