Cafe Porta Alba
Cafe Porta Alba was a Neapolitan pizzeria at Hilldale, open from 2006 to October 19, 2019[1].
History
Vincenzo Pugliese opened Cafe Porta Alba in 2006 at 15 N. Butler St., in Butler Plaza — the downtown space "where Naples 15 is now"[2] — and moved it to Hilldale in 2009. Its wood-burning oven, in a design from Pompeii, came from Naples. Pugliese closed the restaurant after ten years at Hilldale, with the last day October 19, 2019, to move to Baltimore[1].
In 2013 Pugliese partnered with his head chef, Nick Mattioli, to open Novanta on Old Sauk Road[3]. Porta Alba's Alpina pizza, with arugula, was one of the Capital Times' candidates for the area's best pizza that November[4].
The closing was felt in Madison's Neapolitan pizza world: Novanta's Nick Mattioli, whose first professional kitchen was at Porta Alba, said he had to pull over to the side of the road when he heard the news[5].
Former Locations
- 15 N. Butler St. (2006 to 2009). Naples 15 opened there in July 2012[2].
- Hilldale (2009 to October 19, 2019).
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kalk Derby, S. (2019, October 1). "Cafe Porta Alba closing after 10 years at Hilldale, owner moving to Baltimore." madison.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kalk Derby, S. (2012, November 15). "Review: Italian kitchen Naples 15 holds promise." madison.com.
- ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2013, July 5). "Restaurant News: New Far West Side pizzeria Novanta has shades of Porta Alba." madison.com.
- ↑ (2013, November 20). Best-pizza poll photo page: Porta Alba's Alpina, Greenbush Bar, Glass Nickel's Fetalicious, Grampa's Barberini, Paisan's Super Hot and Salvatore's Fig and Bacon. The Capital Times. p. 13. Newspapers.com image 520984544.
- ↑ Haase, N. (2019, November 6). "New Novanta pizzeria is twice as nice." The Capital Times. p. O25. Newspapers.com image 613239955.
