Fresh Bread at Bivio in Montclair

For almost five years, pizza aficionados in the north Jersey area flocked to Bivio Pizzeria Napoletana in Little Falls like hummingbirds to sugar . Once you had a taste of Tomasso Colao’s authentic pizza made with his own natural yeast cultured dough, you were hooked. I count myself among the faithful. 

I wrote about Bivio Pizzeria when it first opened in 2011 and was a dedicated patron for Bivio’s entirely all-too-short run. Besides the delicate, innovative pizzas on offer, Tom was a master bread baker, and one of the joys of ordering a salad or appetizer was the incredible crusty bread that came with it. For awhile, you could also buy a loaf of Tom’s rustic breads to take home.

When Bivio closed in 2015, I was devastated (as were many of their other loyal followers). Of course, I missed the pizza and the bread, but also the vibe. Bivio had a special warmth that I haven’t found anywhere else in the area. A restaurant’s ambience starts with the management and Tomasso and his wife, Jackie, imbued Bivio with a genuine cordiality that made Bivio somewhere you wanted to be. From the soft lighting to the cool jazz, to the friendly yet professional service, Bivio had it all.

I’m still searching for that very special pizza but at least now I can once again get Tom’s bread. That’s right, Bivio groupies, Tomasso Colao’s handmade Italian bread is now available at the brand new Bivio Panificio in Montclair. Tom is firing up his wood-burning oven to turn out the breads we so loved at the original Bivio. 

I was there opening day to visit Tom and, of course, to get my hands of that bread! Tom’s new location is a small storefront in a quiet residential neighborhood, and when I arrived he was hard at work turning out those gorgeous rustic loaves. In the oven was the last batch for the day, “pagnotta,” a traditional peasant loaf with a deep, dark crust. He had already made baskets full of bastones and pane Bivio, and the aroma in the store made my heart sing. 

After visiting for awhile, I went home with two loaves (because, how could I not?), a bastone and the pagnotta almost too warm to even hold. I had planned to use the bastone with dinner that evening, but the minute I got in the car, I tore the heel from the loaf and ooh’d and aah’d the whole way home. Welcome back, Tomasso, Jackie, and the “baby” (their natural yeast culture), you were sorely missed.

Bivio Panificio

107 Pine Street

Montclair, NJ

973-941-9602

Wednesday-Saturday (call for specific hours)

Aquila Pizza al Forno, Little Falls

You might say that Jerry Arcieri, the owner of Aquila in Little Falls, has an obsession with pizza. After 25 years in the photo industry, commuting in and out of NYC every day, Jerry fulfilled his dream of opening a pizzeria. But Jerry didn’t just wake up one day and say “I’m gonna make pizzas!”

While working full-time as a photo editor, he attended the Institute of Culinary Education on Sundays and two nights each week. He earned a culinary certificate and then did an externship at Amano Pizza in Ridgewood (one of a handful of pizzerias in the US certified by the Association of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli in Naples). And while his stint at Amano gave him valuable insights learning from a master pizzaiolo, he really needed daily hands-on practice. So Jerry did what any pizza-obsessed person might do, he built his own wood-burning pizza oven in his backyard in Bergen County. He developed his own dough formulation and then to perfect his craft, he held “pizza parties” every weekend for a few lucky friends and neighbors.

In 2013, he started thinking about opening a pizzeria, and scouted several possible locations in the north Jersey area. In addition, he made “pilgrimages” to several of the most well regarded pizzerias in the tri-state area (among them, Santillo’s in Elizabeth, Frank Pepe in New Haven, and Jim Lahey’s Co in NYC).

Jerry had visited Bivio in Little Falls, one of the area’s premier pizzerias several times and had admired the owner’s dedication to the time-honored craft of authentic Neapolitan pizza. In April 2015, he and Bivio’s owner (Tomasso Colao) reached an agreement for the sale of Bivio and after a few starts and stops Jerry took ownership in November.

 

Bivio was a much-lauded pizzeria in north Jersey (yours truly had the privilege of writing the first article about Bivio when they opened in 2011) so taking over such a venerated establishment took some “coraggio” on Jerry’s part.

But Jerry was a man with a mission, and with his wife Sofia’s support, Jerry launched Aquila in early December. I spent some time recently chatting with him about the challenges and surprises of running a restaurant.

The oven that was built in place for Bivio by a Neapolitan master oven builder, has taken a bit of time for Jerry to learn how to “tame” the 800-degree monster. He also needed to tweak his dough recipe from his original backyard recipe, using only the famous Caputo 00 flour, rather than a mixture of regular flour and 00 flour.

Thankfully, he was able to retain a lot of the Bivio team, so staff management has not been the challenge it could have been.  And he’s lucky that the staff is excited about contributing ideas to Aquila’s menu. Whether it is thinking about flavors and combinations for the pizzas, or suggestions for a new appetizer, they are enthusiastic about their work at Aquila.

Jerry knows a good thing when he sees it, so he kept the core of the Bivio menu, but is slowly adding to the appetizer and salad offerings. Right now, the cheesecake on the dessert menu is made by one of the staff, but they will probably expand desserts in the future when the timing is right.

During a visit to Aquila the first week they opened, I sampled the Margherita pizza (a staple on any Neapolitan pizza list). The flavorful basil scattered across the crisp crust, topped with San Marzano tomatoes and house made mozzarella made a simple but delicious dinner.

And while Aquila’s regular pizza menu is small (5-6 items), Jerry offers 1-2 specials each week. I asked him how he comes up with ideas for the specials. He said he starts with a base of white or red, then builds from there, always having a vegetarian and meat option. As I write this, the current specials are a Swiss chard, roasted garlic, Gruyere and ricotta cheese pie (white/ vegetarian); and San Marzano tomatoes, sausage, roasted fennel, mozzarella and Parmigiano cheeses (red/meat). You probably couldn’t go wrong with either.

 

You may be wondering about the restaurant name (I was). Many years ago, the building where Aquila is housed was home to the Eagle Hotel.  In Italian, Aquila translates to “eagle.” Jerry named his pizzeria after the hotel, which I think is fitting because it sounds like Aquila will be flying high for the next few years.

Aquila Pizza Al Forno

7A Paterson Avenue

Little Falls

973-256-0050

Open Wednesday-Saturday, 5-10pm

BYO

Bivio

Bivio. Translation: fork in the road.  A fitting name for the newest pizza spot in the area.  Not only because it sits literally at a fork in the road, but for the play on words.  However, I've been there twice since they opened a week ago and have never once used a fork!  This is pizza that begs you to pick it up - you want to feel the silky dough that wrought this glorious crust. You want to lick your fingers of whatever crumb or topping may have fallen off.


I've written about pizza before (in New Jersey, pizza is almost our national food) but this is different. This is pizza straight from the coast of Naples.  This is the stuff "pizzanistas" dream about. 


Bivio is the dream of Jackie & Tomasso Colao - a small, cozy spot where Tomasso works the dough into little discs of heaven, and Jackie welcomes customers like you are a guest in their home.  

The wood-burning oven, made in Italy, is modeled after the ovens used in the bakeries of Pompeii. When we were in Pompeii, the ruins of the bakery were the most fascinating to me. According to Tomasso, the oven is almost up to the right temperature for him to start baking bread. And what a fine day that will be for those of us longing for real, artisanal bread close by.


The menu is small - a few salads, 5-6 pizzas, and 2-3 desserts. The arugula salad we sampled the first night was delicious, sprinkled with lemon juice and shaved Parmesan, the leaves not at all peppery. The simple dressing of EVOO was lovely but just a tad too light-handed for me. 

Ever since our first trip to Italy about five years ago, we have been hooked on porcini mushrooms.  So when we saw the Porcini pizza on the Bivio menu, we were thrilled. Tomasso rinses the mushrooms before soaking them to bring them back to life. Then he adds San Marzano tomatoes, fior de latte mozzarella, fresh basil, EVOO, and sea salt. The result is divine.


The true test of any pizza maker worth his salt, is the ability to make a fine Margherita pizza because this is as simple as they come -- tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil, mozzarella, and sea salt. And here Bivio does not disappoint.  But the real star of the show is the crust. Not since Italy have I had crust like this. Working the pizza oven by himself, Tomasso knows just how long to bake it (about 90 seconds to be exact) to get a perfect pie. Some say the secret is in the flour (00 flour from Italy), but true aficionados know it's the combination of quality ingredients with a master's skill. Tomasso told us that this is just the way he grew up.

Going back the second time, we tried the special pizza that evening, which was crumbled sausage with sweet sauteed onions, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella. Again we were bowled over! The simplest ingredients combined to make one of the best pizzas I've ever had.


We saved a little room that night to sample dessert - homemade Tiramisu, homemade cannoli, or fresh berries with house made cream. Such choices! We went with the cannoli and were so happy. The ricotta cream was not cloying, as sometimes is the case. Instead it was light, with just a hint of sweetness, and piped into a crisp shell. It was paired with a delicious, huge strawberry. 

I was a little hesitant to tell anybody about Bivio for fear I wouldn't be able to ever get a table again, but eventually word would leak out anyway. And as they say, when you come to a fork in the road, take it...


Bivio
7A Paterson Avenue
Little Falls, NJ
973-256-0050
www.biviopizza.com 
Open Tuesday-Thursday: 5-10pm; Friday, Saturday: 5-11pm
BYOB