We felt like we were not in the Capital District. The mood and ambiance of More Perreca's brought us back to Little Italy in NYC. Yes, it seemed to exude that type of atmosphere and transport us to where we last experienced a similar environment. Our friendly and knowledgeable server Jeremy certainly helped to contribute to this enjoyable viewpoint.

My objective was to try my first coal-fired pizza. But our first decision point was to decide if we were going to take advantage of Wednesday's special of half-priced bottles of wine. My wife was only interested in a glass of wine, so that was my cue to inquire about beer choices. She requested a glass of Montepulciano ($7) while I got a can of Chatham's Czech'rd Past Pilsner ($7). Chatham knows how to make an excellent pilsner. The Montepulciano was rather nondescript.

While reviewing the appetizers, we both were attracted by the Heavenly Trio ($10.95) - deep-fried Perreca's dough balls (think savory zeppole) no larger than a golf ball, on beds of Italian ricotta impastata seasoned with black pepper, salt, EVOO, and freshly torn basil, all surrounding a pillar of imported Prosciutto di Parma. These were as tasty as they looked. A wonderful blend of flavors.

My wife ordered the Eggplant Rollatini ($17.95) as her entrée and was informed that the eggplant had arrived fresh today. There were three battered eggplant rolled and stuffed with ricotta, goat cheese and parmesan, topped with marinara and melted mozzarella, and served with a side of ziti. There was no evidence of oil soaked into the batter or eggplant, no bitterness, and the filling was light and full of flavor. The marinara had good flavor and was only slightly sweet.

My first experience with coal-fired pizza I will say was mixed. From the chef's four recommended combinations, I chose the Fennel and Sausage ($14) - roasted fennel with sweet Italian sausage, fresh and low-moisture mozzarella, and tomato sauce. I also requested spicy peppers to be added. I will first rave about the delicious raised crust around the edge of the pizza (cornicione). It is both light and airy while still having a nice chew and good flavor. The blended flavor of all the toppings was actually a surprise to my taste buds. There was a bit of sourness, almost like a balsamic vinegar, mixed with the sweet sausage and shredded fennel, cut by the creaminess of the fresh mozzarella. The slices of pickled peppers gave a little bit of spiciness. With all that flavor, I'm not certain I noticed the tomato sauce, except for its color, most obviously around the cornicione.

Initially, I thought it was odd that the pizza was served with a large steak knife since the kitchen had already cut it into four slices. However, it became apparent that all of the toppings had gravitated to the center of the pizza making it impossible to pick up a slice to eat by hand. Even cutting one of the four slices in half did not rectify this problem, not to mention that the knife found it very difficult to slice through the bottom of the dough, especially at the center of the pizza. A view of the underside of one of the slices showed not only some golden brown crust but also a white stain-like area similar to unmixed flour. This did not, however, seem to diminish my enjoyment of the cornicione or crust.

Since we watched other customers, who had reached their dessert course before us, deplete the available cupcakes on display, we inquired what was still available. We narrowed it down to two and ordered both - a Cannoli ($5.50) and Tiramisu ($6). Both were perfect with an Espresso ($3) and a coffee. A portion of both needed to come home with us along with some of our entrées. And speaking of leftovers, we only ate half of the highly popular Perreca's Italian bread that was served in a basket when we first sat down. Because there are no preservatives in the bread, the server suggested we take those slices home also. (I froze them.)

I definitely am looking forward to returning and trying some other items on the menu.