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While on vacation in Newport on 2/13/2002, myself
and my friends asked our good friend Chris
Jachimowicz for his recommendation of a good pizza
joint. "You have to go to Rocco's," he told us. On
his advice, we went down Broadway and found the
restaurant just next to Portobella's (another
Italian establishment I wish I had had the
occasion to try).
Rocco's boasts a variety of pizza styles and
traditional toppings. As an appetizer, Tom and I
partook of a true antipasto - a terrific pile of
meats and cheeses atop a bed of greens. Roasted
peppers, Pepperoncini, cappicola, sharp provolone
and olives made for a tasty opener.
For dinner, we ordered two pizzas, one an 18 inch
"special" with combination toppings and the other
a chicken and pesto Sicilian style pizza. This was
way too much for the four of us to eat, but it was
great to take it with us and share with other
folks we saw later in the evening (and snack on
late at night).
My friend Tom remarked sarcastically on the
atmosphere - "Gee, you don't think this place
is Italian, do you?". We were surrounded on all
sides by souvenirs of NYC, pictures of famous
Italians, and homemade photo collages and thank
you cards from area schoolchildren. Strains from
the Godfather and Frank Sinatra's Greatest hits
played over the sound system, and the patrons were
loud and boisterous (but in a pleasant way).
We were amazed that all the food was able to fit
on our tiny table. Seating was a little cramped,
as the place is much more conducive to take out
than eating in, but the food made it all
worthwhile. While I'm a fan of all kinds of pizza,
I prefer a traditional, thinner and crispier
Italian style crust to Chicago or Greek style
pies. This made Rocco's a nice treat, and it's
definitely the place to go for pizza in Newport.
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