5. Polpette al Sugo
Before your pizza arrives, you can opt for a handful of antipasti, including these meatballs in tomato sauce. “We make meatballs in a very traditional Italian way,” Wexler-Waite explains. The base is a blend of local grass-fed ground beef, heritage pork, and breadcrumbs the team makes from She Wolf loaves. Those breadcrumbs are soaked in milk, then blended with the meat and Parmigiano-Reggiano. There’s no ricotta in the recipe, which Wexler-Waite concedes is a little controversial, but he leaves it out to keep the meatballs light, since diners will follow the dish up with pizza.
If you prefer a vegetable antipasto, Wexler-Waite is one of only a few chefs in New York making carciofi alla Giudia, or Jewish-style artichokes from Rome. Unable to find the Roman variety of artichokes in Brooklyn, he uses baby artichokes, which his team fries in extra virgin olive oil. “We twice crisp them in the traditional Roman Jewish way — you fry them whole, first in extra virgin olive oil, fully submerged, and then we finish them in the pan.”
Il Leone is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.
Devra Ferst is a Brooklyn-based food and travel writer who has contributed to The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Eater, NPR, and numerous other publications. She is co-author of “The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long.” Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.