backspace

Best Italian Restaurants in the U.S.

“The wood-burning oven heats to 1,000 degrees, producing a super-blistered crust at this spot behind Parkside restaurant. The chefs spent months developing a special dough to stand up to the heat.”

“Taking his inspiration–and following through–from the original pizzaioli of Naples itself. Cirkiel had at great expense a handcrafted pizza oven shipped over (it took forever), and he and his crew have really learned how to work that fiery furnace to produce impeccable pizzas with the right thickness, cornicione edge, and crackling, bubbly, charred surface with a fine balance of ingredients on top, none of which betray Neapolitan traditions.”

Shawn Cirkiel has opened his second concept, backspace, a 30-seat trattoria serving thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas from an Italian brick oven and handmade charcuterie.

Shawn Cirkiel opened the backspace in December for the very best of reasons: He wanted to re-create Neapolitan-style pizza at home… We had mushrooms light and earthy, sausage bright with fennel and heat, ricotta and mozzarella like velvet spotlights, marinara that deserved a bowl of its own…

The pizzas are the drawing card and are thought by many to be the best in town…the backspace is about as authentically Italian as you can get without hopping on a plane.

…this restaurant knows how to stand out from your average pizza joint. Chef-owner Shawn Cirkiel of parkside fame makes sure to serve up menu items with the freshest Italian ingredients…You’ll want to add this casual Italian eatery to your list of downtown dining ventures.

Inspired by the legendary pizzerias of Naples, Chef-Owner Shawn Cirkiel announces his newest restaurant, the backspace, serving authentic Neapolitan pizza and artisanal antipasti. Hip, casual and affordable, the backspace will offer a selection of pizzas, antipasti, salads and desserts… The star will be the Neapolitan pizza, known for its unique thin, chewy crust.