La Targa Florio: Serious Business

First-time visitors to La Targa Florio, especially those hailing from so-called "blue states", may be alarmed upon arrival: the restuarant's walls display full-size panels from actual NASCAR vehicles, still decorated with both the scrapes and the multitude of corporate logos that show that these racers actually made it to the track on some weekend in the past. Yes, La Targa, recently opened and named for a famous Sicilian race-course, has adopted a car-racing theme full-throttle. While I have seen the racing theme applied to the interior of an Italian bistro previously, the decor in that joint was more of the retro, purely Italian variety, romanticized and removed in time and place from the cultural context of the restaurant. That ensured that diners could avoid the apprehension that some might feel about real-live, modern, car-racing.
Not so with La Targa. Someone there really loves NASCAR and was able to realize a dream, I think; racing is shown on the television screens inside the place.
Forget about all of that. The pizza is tremendous. I have had many varieties, and they have all been delicious. The crust is tossed impossibly thin, and baked in wood-fired brick to produce slight blackening and glorious crispness on the outside, and moist goodness within. They proudly use only Italian San Marzano tomatoes. On a recent visit, the chef overheard me proselytizing the glory of the place (I had already been won over), explaining that La Targa could stand proudly against Lombardi's and other storied NYC institutions. He said that he had grown up on Lombardi's, and also Totonno's of Coney Island; in making pizzas today he clearly aims to meet and even surpass their standards. He said at La Targa they make their own fresh mozzarella each day, and I buy it. I have also tried John's on Bleeker St. in Manhattan, and La Targa is right in there as well. La Targa's offerings exceed the pies I have eaten in Rome, Campania, and other regions of Italy. I must admit I've never been to Napoli, the motherland itself, but that does not cause me to hesitate to recommend La Targa as world class. 92-94 Church St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901; (732) 249-3888.