Bricco comes to Westmont
Tammy Paolino
Courier-Post
It's no exaggeration to say Vincenzo Barone - who owns Barone's Tuscan Grill in Moorestown and whose brother, Giovanni, owns Villa Barone in Collingswood - is all fired up about his latest venture.
As soon as he gets the final go-ahead from Haddon Township, Barone will open the doors of Bricco, his coal-fired, brick-oven pizza restaurant on Haddon Avenue in Westmont. Call ahead - he says the eatery may be in business as early as the weekend.
What makes Bricco special is its use of a coal-fired brick oven, which Barone says makes perfect, crispy, family-friendly pies larger than those that can be made in a wood-fired oven.
"I always wanted to create a pizza concept,'' says Barone, who grew up in the business and recalls a time when going out to a local pizza restaurant was a real occasion.
Bricco, which seats 60 guests and is BYOB, will offer various traditional and gourmet toppings, as well as vegan and gluten-free options. The menu also includes appetizers - such as coal-fired wings and 'Old School Meatballs,' which Barone says are traditionally served with salad. Panini, calzone, stromboli, soups, antipasti and salads round out the menu.
Many ingredients are imported from Italy, such as the Italian San Marzano tomatoes Barone swears by, and the special flour required for the 1,000-degree oven and dough-making process. Fresh ingredients are sourced from local markets.
Coal-oven pizza was invented in America, Barone says, by Italian immigrants who could not always afford the wood in the new country. Anthracite coal burns cleaner than wood, Barone says, "which is very important to me.''
"This is my passion,'' Barone says. "I am really excited about it, really excited to recreate the way people perceive pizza.''
Bricco is located at 128 Haddon Ave. Visit briccocoalfiredpizza.com or call (856) 477-2233.