Chef Wylie Dufresne has made a lot of great food over the years, and for me, that includes an extraordinary birthday party in front of his much-missed temple of molecular gastronomy on Clinton Street, wd-50; a bunch of fun meals at Alder, his experimental place in East Village, which went through several iterations of the menu before closing in 2015; and dozens of donuts at Du’s in Williamsburg, which remains worrying during a pandemic “break.”
However, starting today, Dufresne has something completely different and, as it turns out, extremely delicious: making pizza with his friend Gadi Peleg from the big Breads bakery and selling pre-ordered pies every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening. from the latter’s iconic Union Square store. The operation is called Stretch Pizza, it’s the first time in the last five years that Dufrense has professionally cooked something salty and, based on a few stellar preview pies we ate last night, we can only hope that it will stay for a while.
“In the early months of the pandemic,” Peleg said, “we met all the time in the neighborhood, and Wylie started bringing me the pizza she had made in his house. We talked about collaborating on something and brainstorming ideas like croissant, but Wylie said she went down the pizza rabbit hole for a whole year and wanted to run with him. “And so, with the help of” dough master “Darwin Castillo, Stretch Pizza was born.
Scott Lynch / Gothamist
The 12-inch pies at Stretch Pizza are what Dufresne and Peleg call “New York Style,” with toppings that have a real presence, lots of cheese, and a crust that isn’t too cracked, not too doughy, not too moist in the middle, just a few classic New York folds. “We’re both from the city,” Peleg said, “so we didn’t really think of any other way.”
There are four varieties to get you started. Everything pie is fantastic, with a cream cheese wash, some excellent aged mozzarella and a generous sprinkling of all-bagel spices (garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, salt) and small chunks of chives covering the top. Dufresne plans to use Union Square Greenmarket as the main source for fresh specialties, and right now it means ramps, which he grills and places on a pie, along with a lively Romesco sauce and two types of cheese, called Sketches of Spain.
The classic New York pizza features Dufresne’s homemade tomato sauce and more of the aged mozzarella, all charred and chewable. The fourth choice for the moment is the sofa potato, which pairs the young with cream, rosemary, pork and cheese. As a lovely bonus, the duo also offers a fantastic Calzone, possibly the sleeping hit of the entire operation, a large packet of dough, stuffed in the style of breakfast, with soft mixed eggs, melted muenster and American cheese and scallions for a bite.
As someone who still learns and practices the real physical craft of making a pie, Dufrense came up with the name “Stretch” as a tribute to all the pizza makers who make it look so light, even meditative when they roll out the dough. “I just have respect for those guys,” he said. “It’s hard to do.”
Stretch Pizza will serve its pies at Union Square Breads Bakery, 18 East 16th Street, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Pre-order via Tock, with new open slots added frequently.