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Business & Tech

One Day Only—Free Pizza!

Pizzeria Rosso will be giving away pizza slices (and free meatballs, and free drinks) at its Saturday grand opening to say hello to Norwalk.

If pizza were a natural creature, it would be said to be evolving into new subspecies in Norwalk.

Think "White Prosciutto" with the white made up of cured pig's lard sliced thin.  Or pizza topped with smoked prosciutto and figs. Or pizza topped with a fried egg.

For one day only—Saturday, April 30—the public is invited to sample a free slice at the Grand Opening of Pizzeria Rosso at 4 New Canaan Ave.

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Everything's free—pizza slices, meatballs, sodas and music—from 1 to 8 p.m. The enterprise wasn't designed for sit-down dining—only takeout and delivery service.

The business is the brainchild of Pasquale Pascarella, who has spent the past month taste-testing new concoctions with his partner, Antimo Pascarella (his dad), and various other family members who are cooks, bottle-washers and counter help.

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"We are not your basic pizzeria," 27-year old Pascarella said this week between phone calls to coordinate last-minute touches at the 700-square-foot space. "We'll be doing different things no one else is doing."

Pascarella is no fly-by-night pizza purveyor out to make a splash by creating the strangest combinations.

"These are going to be technical choices," he said, reciting his  technical training at the French Culinary Institute in New York and his rise from dishwasher at age 14 to line cook at Esca and L'Impero, New York City restaurants run by celebrity chefs.

Most recently, Pascarella served for three years as executive chef at Saltwater Grille in Stamford, and he's now its owner.

"A pizzeria is what everyone wants," he said  by way of explaining his cheerful transition from high-end dining to take-out fast food.

Pascarella applied his technical skills to balance the flavors of his signature "White Prosciutto" (with that cured pig's lard) with smoked mozzarella, Buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil to achieve a little bitterness and acidity that brings out the subtle flavor of the lard.

The creative Pascarella wants to be known for his "New Age" unique pizza creations, but he's not content to leave traditional combinations stagnant.

So his Hawaiian pie has fresh cantaloupe with prosciutto rather than the customary pineapple and ham. The "Tutti Carne" (all meat) will have sausage, pepperoni and prosciutto—as well as hot cherry peppers.

"We'll be known for our pizza, paninis and gelato," he predicted.

The gelatos are made at Longford's in Portchester.

"Their blueberry gelato is hands-down the best gelato I've ever had in my life," Pascarella says. "Their chocolate hazelnut is to die for."

To achieve a brick-oven taste in a gas oven, Pascarella is using "double-zero" flour, which is extra finely-ground and high in gluten.

"Our crusts are really thick on the outside and really thin in the center," he said. "They look and taste like brick oven."

Pascarella's mother, Giovanna, is contributing her specialty, meatballs made with ricotta. Nephew Pat Siciliano is chief dough mixer.

The name "Rosso" (Italian for red) derives from the pizza variety favored by Antimo, a native of Caserta, a community south of Naples.

Even red pizza is an epicurean specialty at Rosso. Fresh plum tomatoes are dusted with freshly shredded mozzarella, a sprig of dried oregano and a dousing of extra virgin olive oil.

Pizzeria Rosso, at 4 New Canaan Ave., opens for business at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Its website, www.pizzeriarossonorwalk.com, is under construction. The telephone number is 203-956-7134.

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