photo/Figgy DiBenedetto
Quanto Basta
249 Congress St., Portland
quantobasta.me
The only time I ever saw my late husband Johnny get really angry was when a mason put grout between the tiles on our new wood-fired pizza oven. To prove the mason (who insisted he was correct) wrong, we fired the oven up to the proper temperature for cooking Pizza Napoletana. That temperature is over 800 degrees, sometimes closer to 900. The tiles (obviously) expand when heated so high, and if grouted, they crack to bits — just as ours did. The mason re-did our tiles, and for the few short months before his death, Johnny treated us to some truly amazing pies. Bubbly and blackened, crispy and chewy, and always with San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. I mean, he took this shit so seriously that we named our child Basil.
Napoletana (Neapolitan or Naples-style) pizza isn’t just an art form, it is a science, one that’s finally made its way to Portland courtesy of Quanto Basta, which opened last year at the base of Munjoy Hill. The menu, with fewer than a dozen items, and dining room, which seats about 20, are both small and impeccably curated.
On our first visit, we were temporarily seated on the heated patio, but when a table opened up inside, the manager was more than happy to let us move. We nestled up next to some acquaintances among the pizzeria’s stunning mahogany banquets and white marble bistro tables, which matched the rest of this gorgeous space. No corners were cut in this build-out (says my carpenter girlfriend, pun unintended)!
The same perfection extends to the pizzas. Every. Single. One of ’em. And yes, we have now tried them all except the mackerel Sicilia. Vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and carnivores can delight, as options for each diet are available nightly. Just don’t ask for gluten-free. It’s the gluten that makes these pies so good.
Using dough made traditionally, with natural leavening, chef and owner Betsy English serves up traditional styles like the Margherita ($14) with tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil (evoo); Pizza Rossa ($12) with tomato, parsley, marjoram, garlic, peperoncini and evoo; and the Amatriciana ($18) with concentrated tomato sauce, crispy guanciale, mozzarella, pecorino and black pepper.
But Chef English’s also added some fun takes like the Salsiccia e Lacinato Kale ($16), featuring housemade fennel sausage; the Limone ($17), with garlic confit, red onion, capers, olives, Meyer lemon, buffalo mozzarella and pistachio; and the aforementioned Sicilia ($16), which pairs mint, olives and red onions with the fish and a tomato-based pesto sauce. I’m saving that beauty for next time, and may top it off with the homemade cannoli that now graces the dessert list.
The drinks are straight out of an Italian bar, and even include our family’s favorite, San Pellegrino Chino ($5)! There’s a housemade Shrub with Stappi Red Bitter ($6) which, served over ice with a splash of soda, warmed my non-alcoholic heart. And for those looking for a little more than sodas, there’s a carefully curated yet affordable beer, Italian wine and cocktail list.
Quanto basta, roughly translated in recipes, means “however much is enough.” And though my family didn’t have “enough” pizza (or time) with Johnny, our Neapolitan pizzaiolo, Chef English had my new family fondly reminiscing over this beautiful culinary art and appreciating those who continue in its tradition. Brava!
Quanto Basta is open Thursday through Saturday and Monday from 4 to 9 p.m., Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. The restaurant is walk-in only (no reservations) and can get pretty crowded on weekends. Take-out is available, but the friendly and accommodating front-of-house staff make it worth hanging around for a seat.
