Midtown Lunch

The first time I checked in with Neapolitan Express, the pizza was undercooked and the dough was gummy. They had just launched a few weeks earlier and some of their staff may not have been trained to properly cook the pizza. The second time was at Choice Streets where the pizza seemed to be improving. I stopped by the truck for my third taste last week with my highest expectations yet.

They were parked on Park Avenue just two blocks north of the glut of food trucks on 47th Street.  Fortunately for me, there was no line here and the pizza was in my hands in a matter of minutes.

In the past, I was drawn to the $9 Bufala pie because I do like the rich butteriness of fresh mozzarella. Here, I saved a dollar with the Margherita. Right away, I could tell things have improved on the truck. The colors were vibrant and there was a browned char around the edges.

Certainly nobody could call this pizza undercooked. It had a nice crunch and the flavors of the fresh ingredients played nicely with the crust. But I could have used some more cheese – there was only about two bites on each slice. One of their offerings is a cheese-less Marinara and if I wanted mostly tangy tomato sauce, I would have ordered that.

But the pizza is much better than it was on my first visit. I’m still not convinced it compares with other Neapolitan restaurants in the city where the wood oven-baked pies have a pillowy texture and a deep woodsy flavor. But it’s as close as you’re going to get to this style on a truck. And if you’re willing to fork over the $8 or $9, you’ll get a well-cooked (finally) pizza.

They move around Midtown, so double check their Twitter feed for exact locations.