Rubirosa - excellent first meal

[DavyTheFatBoy]

Couldn't decide whether to try their pizza or ricotta ravioli. Waitress said it's before 5PM, so they serve pizza by the slice, why not have both? Glad I did.

The pizza came first. Basic margherita (they call it "classic), although I added roasted peppers. In retrospect I should have tried my first slice plain, I was so happy with the roasted peppers I may have missed other defects. I like pizza of all kinds, but I like dough - I favor neapolitan as served at Keste, and Company's bread centric offerings. This was a thin and somewhat crunchy crust, not my typical choice, but very enjoyable. Cheese and sauce were both in moderation (my preference) and were good. A little carmelized cheese taste (so good). A little char. I would have no trouble ordering one of their pies next time.

Except, the Ricotta Ravioli was outstanding. I was expecting big doughy blobs, and didn't have high hopes for the "zuchini and summer squash" in the sauce (with butter and parmigiana). Instead, I got beautiful delicate ravioli with a nice little pillow of ricotta. And the sauce was simple, understated, and what I would expect in Italy. Delicious.

For a pizza place the pasta was amazingly refined. I'll be back. It's across the street from Balaboosta, another place I want to return to more often.

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Balaboosta
214 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012

Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012

[stuartlafonda]

I was there today for lunch and enjoyed the pizza. Super thin crust, slight char, no tip sag, light sweet sauce and good cheese(seemed like Grande). This is a style of pizza that may not be that popular but for the style it was excellent. They say they have some connection to Joe and Pat's and the bill came with a postcard picture of the two of them from many years ago. By chance I happened to be in Staten Island two weeks ago and hit J&P for the first time and loved it, this place does a good job of replicating that pie. They have a few tables in a back room by the pizza ovens that serves slices in a sort of mini pizzaria. I can't wait to return to try the rest of the menu.

[rrems]

I posted this a few days ago (probably should have just added it here) :

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/762944

We tried a lot of dishes and everything was excellent.

[michelleats]

That's a nice description of the ricotta ravioli. Was the summer squash pureed into the sauce?

[DavyTheFatBoy]

The squash was chopped into small pieces that were sauteed. Added some flavor and some texture, but didn't overwhelm.