Bordy's Special and Bosco Sticks

Thin, crispy strands.

Back when the sun shone briefly in the middle of this mostly drab spring, I had the opportunity to take a vigorous walk from Amici Espresso on Mulberry, down south to Cup O’ Kryptonite. Ninety minutes and 4-1/2 miles later I built up a powerful thirst.

I quaffed two tall iced Earl Greys before hooking up with associates for a meal at Bordenaro’s Pizza & Pasta.

A south-side standout since 1977, Bordenaro’s offers up great thin crust pizza, saucy rigatoni, and tasty Italian sandwiches, the Italian Sausage Grinder being one of my favorites.

We started off with a small order of thinly sliced onion rings. Seasonings in the crispy batter were a pleasant bonus. The way the odd flakes of coating crumbled between the fingers reminded me more of a fine breading than batter, but the end product is no less delicious.

Next up, ordered on a lark of curiosity were the Bosco Sticks. Brought to the table with a dusting of parmesan and a side of red sauce for dipping, these fried breadsticks had the wonderful golden brown color of a corn dog. Inside, a surprise: melted mozzarella! I don’t think I can revisit Bordenaro’s without ordering these savory treats. Ask for an extra cup of the tomatoey dipping sauce if you get a large order. Once you start dipping you’ll quickly polish off one cup.

Bosco Sticks. Fried breadsticks with a secret.

The main event was a large Bordy's Special: Bordenaro’s signature thin crust topped with Italian sausage, pepperoni, beef, capicola, mushrooms, onion, green peppers, and black olives.

The crust is exquisitely thin and crispy. The toppings were far from overbearing. Somewhat surprisingly so. The polar opposite to the meat lover’s pizza I had eaten recently at the Hilltop [see blog review], where the abundant toppings soggied the crust.

Bordy's Special: Sausage, pepperoni, beef, capicola, mushrooms, onion, peppers, black olives.

The build on the Bordy’s Special is not as heavy handed. In fact it’s rather delicate. More would have been welcome, but at the sacrifice of Bordenaro’s excellent crust.

Go to Bordenaro’s. Enjoy the pizza. Save some room for Bosco Sticks.

Photos from the Picasa Web Album: Bordenaro's Pizza & Pasta