Goodfella's offers pizza that is top of the line

STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1993 
 
Pies are baked in a wood-burning brick oven 
By MICHAEL ROSE ADVANCE RESTAURANT CRITIC 
Good pizza is not hard to find on Staten Island. So when Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza opened its doors at the beginning of the year, it was entering a tough market with the promise of freshly assembled pies with homemade mozzarella cheese cooked in a wood burning brick oven. After a little more than six months in operation at its Dongan Hills location, Goodfella's has shown that, for the most part, it can hold its own with some of the Island's better pizza establishments while offering some nice touches in other categories. We first tried a plain slice of Goodfella's pizza and found it light and nicely seasoned with a crisp crust. In addition to some off-beat toppings like fresh zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto and pesto, the menu offers seven specialty pizzas. We had the quattro stagioni, made with tomato sauce, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, black olives, prosciutto and mushrooms. Although everything was obviously fresh, the olives overwhelmed the taste buds a bit. Goodfella's also offers an enticing white pie, with fresh mozzarella
ricotta and prosciutto, and a white clam pie, with extra mozzarella, clams, seasoning and olive oil. While there were only a few selections under the heading of "Lite Bites" on Goodfella's pizza-dominated menu, all the ones we tried showed a good deal of care. A dish of fresh mozzarella, to-matoes and basil was appropriate for a warm afternoon in late July. The mozzarella was smooth and the tomatoes tangy. A generous portion of fried calamari was served with wedges of lemon and a side of onion-based tomato sauce that was lightly sea-soned with fresh basil. The calamari was crisp and light — not sodden with oil — but it needed a dash of salt. The garden salad was a crisp 
and lively mix of different greens. We had a sampling of two dress-ings on the side. The lemon, pars-ley and garlic dressing was interesting but heavy on the lemon. The dressing of oil and balsamic vinegar was a more reliable choice. Desserts include a fluffy and not overly sweet tira misu, which is homemade and fits nicely with a cup of espresso. Dinner for two, with two ap-petizers, a salad and a specialty pizza came to $26.10, with tax and without the tip.