DOUGH ARTISAN PIZZERIA
FIRED UP Wood-fired
pizzas coming out of the
oven; right, owner/chef
Ed Simmons; Berkshire
Pork Ragu
437 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell
973-226-3300
www.doughartisanpizzeria.com
y a 5 g t
Pizza, Naturally
WRITTEN BY DEBORAH SCHAPIRO
R
estaurateur Ed Simmons
is a graduate of the
Culinary Institute of
America, and has
worked at fine restaurants
in New York City and
Palm Beach. But when he decided to
open his own place, he deliberately
took a different path. “I wanted
something for all ages to enjoy on a
regular basis, so I decided to open a
pizzeria,” he says. The result is
Caldwell’s Dough Artisan Pizzeria,
which recently earned an enthusiastic
review from The New York Times.
Dough might be more accurately
described as a Pizzeria-Plus. The
menu includes such savory entrées as
Heritage Chicken and Berkshire Pork
Ragu, as well as zucchini crisps and
pan-seared shrimp for appetizers.
In accordance with Simmons’ food
philosophy, Dough uses local,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
seasonal and organic ingredients;
heirloom tomatoes, corn, greens and
herbs often come right from the
restaurant’s own vegetable garden.
Meat is sourced from local, humane
livestock farms. The roast chicken,
for instance, comes from Gladstone
Valley Farms in Far Hills. Similarly,
the dozen pizza offerings on the menu
feature locally sourced ingredients,
and the mozzarella is made in-house.
The mushroom pie, says Simmons,
is second only to the Margherita as
the top pizza choice; the three-cheese
white pie is another top seller. The
zucchini crisps with chili pepper
dipping sauce are so popular that
Simmons has to break his locallygrown rule to serve them – though
only for part of the year.
“The crisps have been on the menu
since we opened,” he says. “My
customers won’t let me take them off.
This means that once the zucchini
season ends here, I have to get them
from California or Florida.” But the
changing seasons bring a variety of
welcome new offerings, too. In place
of salad greens, “I’m serving a winter
slaw with cabbage, radish, carrots
and cashews,” he says. Desserts are
seasonal as well, with a caramelized
chocolate brownie and an espresso
panna cotta giving way to more fruitbased treats as warm weather arrives.
Dough’s décor reflects the same
interest in the regional and handcrafted. The wood in the main
dining room was originally used in an
18th chicken barn, while the sconces
are handcrafted from old oak wine
barrels and up-cycled sewing machine
spindles. The photos displayed
throughout the eatery show Circle
Brook Farm in Andover. ■
SPRING 2016
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
57