O
nce upon a time, a pair
of young dudes took
over a longstanding
old-school pizza joint
in bucolic Maplewood
and turned the four-
square-mile suburb on its head.
This new pizza shop, named
Arturo’s (as was its predecessor),
wasn’t like most other pizzerias.
It milled grains for its rustic breads
and pizza dough; it sourced its ingre-
dients from nearby farms; it made
pies that got critics and serious pizza
aficionados to practically swoon.
Its chef and co-owner, Dan Richer,
would go on to wow restaurant crit-
ics not only in New Jersey, but New
MARGHERITA PIZZA
York, too, with his incredible pizza
at Razza (in a rave review, The New
York Times called his New Jersey-
made pizza the best in ... New York).
Lots has changed over the 10
years since Arturo’s changed hands.
Fred Shandler, once Richer’s busi-
ness partner, is now the sole owner
and “leader, head dishwasher, and
creative influence” at Arturo’s.
“We’re a team of cooks,” Shandler
says. “There’s no lead singer in our
band, and that’s something that’s
important to us.” The band’s sole
instrument: two wood-fired ovens.
Arturo’s small kitchen has no stove.
There’s no longer time to mill
grains, the joint no longer sells slices,
the menu has been slimmed down
(the selection of pizzas has been
reduced to seven), and its heady
especially the charred crust that car-
breads are now baked in The Bread
ries a hint of lovely sour flavor, has a
Stand, a nearby bakery that Shandler
great chew and is terrifically doughy
recently opened. Although it’s
at the edge. My dining companion
primarily a pizzeria, Arturo’s also
and I shared the Margherita, the gold
offers pasta and small plates.
standard of pizza. This simple pie
But some things have stayed the
has no extra toppings that can mask
same: Arturo’s is still a humble
pizza’s gastronomic essence: dough,
pizzeria with simple wood tables,
cheese and sauce. We both, however,
ingredients are still locally sourced,
wished the sublime base bore more
it still uses high-quality domestic
gooey cheese.
products and it still doesn’t subscribe
Speaking of cheese, don’t skip the
to any strict pizza-mak-
delicious appetizer of
ing edicts, but just tries
creamy ricotta served
AT A GLANCE
to make the best wood-
with slices of first-rate
• SMALL PLATES: $5.50 - $17
fired pizza possible.
crostini ($7). Sprinkled
• PIZZA (INDIVIDUAL) $11 - $16.50
Its beautifully blis-
with black sea salt and
• PASTA: $12 - $18
tered pizza is darn good,
drizzled with olive oil,
the starter had us in a state of bliss.
Also fantastic were fire-roasted meat-
balls. The orbs were moist, the sauce
slightly sweet, and the steam rising
from the dish gave it just that extra
touch of authenticity.
The only disappointment was
the Pasta Cinghiale ($18), a hefty
portion of perfectly cooked penne
with a boar ragu marred by too
much oil.
But something tells me Shandler
will correct that. “I’m never satis-
fied with anything we do,” he says
days after my visit. “We’ve evolved
so much since we opened, and we’re
still evolving. We just get better and
better.” ■
MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE MAY 2019
47