People who only know the name from Citi Field pizza are in for a surprise win at Cascarino’s Pizzeria and Ristorante in Bayside.
In addition to superb thin-crust pizza, which stands up to delivery (it’s cooked the traditional way, on the oven stone rather than on a steel screen, for crispier crust), there’s an extensive selection of truly traditional dishes from all parts of Italy, and more.
And in the city that never sleeps, Cascarino’s in Bayside satisfies far into the night. The kitchen is open until 3:30 a.m. and the second floor dining-room with its well stocked bar is the place, until 4 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Owner Jimmy Coady (a Fazzalari on his mother’s side) grew up as the rare freckled Italian kid in Harlem, Astoria and College Point, having known the Cascarino family “since we were kids.” He now owns the Whitestone and Bayside locations and employs many of his grandmother’s recipes in the restaurants
Coady is the master of understatement. The extensive menu of standards and specials is a treasure trove of tastes and textures.
From the standards, like the delicately fried calamari, eggplant rollatini, stuffed mushrooms or peppers and a perfectly dressed Caesar salad, to the totally unexpected pan seared sesame crusted Ahi Tuna in a ginger-soy sauce, Coady and his staff excel.
“Most people won’t order food in a pizzeria because they expect it to be inferior,” he said. “I only use the best ingredients, and if my regular supplier is out, I go someplace else to get what I need rather than change the ingredient.”
In recent years he has changed a couple of things. He abandoned peanut oil out of concern for food allergies, opting for a grape seed/safflower/canola fry-oil blend.
For quality and consistency at the restaurant, he uses high-quality California tomatoes. (“Sorry Grandma,” he said, looking skyward. “They’re better now.”)
Coady is both an innovator and a purist. The menu describes the dish because the names have often lost their meanings. Some dishes have roasted whole cloves of garlic, others sautée sliced or chopped garlic, and some have none.
For pasta, the Bolognese sauce contains ground pork, veal and beef, cooked with finely chopped celery and carrots, with just enough tomato to color the oil orange. “I’ve had to offer to put tomato sauce on the side, because so many people think Bolognese is just meat sauce.”
Likewise, the Vodka sauce is really made with vodka, as well as the prosciutto, tomatoes and a bit of smoked bacon for subtlety, finished with cream.
They’re serious about their sauces here. The pizza sauce is not the same as the “gravy” that cooks for hours; the Marinara is made with a much shorter cooking period (like the World War I Italian Navy cooks made it) with basil, oregano and garlic – fresh, and agita free.
Dishes (you can choose veal or chicken) include the Scarpariello (whole garlic cloves, potatoes and sausage in a white wine rosemary sauce) and Staian, (the chef’s choice), pan fried with prosciutto mushrooms and fresh mozzarella in a red Marsala sauce.
One of the experiments they’re trying out is the half-portion, as an appeal to healthier-eating patrons and a way to have people order what they want rather than sharing.
Coady is also adding “healthy” selections like wraps and more salads, including selections with fruits, nuts and other unexpected pleasures. “Who ever heard of a strawberry-spinach salad with a fruit-based dressing in a pizzeria,” he asked.
Even during hours when others are open, this isn’t your grandmother’s pizzeria. Cascarino’s is an epicurean home-run.
-Victor Mimoni
Cascarino’s Pizzeria and Ristorante
39-17 Bell Boulevard in Bayside
Phone: 718-229-7433
Fax: 718-229-2060
Sunday through Wednesday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Corporate accounts available
Visa, Mastercard, American Express accepted
Free delivery in Bayside and Flushing $10 minimum
Muni-meter parking until 7 p.m. except Sundays
Q13 or Q31 bus
39-17 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, NY
