The Fountain of Yute!

I continue in the theme of mortality as with the last few log posts. I’m fortunate that I’ve found the Fountain of Yute!  It’s my grandson (who this blog is dedicated to, and started even before he was an inkling!).

TABLE ON CONTENTS

1. Nebalatan Word of the Day (Grandpa Tony-ism) – Yute
2. Pizza Review – L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Lecce

Nebalatan Word of the Day (Grandpa Tony-ism) – Yute

Driving as a very young boy brings me to the Nebalatan Word of the Day which is Yute.  I’m lucky, I guess, that my YUTE was not taken away from me by that very young age driving!

YUTE is another of my father’s Grandpa Tony-isms.  Grandpa Tony was not your stereotypical Italian-American that you would see on TV in the 1970’s (or even today).  But, his speech, routinely, crept into the stereotype.

One such “impediment” was his inability to pronounce “th.”   I’m certain it was a learned “feature” of his speech.

There seemed to be a couple of phonetic rules when Grandpa Tony used “th“:

1. Grandpa Tony, in conversation, converted the “th” at the front of a word to a “d.”  For example, he’d say  “dis” and “dat” as opposed to “this” and “that!”   
2. BUT IF the “th” appeared at the end of a word, the “th” would become a hard “t.” The best example of this is the word “youth” which became YUTE to Grandpa Tony.

Long before the movie My Cousin Vinny, Grandpa Tony said YUTE!

I truly enjoy that movie, and this scene has me in simultaneous uncontrollable hysterics and tears both due to it’s content, and that it reminds my of my father.

Just as I, Grandpa Tony, we’ve found the foundation of YUTE!

Pizza Review – L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Lecce

In my YUTE (of a few days ago!), we visited Da Michele in Napoli (see blog post). Now that I’m older by a few days, I figured that we’d try the Lecce, Puglia location of Da Michele.

Due to its fame of the past couple of decades, Da Michele decided to expand beyond its origins in Napoli. One of their satellite locations (I don’t believe they are franchises like Dominos) is in Lecce.

Here’s. how it went!

Date	September 17, 2023
Website	http://www.micheleintheworld.com/Lecce/
Location	Lecce, Puglia, Italy
District	Centro Storico (Main Square)

Ambiance	The Lecce outpost of Da Michele is right on the main square.  And, even more luck for me, it was directly across the street from our hotel for a short walk.   Due to our proximity, unlike our trip to Da Michele in Napoli, we decided to take out from Lecce.   Also unlike Napoli, there was an external sitting area as well as indoors which was clean, bright, and new. The pizza oven in Lecce is spectacular!  You can tell that it’s a new oven, The take out box is what all boxes should be: – Stand up firm, hard cardboard – Pizzeria specific branding  Most pizzerias miss the boat on how important a quality box and their branding helps the pizzeria project it’s brand to customers.
Style	True Neapolitan
Shape	Like Napoli, the Lecce pizza was more  like a 14” versus the normal 12”

Toppings	In Lecce, we made the same order as in Napoli: – Margherita (sauce, moozedell, olive oil, fresh basil) or Marinara (sauce only) -Cosacca (sauce, parmigiana, basanigol (basil)) – like a tomato pie
Dough/Crust	Similarities between Lecce and Napoli  – Thin – Distinct char taste – Margherita – was a watery mess – Cosacca  – no water, soft and chewy  A reader mentioned that I was wrong in the last post.  I said that Buffalo Moozedell was used, but it’s actually Fior di Latte (cows milk moozedell, see here)  Differences between Lecce and Napoli – Very pleasant char vs Napoli’s char which was overpowering in wood flavor, the more mellow char in Lecce allowed the yeasty, floury taste to also shine As with Napoli, I expected more.  I’m sorry that I can’t get over the watery mess of the Margherita (but my blog, my rules)
Cornicione	Some crunch, some puff, some air, Again, expected more
Sauce	Just as Napoli, very bright, tangy, and thin.  Just enough, but not too much!  Simple and great!
Cheese	Just as with Napoli – Margherita – very tasty moozedell with some saltiness – Cosacca  – nice, semi-sharp sprinkle of presumably Parmagian-Reggiano
Sauce to Cheese Ratio	Just like Napoli – Balance = a little too cheesy on the Margherita  Unlike Napoli – Balance on the Cosacca was a little too far on the tomato side and not enough sharp cheese

Value	It’s more expensive than Napoli   – Margherita – E8 in Lecce vs E5.50 ($6) Napoli – Cosacca – E8.50 in Lecce vs E5.50 in Napoli. Still an outstanding value!
Overall	Good, but not great, just in Napoli for the same reasons, the water on the Margherita.  Although, I like the crust better in Lecce.  BUT I MUST SAY, THE LOCATION TO LOCATION CONSISTENCY IS OUTSTANDING!  AS AN OLD MANUFACTURING ENGINEER, I KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BE CONSISTENT LOCATION TO LOCATION, ESPECIALLY WITH CHEMICAL PROCESSES LIKE COOKING PIZZA (YES, PIZZA IS A CHEMICAL PROCESS…)
Would I Go Back?	Likely, not to Lecce, but maybe to others in the chain.