Mark’s Score 9.0
I decided to give Ripieno’s a try because, for months, a new restaurant has been under construction on the northside of town near Aldi in Salisbury. Rumor had it that Ripieno’s of Ocean City was building a second location in Salisbury. Truth is, I never heard of Ripieno’s, and though I have been to Ocean City many times, I don’t remember ever seeing their Ocean City location. I looked up their address on Google and drove over to Ocean City for lunch. Even though I knew the location from Google maps, I had difficulty finding it. The restaurant is tucked away in the rear section of a building that houses a Burger King on the corner of Philadelphia and 33rd. The map indicated that I was at Ripieno’s but all I saw was the Burger King. I passed it and had to double back. I did eventually find it and I am oh so glad that I did.
Though the start was inauspicious (I almost mistook the restaurant for the drive-up window for Burger King) I knew I was in for something special the minute I walked in the door. The place is tiny, there are only a few tables and I hate to think how crowded this place must get during the high season. I was expecting a run of the mill pizza parlor. You know what I mean, a bit run down, haphazard decorations, faded posters of Italy, or worse a badly painted picture of the leaning Tower of Pizza on the wall.
What I found was a sleek modern tastefully designed and spotlessly clean dining room. In the background they were playing a tape of light jazz music. The music that was popularized by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra and was very popular in post-war Europe. In fact, “Tu Vuo Fa L’Americano” was playing when I walked in the door. You might remember that song from the scene where Jude Law and Matt Damon were singing in the bar in the movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”
The music immediately put me in a good mood, and the fact that they had a wood fired pizza oven improved my mood all the more. I ordered an individual sized pepper and sweet Italian sausage pizza and sat down to wait for my pizza while enjoying the music.
I was already impressed and looking forward to my meal and then the pizza arrived. You don’t expect much from a pizza parlor. You are lucky if the pizza comes out on an aluminum tray. Not here, the presentation was inspiring. The waitress brought out a ceramic plate, and the pizza was served on a sleek cutting board and cut at a skewed angle. The pizza itself was perfectly cooked and generously covered with fresh slices of parmesan. It was certainly the prettiest presentation of a pizza I have ever encountered. Its presentation was only exceeded by its taste. If you have never given Ripieno’s a try, hurry over before the summer rush.
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