Just like he came to New York, Mr. Mangieri has left us. Quiet and with little fanfare and almost no publicity, Una Pizza Napoletana has shut its doors for the foreseeable future. The website claims UPN will be back in some form or another, but no one expect Anthony knows for sure. Rumor has it that newbie pizzeria Motorino will take its place, which is all well and good.

With that an era is ending, though I will admit that Anthony is leaving New York in a better state of pizza than he had found us. When UPN opened in 2004 Anthony instantly raised the bar for pizza in New York and the Boroughs. He changed the way we would look at, eat, and respect pizza in this Country.

Soon Luzzo came to be, as did Franny’s, and the rest is well pizza history. Now New York is home to many great pizzerias. Though they are all unique and have brought something different to the pie, none can compete with UPN’s purist take and execution.

Anthony perfected his dough and in turn created one of the best crusts I have ever eaten, anywhere. Naples included. Whatever he did, it was right. His four simple pies were all perfect in execution. I also had my first glass of Lambrusco at UPN with a Margherita pie; so far I consider it a highlight of my culinary excursions.

Once I was lucky enough to have Anthony make me an unofficial fifth pie, with Sicilian sea salt, wild oregano dried on the stem, finished with a light dusting of tangy Pecorino Romano.

UPN had its legion of fans; as I count myself as one of them, but it also had its detractors. This was mostly due to the higher than average prices for his pizza. Though true, you would have to look at the quality of his ingredients to understand where the cost of the finished product originated. He used D.O.P San Marzano tomatoes, imported Italian double-zero flour, imported buffalo mozzarella(which is double the price of the domestic variety), and high grade Italian extra virgin olive oil. Not to mention the intense labor and commitment from Anthony himself.

Anthony was a perfectionist if I ever knew one, and it showed in his pie. Hopefully UPN will materialized someplace down the line, somewhere close enough for me to stop in more than I should.

I think Brooklyn would be the perfect spot for the next stage of UPN. Wouldn’t that be something?

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