Italy on Halsey Street

It’s a weekday night, and the place is crowded by 8:00 pm.

Everyone is here: Uncomfortable first dates downing their second glass of wine; groups of friends snorting with laughter; parents slicing their children’s food; seasoned couples discussing which menu item seems best.

Enter Saraghina, where you will find dim candle-light, rushing waiters with trays of wine and the steady buzz of intimate conversation among a comfortable crowd of unfamiliar faces.

The restaurant is divided into three rooms, all white-washed walls and exposed brick. On a lazy afternoon, one might half expect to look outside and see the shores of the Mediterranean. Instead we are greeted by Lewis Avenue or Halsey Street (maybe not as romantic, but beautiful in its own right).

To take your mind off diving into the aquamarine waters of a sultry foreign film, I recommend you turn to the flaming brick oven, with pizzas tossed in and out every few minutes.

The sight is mesmerizing and sure to make your mouth water. The flatbread is made in this oven as well, cut into thin triangles and served with olive oil. Get it while it’s hot! The fresh, warm, soft bread doesn’t take long to turn cold and chewy.

As a newcomer, I am told I have to try the Margherita Pizza, which comes with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and, like everything else on the pizza menu, “fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil.”

Served hot, this is one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted. The same fresh, soft flatbread is used as the crust, topped with a light sweet tomato sauce and pools of olive oil.

My first thought after taking a bite was that Americans really don’t know how to use their olive oil. This is partially due to the quality of the oil itself--Saraghina uses local ingredients as much as possible, and imports necessary high quality ingredients from Italy.

The flavor of this oil adds a mild olive taste and slight spice, without turning the pizza greasy.

The mozzarella comes in thick chunks, barely melted, with a creamy, buttery flavor. All this, combined with the sweet, spicy basil makes for a simple yet miraculous flavor. Again, eat quickly and don’t let your pizza get cold, the quality of the pizza relies entirely on its freshness, and within a half hour the magic is gone.

A lighter option is the octopus salad, which comes with fresh cherry tomatoes, celery, red onions, parsley and large pieces of grilled octopus. Everything is drizzled in spicy olive oil with crushed red pepper and lemon squeezed on top.

The olive oil and crushed red pepper leave a burning hot first impression, but immediately cools down, giving way to other flavors of the dish.

The grilled octopus is the only hot ingredient, and is cooked to absolute perfection (octopus is almost always too chewy). The other ingredients mellow the slightly heavier, grilled flavor, adding sweet, fresh, and citrus flavors to the overall taste.

The portion is small for $13, but its worth it for the octopus alone. Try it with a glass of white wine, your eyes will dance.

When asked why they chose Bed-Stuy as a location, owners Edoardo Mantelli and Massimiliano Nanni admit that it's out of convenience: The latter lives only 3 blocks away. Nanni, who owns Piadina in the West Village, was headed back to Italy, but decided to stay and start this restaurant instead. “One of the best things I make,” Nanni tells me.

“I wish I could say we had a vision,” says Mantelli. "But we had the vision after.”

What makes Saraghina such a success is the diverse community coming together to break bread. For Mantelli, it’s about “good food, good ambience and a feeling of unity.”