New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Doma on Main: ‘Tastes like home’
BRANFORD — Doma on Main pizza chef Fabio Gallo knows how he wants customers at the trattoria to feel when served up his pies.
“Everyone here is like family,” said Gallo, who comes to the new restaurant after 25 years with a wellknown New York City pizzeria.
And there’s more about family for Gallo: His distinctive sauce is from a recipe handed down from his Neapolitan grandmother Maria Belardinelli. The dough comes from her, too.
“It’s homemade recipes for a family place,” he said, while sliding another pie from the oven, a heady aroma escaping into the air.
Branford’s Leighton Davis, who’s been a regular since the Main Street eatery across from Branford Jewelers opened in late December, said, “It’s the brick oven pizza.”
“I keep telling my friends that once you get a taste, you’re never gonna cross the bridge again,” Davis said.
Those dishes are thanks to executive chef Edgar Jara, who distinguished himself for the culinary artistry he practiced at Elizabeth’s Cafe & Perfect Parties in Madison for the last 15 years. The Zagat-rated bistro, known for its upscale American cuisine, was in business for over two decades before closing last fall.
Count Elizabeth’s Cafe owner Elizabeth Parri Butler among Jara’s admirers.
“I’ve known a lot of executive chefs and many of them have been very good, but Edgar is a star,” she said. “He combines an attention to detail with an ability to stay
unruffled, and a willingness to work hard and never stop learning.
“He deserves all the credit for my success,” Parri Butler said.
From his years at Elizabeth’s Cafe, Jara said he brings an emphasis on simplicity and elegance, as well as on locally grown products.
“We use a lot of fresh ingredients, fresh meats, fresh seafood, it comes every day, nothing frozen,” Jara said. “We try to use as much local as we can.”
Gallo noted the high cooking temperature of the brick ovens — approximately 700 degrees F — in combination with the wood-burning fire produces a rich, smoky flavor in the slightly charred crust of his pies.
“It cooks very well and very fast, seven minutes, so also the toppings stay fresh and crisp,” he said, sprinkling kosher salt on a broccoli rabe and sausage pie as Frank Sinatra crooned amid mellow lighting in the New York-style decor of the space.
Other wood-fired pizzas on the menu include spicy
honey pepperoni, mortadella pistachio, and smoked bacon. For those who prefer to skip to dessert, there’s Nutella pie and cannoli pie.
Gallo previously spent 25 years slinging pies at the legendary Koronet Pizza on Broadway and 110th Street in Manhattan; in 2015, Business Insider recognized the Upper West Side institution as among the “best late-night food joints” in America. Gallo calls Doma on Main assistant pizza chef Paola Spera, his “right hand.”
As for opening during the pandemic, Jara said it’s been a blessing in disguise.
“Before we started to get busy, the staff got a chance to get used to working with each other, and used to the pace,” he said. “And we all really enjoy each other.”
As, he looked across the kitchen to Gallo and Spera toiling at the brick oven. “I love this place,” he said. “I call it home.”