The owner of Di Matteo, Salvatore Di Matteo, comes from a long line of pizza makers. His pizzeria is a VPN member pizzeria and is touted by guidebooks and locals alike. Besides its pizza, the restaurant’s claim to fame is a visit from President Clinton. And in fact, a neighboring pizzeria owned by Di Matteo’s brother is named Il Pizzaiolo del Presidente in honor of Clinton.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try Salvatore Di Matteo’s pizza. He is also known for his fried snacks like pizza fritta, what we would call a fried calzone, that you can buy from the cart in front of the shop. According to Phaidon’s Where to Eat Pizza, Di Matteo assembles the pizza fritta himself. I love fried dough and fried calzones are my favorite (they shouldn’t be baked!). Of course, it was delicious.
–Dina Di Maio
