7 BRONX WEEKLY December 9, 2018 www.BXTimes.com
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
Kingsbridge Social Club before opening. Schneps Community News Group/ Alex Mitchell
ago.
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.
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 Bronxthemed
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
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