If there is one thing you need to know about CiboDivino it's that they aren't serving Neapolitan pizzas like they claim. I mean this as a compliment, really; Dallas already has enough "authentic" Italian pizza, and it was time for something new to spin through the air. What's most important is whether or not the pizza is delicious, and as you can likely predict after looking at the picture above, the answer to the question with respect to this pie is yes. As for classification, that's a bit tricky.
The pies are about the size and shape as a Neapolitan pizza. Where they differ is the crust, which is thicker, though still pliable. If your biggest complaint about Neapolitan pie is that floppy, soggy crust in the center at each round, check CiboDivino out. The cheese is applied in a thin veil, and there's a good bit of acidic tomato sauce. There are also plenty of blistery black bubbles and charring that give this pizza a nice aroma and flavor. I find myself wishing this place would bill itself as a New York City-style pizzeria and deli shop.
And there's more than pizza here. The deli section has sliced cuts and premade sandwiches. I got a small tuna salad slider to slam while I was waiting on my pizza. There's also lots of pasta, olive oil, coffee and tea to choose from.
A stroll though the wine section left me a little confused, though. There were plenty of Italian bottles, and many within a modest price range, but the selection leaned much more heavily on red wines than whites. There were also a lot of grocery store labels like Kendal Jackson, Mark West and others that dilute the Italian feel to the place, or at least to the wine section.
There's not much in the way of produce, so don't expect to do much grocery shopping here, but definitely come for that pizza, a glass of vino and some time at the indoor/outdoor bar or one of the patio tables. The space is open, full of air and light. If only they had the view the Belmont Hotel used to have.
