Best Thing We Ate Last Night: Regina Margherita Pizza at Keste

By Kelly Dobkin

Now three years old, Neopolitan pizzeria Keste has expanded beyond the still-packed sliver of a space down on a touristy stretch of Bleecker Street with fried dough-slinger Don Antonio in Hell's Kitchen. But the original location is still churning out some delicious pies after all these years. Manned by master pizzaiolo Roberto Caporuscio, the pizzeria has perpetually long waits and for good reason. On a recent visit we stopped in and sampled the Margherita Regina which is your basic margherita pie with fresh grape tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. The crust is chewy, thin and slightly crispy around the edges and the sauce is salty and sweet, mellowed by the creamy, heavenly buffalo mozzarella and uber-fragrant basil. All in all, it's a pretty perfect Neopolitan-style pie. Keste is located at 271 Bleecker Street.