Here’s the UWS Dish: Bosino’s Pizza (Boscaioloa, Prosciutto and Elisa)

By Abigael T. Sidi

“Basically, when I was born, they threw me in a bag of flour,” Bosino owner Davide Pupillo exclaims, as he recounts his childhood growing up in his father Giuseppe’s restaurants in Varese, an idyllic northern Italian town tucked between the Alps and Lakes Como and Maggiore, near the Swiss border.

My predecessor covered Bosino a couple years back, and while a return visit would normally be a big no-no with the higher ups, sometimes a place is so nice, so personal, and its food so delicious that it is fully deserving of a sequel, a “Here’s the Dish, Part II.” Pupillo’s Bosino, a tiny Roman-style pizzeria tucked away on West 103rd street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, is such a place.

Plus, my predecessor luckily had focused on the restaurant’s tasty Gnocchi a la Sorrentina, which left the pizzas wide open for review. I decided to cover not one, not two, but three of Pupillo’s sensational pies.

Bosino’s brick oven pizzas shine by their simplicity, with the focus placed on the thin crispy dough and fragrant, top-quality ingredients (most of them imported from Italy). The Boscaiola, for instance, features a juicy, spicy sausage with creamy, savory Gorgonzola and small yet plump mushrooms for big flavors yet a perfectly balanced bite. The prosciutto pie is… a real prosciutto pie, in which the arugula leaves and shaved Parmesan give way to slice upon slice of ham heated to near melting point. (Perfetto!)

“This is Romana style pizza,” Pupillo said. “Napoletana style is different; they use a high temperature and cook the pizza for 30 to 40 seconds. We cook them for three minutes at least, up to four minutes, at 650 to 680 °F.”  That ensures that the dough and toppings are uniformly cooked, and that the crust adequately dries out to ensure the desired crisp.  Neapolitan pies do also boast a nice char on the outside but retain some characteristic sogginess in their center.

Pupillo puts a lot of pride in his craft.  “For me, the pizza over here is one of the best; sometimes you go to Italy, you can’t find a pizza like this,” he said.  I ask him half-jokingly if the New York water might have something to do with it. “I’m going to tell you a story,” he responded. “My father used to run three places at the same time. One was by the soccer stadium, and the aqueducts were different. Well, the pizzas were coming out differently, less than two miles apart. The water changes everything.”

So… is it really the New York water? “The water coming from the Hudson is good, yes,” Pupillo said. “But there’s also the flours. We use three, two from Italy and one from here.” I felt like the holy grail was in my grasp, that a master pizzaiolo would actually go all the way and share his secret … but he wouldn’t say more.

Seeing that I was covering Bosino, my parents insisted, to put it politely, that I include a few words about their own favorite, the Elisa, which combines artichoke hearts, thin potato slices and rosemary. Their description: “Unusual but so simple and delicious; the potatoes are al dente so it’s not for everyone, and the rosemary takes it to another level. Salvatore recommended it.” (More on him later.)

When I asked Pupillo about his decision to locate the restaurant in this particular, quite anonymous spot on West 103rd Street, he said he chose it because “it is small; you can control everything.” As an added plus, Arco Café is just around the corner. “We support each other. When they need something, I’m here. And he [Arco co-owner Daniele Fiori] does the same for me. They’re very nice people.” Indeed, this corner of West 103rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue feels like the Upper West Side’s tiny version of Little Italy. A neighborhood jewel.

“The goal for me was just to share authentic recipes,” Pupillo continued. “If you ask for chicken on a pasta, it depends on my mood and on the day, I’m going to say yes or no. Otherwise, no. I want to keep things authentic at Bosino. And the real difference, it’s him,” Pupillo said, pointing to his team mate, the great Salvatore, the kindest, funniest, most conversational and welcoming Italian server on the Upper West Side. Ask anyone who’s been to Bosino; they’ll remember Salvatore. My parents adore him; he strikes a perfect balance of Italian charm and impeccable service, and he makes you immediately feel like you’re part of the family. “We care about the customers, this is our dream, this is what we do,” Pupillo said.

Bosino has the looks, flavors and soul of a genuine Italian trattoria you’d pass on the streets of Rome or Bologna (Salvatore’s home town, which we visited last summer to our culinary delight). Do not under any circumstance overlook the specials, as they reflect Pupillo’s inspirations on the day – I’ve tasted a ridiculously perfect plate of tonnarelli a la gricia, which are fresh, thick Roman-style spaghetti in a caccio e pepe sauce, topped with caramelized guanciale.

Bosino has perhaps 10 tables in all, sidewalk included, and the dolce vita vibe (courtesy of Salvatore) is truly unique this side of town. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday for dinner (4 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and also opens for lunch on Fridays and weekends (12 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Take out and delivery available at these times.

The Dish: Boscaiola ($21), Prosciutto ($22) and Elisa ($19) 12” pizzas

The Restaurant: Bosino, 201 West 103rd Street (between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway)

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