Kingsbridge Social Club quickly becomes a Bronx staple
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Since March, the Bronx
food scene has welcomed a
new staple to the borough, the
Kingsbridge Social Club at
3625 Kingsbridge Avenue.
The wood-fi red, brick oven
pizza and craft beer mainstay
takes a unique approach to
combining a soft, Neapolitanstyle
dough with the crispystyle
that New York pizza is
best known for.
“It took us a few months to
get down that perfect ‘neo-Neapolitan’
style down,” said executive
chef Tom Guidice.
He’s responsible for everything
that goes in and out of
the 800-degree brick oven,
while his business partner,
Dave Lindsay is responsible
for everything on tap behind
the bar.
Dave’s background comes
from working seven years at
the nearby Bronx Ale House,
learning just about everything
there is to know about craft
beer and other bar favorites.
Meanwhile Tom learned
the secrets to his neo-Neapolitan
pies from years of training,
taught to him in Italy.
In about four minutes,
Guidice can whip up one of
his many specialty pies that
range from a Wrecking Ball
pie with pepperoni, onion, and
garlic over the sauce and fresh
mozzarella and provolone, all
the way to a Funghi Pie with
wild mushrooms and taleggio
cheese.
In between those two extremes
are other original pies
such as the Calabrian Carmine
that’s made with aged
provolone beneath the sauce
in addition to sweet soppressata
dry salami; that pie was
named for a favorite recipe of
Guidice’s friend that passed
some years ago.
Kingsbridge Social Club before opening. Schneps Community News Group/ Alex Mitchell
Of course, there’s also the
house pie that Guidice uses as
a benchmark to see how his
always-changing rotation specialty
pies are doing.
In the meantime, Lindsay
is always helping diners pair
the perfect craft beer with
their pizza or other entrée. He
sometimes recommends an
unusual alternative to complement
Kingsbridge Social
Club’s pie better than beer -
Prosecco on tap.
“The bubbles from the
Prosecco cut the taste-buds,
which makes the next bite of
the pizza even more fl avorful,”
Lindsay said.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 20 ECEMBER 7-13, 2018 BTR
His mantra is to never have
a drink overpower a meal, but
rather compliment it’s fl avor.
That’s why northeast IPA’s
are best poured as ‘standalone
drinks,’ the beer afi cionado
admitted.
Of course, there’s plenty of
craft beers that compliment
the food as well, such as a Massachusetts
brewed lager.
Lindsay fi nds it a little
ironic that a Massachusetts
beer is his best seller because
he puts such focus on getting
many local beers on tap.
“We want to be that staple
of the community and keep it
local,” Lindsay said. “There’s
a reason we put Kingsbridge
in the name,” he added.
Sunday brunch, homemade
pastas and wings are
other major components of
the Kingsbridge Social Club’s
“small but fresh menu and atmosphere.
That comes in addition to
the half-off weekday happy
hour from 4 to 7 p.m. and
Bronx-themed wall murals
done by Kingbridge artist,
Tracy 168.
This reporter sampled the
Wrecking Ball pie; it doesn’t
have a kick of heat, but rather
just a fl are up of a quality
spice and cheese blend.
The neo-Neapolitan styled
dough is perfect for specialty
pies as it can hold toppings
without being awkwardly
hard and snapping.
Yet when the pie is folded,
it remains fi rm enough to
handle the density of the pepperoni.
All in all, fantastic pizza,
drinks and staff.
Guidice saucing a pie. Schneps Community News Group/ Alex Mitchell The wood fi red oven painted by Tracy 168. Schneps Community News Group/ Alex Mitchell