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Virgilio's practices the art of authentic Italian bliss

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 21, 2006 at midnight

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I was sitting at Virgilio's Pizzeria Napoletana watching the Yankees obliterate the Red Sox on a big flat-screen with the sound of Italian opera and the owner's Northeastern accent filling the air.

It was my first visit to the Lakewood eatery and, as I waited for my takeout pizza, the come-hither perfume of garlic knots ($2.99 dozen; $1.99 half; complementary with pasta) grabbed my nose.

"Oh my," I sighed internally, as I caved in and got some knots. "Yes, yes," I thought as I bit into a part-doughy, part- crispy delight bathed in hot, garlic-y oil.

At the counter on a stool, I surreptitiously critiqued the pizza makers as they did their thing. Carefully hand-stretching the dough, they ladled the sauce in circular motions and artfully arranged toppings and cheeses. By the way these guys popped open the brick-lined gas oven just in time to check the bubbling crusts and move them around, it was clear that they had that internal radar good pizza-makers possess.

Finally my Margherita pizza ($12.49; $15.49) was done, and I rushed the box out the door. I got to the car, but my pie never made it out of the parking lot intact. I thought I should have one bite while it was hot - a little too hot, as I singed my tongue but ate on heedless. The thin crust was dark brown, even blackened in spots, and had an exceptional toasted wheat flavor. Crunchy outside, it was chewy inside the bubbles, and pliable so it folded for eating.

There was an unmistakable freshness to the layer of toppings: olive oil, naturally sweet and thick tomato sauce, Romano and fresh mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, fresh garlic and a sprinkle of chopped basil.

A smile erupted on my face. Virgilio's pizza spoke to my inner Mazzola, the New England Sicilian half of my genes. This was the taste I grew up on. It was some of the best New York-style pizza I'd ever eaten. In the days that followed, I had intense flashbacks and deep garlic yearnings, so I brought friends to Virgilio's.

The Naples-born Virgilio Urbano moved to pizza-crazy New Haven, Conn., with his family when he was a child. A copy of his passport proudly hangs on the wall of this, his first restaurant, which he opened less than a year ago. Tucked next to a King Soopers on Alameda west of Wadsworth, it looks like the standard Italian-American pizzeria (except that it's new, clean and well-lighted).

Some folks just have a couple of pizza slices ($2.25; $2.79 Sicilian; 35-cent toppings) with a beer ($2.50-$3.50) or a glass of Italian wine ($4.25 glass).

We settled in on several occasions to experience the whole nine yards, starting with the garlic knots. You need something to munch on because, except for the slices, this is not fast food, and we were grateful for that. It's the sign of a serious pizzeria.

The salads are all decent, but the other must-try appetizer is the crispy spinach pinwheels ($1.99), a loaf laced with fresh spinach, garlic and ricotta. Slices are re-baked until happily crispy and ideal for dipping in the fine, dense house marinara made with top-shelf San Marzano tomatoes.

The pizzas come in personal-sized and 14- or 18-inch New York-style pies or thick-crusted, square Sicilian pizza ($15.99). Besides stellar crust and baking technique, the quality of the toppings, including wonderful mozzarella, elevates Virgilio's creations to a higher plane.

Seventeen combos are offered, including the mezzo, mezzo ($10.49 14-inch; $14.49 18-inch) that can be half red, white (ricotta) or green (basil pesto), or you can devise your own combo.

We applauded the sophisticated Il Greco ($14.99; $18.49) that skips the marinara and dresses the dough circle with olive oil, garlic spinach, artichoke, black olives and feta. The unexpectedly attractive The Dean Martin ($12.99; $17.49) was loaded with lots of bacon and fresh garlic and basil.

I brought nonbelievers to Virgilio's and they left having been converted to the faith. They testified to the magic that happens when great crust, sauce, cheeses and toppings meld into one.

The same thin, non-bready crust wraps the fine calzones ($6.49-$7.99). The veggie version teamed with fresh mushrooms, veggies and three cheeses. Another must-taste dish is the straight-from-Little-Italy stromboli ($3.29 slice) that rolls dough around a wealth of Italian sausage, ham, veggies and mozzarella.

Virgilio's sausage hero ($5.99) is a splendid sandwich. A white Italian roll crammed with good fennel-seeded sausage (made by Denver's Carmine Lonardo), sauteed peppers, onions and marinara with sheets of mozzarella is baked until crispy and molten.

While waiting for pizza we also had the pleasure of several pasta high points such as baked stuffed shells ($8.49) and fettuccine Alfredo con fresco ($11.49), dressed to impress with the addition of fresh tomato, garlic and spinach plus chicken. We sided them with respectable, herb-flecked meatballs and sausage.

The eatery recently began waitress service at dinner, making Virgilio's more restaurant-like. There's only a hint of East Coast pizza joint attitude at Virgilio's, where the boss is always on the premises. The servers were accommodating, friendly and attentive. We watched one night as a server raced into the parking lot after a customer to give him basil to top his Margherita. It's a small detail, but the basil is packed separately because it will turn black and lose flavor if it sits too long on a hot pie.

Urbano says he won't do the constant couponing like other pizzerias because his no-corners-cut ingredients are so expensive. He also doesn't need to because his pizza is fantastic.

I won't get into the "best pizza in Denver" debate because pizza is not, and never will be, a single, monolithic dish. There's room at my table for good cracker-crisp bistro pizza, wood-fired true Italian pies, thick-crusted New England and double-crusted Chicago-style.

You pizza fundamentalists can argue about it. I'm going to Virgilio's for a salsiccia con pepe pizza ($14.49; $18.49) crowned with just enough sausage, roasted red pepper and red onion to make it sing.

Virgilio's Pizzeria Napoletana

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday- Thursday; until 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

• Food: Italian-American

• How much: $6-$21 pizza; $6-$7.50 sandwiches; $7-$11.50 pasta

• How loud: Moderate to somewhat noisy when busy

• Reservations: No

• Information:

John Lehndorff is the dining critic; or 303-892-5103.

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