a prosciutto and arugula pie at Isabella's Oven

The best reason for not eating this entire pizza right then and there was the leftover slice I got to take home and nosh on at one in the morning, straight out of the box at room temperature. It was even better then when I no longer felt full from beer, half a rice ball, and the two slices I did have. I wished I'd portioned better to have more leftovers. Isabella's brick oven pizza is thin and light with a crisp elastic crust that didn't turn soggy at all, even many hours later.

I harbored no guilt over my midnight rendezvous with prosciutto, carbohydrate, and cheese because, as you can clearly see, that's some arugula strewn on top. And, in all candor, this pizza is so light and good it's easy to inhale four or five slices quickly (as my friend with the fast metabolism did), so I felt I'd been rather restrained.

If I had to do it all over again though, I'd skip the just okay rice ball even though it came with a better than okay red sauce. I wouldn't skip the Peroni though, because Isabella's back garden is so pleasant and charming in all its own accord--even with the cheap plastic seats--that it practically calls for one to kick back with a beer. If I could have thrown a stick at some kids and told them to get the hell off my lawn, I would have.

Isabella's Oven is at 365 Grand Street, between Essex and Norfolk.