Calogero's Old World Italian

Calogero's takes its dough seriously, and that commitment shows in every pizza that emerges from the wood-fired oven. The sourdough base ferments for a minimum of forty-eight hours using organic, stone-ground flour imported from Italy, producing a crust with complex tang and an open, airy crumb that most pizzerias in town cannot replicate. We ordered the Crudo, topped with Italian plum tomato, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto di Parma, arugula, and shaved Parmigiano, and every ingredient tasted like it had a specific purpose. The Bruschetta al Pomodoro arrived as a generous starter, house-made sourdough bread topped with cherry tomatoes, oregano, and Sicilian olive oil that made a strong argument for simplicity. The Garlic Knots, four oversized wood-fired dough knots tossed in garlic and pecorino, disappeared before our pizzas even arrived. This is a small, focused operation that prioritizes ingredient quality over menu breadth, and it has quietly built a devoted following in the 75th Street shopping corridor.