So I finally ate at Napoletana, and it is certainly worth a visit. I don't think I would ever go there 50 times - I've been to no single restaurant in my life 50 times, maybe Cafe Barrone will get that high - but it's clearly worth a visit.
THe place is TINY, and it's dark, and it's squeezed in next to the Cost Plus and Bikram Yoga on El Caminto near El Monte. It's so dark that you'd think something nefarious was afoot, from the outside. All else besides the pizza is an afterthought, and that includes the decor. There was one server who was friendly enough and efficient enough, and the guy manning the oven (behind the bar), and maybe one busboy. This isn't a high profile operation - in a good way.
I stopped in at about 8:05 on a Monday, and the place appeared to be clearing out. There was a single, a woman at the bar, a small family with a kid. All of those people left in the next 10 minutes, and I was literally alone, slightly uncomfortable, then two other groups came in, which surprised me. Europeans think of nothing in starting dinner at 8:30pm on a monday, but not americans. Like one of the groups that left - speaking only italian - one of the groups was a troika of guys who ordered beers and a couple of pies and were talking animatedly - again in italian. In this small sample size, at least 1/3 of the tables are italian expats.
The wine list is very friendly, a few well chosen bottles, you can get a decent glass for less than $10, which is always welcome. I got some blend I've never had, and it was just what I had in mind.
I got the margerita. The pizza is revelatory, not exactly because the style is unknown in the south peninsula (terrone claims VPN training, for example), but because I finally see more balance in the style, which is finicky. The burn marks on the crust were perfect small dots, more like a pox, than huge blister slabs. With the burn so well distributed, each bite had a small amount of char but never an overwhelming amount. The sauce had no metal and a taste of blooming tomato, each slab of cheese clearly at its peak. The thinness of the pizza helped, although the crust tasted so good that I found myself lingering over the edges, chewing them slowly. By the time I got to the last two pieces, the pie was flaccid and unwelcoming - it's a pizza of ultimate freshness, due to be consumed in maybe 10 minutes.
Price is very reasonable. I also had a "house salad" which was a good accompaniment to the meal. I wondered about the pasta, as I would often want a pizza and a larger bite for two people, but didn't have that solo.
Overall, the place is fully as advertised, an ultimately purist experience, which must - and can - be enjoyed as such. I'll continue to eat at Vesta, with its nice beer selection, old building charm, slightly unusual toppings, slightly thicker crust, but this place might steal some of my business from Howie's, where we go when we want the lightest of meals. It'll be a good joint to hit on days when the GF is off drinking somewhere else.
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