Salerno’s

We came to Salerno’s the wrong time of day, noon. You can eat lunch here, and a very good lunch indeed; but if you are looking for the white pizza that Salerno’s fans uphold as Old Forge’s best – a double-cruster with a blend of several cheeses between the layers, you have to come at suppertime.

Still, lunch was excellent. We got a red pizza, which the bartender assured us was sized just right for two. “I can knock off eight or nine slices myself,” he said. The pie we got was a broad rectangle (Most Old Forge pizzas have squared corners; they are not circles). It was cut into twelve slices, each of them 2×4-inches and a good inch thick. We wound up taking half of that pizza in a box to munch along the road.

The Old Forge style crust is light and airy, very American in character as opposed to Mediterranean; the tomato sauce on top has a pleasant tang; and the cheese tastes like a blend of Italian and American varieties. It’s easy-to-eat pizza, uncomplicated and ingenuous.

Beyond pizza in this neighborhood tavern, the menu includes sausage and peppers, chicken Parmesan sub sandwiches, and pasta i fagiole. Many customers take their food at the bar, where they can knock back draft beers and watch the wall-mounted TV.