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Review: Monical's Pizza, Bloomington IL

November 11, 2013, 2:01 pm
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With the past month, I've traveled to Columbus, OH and Bloomington, IL (via the south side of Chicago), which provided an opportunity to eat some Midwestern pizza. I had some idea of what I might find, thanks to this excellent guide to regional pie styles on Slice - SeriousEats.
A slice at Monical's. Click on any pic for full-size resolution.

I traveled first to Columbus, where I had a superb pizza with a wafer-thin crust at Rubino's. That was my first taste of this style, and whetted my appetite for more.
Pepperoni pie at Rubino's, Columbus OH

Only a few days later came my journey to Bloomington, which is located 2 or 3 hours from any major airport (it sits alone in the center of a square you might draw from map points in Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Des Moines). I decided to fly into Midway and rent a car. That opened an opportunity to find some distinctive Chicago pie, but that came at the end of my trip.

My time in Bloomington was tightly budgeted, with three business meals. My only free-agent dining came at lunchtime on the day of my arrival. I had failed to plan ahead to scout out destination pie, so I drove from my hotel to the closest shopping plaza, and there I spotted Monical's Pizza.

It had the look of a chain, but I figured (correctly) that it must be a smaller, regional chain because I had never heard of it. From their website, I count 65 locations, mostly in Illinois and Indiana.
Part of the homey dining room area

I entered at a counter for ordering, and reviewed the whole-pie choices (no individual slices) of thin crust, pan pizza, gluten-free, or "The Point" which boasts "more cheese, more toppings, sweeter sauce, and a thicker crust." I was intrigued, but I chose the 8" personal size thin crust pizza. I opted for pepperoni toppings after learning that the "sausage" topping was crumbles, not real chunks or slices of Italian sausage.

After ordering, patrons pick a spot in the dining room and the pizza is brought to you in a hybrid table-service fashion.
My Monical's pizza
For visual comparison, a frozen Totino's pie

When my pie arrived, I saw a thin, sickly-looking disc that would have disappointed me (visually) even if it had been a store brand frozen pizza. I chuckled as I thought that Bloomington - with its heartland values and friendly residents - was a long way from Trenton, New York, and New Haven.

On lifting the first small slice, however, I noted the rigidity of the crust, and when I took a bite, I immediately sensed the similarity to that wonderful pie at Rubino's in Columbus. The crust had some al dente character and flavor of its own. The conventional sauce and cheese were highly seasoned and salted, and applied judiciously in proportion to the thin crust. The pepperoni was average commercial grade, but still enhanced the pie and it was all baked to a crispy and browned-edge satisfaction.

Was it as good as Rubino's? No. Was it destination pie? No. Was it tasty, well-executed, and balanced? Absolutely.
A very thin pie! (one slice is upside down for crust view)

The following day, I chatted with a local about Monical's. He shared his high regard for the pizza, the flavor, and the value, and asked if I had the French dressing. Apparently, it is wildly popular on both salads and on the pizza. Monical's has its devoted followers; Yelp, Urbanspoon, and TripAdvisor all full of raves about Monical's thin crust pie.


This was an unexpected and delightful find. Monical's pizza gets a solid 8 and beats 95% of the floppy crust stuff, even in New York.


Monical's Pizza on Urbanspoon
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Review: Vito & Nick's Pizzeria, Chicago

November 15, 2013, 7:42 am
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Way back in the 1980s, I discovered Chicago-style deep dish pizza ... In Washington DC! We went to Armand's Chicago Style Pizza, which is a small regional chain that was started by a Jersey Boy enamored with Chicago deep dish pizza.  I remember liking it, and I remember that I struggled to eat two slices.
Vito & Nick's, Chicago. Click any pic to see full size resolution.

A few years later, I had deep dish again, at Geno's (guest review HERE) in Chicago, with a similar experience.  As the years passed, Pizzeria Uno expanded its chain operation to the east coast, and I've found their pie to be Pizza Hut grade. Since then each time I try deep dish, I like it less. Jon Stewart agrees!

Still, Chicago remains a great pizza town, and there are several thin-crust purveyors with great reputations. I haven't been to Chicago since starting this blog, and my recent pass through would have prompted a stop at Great Lake Pizza had it not closed about a year ago.
A view of the bar from the dining area

I flew into Midway, on the south side of Chicago, to then rent a car to drive south to my Bloomington destination.

There are not a lot of great pizza choices near Midway; there is an outpost of Giordano's"stuffed crust" deep dish casserole (reviewed HERE), but I was intrigued by Vito & Nick'sand their thin-crust pie.

Vito & Nick's has been in business for 84 years, making pizzas (cash only, no delivery) for 58 years at the Pulaski Road location. Inside and out, V&N looks like an old style shot-and-a-beer bar, but with a number of dining tables.

Guy Fieri, of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, did a feature on Vito & Nick's - video link HERE. I'm sorry I missed out on the Italian Beef pizza.

At some point, much of the inside walls were covered in carpet (I'm guessing the 70s) but now most of that has been updated. The ambiance is simple but cozy.
The sausage pie

I arrived around 3pm on a weekday, but already a good handful of regulars were drinking at the bar. Two beers are on tap -- Old Style, and Old Style Light. Either way, it's $1.50 for a 12 ounce pilsner glass.

The menu offers, beyond pizza, sandwiches, pastas, and appetizers. I was intrigued by the Friday special of "All You Can Eat Smelts" for $9.95. 
Slices at Vito's & Nicks
For comparison, a slice at Rubino's

The pizza menu is refreshingly brief - they offer large and small in four variations: sausage, half-sausage, cheese, and cheese & eggs (Friday only). Other toppings can be added, but I took the hint and ordered a large sausage pie.
The underside

As soon as the waitress brought the pie, I recognized the wafer-thin, party-cut, Midwest style. This pie had a strong resemblance to the thin-crust pie at Rubino's in Columbus OH, another old-school pizzeria in business for over half a century (full review HERE).

The genuine Italian sausage was in lovely rough chunks, under the cheese. The sauce and cheese were spread entirely to the edges of the crust, leaving no cornicione handles. Each little rectangle was 4" long at most.

The crust had a distinct and delightful crunch, with just enough residual chewiness to assure you that it's bread, not a cracker. The sauce and cheese were pretty conventional, and rightly so for this old-school pie. They were applied in perfect proportion for the thin but sturdy crust.

The sausage was the ideal topping, adding a savory flavor and texture to each bite. Much like the pie at Rubino's in Columbus, all the elements were in perfect harmony. In fact, the Rubino's pie and the Vito & Nick's pie were quite similar, and I couldn't say if I preferred one to the other.

All told, destination pizza in a destination setting. Near perfect in flavor, texture, and balance. This is a 9.9 pizza experience. It blows away all those north side puffy casseroles masquerading as pizza.

Vito & Nick's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon
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Review: Stella Rossa, Downingtown PA

November 16, 2013, 5:19 pm
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From 1985-2009, I never lived more than 5 miles away from Trenton NJ, and thus had relatively easy access to great pizza (tomato pie), even though my favorite - DeLorenzo's Hudson St - opened at 3:00 pm and the phone was off the hook by 3:05. 

My 2009 move to West Chester PA resulted in a generally futile ("quixotic") search for good pizza and prompted the creation of this blog. A mere 56 miles from Hudson Street, but in virtual pizza Kansas.
From StellaRossaRistorante.com

Finally in 2012, La Porta opened in Media, PA (full review HERE). Not exactly West Chester, but less than a half hour away. I also discovered, in nearby Wayne PA, an outpost of the superb Florida chain, Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza (full review HERE). 

Even as West Chester lacked a decent pie, it is a wonderful dining destination for almost anything else. My personal favorite is Nonna's (upscale Italian) on Gay Street, but I also enjoy Doc Magrogan's Oyster House (also on Gay Street).
See another excellent review at KeystonePizzaCritic.com

Now, "Doc Magrogan" initially struck me as a made-up name for a funfoodanddrinkery place like "T.J. McGillicuddy's" or "P.F. Winberie's" or "H.R. Pufnstuf." But in fact there is a real Dave Magrogan, who operates several restaurants including four locations of the Oyster House, Kildare's in West Chester, Harvest Seasonal Grill, and now Stella Rossa. My high opinion of the Oyster House made me optimistic about Stella.
"Stella!!!"

Stella Rossa is housed in a partially-restored former paper mill on the Brandywine River in historic Downingtown. It's a big yet cozy space with a 225 seat dining room, a 50 seat patio, and 25 seat bar. There is a full menu of appetizers, cheeses, salumi, olives, and salads in addition to a big selection of "pizza rossa" and "pizza bianca" Neapolitan pies.
Linguine with jumbo lump crab

We arrived on a Thursday evening in November, and the place was two-thirds full and buzzing. Stella has a destination ambiance - surely a place to see and be seen. Magrogan has his finger on the pulse of what appeals to hip diners in 2013.

We ordered one entree - linguine with jumbo lump crabmeat in a spicy marinara - and one pizza. We opted for the salumi, which is a Neapolitan pie with hot soppressata and fresh mozzarella. Fancy cocktails are around $10, but a half-liter of the house red wine was a bargain at $12.
"Salumi" Neapolitan

For a big new place on a busy night, the food arrived swiftly - another sign of an experienced restaurateur.  The linguine was cooked al dente - very nice but not the equal of Downingtown's Avalon Cafe, which is the next best thing to being in Italy. The flavors were wonderful, and that is noteworthy because many chefs - even the pros at La Porta - fail when mixing red sauce with crab.

The pizza had a typical Neapolitan crust - puffy edges, leopard spotting, and a thin soft base. Impressively, the center was not wet. The pie was well balanced with the sauce, cheese, and soppressata so that the toppings were in harmony with the base.

Beyond its excellent texture, the crust was especially tasty. The sauce was piquant, with a fresh tomato burst and a spicy tang. The cheese - house made - was tasty but floated on the pie like big, white, undercooked clouds. This was the only notable shortcoming, and it reiterates for me that fresh mozzarella is better reserved for your Caprese Salad. Pizza is generally better with aged cheeses that can be properly browned in the oven; fresh mozz is too wet.
The underside of the crust

I've had better Neapolitan pizza, but not much better. Stella Rossa earns a 10 for ambiance. The pie gets a 9 for its crust, 9 for the sauce, 6 for cheese, 8 for the soppressata, a 10 for its balance, and 9 for execution. Overall, an 8.5 pie, a destination pizza in a destination setting.  Stella Rossa is the hippest place I know this side of Philly.



Stella Rossa Ristorante on Urbanspoon
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The Pizza Grate for Home-Made Pizza: An Interview with John Daniels

November 17, 2013, 5:49 am
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An interest in eating the best pizza can lead to an interest in making great pizza. Most of us have plenty of failures with home-made pizzas. Mine began with the awful pizza kits from Chef Boy-Ar-Dee, before there was Elio's frozen squares.

We've come a long way, and the Internet makes it easy to research recipes, techniques, ingredients, and tools for great home-cooked pie. I discovered first the utility of the pizza stone, and then the Pizza Steel, a thick steel plate that has yielded wonderful crisp crusts. I tested it out and reviewed it HERE.

I love that device, but it has drawbacks. Because it is small and flat, it's easy for a clumsy-handed peel handler like to leave part of the pie hanging off the edge of the cooking surface. It is very heavy, and will rust if not dried carefully after washing.

Now, however, comes the "Pizza Grate." It has a backstop on one edge to keep the pie from sliding off, it has ventilation holes, its (optional) larger size covers an entire oven rack, and instead of steel, it's made of lightweight aluminum.
Click on any pic for full size resolution

We had a conversation with John Daniels of Daniele Appliance, who is using Kickstarter to fund development of the Pizza Grate. He shared with us the details on the Pizza Grate project and some other tips for home piemakers.

PQ: Tell us about your interest in home-made pizza. Are you a pizza chef? Is pizza making a hobby, or have you made pizza commercially?

JD: I am trained as an engineer and my day job is as a patent attorney. I have only made pizzas in our home oven or on the grill, and it used to be a disappointing, doughy-in-the-middle prospect. Since starting the Pizza Grate project, I have become addicted to pizza making. I think about it probably more than I should. We have pizza two or three times a week. I can’t wait to finish this interview so I can go make a pizza for lunch.


PQ: What led you to the idea of the Pizza Grate? What problem were you trying to solve?  Is this a hobby that took off, or were you looking to fill a market void? Tell us about your company.

JD: I came across a Kickstarter project for a steel pizza “stone” inspired by an article in Modernist Cuisine. The concept of cooking pizza on a preheated metal thermal mass makes a lot of sense. We have a CNC plasma cutter in our workshop, and built a few prototypes using 1/4” steel plate and 1/4” aluminum plate. Then we did head to head testing and concluded aluminum had a better overall performance. 

The breakthrough happened when we cut a pattern of through-holes into the aluminum plate. The through-holes let steam escape from under the dough as it cooks, instead of forcing the moisture up into the body of the pizza, performing the function of a good, porous pizza stone. We also added a backstop that prevents overshooting the launch of the pizza into the oven, and keeps the pizza from being pushed into the back wall of the oven when sliding the peel back under. 
 
Pork carnitas
The through-holes also unlock a lot of additional culinary dimension made possible by the thermal mass of a preheated Pizza Grate. It is awesome for making seared/broiled steaks and burgers, and I don’t think I’ll ever cook a chicken in the oven again without using the Pizza Grate, the skin becomes crispy all the way around. Last weekend I made pork carnitas from a whole pork shoulder. The through-holes let the fat and drippings drain away so the skin gets ultra crisp and crunchy, and the drippings can then be separated from the fat and added back to the moisten the pulled meat. We plan on cooking our Thanksgiving turkey this year on the Pizza Grate.


Aluminum is lightweight and of course, it doesn't rust like steel. But most important, aluminum is about 3 times as thermally conductive as steel and many times more thermally conductive than stone. That means it will absorb the heat energy in the oven quicker, and it will also give up the stored heat energy to the dough quicker.  

There are two keys aspects to our Pizza Grate: 
1) the through-holes allow steam to escape from the dough unrestrained so the moisture isn’t forced back into the dough towards the cheese side; and, 
2) the aluminum quickly gives up the heat energy to the raw dough at the beginning of baking through thermal conduction (direct metal to dough contact). 

The heat of the oven is reabsorbed by the aluminum mass by relatively slower thermal convection, creating a sort of shock absorber to the pizza cooking process giving the top of the pie time to get perfectly cooked.  It is very difficult to burn the bottom of the pizza, and the crust comes out beautiful every time. 

I started a company with a couple of friends to develop an outdoor cooking grill we created called the Incredigrill. The Pizza Grate came along during the course of our product development and is much less challenging to manufacture, so we have put our focus on this product to generate cash flow while development of the Incredigrill continues.

PQ: How do you distinguish great pizza from ordinary pizza?

JD: The crust, I think it is texture first and flavor second. It has to have a nice crisp outer shell, be light and airing on the inside, and there needs to be a nice chewiness too. Flavor is actually more subtle than texture, but when the dough has a good flavor to it, you know it.

PQ: Where did you grow up? What are your earliest pizza memories?

JD: I grew up in Trumbull, CT. Pizza was always a treat in our house growing up. I remember when he brought pizza home, my father would rip the top of the pizza box off serving the pizza in a nice flat serving “platter” in the bottom of the box. There were six kids and my parents, so when food hit the table it tended to disappear quick, I don’t remember there ever being any left over pizza.

PQ: Do you have a preferred style of pizza? Roman, Neapolitan, New York, New Haven, Sicilian, etc?

JD: I love them all, but my favorite is New Haven style pizza.

PQ: Can you name your favorite 2 or 3 pizza places today? What makes them special?

JD: Modern Pizza(note: PQ review HERE) in New Haven makes a really nice, simple, perfectly executed, pie.  I think its takes about two minutes for them to cook a pizza in their super hot ovens. The crust is perfect, and lots of mozzarella cheese. I don’t know if its the cheese they use or the cooking process, but the cheese takes on a really nice consistency that I can only describe as sort of mosaic looking. 
 
Meatball and onion pie at Modern
Just last week I had one of the best pizzas of my life at a pizzeria in NYC called Donatella’s. There is a massive wood burning oven in the back corner of the restaurant.

But, really my favorite pizza place these days is our home. There are few things in life to me that are as enjoyable, relaxing and satisfying as cooking with my children, and pizza is really the perfect vehicle for that experience.

PQ: Beyond your Pizza Grate, what tips do you have for home pizza makers?

JD: Number One, get the oven hot!

When flattening out the dough, work the outer rim first and work your way towards the center, you will get a nice even thickness this way.

Have all of your ingredients out and ready to add as you build your pizza, work fast so the dough doesn’t get stuck to the peel or work surface, and don’t overload the pie.   

Add a dash of vinegar to your pizza sauce, and use less sauce than you think you should, practice restraint.

I like to build the pizza on a layer of cornmeal on a wooden work surface and then slide a floured metal pizza peel under the pie immediately after putting on the final topping. Keep the pizza sliding on the peel by shaking the peel back and fourth as you walk it over to the oven, don’t give the dough a chance to stick.

Spin the pie once or twice during the cooking process so it cooks evenly.

Cook it a little bit past the point when you think its done.  You really want a little bit of char at the edges.

PQ: How easy, or difficult, is it to clean the Pizza Grate? Can it go in a dishwasher?

JD: The Pizza Grate can go in the dishwasher, its pretty much indestructible. It is very easy to scrub clean in the sink with a steel wool pad. If you want it looking like new again, put it in during an oven self-cleaning cycle.

PQ: Any other advice for those seeking great pizza, either at home or at a pizzeria?

JD: Treat yourself to a weekend day with nothing to do but making pizza. Make the dough the night before or in the morning following a good recipe exactly. When the dough is ready, get a can of crushed tomatoes and make a raw sauce by adding vinegar, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper directly into the can.  Get a block of mozzarella cheese and cut it into 1/2” slices that your can tear into pieces when making the pie. Get all your ingredients together, what ever toppings your want (but at least have fresh basil and pepperoni slices on hand), crack open a beer or pour a glass of wine and make a bunch of pizzas one after the other. Make the first pie simple and sparse as a warm up, just a bit of sauce and some cheese pieces, and go from there. Some concentrated pizza making time will hone your skills very quickly.

The Pizza Grate on Kickstarter: 
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/250320055/the-pizza-grate
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Review: Trader Giotto's (Trader Joe's) Pizza Margherita

November 18, 2013, 3:16 pm
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Totino's pizza. Click on any pic for full size resolution.
Some pizza purists avoid frozen pizzas, others swear by them. Many of us have some allegiance to the frozen pizza of our youth, such as Elio's (mine) or Totino's (my review HERE). The individual-size "My Essentials" frozen pies at Bottom Dollar grocery are 79 cents each, and they are close to the bottom of the barrel. Several of the rising crust pies are pretty damn decent - in fact, DiGiorno (my review HERE) is my baseline for evaluating mid level pizzerias. Is your home-made pie better than DiGiorno? If you're using Sysco ingredients, probably not.
A DiGiorno pizza (I added the jalapeno)


Trader Joe's is a gourmet grocer that has high-end foodstuffs at bargain prices. I read some nice things about their frozen pizzas, so on my last visit I picked one up to see just how good it is. There are several varieties; I chose the Margherita pie, with mozzarella and grana padano cheeses. It is about 11 inches in diameter - a big personal sized pie.

Cleverly, the box is branded "Trader Giotto's." The pies are imported from Italy, and the box proclaims that the pizza was baked in a wood-burning oven.

Out of the box, it looked promising if a bit pale, covered with seven discs of mozzarella and flecks of the grana padano. I love to doctor up pizza, be it leftover pizza or frozen pie, and here I covered half with slices of pepperoni.
Right out of the box

With pepperoni, pre-bake

The instructions called for 7-8 minutes of baking, directly on the oven rack, but even at 8 minutes it was clearly not cooked to its ideal state. I gave it a full 10 minutes and then 2 minutes more under the broiler to get some top browning.
Fresh out of the oven

It came out looking pretty good, and I cut it into six slices.  The cheeses were surprisingly good - flavor and texture - while the sauce was a bit tame. There were no off flavors, but I'd have liked more spice in the sauce.

The crust was medium thin, much denser and more sturdy than a Neapolitan (as the name Margherita suggests). It had the good flavor of crusty Italian bread. On the first slice, I felt it was too dense and chewy, but by the final slice I found that I liked it a lot. It was a akin to a downgraded version of the superior crust at Gennaro's Tomato Pie (full review HERE) in South Philly.



The crust was a bit dry, and this may be due to the fact that I cooked it 4-5 minutes longer than the instructions had indicated. Next time, I will brush the undercarriage and the cornicione with olive oil, and bake it on a pizza stone or the Baking Steel.
The underside of the crust

This may be the best frozen pizza I've had. And it was only $3.99! The crust gets a 7.5, the cheeses 7, the sauce is a 5, the balance is an 8.  All told, this pie comes in at 7 and beats a lot of "fresh" pizza as well as the frozen competition.
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Pizza Styles, including Midwestern - What Is It?

November 24, 2013, 5:42 am
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Midwestern pizza? Huh?

Most of my prior pizza experience (beyond the big chains) includes these types:
  • Trenton/New Haven Tomato Pie - thin, sturdy, crisp crust, and more emphasis on tomatoes (crushed) than the cheese - example, Trenton's DeLorenzo's, Philly's SLiCE, or the famous Pepe's
    A slice at Frank Pepe, New Haven CT
  • New York Slice - thin, crisp yet foldable, conventional sauce and cheese - example, New Park Pizza in Queens and Wiseguy NY Pizza in D.C.
    Pepperoni slice at Wiseguy
  • Neapolitan - thin, delicate, puffy crust cooked at 900 degrees in 2 minutes, fresh mozz, often wet in the center, as found at Philly's Osteria, Stella, Zavino
    Neapolitan at Zavino
  • Hybrid - Neapolitan flavors and toppings, but sturdy like a Trenton pie - La Porta in Media PA
    Pizza carbonara at La Porta
  • Standard mass produced - medium thick and soft floppy crust, loads of generic cheese, typically what you get at mom-n-pop places
    Mass-sourced pie
  • Sicilian - thick airy crust, rectangular slices, conventional sauce and cheese
    Sicilian pizza
  • Flatbread - maybe not even a pizza, but excellent stuff on good bread, such as Jules Thin Crust
    Distinctive pies at Jules Thin Crust
  • Roman "al taglio" - square slices like Sicilian, but thinner, crisper, superior - Forno Marco Roscioli
    Roman al tagio slices
  • Granma - an outer boro pie that may be the closest American cousin to Roman pizza - Lenny's in Brooklyn makes a good one
    Granma slice at Lenny's in Brooklyn
  • Bar pie - crust thinner than even a Trenton tomato pie, basic ingredients in modest amounts, success depends on the piemaker's skill. Can't beat the bar pie at Lee's Tavern in Staten Island.
    Bar pie from Lee's Tavern in Staten Island
  • Conshohocken (Philly) tomato pie - basically a Sicilian without the cheese, eaten at room temp
    Conshohocken tomato pie (slices are usually smaller)
  • Old Forge - Sometimes, a somewhat thinner version of the Conshohocken pie, found in Northeast PA. Other times, more like an over-cheesed and under-cooked Sicilian pie. Keystone Pizza Critic gives the details HERE. 
    From http://keystonepizzacritic.com/
  • Chicago deep dish - a casserole that uses many of the ingredients of a real pizza
    Giordano's "stuffed crust" casserole, Chicago

Recent travels, though, have introduced me to a new kind of pie, Midwestern style. I held an east-coast bias which presumed that midwesterners, when taking a break from corn and roast beef, would get their pizzas at Pizza Hut.
Vito & Nick's, Chicago

But I discovered - in Columbus OH, in Bloomington IL, and on the South Side of Chicago (the baddest part of town) - a wafer-thin crispy crust pie that was cut not into triangles but little squares (the "party cut" aka the "tavern cut" ) and it has quite a bit in common with old-school bar pies. Conventional but salty and spicy sauce and cheese, home-made sausage, floating on but not soaking into an almost cracker-y crust. Wonderful stuff and easy to eat a lot of it.
Rubino's, Columbus OH

Here are my reviews of the midwest style pies at Rubino's in Columbus OH, Monical's Pizza in Bloomington IL, and Vito & Nick's in Chicago.

Sausage pie at Vito & Nick's

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Review: Delorenzo's Tomato Pies, Robbinsville NJ

December 8, 2013, 7:59 am
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It was in 1980 when I first discovered DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies in Trenton, NJ.  At the time, I had been without a decent piece of pizza for five years or more, ever since the closing of Rosa's in Riverside, NJ. Most of the pizza joints in South and Central Jersey were already using mass-sourced ingredients to make big, floppy, greasy, cheesy pizzas that were big on calories and short on flavor. Until the pizza renaissance that has taken shape in just the last few years, a good pie was hard to find.
My last pie from Hudson Street. Click any pic to enlarge

DeLorenzo's instantly became my favorite on that first 1980 visit, and remained there even as I sampled destination pizza in New Haven, Chicago, Rome, cities across America, and all five boroughs of New York. This little oasis on Hudson Street was my go-to pie for the years I lived in Trenton and then in nearby Yardley PA. Even after moving west to Chester County, I was able to visit DeLorenzo's on Hudson street during their last week of operation at that location - full review here.
DeLorenzo's, Robbinsville

Before closing down the original location, DeLorenzo's opened a branch in Robbinsville, an expanding Trenton suburb, and now the Robbinsville location is the only place to get the real pie. A few years back, I secured a pie there for takeout and I found it to be the equal of the Hudson Street version. The space is perhaps double (or more) the size of Hudson Street, but it is wildly popular. We arrived at 4:45pm on a Saturday and faced a 45 minute wait for a table.
Pie prep area

The interior at Robbinsville is a handsome and comfortable space, but they did nothing to capture the ambiance of the Hudson Street location. That's probably a good thing, to keep the focus on the tomato pies and not on any other comparison to Hudson Street. And the focus surely remains the pies; the only menu expansion at this BYOB includes some creative salads and antipasti.
My pie companions

For our group of three, we did select a seasonal salad that included arugula, roasted fennel, tangerines, oil-cured olives, and a ball of creamy burrata mozzarella. We were unanimous that we loved the salad (you had me at roasted fennel) even though we'd prefer bufalo to the burrata.
Our seasonal salad

The pies are a screaming bargain for this artisan level; $12 for a small, and $15 for a large, and toppings only $1 each. We chose one pepperoni pie and one with sausage and garlic, and they arrived quickly.

First to our table was the pepperoni pie. It featured a thin and rigid crust, crushed tomatoes, a modest amount of cheese, and a covering of narrow-diameter pepperoni in thick slices. The pepperoni had a wonderfully spicy flavored that you'd never find in Hormel or other mass-produced meats.
Pepperoni pie

The crust matched my high DeLorenzo's expectations in terms of the basic crispy texture, the lovely golden color, the thin construction, the flavor, and its capacity to support the toppings with negligible tip sag. On this first pie (and not on the sausage/garlic pie), I did feel the crust was more dry than ideal. I'm not sure if it was lacking in moisture or oil, but it did little to detract from the overall experience.


Sausage has always been my choice for pizza topping, and especially at DeLorenzo's, which is the first place I discovered using big uneven chunks of genuine Italian sweet sausage. On this sausage and garlic pie, the flavor matched my memories of Hudson Street, but the chunks seemed a little smaller and uniform in size. Perhaps this is because the volume of pies being cranked out requires some greater degree of standardization?
The sausage and garlic pie

The garlic added a nice rich flavor dimension, and I'm pretty certain it was applied as slices of fresh garlic, and not the stuff that comes in a jar. Overall, I preferred this pie as it most closely matched my favorite pie of the last three decades; my dining partners both liked the pepperoni pie better.
Zero tip sag here!

When I first ate at Hudson Street in the early 80's, Gary Amico was the young family member taking over for the previous generation. Gary turned out one superb pie after another. It was his retirement that prompted the closing of the Trenton location. For all those years I ate at Hudson Street or got a pie for takeout, I saw mostly the same faces.
Beautiful bottom side

Here in Robbinsville, I saw a lot of very young men crafting pies and waiting tables -- I'm sure they weren't even born when I ate my first DeLorenzo tomato pie. I did see one Hudson Street veteran, Sam Amico - and with that link to the royal lineage, the magic of DeLorenzo's endures.

I've eaten a lot of superb pizza and tomato pies; and it would be great fun to have a side-by-side comparison of pies from Pepe's in New Haven, Gennaro's Tomato Pies and Tacconelli's in Philly, Di Fara in Brooklyn, Papa's Tomato Pies (now also moved from Trenton to Robbinsville), and DeLorenzo's. I could never bump DeLorenzo's from #1 in my heart and in my stomach without such a direct comparison.

DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies remains the holy grail of any pizza quest. The crust, the tomatoes, the cheese, the sausage -- all rate a 10. I don't see any room for improvement, other than perhaps a bit more olive oil on the crust.

Note: Great news for residents of Bucks County, PA - there are reports that the DeLorenzo owners are moving toward a new Pennsylvania location (Newtown) that they hinted about when Hudson Street was closing. Some zoning hurdles remain, according to this report. 

DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies on Urbanspoon
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Robbinsville, NJ: Pizza Capital of the World?

December 13, 2013, 5:36 am
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When regular people talk about the best pizza cities in America or in the world, we typically hear about New York, Naples, Chicago, Rome.

The pizza cognoscenti go a little deeper, and can make good arguments for San Francisco, Trenton NJ, and New Haven CT. Those arguments are stronger if you calculate a ratio of great pizza joints to number of residents.
A slice from Denino's, Staten Island NYC

We can quickly toss out Chicago from being a candidate. Maybe Chicago is the best city for pizza-flavored casseroles. Trenton, too, is scratched from contention because it is no longer home to any of its legendary tomato pie slingers.

Blasphemy, but I strike Naples from the list because Neapolitan pie, in its overall appeal, ranks below American pie (defined HERE.)
Pizza marinara, Rome

It's hard to argue against Rome or New York, and I won't. And New York, especially, has so many pizza joints that it's difficult to discern the exact count of how many qualify as destination pizza. This makes it difficult or impossible to calculate the ratio of great pies to residents.

So I turn my focus to New Haven, CT. This small city has 130,000 residents and three legendary pizza joints - Frank Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern Apizza. I've been to all three and verified that they are superb pizza. So New Haven has one great pizza for every 43,333 residents. Not bad.
Big pies at Sally's in New Haven

We talked about how Trenton has lost every single one of its great pizza/tomato pie places: DeLorenzo's (Hudson St), the other DeLorenzo's (Hamilton Ave), Papa's, Joe's, Maruca's, Sam's Roma, Pica's, Hudson Beer Gardens. All gone.

However, two of them moved to nearby Robbinsville, NJ - the Hudson St. DeLorenzo's, and Papa's Tomato Pies. The new locations are walking distance from each other, and doing a booming business.
Sausage pie at DeLorenzo's, Robbinsville

Robbinsville, even after a period of rapid growth, had 13,642 citizens as of the 2010 census. So in Robbinsville, there is one great tomato pie joint for every 6821 residents. I doubt that Rome or even NYC could match that.

Robbinsville, NJ - pizza capital of the world? 
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Review: Carlino's, West Chester PA

December 16, 2013, 5:49 am
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In 2009, I moved from Bucks County PA (close to Trenton, NJ) to West Chester, PA. Less than an hour west, but a world away in terms of pizza. My early and futile attempts to find a West Chester pizza "worth the calories" was a Quixotic Quest and led to the creation of this blog to chronicle my findings.

Many locals advised me to try the pizza at Carlino's Specialty Foods, a gourmet grocer on Market Street in the heart of downtown West Chester. 

Carlino's is a treasure of often-decadent gourmet foods, much of it Italian-themed. Upon entering, you first encounter a dizzying set of salumi choices, both domestic and imported, and then the cheeses.

The pasta selection is likewise superb, and Carlino's also features a nice olive oil bar where you can taste before you buy - a heady mix of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I was especially enamored of the Israeli olive oil and its peppery finish.

All of this comes at a price, but it's still a great value to have this high quality and great selection all in one place, and staffed by friendly and informed workers who truly care about the products.

I had visited Carlino's before, but had not been inspired by the visuals of the pizza offerings in their prepared foods section. However, on a recent trip there buying holiday provisions, I decided it was finally time to sample the pizza. Being the best pizza in West Chester is still a pretty low bar; Carlino's seemed a good candidate to claim that prize.

I opted for two (huge) slices of tomato pie and one triangle of conventional pizza with pepperoni toppings. The pizza was sold by the slice ($2.50) and the tomato pie by the pound (which worked out to about $2.75 per rectangle). I took them home and gave them my standard oven re-heat on a perforated pan.

Let's dispense with the conventional pizza; it was forgettable. The crust was limp, it had been baked on a screen (cardinal sin), and nothing was distinctive about the sauce, cheese, or pepperoni. Was it better than DiGiorno?  Sorry to say, it was not. Not worth the calories and not worthy to be offered alongside all of the truly excellent fare otherwise found in Carlino's.

The tomato pie was not the Trenton variety (thin crisp crust, cheese first, then crushed tomato, served hot). It was the Philly/Conshohocken/bakery style, which is a thick, airy, almost-Sicilian crust, topped with a chunky sauce and seasonings and no cheese (frequently served at room temperature).

This tomato pie was a very nice rendition. The crust had an excellent crisp and airy texture, but came up a bit short on flavor when compared to the best tomato pies, such as the ones at Corropolese. The star was clearly the sauce. It was a brilliant red, and its bright, fresh, tangy flavor delivered on the promise made by its color. Not quite a destination tomato pie, but worth a repeat for any regular visitor.

Wonderful pizza has recently come to the area - Stella Rossa in Downingtown, Anthony's Coal-Fired in Exton, and La Porta in Media. But West Chester remains uncharted pizza territory.

I love Carlino's, and I'm very glad to have it nearby. These people know food and they know customer service. I think they have an opportunity to build on this very good tomato pie (and take it to great) and figure out how to bring destination pizza to a foodie town that still lacks a signature pie.
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Ranking the Philly Style Tomato Pies

December 18, 2013, 7:01 am
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The Internet is awash in pizza rankings. Some are expert, some are clumsy, some are downright pointless. Here we attempt, instead, to offer some guide to the best Philly Style Tomato Pies.

First, we have to define tomato pie. We've done so extensively HERE. For this ranking, we are talking about the Philadelphia/Conshohocken style of tomato pie, which is a big rectangle with a thick airy crust (much like a Sicilian pizza), a signature tomato sauce, and little or no cheese. These are found in a bakery as often as in a pizzeria, and are frequently enjoyed at room temperature. Hence, this comparison does not include the Trenton tomato pie or the New Haven version.

Note: I've dubbed it Philly/Conshohocken style, but this thick-crust scant-cheese room-temp bakery-sourced pie is also common in other parts of the northeast.

Let's meet the contenders (click on any one for the full review) :



Of course, there are many other tomato pies in the Philly region. I did get to sample some at the South Philly Pizza Olympics, but I didn't gather enough info to fully and fairly evaluate the pies from Aversa, Cacia, and Santucci's.

Now, before the judgement, some disclaimers. My heartfelt pizza love is for the Trenton/New Haven tomato pie, then thin-crust bar pie, then Neapolitan and New York style. The Philly tomato pies and Sicilian pizzas rank considerably behind those (but still ahead of Chicago style pizza casserole). That helps explain why I haven't sampled the dozens of other tomato pie purveyors in the Delaware Valley. If you know a great one, please post it in the comments.

Because the crust is thick, puffy, and often lacking the flavor and character of a great Trenton or Neapolitan pie, and further because it typically has little or no cheese, a Philly tomato pie can best be evaluated on the strength of the tomato sauce.
Tony Roni's

Coming in at Number Three is Tony Roni's. In our review we noted that, of all the "tomato pie I've eaten, this was the first one that sold me on the room temperature approach." Notably, even though finishing third in this mini-contest, Tony Roni's wins the Philly region prize - read on to see why.
L&B Spumoni Gardens

Our Number Two finisher is L&B Spumoni Gardens, near Coney Island in Brooklyn. Famous to New Yorkers and to pizza congnoscenti everywhere, L&B is not known by Philly area residents, and it certainly doesn't call its product "tomato pie." It's known as "square" or "Sicilian" or both. I could not detect, on my visits there, the cheese alleged to be under the sauce. Whatever you call it, it is the only tomato pie I've tasted where the crust could be the star. "Ethereal" is not hyperbole for this thick, part airy and part dense crust. It took me several visits to fully appreciate it - but I finally understand what makes L&B a legendary pizza stop.
La Sicilia

Number One is La Sicilia, in Belleville, NJ. On my visit, I rated the sauce a perfect 10. I can't do better than to repeat what I wrote after my visit: 
"The tomato sauce, which is mostly chunks, was as delicious as any I can remember. Such balance, such vibrant flavors! This is not a pizza or a granma pie; it is a tomato pie and a wonderful one. The crust was simply a palette, and a crisply durable one, to convey this awesome red tomato topping. I sat in a lot of crappy traffic to get this pie and I'm VERY glad I did. Usually, tomato pie is improved by the addition of some cheese, but this time I preferred the slices that had none."
On balance, even though many revere the Philly style tomato pie, there's plenty of room for improvement. Baked in a pan, the pie begins at a disadvantage, but that shouldn't mean that the crust has little character. Dom DiMarco makes a fabulous square pie in a pan at Brooklyn's DiFara (well, sure, he uses a pint of olive oil for each pie). 
Square pie at Di Fara

Too often, the tomato pie crust lacks flavor and texture, tasting as though it had come from a supermarket. Imagine an L&B crust with that La Sicilia sauce!  Still, is the thick crust too much to overcome? Could it ever deliver the satisfying snap of an al taglio Roman slice? Share your thoughts!
Roman pizza
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Review: Roberta's, Brooklyn (Bushwick) NY

December 24, 2013, 7:18 am
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On the Hipster Frontier


A few months back, we visited Pizza Brain (full review HERE) in Philly's Fishtown section. Fishtown is an old working-class neighborhood with moderate urban blight, rapidly transforming into a hipster destination for young people with pea coats and scarves, beards and scooters, skinny jeans, tats, and knit caps. The neighborhood still looked a tad rough and unfinished to my suburban eye, but the energy and buzz were palpable there.
Margherita pie. Click any pic to see full size resolution

Roberta's in Bushwick is another cutting-edge eatery in a transitional neighborhood. Bushwick is benefiting from the rising property values in trendy Williamsburg, its western border. People priced out of Park Slope and Willliamsburg are finding relative value in Bushwick. There's plenty of troublesome history with high crime rates, but Bushwick is making the turn. Much of it remains industrial ugly; it makes Philly's Fishtown look like Rittenhouse Square by comparison.
Roberta's, 261 Moore Street

Roberta's opened in 2009 in a cinder block garage, and its exterior does nothing to remake its former purpose. It's an ugly building on an ugly street - but on the day of my visit, two artists were working on a large mural just a few doors down.
Scooters; gotta be hipsters nearby!

Despite the foreboding exterior, there was a swarm of hipsters and foodies descended upon Roberta's at lunch time on a warm December Sunday. Folks were waiting for tables, but as a solo diner I was able to grab a spot at the small bar in the rear, which features a full menu.
Interior, view from the front door

The interior, abuzz with bustling waitresses and happy groups of diners, was warm, cozy, inviting. Plenty of that hipster vibe, but welcoming to all types. There was (on this sunny day) a good mix of natural and artificial lighting falling on the rough wood community tables, exposed rafters, and painted white cinder block walls.

There is also a large outside patio/garden dining area, which would have been a great spot for this unseasonably warm Sunday.


Bar is in the back (photo from robertaspizza.com)

View from the bar, looking toward the front dining room

The chalkboard at the bar offered about a half dozen craft beers on tap, good wines, and intriguing cocktails. I choose a pint of lager for $6, and it was served in a fat jelly jar glass. 
My margherita pizza with pork sausage

Roberta's has a reputation for inventive food beyond the pizza, but this lunch visit was all about the pie. I chose a margherita pie ($12 - large personal size) and added pork sausage topping for $3 more. I was very tempted by some of the other inventive options, especially speck, my favorite kind of prosciutto.

The base pizzas here are Neapolitan, with a soft puffy crust and fresh (house-made) mozzarella.The pie arrived swiftly, and looked to be cooked to near perfection. Excellent leopard char spots, and even some browning on the cheese.

Because Neapolitan pies are typically cooked briefly (2 minutes) at very high heat, the cheese and sauce do not yield much of their moisture and then meld to the crust as you might find in the best old-school American pies at places like Totonno's in Coney Island or Sally's Apizza in New Haven. Hence, the pies are pretty "wet" on top and the challenge for a Neapolitan pizzaiolo is to prevent that moisture from seeping into the crust and making it soggy.
Ideal char under the hood

For the most part, this pie succeeded on that measure. I did need to eat the first bite of each slice with a knife and fork, but the sauce and cheese were applied judiciously. After that, I could pick up and eat the remainder with only a slight crease to improve handling.
Chili flakes and chili oil

The crust was thin in the center and puffy at the edges, tender, al dente chewy, and best of all - flavorful on its own. Surely one of the best Neapolitan crusts I've found - perhaps behind Pane Bianco in Phoenix, but memorable and remarkable. Others describe it as salty, in a good way, and I concur.

The sauce was thin and merely a role player. Roberta's uses drained San Marzano tomatoes, and like the pizzaioli of Trenton tomato pies (and my own home method), does not cook the tomatoes before assembling the pie. I'm not sure why this sauce was unremarkable, other than a guess that the short oven time does not permit the sauce to cook down and concentrate the tomato flavors. 
Moore Street, home to Roberta's

New York Magazine reported a similar reaction to the sauce:

Can two hip musicians versed in punky blues rock find fulfillment as artisanal pizza-makers in Bushwick? Owned by Chris Parachini (on bass) and Brandon Hoy (on keyboards), the pizzeria is in a forlorn part of Brooklyn filled with gritty factories, warehouses, and lofts. The restaurant, housed in a former garage, has wood-paneled walls, elongated wood tables, and mismatched captain’s chairs. Out back is a patio with additional seating and a rusting Mercedes-Benz sedan studded with flowerpots. The pizza, made in a wood-burning oven, is Neapolitan in inspiration and technique. The crusts are admirably airy and crispy, and the mozzarella homemade—but the tomato sauce could be richer and more assertive. There are nearly two dozen toppings, with unusual choices like taleggio cheese, capers, and speck.

The cheese was wonderful - and I generally prefer the less delicate flavor of traditional aged mozzarella. There was a saltiness, and it worked well the pork sausage. The sausage was good, not "wow" and left me thinking again that the speck might have been a better choice.
A block or two away - urban renewal

The bartender - friendly and attentive - brought me a shaker of chili pepper flakes and a bottle of chili oil with the pie. I used the oil for dipping the cornicione, and it was a delightful touch for anyone who enjoys that spicy punch.

The crust here earns a 9.5, the cheese a 9, the sauce a 6, the sausage a 6. Ambiance 9, service 10. Overall, this was a 9 pizza experience and clearly destination pie. Roberta's has devoted fans and a lot of critics too; put your trust in the fans. This place deserves the buzz. I'd return often - for the pies and the rest of the menu - if I lived nearby.




Roberta's on Urbanspoon
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The Thirteen Breakout Pizzas of 2013

December 28, 2013, 8:58 am
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As another year comes to a close, let's look back at our top findings. These are not (necessarily) the best pies of all time - just the best ones discovered in 2013.  We found great pies, and just as importantly, a wonderful trend. 
Spatola's Pizza, Paoli PA

Don't neglect our Twelve Breakout Pies of 2012 - link HERE.

I had to omit some truly excellent pizza (Ramagi in Brooklyn, New Park Pizza in Queens, Spatola's in Paoli PA, Pieous in Austin TX) to get down to my Top Thirteen pizza discoveries of 2013. What a wonderful world of pizza!
More people = more varieties to try

All of these (with one technical exception) are pizzas I've never had before. And remarkably, my list of places to try continues to grow. Part of this is just growing awareness, and part is that we're still in a pizza renaissance, with new and distinctive pie places opening across the nation.
Apprentice pizza tasters
Good pizza = true happiness
At Pieous, Austin TX

Even as I discovered some old-school pies, particularly in the Midwest, I also found some new pizza that isn't marching to the Neapolitan beat. Let's count down the thirteen top discoveries of 2013:

13. Domenica, New Orleans. Domenica is a full-service Italian restaurant, not just a pizza place. It is owned and operated by celebrity chef John Besh, and everything about our meal - including the Neapolitan pizza - was superb. You can't get a bad meal anywhere in NOLA, really. You can read the full review HERE.
The smoked pork pizza at Domenica. Click to enlarge!
12. Roberta's, Brooklyn (Bushwick). This was simply a near-perfect rendering of a Neapolitan crust in a friendly hipster setting. Opened in 2009, it's the kind of frontier outpost that is helping transform an ugly industrial zone into a hip neighborhood. Full review HERE.
Margherita with pork sausage at Roberta's.
11. Pane Bianco, Phoenix AZ. Same owner (Chris Bianco) as Pizzeria Bianco, many of the same Neapolitan pizzas that many consider world-class, with none of the crowds and lines. One dining partner declared their Margherita to be the best he's found. Full review HERE.
 
The "Rosa" at Pane Bianco


10. Apizza Scholls, Portland OR. Even though Portland is a very hip town, it's not the place I would expect to find a classic New Haven style apizza. But there is it, and it is thin-crisp crust wonderful. Genuine old-school pie in an entirely new-school setting. A revelation - and worth enduring the crowds. Full review HERE.
An East-coast pie out on the west coast at Apizza Scholls

9. Zuppardi's, West Haven CT. Two New Haven style pies in a row here! In New Haven, Pepe's and Sally's and Modern get all the love. Happily, we didn't overlook Zuppardi's in nearby West Haven. We tried several pies there, and all were a delight - but the real draw is the fresh-shucked clam pie. A work of art, and no crowds and lines as found at the big-name New Haven pie slingers. Priceless neighborhood gem. Full review HERE.
Zuppardi's clam pie

8. La Villa, Morrisville PA. 2013 saw the final steps in Trenton's vanishing status as the capitol city of pizza. Not one of its legendary pie makers remains. The good news is that DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies and Papa's Tomato Pies are still being made, only now in nearby Robbinsville NJ. 

Even more good news is the number of seriously good tomato pies now being made in the suburbs of Trenton. Bordentown, Hamilton, Ewing, Pennington, Morrisville. We tried and enjoyed Palermo's in Ewing NJ, but the true star is at La Villa, right across the river in Morrisville. The square tomato pie was a revelation - one might compare it to DeLorenzo's, the highest possible praise. Destination pie, big comfortable dining room, modest prices. LOVED it.  Full review HERE.
Square tomato pie at La Villa

7. DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies, Robbinsville, NJ. Speaking of DeLorenzo's, this is the one pie we've had before - at the restaurant on Hudson Street in Trenton before it closed (full review HERE) and as takeout from the Robbinsville location. But until this year, the swarms of pie seekers have prevented us from the sit-down dining experience in Robbinsville. We arrived early on a Saturday, still waited 45 minutes, and enjoyed some classic DeLorenzo's tomato pies. 

I must concede that the pies have lost just a bit of the magic, and I think it is because the production volume is up. The restaurant is perhaps three times the size of the old Trenton location, parking is easy, and crowds unrelenting. A lot more hands are now crafting these pies. But even slipping a few points, DeLorenzo's remains my #1 pie. For sure, the competitors have closed the gap. More good news - progress on a Pennsylvania location, targeted for Newtown in Bucks County. Full review HERE.
Sausage pie at DeLorenzo's

6. Sally's Apizza, New Haven CT. Volumes have been written about the relative merits of Frank Pepe's and Sally's Apizza in New Haven. Both are superb, I can't imagine anyone who likes one and spurns the other. Sally's is firing on all eight cylinders - thin crust old school pie in an old-school setting. What better pizza eating event than one your grandfather might have experienced in a near-identical fashion? I'm normally pretty conservative with pizza toppings, sticking to the cured meats, but here we also tried and loved the potato pizza.  Full review HERE.
Huge pies at Sally's
The potato apizza

5. Pizzeria Delfina, San Francisco CA. This sweet spot draws crowds for its hybrid Neapolitan pizzas. The crust alone bursts with flavor, and it stands above most other Neapolitans because it is crisp, rigid, and not wet in the center. Masterfully crafted pies where the toppings keep up with the brilliant crust. Full review HERE.
Salsiccia pie at Delfina
Try THAT with any other Neapolitan!

4. Tacconelli's Pizzeria, Philadelphia PA. I've wanted to try this legendary pie for more than a decade, but its location outside center city and its "reserve your dough the day before" protocol kept me at bay until this year. Finally got there on a Friday night with a large group, which afforded the opportunity to try several pies, including the regular, the white, and several toppings. Wafer thin yet crisp, rigid, and an ideal base for the high-octane red sauce. If I were in the kitchen, I'd use a little more cheese and a little less sauce, but this is remarkable, one of a kind pizza. Many claim it's Philly's best.  Full review HERE. 
Tacconelli's pie - thin and rigid!
The highly-sauced pie at Tacconelli's

3. (TIE)Vito and Nick's, Chicago, IL and Rubino's, Columbus OH. Cheating a bit here to get 14 pizzas into our list of 13, but perhaps it's a jump start to 2014. This is the year I discovered the super-thin crust Midwestern pie, typically given the "party cut" into small squares. There's a lot of overlap with an east-coast "bar pie." Both depend more on the skill of the pizzaiolo and the technique than on high-end artisanal ingredients. Completely old-school, bursting with salty tangy flavor and perfected with oven char. Easy to eat a lot of this thin light stuff. Full review of Rubino's HERE, and full review of Vito and Nick's HERE. 
Sausage pie at Vito and Nick's on Chicago's south side
Pepperoni pie at Rubino's in Columbus OH

2. Gennaro's Tomato Pies, Philadelphia PA. This eye opener was a delightful surprise: a brand-new pizza place, serving old-school Trenton-style tomato pie in the heart of South Philly. The crust alone was a thin, rigid, flavor-packed delight, and it was the perfect base for artisanal toppings with bright and zesty crushed tomato. If I had this side-by-side with DeLorenzo's, it could challenge for the top spot. Full review HERE.
Tomato pie perfection at Gennaro's in South Philly
Pesto pie at Gennaro's

1. Pizza Brain, Philadelphia PA. As we noted, 2013 was a great step forward for pizza, with new destination spots opening all over. Most of these are still Neapolitan, but some are fantastic Neapolitan hybrids. Most remarkable of all, though, was Pizza Brain in Philly's evolving Fishtown section. Here we found a brand-new rendering of an absolutely classic American pie. 

Too firm to be Neapolitan, too crisp to be a New York pizza, too thick to be a Trenton tomato pie or New Haven apizza. This pie was inventive, balanced, nuanced, and yet not pretentious even as the funky space swarmed with hipsters. In our review, we wrote that "If you care at all about pizza, this is a stop you have to make." It's destination pie, worth the trip, and I'm hoping it spawns a host of imitators. 

Kudos, Pizza Brain - our top find for 2013.  
Full review HERE.
The "Forbes Waggensense" at Pizza Brain
Slice close-up at Pizza Brain
In summary, our top 13 (14, actually) includes 3 Trenton style tomato pies, 3 New Haven style apizzas, 3 Neapolitans and 1 Neapolitan hybrid, 3 wafer thin crust old-school pies, and 1 (our champion) American classic. It's a great time for pizza in America. Mangia!
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The State of Pizza in Philadelphia

January 24, 2014, 6:42 pm
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Think about the great pizza cities in America and in the world. Which ones enjoy the best reputation?

New York, Chicago, Naples. 

Next you might hear about New Haven, San Francisco, Rome, Trenton. 

When the discussion gets to specialty pies, Detroit and St. Louis get some love.  

But Philadelphia, despite being close to the epicenter of the "Pizza Belt" (which I find amusing but not especially accurate as a theory), gets few nods for its pizza. Philly gathers some accolades for its bakery-made square "tomato pies" (not the same as a Trenton tomato pie - HERE is a primer), but the pizza talk in Philly often begins and ends with Tacconelli's.
 
Spatola's pizza, Paoli PA
Having lived most of my life within a short drive of Philly, I know the town and I know its burbs. There is always more research to do, but let's examine the state of Pie-sylvania in Philly and surrounding areas. For the sake of boundaries and brevity, I am drawing a line at the Delaware River, so the many fine pizzas of NJ won't be included in this tally.

Not long after I started this blog in 2011, I did a post on Philly-area pizzas.  Here's a big excerpt from that:

Glen MacNow is a talk show host on sports yak station WIP 610 in Philadelphia. He has completed an awesome rundown of the best cheesesteaks in the area. Back in 2007 (before Stella, Slice, and Osteria), he did "Pizza Palooza" and tasted 43 pizzas in 30 days.
 Here is Glen's list:

  • 1.Tacconelli’s, Port Richmond
  • 2. DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pie (Hudson Street), Trenton
  • 3. Marra’s, South Philly
  • 4. Celebre’s, South Philly
  • 5. Lazaro’s, South Philly
  • 6. Franzone’s, Bridgeport
  • 7. Mama Palma’s Gourmet Pizza, Center City
  • 8. DeLorenzo’s Pizza (Hamilton Avenue), Trenton
  • 9. NYPD Pizza, Center City
  • 10. Rustica, Northern Liberties
  • 11. Gianfranco’s Pizza Rustica, Olde City
  • 12. Vince’s Pizzeria, Northeast
  • 13. Rizzo’s, Glenside
  • 14. City Pizza, South Philly
  • 15. Vito’s Pizza, Cherry Hill
  • 16. Alex’s Pizza, Roxborough
  • 17. Giovani Pizza, Center City
  • 18. Sal’s Pizza Works, Marlton
  • 19. Joe’s Pizza, Center City
  • 20. Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizza, Center City
  • 21. Lorenzo and Son, South Philly
  • 22. Cenzo’s, Havertown
  • 23. Tony A’s, Roxborough
  • 24. King of Pizza, Cherry Hill
  • 25. Pappous Pizza Pub, Morton
  • 26. Franco and Mario’s, Hamilton Township
  • 27. Bruni’s, Hammonton
  • 28. Lorenzo’s, South Philly
  • 29. Marino’s Pizza, Runnemede
  • 30. Sciarrino’s, Springfield
  • 31. Georgio’s, Downingtown
  • 32. Napoli Pizza, South Philly
  • 33. Francoluigi’s Pizzeria, South Philadelphia
  • 34. Verona Pizza, Upper Darby
  • 35. Gaetano’s, Clifton Heights
  • 36. New England Pizza, Northeast
  • 37. Brothers Pizza and Pasta, West Chester
  • 38. Tony’s Place, Northeast
  • 39. Santucci Square Pizza, Northeast
  • 40. Italian Bistro, Northeast
  • 41. Couch Tomato, Manayunk
  • 42. Pica’s, Upper Darby
  • 43. Marrone’s, Ardmore

Glen did yeoman's work here, and the top of his list matters, even if it was 7 years ago. I certainly haven't eaten most of the pies on that list - but I suspect that more than half of them are churning out some pretty generic stuff with Sysco-like mass-sourced ingredients.  What is the state of Philly pie today?  Let's look at the best in the city, and the best in the region.

PHILLY PIZZA COUNTDOWN

8. STELLA.  This Stephen Starr restaurant was an early player in the Neapolitan renaissance. I ate there before I began this blog, hence no detailed review. Starr did his homework to create an authentic Neapolitan pie (with the soft floppy crust) but this one comes in rather down the list because Starr can't be there all the time. We enjoyed our pies there, but I know they would have been better if I had been in the kitchen, so it leaves me thinking how good they might be if Starr was there.

7. ZAVINO. I love this place. A cozy ambiance, and a lot of love goes into every menu item, not just the pie.  Brilliantly executed Neapolitan where they proudly burn the edges. See my full review and pics HERE. I've never lived in Philly - but places like Zavino reward those who do.
 
Well-fired Zavino pie
6. SLiCE. These guys have two locations - center city and south Philly. They modeled their pie - sold whole or by the SLiCE - on DeLorenzo's Tomato Pie (formerly of Trenton, now in Robbinsville NJ). For that reason alone, they have a spot on any list I create. Thin crispy crust, quality cheese and cured meats, it's the best slice place this side of DiFara. And no waiting! HERE is the full review with pics.
 
A slice at SLiCE
5. OSTERIA. Another Neapolitan pioneer, Marc Vetri's Osteria is an epicure's oasis along a desolate stretch of North Broad Street. Like Stella, I went here before this blog was created. We had brilliant salumi apps, great cocktails and wine, and the pies were spot-on, almost above reproach. And we spent $100 for two people to have pizza. If you're going out to be seen, why not be seen having superb pizza?

4. NOMAD. Perhaps the best Neapolitan pie in the region, Nomad has two fixed locations and a roving pizza truck. I had pies right out of the oven from that truck at the South Philly Pizza Olympics - full review HERE.  According to me, Nomad slayed the competition that day. No one else was close. Beyond mastering the crust and the baking, Nomad knows how to be creative without stepping over the line into bizarre.
 
Made in the Nomad truck
3. TACCONELLI'S.  It pains me to place Tacconelli's this low - in fact, I consider declaring a tie among the top three in Philly. I over-use the term "old school" but it surely applies here. Eating a Tacconelli's pizza in 2014 has to be very much like eating one 40 years ago. And it's magic. I have no idea how a crust so thin can be so sturdy without being cracker-like. But it's more than a trip back in time - it's the art of pizza, it's the craft and the dedication to take (mostly) ordinary ingredients and ovens and churn out one amazing pizza after another to adoring and loyal crowds. Full review HERE.
 
The margherita at Tacconelli's
2. GENNARO'S TOMATO PIE.  This South Philly pie, like SLiCE, is modeled on a Trenton tomato pie. But because the owner has Lombardi roots (yep, THAT Lombardi), this South Philly tomato pie stands with authentic Trenton versions, and in fact beats them all except DeLorenzo's. Superior ingredients, superior skill, amazing results. It is throwback all the way, and that's a good thing. Full review and pics HERE.
 
Tomato pie with onion and pancetta at Gennaro's
1. PIZZA BRAIN. It was a very tough call to place Pizza Brain above the wonderful Tacconelli's and Gennaro's. And it wins by a razor-thin margin. What makes it so remarkable for me is that Pizza Brain does not attempt to perfect some particular style. It's not Neapolitan, it's not Trenton, it's not apizza.  It's not "New York" style pizza, but it IS perhaps what New York pizza should aspire to become. The crust has some heft, yet it's chewy inside and crispy outside. The toppings are top shelf, and carefully considered and matched. The pizza museum there is a destination all of its own, but the kudos is for Pizza Brain's execution of a simple American Pie. Pizza Brain is our favorite pizza in the city, and it stands up to almost any pie in New York, San Francisco, and (easily) Chicago.  Full review HERE.
 
Pizza Brain = Pizza Magic
THE PHILLY BURBS

Even without the pies nearby in Jersey, the counties around Philly (Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware) have some legit contenders. Let's look.
 
Ate Corropolese pie so fast, almost forgot to take a pic!
5. (TIE).  CORROPOLESE and TONY RONI'S.  Both of these places offer a Philly-style tomato pie - bakery-style crust and sauce, with a dusting of cheese.  My sampling of Corropolese pie was a small leftover shared by a colleague, but the impression was much like that of Brooklyn's beloved L&B Spumoni Gardens. Read about L&B HERE, and see the full review of Corropolese HERE. 

Tony Roni's is a small local chain. They specialize in tomato pie, but also make pizza. Their tomato pie is a little thinner and crisper (good things) and the sauce is delectable - the star of the pie. Full review HERE.
 
Tony Roni's also wins the beauty contest
4. FRANZONE'S.  This Norristown pizzeria enjoys a good reputation, and we found out why. The crust is sturdy, crunchy, dark staff-of-life stuff. The sauce is way over the top in its sweetness, but that is an (occasionally) welcome twist. Where it failed was execution. On our visit, the pizzaiolo applied about double the proper amount of sauce and cheese, such that the pie was a soupy and gloppy (albeit tasty) mess. Still, the crust was so good that it makes our list for its potential to be destination pie. Full review HERE.
 
Crust stylin' at Franzone's
3. JULES THIN CRUST. Jules is a small chain that began in Doylestown. I first experienced it in Newtown (Bucks County) and now there is a location in Wayne. I'm still not sure it is pizza - but it is very tasty stuff baked on top of pizza-like but thinner-and-healthier flatbread. However you classify it, it is fresh, intelligently crafted with inventive combos, beautiful to look at, and fun to eat without excessive caloric guilt. This pizza would sell very well in California, which explains why there are now two CA locations in addition to the PA stores. Full review HERE.
 
Another beauty pageant winner at Jules
2. LA VILLA.  This Morrisville tomato pie place occupies a former Pizza Hut location, right across the river from Trenton. They offer a traditional round Trenton tomato pie, and (delight to some, heresy to others), a rectangular version. We tried it and loved it. Thin, crisp, delicious - I could eat the crust unadorned. But the sauce and cheese sing, and the sausage we chose for a topping was genuine chunks of real Italian sweet sausage. Big dining room, modest prices, great service. La Villa may be the best thing to happen to beleaguered Morrisville since the Bulldogs topped Merchantville NJ in the 1955 Little League World Series in Williamsport. Full review HERE.
 
Heretically square tomato pie at La Villa
1. LA PORTA. This bistro occupies the space of a former dive biker bar in Gradyville (Media) PA. We've written a lot about La Porta, because it's making magic look easy. Peter McAndrew, chef of Modo Mio in Philly and the chronically under-appreciated Paesano's in the Italian Market, opened this spuntino bar and it was an immediate and deserved success. Even better, it is only six miles from my office and you can get any two pies for takeout for just $20. And this stuff is top shelf. Imagine the best Neapolitan pie mated to the best Trenton tomato pie. The heady flavors of Naples, the unparalleled texture of Trenton. All in one pie. 

Thank goodness the folks out here are lining up for Olive Garden instead of La Porta, so that I don't have to struggle to get this amazing pie. It's a secret that I share with some reservation! Full review HERE.
 
Salsiccia pie at La Porta
OVERALL REGION.

An easy "Top Five" are La Porta, La Villa, Pizza Brain, Tacconelli's, and Gennaro's. These are all so good that you cannot go wrong. No one ever needs to apologize for the underrated pies of Philly. Just ten years ago, Tacconelli's stood alone. But in 2014, Philly is a premiere pizza city. And hey, since you came for the pizza, stay and have a cheesesteak! We have the guide for you HERE.
 
Man does not live by pizza alone
PLACES YET UNTRIED.


I understand that Nomad is planning a Roman pizza place. Pica's gets a lot of love, but I haven't been there yet. In Riva is making Neapolitan pies of high repute. Marc Vetri is making more Nepolitans and a "rectangle of the day" at Pizzeria Vetri. 

Marra's in South Philly. Bufad, and Pizzeria Bedia. So much to try! Best of all - on my radar is a dive bar in one of Philly's grittiest burbs, reputed to make an outstanding bar pie. As far as I know, the pizza cognoscenti have not discovered it. Shame on me for not getting there yet to find out. It will remain my secret until I get there to find out and then share.
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84 Pizzas Worth the Calories

January 30, 2014, 12:40 pm
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It's time again to take stock of every pizza we've tried and can recommend. Six months ago, we had 70, so we've added fourteen more.
Craftsmanship at Pizza Brain in Philly

At the top of this list, you'll find "destination" pizza. These pies are worth not only the calories, but also the extra time and effort to get them. Truly, the Top Fifty are destination pies. The others are excellent pizzas, but perhaps you would seek them out only if you are already in the neighborhood.
Neapolitan pizza at Domenica in New Orleans

Every pizza list has its biases. Some are blatant attempts to be controversial, in order to spark outrage. Others exist purely to persuade the reader to click through a slide show in order to maximize ad revenue for the publisher.
Midwestern pie, party cut, at Rubino's in Columbus OH

I assure you, there is no hidden motive here. I care about good pizza and I hope to share insights on where to find it. This list does display my own pizza preferences - Trenton and New Haven style pies (tomato pie and apizza, respectively) dominate the Top Ten. Even with a list of 84, there is not one Chicago deep dish.
Inside the hipster enclave at Roberta's in Bushwick

The geographic concentration is slanted toward my eating opportunities - the east coast. Lots of NY, CT, NJ, PA. However, we also found great pizza in Texas, California, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, Louisiana, Tuscany, Venice, and Rome. 
Neapolitan pie at Russo's, Houston

Notable newcomers include: 

  • Our first taste of wafer-thin midwestern pizza at Rubino's (full review HERE) and Chicago's Vito and Nick's (review HERE)
  • Roberta's, a hipster outpost in Bushwick (Brooklyn) reviewed HERE
  • Domenica, a John Besh restaurant with carefully crafted Neapolitan pies, reviewed HERE
  • Pizza Brain, the best new pizzeria offering old-school pies, reviewed HERE  


Pizza Brain also led our list of the 13 Breakout Pizzas of 2013.

More than any time in decades, there is no excuse to eat crappy chain pizza, or local pie shop stuff made from generic mass-sourced ingredients. Get out and get the good stuff. And leave a comment about any of these 84 spots or the ones I need to add to the list.

Here is our list; you can find the full review for most of them in the geographical index on the right side of this page.


1) DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies, Robbinsville NJ
2) DiFara Pizza, Brooklyn NY
3) Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, New Haven CT
4) Forno Marco Roscioli, Rome, Italy
5) Tacconelli’s, Philadelphia PA
6) Sally's Apizza, New Haven CT
7) Pizza Brain, Philadelphia PA
8) Papa's Tomato Pies, Robbinsville NJ
9) Gennaro's Tomato Pies, Philadelphia PA
10) La Porta Ristorante and Wine Bar, Edgemont, PA
11) Pizzeria Delfina, San Francisco CA
12) Denino’s, Staten Island NY
13) Patsy’s, East Harlem, Manhattan, NY
14) Santarpio’s, Boston MA
15) Lee’s Tavern, Staten Island NY
16) Apizza Scholls, Portland OR
17) Motorino, Manhattan NY
18) Forcella, Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
19) Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix AZ
20) Grimaldi’s, Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
21) Totonno's, Coney Island, Brooklyn NY
22) Rubino's Pizza, Columbus OH
23) Vito and Nick's Pizza, Chicago IL
24) 2 Amys, Washington DC
25) La Montecarlo, Rome, Italy
26) Pane Bianco, Phoenix AZ
27) La Villa, Morrisville PA
28) Zuppardi's Apizza, West Haven CT
29) Nick's New Haven Style Pizzeria, Boca Raton FL
30) Nomad Pizza, Hopewell NJ and Philadelphia PA
31) Modern Apizza, New Haven CT
32) Arturo’s, Greenwich Village, NY
33) Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, PA and FL
34) Artichoke Basille’s, Greenwich Village, NY
35) John’s, Greenwich Village, NY
36) Osteria, Philadelphia PA
37) Cambridge 1, Cambridge MA
38) Roberta's, Brooklyn NY
39) Domenica, New Orleans LA
40) Pieous, Austin TX
41) Zero Otto Nove, Bronx NY
42) Stella, Philadelphia PA
43) Ramagi Brick Oven Pizza, Brooklyn
44) Comet Ping Pong, Washington DC
45) Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza, Boca Raton, FL
46) New Park Pizza, Queens NY
47) SLiCE, Philadelphia
48) Tosca Café, (Throgs Neck), Bronx NY
49) Sizzle Pie, Portland OR
50) Conte’s, Princeton NJ
51) Spatola's Pizza, Paoli PA
52) Pizzeria Pesto, Philadelphia
53) Zavino, Philadelphia
54) DOCG, Las Vegas NV
55) Ricca Pizza, San Gimignano, Tuscany
56) Tommy's Pizza, (Throgs Neck), Bronx NY
57) Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen, Houston TX
58) Green Parrot, Newtown, Bucks County PA
59) Massimo’s, Hamilton NJ
60) Bar Foscarini, Venice, Italy
61) Wiseguy NY Pizza, Washington DC
62) Brick Oven Pizza 33, Manhattan NY
63) Jules Thin Crust, CA and PA
64) Rustica, Philadelphia PA
65) DeLorenzo’s Pizza, Hamilton NJ
67) Franzone's, Bridgeport PA
68) Corropolese Bakery Tomato Pie, Norristown PA
69) Tony Roni's, Willow Grove PA
70) Bertucci’s Jersey City NJ
71) La Sicilia, Belleville, NJ
72) L&B Spumoni Gardens, Brooklyn NY
73) Sauce, Phoenix AZ
74) Pizza by Elizabeth, Greenville, DE
75) Iron Hill Brewery, West Chester PA
76) The Swiss Hotel, Sonoma CA
77) Magma, Princeton NJ
78) Uncle Oogie’s, Philadelphia
79) Lenny’s, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn NY
80) Stella Rossa, Downingtown PA
81) Monical's Pizza, Bloomington IL
82) Morabito's Tomato Pie (From Costco)
83) Felicia's Pizza Kitchen, Ardmore PA
84) California Pizza Kitchen (national chain)


Zuppardi's, West Haven CT
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Chain Gang: Pizza for the Masses

February 17, 2014, 6:08 pm
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The main objective for compiling this blog is to identify "destination" pizza - pie so good that it's worth the trip (and frequently the wait) to get some.

At the same time, we recognize that "la pizza male è meglio che non la pizza" (even bad pizza is better than no pizza).  And occasionally, many serious pizza lovers will indulge a guilty pleasure of devouring some frozen or chain-sourced pizza. So with that perspective in mind, let's evaluate some of the chain pizza joints in America.
A slice of Chicago deep-dish. Not pizza.


A Little History

This is my understanding of the history of pizza in America; please add (or correct) in the comments! Immigrants from southern Italy began crafting pizza here 100 or more years ago. In the (mostly East Coast) cities where the Italians lived, pizza became popular. As recently as the 1960s, it was more often a snack than a meal. My family would get a Saturday night pizza around 9pm, hours after dinner.

Out in the Midwest, some enterprising folks (Italian or not) began opening pizza shops too. Pizza Hut was founded in Kansas in 1958. Because it was crust, sauce, and cheese, most folks enjoyed it. Few had experienced "real" pizza in New York, Trenton tomato pie, or New Haven apizza. 

Pizza Hut spawned a host of imitators, and for a long time those chains sold pies in towns where you could not get an authentic slice. What the chains did - beyond making pizza popular across America - was to drive down the price of pizza by standardization and mass production. Eventually, this allowed the chains to move into the pizza strongholds and compete on price.

In the 1980s, Trenton NJ was in full bloom renaissance and gentrification. The old Italian section (Chambersburg) was still home to a half-dozen legacy tomato pie makers, and the simple Italian restaurants were going upscale and drawing in suburban diners. I remember seeing a Pizza Hut open its doors on the outskirts of Chambersburg, and I laughed. "Why would anyone in this great pizza town go to Pizza Hut?"

Well, the Pizza Hut is still there. All the tomato pie makers have closed or fled to to the suburbs. What? Why?

For many people, pizza is a commodity food, and the first consideration is price. Two big thick cheesy pies for $12.99 or one thin crust tomato pie for $11? That is compelling for those on a budget.

I have long scorned most of the big chains, but they made pizza the popular food it is today, they are ubiquitous, and the pie is not always awful.  Let's take a closer look.


The Uber Chains

The big three (in my mind) are Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Papa John's. Close behind are Little Caesar's, California Pizza Kitchen, Papa Murphy's, Sbarro, and CiCi's. You can find one of these in most states.

I  haven't had a Pizza Hut or Domino's pie since I began this blog in 2011. I do avoid them, I feel they are truly empty calories. I can't say I've never enjoyed a slice - and I have a vaguely fond memory of the "Philly Cheesesteak" pie from Pizza Hut from decades ago.
Conventional crust pie at Papa John's

In 2012 and 2013, Papa John's gave away a lot of free pizzas in a Super Bowl promotion, and I got a freebie pie both years. You can read my reviews of their thin crust pie (awful) from 2012 HERE; and then my 2013 of their conventional pizza (not awful) HERE. Bottom line, it's hard for me to think of a circumstance when Pizza Hut, Domino's, or Papa John's is my best option. Avoid all three.

In my latest list of 84 Pizzas Worth the Calories, I include California Pizza Kitchen at #84. I've taken a lot of heat for that!  "CPK? Invalidates your entire list!" I've only had CPK once, at a full-service sit down restaurant that offered a lot of other non-pizza items (such as Asian lettuce wrap appetizers). 
Nice underside on CPK crust

You can see my CPK review and pics HERE. It won't make you forget Frank Pepe's, but the crust was sound and it was a very good pie. Perhaps the CPK hate comes from the versions offered at turnpike rest stops?

I've never had Papa Murphy's or CiCi's, so I can't judge. Sbarro, though, may be the worst pizza I've had. It is pizza without a soul.


The Sneaky Big Pizza Chain


Among my guilty pleasures is the obscenely thick and cheesy $1.99 slice at Costco. Costco is not, technically a pizza chain, but Adam Kuban explains where Costco ranks among the big pie joints in this 2011 article on Seriouseats.com.  I confess, Costco pizza is among my guilty indulgences. I should hate it for plenty of reasons, but HERE is my review and pics trying to justify why I enjoy it.


Worthy Regionals

Bertucci's is a Massachusetts-based Italian restaurant chain, with 89 locations from New England to Virginia. The pizza there is excellent - it looks and tastes like it came from an artisan pizzaiolo. The chefs at Bertucci's certainly understand that good dough means good crust which means good pizza. Kudos. 

Even better is Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza. Founded in Florida (and each location has some Miami Dolphins and Dan Marino memorabilia decor), there are now 44 locations in Florida and several northeast states. I've eaten this remarkable pie in Boca Raton FL, and in two PA locations. Thin and crisp crust (usually) and superb flavors throughout.
Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza

I have found that the pie loses a little bit with each new location. Anthony's will have to work hard to maintain the quality as it expands. My review of my first two visits, HERE.

Being Philadelphia-based, I had never heard of Monical's Pizza before a recent visit to Bloomington, IL. There are 64 Monical's restaurants in Central Illinois and Indiana, and one more in Wisconsin.
Top and bottom of some Monical's slices

Monical's has a devoted following. They make several kinds of pizza, but on my visit I chose a thin-crust pie cut in traditional triangle slices. This wafer-thin pie looked at first like a bad frozen pizza, but it was a solid representation of what I call a Midwestern-style. 

It's similar in many ways to a bar pie like the superb version at Lee's Tavern in Staten Island, but it has more in common with other cracker-thin pies of the Midwest such as Vito and Nick's in Chicago and Rubino's in Columbus OH. My full review and pics of Monical's Pizza is HERE.

There are 25 locations for Texas-based Russo's New York Pizzeria (and sister chain Russo's Coal-Fired Pizza). At a Houston location of the Coal-Fired restaurant, we sampled the square "Neapolitan" and the round New York "Margherita." 
Neapolitan at Russo's in Houston
None of it was life-changing, but it was thin, crisp, fresh, flavorful, and the toppings were well-matched. You can read our full review and see pics of Russo's pizza HERE.


The Micro-Chains

I could never hope to get a comprehensive list, but I'll share what I know. Use the comments on this article to help fill the gaps!

Jules Thin Crust was founded in Doylestown PA. This is flatbread style rectangle pie, sold as whole pies or "al taglio" in the Roman fashion. Our full review and pics are HERE.
Al taglio slices at Jules

Jules now has six locations - four in PA, and two in CA. It is very "California" style with its thin and light crust and inventive toppings. It may not be truly authentic "pizza" but it is delicious. Great pie in a place with a great vibe.

Grotto Pizza may be to Delaware what Monical's is to Illinois. There are sixteen locations in DE, PA, and MD. Many have recommended it to me - and it's close enough. Yet I haven't yet sampled it. Let us know if you have!
Grotto pizza
There are ten Arizona locations of Sauce Pizza and Wine. Although airport food is improving rapidly (perhaps in response to the fact that the carriers rarely feed passengers any longer), I surely never expected to find any airport pizza worth eating.  But a colleague stumbled upon a good, fresh, wood-fired oven pie at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, and I was able to verify his research.
Sauce Pizza and Wine

This pie is a credible rendition of a Neapolitan, with a puffy charred crust and artisanal toppings. Truly one of the best airport meals I've ever had. My pics and full review HERE.


Legends That Grew

Sometimes, a legendary pizza decides to expand its footprint, such as Boston'sRegina Pizzeria. There are now more than 20 locations in the Massachusetts area. I tried it once at a mall - it was better than ordinary, but ultimately forgettable. 

In a similar fashion, Brooklyn's famous Grimaldi's is truly exceptional pie - I've been to the home location at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. There are now Grimaldis' locations all over, with many locations in Florida, Arizona, and Texas. I tried to get into a San Antonio location on a Saturday night, but the wait was over an hour.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has ruled that Chicago deep-dish is not truly pizza. Jon Stewart, in a rare display of bipartisanship, agrees, calling deep dish "tomato soup in a bread bowl." Who am I to dispute this consensus? Nonetheless, we'll talk briefly about Uno Chicago Grill (formerly Pizzeria Uno). There are over 200 locations to avoid. That's all you need to know. It's the Chuckie Cheese of adult pizza.


Pocket Guide to Chain Pizza

Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza - Absolutely
Bertucci's - Absolutely
California Pizza Kitchen - Yes
Costco - Why Not?
Domino's - Nah
Grimaldi's - Probably
Jules Thin Crust - Absolutely
Monical's Pizza - Yes
Papa John's - For emergency use only
Pizza Hut - Just say no
Regina Pizzeria - In a pinch
Russo's Coal-Fired Pizza - Yes
Sauce Pizza and Wine - Absolutely
Sbarro - Leave the slice, take the cannoli
Uno Chicago Grill - Nope

Please let us know about Grotto, CiCi's, Papa Murphy's, and other significant chains we missed.
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Review: Joe & Pat's Pizza, Staten Island NY

March 2, 2014, 4:45 am
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One of the most basic ways to distinguish pizzas is by the crust. Thin or thick, soft or rigid, soggy or chewy? I can enjoy all types (except wet and soggy), but I surely have a preference for thin, crisp, rigid pie. Such pizza delivers a satisfying al dente crunch while serving as the ideal base for the sauce and cheese.
A thin crisp slice at Joe and Pat's

Foremost among my thin-crust favorites have been Tacconelli's in Philadelphia, Trenton tomato pies like DeLorenzo's and Papa's, and two Staten Island stalwarts - Lee's Tavern and Denino's. (Click on any of these for full review and pics).

On a Saturday afternoon during the endless winter of 2014, we made a stop at another Staten Island pizzeria of high repute - Joe and Pat's on Victory Boulevard. They have been in business since 1960. Even with a recent interior renovation, the inside looks like a pizza parlor. However, there is an extensive menu of soups, salads, pasta, seafood, and Italian entrees. I'd love to sample some of it - but this trip was just lunch and focused entirely on the pizza.
View from the dining room

Pizzas options include a personal-sized pie, round or Sicilian pies of 14" or 16", a gluten-free pie, and a "Grandma Sicilian." Our waitress explained that the Grandma is a thin-crust Sicilian pizza.
Prepping the dough

We ordered a large round pie with pepperoni and a Grandma pie with sausage, and asked for both to be "well-done." Our waitress explained that the Grandma pie takes 20 minutes to cook, and that our round pie would be ready first.


The pepperoni pie arrived covered with curled cups of pepperoni and a golden brown cornicione. The slices were indeed thin and crisp as expected - but there was a generous amount of sauce and cheese too. Enough toppings that it made sense to eat the first bite with knife and fork.

This pie went right up to the edge of too much sauce and cheese, but not over it. And the sauce was delicious, reminding me of a Trenton tomato pie. No hint of it being overcooked or overseasoned - just a bright fresh tomato tang. The cheese was shredded conventional mozz, and the ideal role player.
Crust was crisp, browned, crunchy, perfect

The pepperoni was absolute top shelf, curled and crisp and oily. This salty pie succeeded on every level - a crust wonderful in flavor and texture, sauce that sings, and perfect pepperoni. I wolfed down two slices and could have rapidly inhaled two more, but I needed to save room for the grandma pie, which arrived soon after.
The Grandma pie


Here was another pie with a magnificent appearance. This was made with fresh mozzarella (although we could have chosen conventional shredded if we wanted). That white cheese made a lovely palate for more of the same simple and wonderful red sauce and a lot of chopped fresh green basil. 


Like a Sicilian pie, the Grandma pie is baked in a square pan. The crust was excellent at the edges, chewy and crisp. The fresh mozz, sauce, and basil were well matched. The sausage was genuine stuff and high quality, but I was disappointed that it was pre-cooked and sliced, rather than rough chunks that cook on the pie. Tasty still, but not the magic that happens with sausage at places like DeLorenzo's.

Under Grandma's hood

The downside of most rectangular pies is that the inner four slices have no cornicione, and here, they were inexplicably moist. The pie was not overloaded with toppings, but perhaps the fresh mozz gave up moisture that accumulated in the center. Slices of this Grandma pie improved substantially upon a reheat in my oven at home on a perforated pan; that process removed the excess moisture and allowed the slices to become crisp.



The Grandma pie was excellent overall, but the conventional round pie was the star attraction. The term I over-use in this blog is "old-school" but it certainly applies here. This is the way authentic pizza looks and tastes. Joe and Pat's is destination pizza, and the good folks of Staten Island are lucky to have world-class pie without having to wait hours for a table.



Joe & Pat's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon
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Review: Scuola Vecchia Pizza e Vino, Delray Beach, FL

March 12, 2014, 3:09 pm
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Writing about pizza for three years, I've developed plenty of preferences (some might call them biases) and I find also that I lean heavily on certain phrases.

I use the term "old school" to refer to pizza as it was made 50 years ago in the Northeast - Philly, Trenton, New York, New Haven - before the advent of chain pizza.  It was hand made, with a thin and crisp crust, and topped simply with canned tomatoes or tomato sauce and cheese.

Sneak preview of Scuola Vecchia's Salsiccia pie

In writing this pizza blog, I've confirmed my love of "old school" thin crust pizza over any other style - floppy foldable stuff, deep-dish, all the forgettable chain stuff, and even the roundly beloved authentic Neapolitan pizzas, with their puffy leopard-spotted crusts and fresh mozzarella cheese.

Six weeks ago, I compiled a list of "84 Pizzas Worth the Calories" (read that full list HERE). The highest-ranked Neapolitan pizza came in at number 17.

I note all this as prelude because in Delray Beach, Florida, there is a pizza joint called Scuola Vecchia. That is Italian for "old school" to reflect the authentic Neapolitan pizzas rendered there. And it has confounded my biases.
The wood fired oven

Delray Beach is adjacent to Boca Raton, and in previous visits I had shattered another false belief - that one would never find good pizza in Florida. In Boca, I've had superb New Haven style apizza at Nick's (full review HERE), amazing coal-fired pie at Anthony's (review HERE), and a faithfully rendered Neapolitan at Tucci's (review HERE). Google keeps pointing me to other area pies to try, and Scuola Vecchia came up next.
Owner Sharon Aloisio with Pizza Quixote

Scuola Vecchia has some pizza royalty heritage. Owners Sharon and Shaun Aloisio were trained by Robert Capororuscio, raised in Italy about an hour from Naples. He's the force behind the highly-regarded Keste and Don Antonio pizzerias, both in Manhattan.



We went on a cool Friday night, and I was prepared for a long wait, but we were seated immediately. The interior is cozy in its clean white-tiled look, but the lack of soft surfaces anywhere made it quite loud. The menu has an extensive list of appetizers, a short list of pastas, a good selection of big salads, and of course the pizzas. 
Terrific service from this gentleman

There is a "build your own" option, but we made our choices from the long lists of 13 red pies and 9 white pies (all personal sized). The Caporuscio connection can be seen in the menu - there is a "Keste" red pie among the choices. Our server was superb - polite, professional, and possessing knowledge about both the pizzas and the wines. For our party of three, we chose:

  • The $13 red Padrino with caciocavallo cheese, tomato sauce, hot soppressata, gaeta olives, EVOO, and basil (caciocavallo has a flavor like aged provolone);
  • The $13 red Salsiccia with fresh mozz, crumbled sausage, tomato sauce, and EVOO;
  • The $17 white Delray with truffle spread, fresh mozz, mushroom, and then prosciutto di parma added post-bake

We began with salads; my $8 "Toscana" with spring mix, walnuts, lemon, EVOO, and pear was delicious and fresh, but difficult to eat because it was piled high and deep on a stylish but under-sized square plate. We had targeted a $38 bottle of conventional 2011 Chianti, but our waiter persuaded us to invest an extra $9 for the 2007 Chianti Classico, and I'm glad we chose the upgrade. Eating here is not cheap, unless you just get a basic pie (the Marinara pizza is only $7) and drink water with it.
Padrino

Padrino

The Padrino arrived first. The crust was ideal in both appearance and texture. The caciocavallo cheese was perfect in its deep rich flavor, golden yellow color, and chewy baked texture. The olives were authentically tangy and perfectly salty. The soppresata was very hot, but this just made the rest of the pie sing even more loudly.
Masterpiece, top and bottom

The crust was so good - flavor and texture - that it could stand alone as a meal. Truly, this pizza was perfect. There was no soupy puddle as found in the center of poorly made Neapolitan pies. It was flawless, each bite was a revelation as the flavors and textures played off each other. Easily the best Neapolitan pie I've ever had; more later on comparing this to other pizzas.
The Delray

The Delray

The Delray was a close second; once again the pizzaiolo had expertly matched the flavors on this pie. For sure, I will not attempt "build your own" when I return; this kitchen knows what combos work. The truffle spread and fresh mushrooms gave rich and earthy undertones, and the prosciutto on top added a smoky and salty dimension. Another magical pie; the only change I would make is to cut the prosciutto into smaller, bite-size pieces.
Salsiccia
Salsiccia

The Salsiccia? At any other pizza place, it would be a shining star and easily qualify as "destination pizza." It was, like the other two, perfect in texture and flavors. Sausage pie is my go-to choice, and I usually regret when I stray. But here, it finished third. It was merely wonderful, while the first two were other-worldly. As always, I prefer big chunks of sausage, and that would be one potential improvement for this pie.
Slices

The red sauce was identical on both pies, and on each it served as a role player, a piece in the puzzle. The sauce alone was not memorable, but I think it was essential to the gestalt of these pies.

Somehow after this feast we managed to have desserts (flourless chocolate cake and hazelnut gelato). These were very good, but afterthoughts in relation to the pies.

Both of my dining companions felt that this is the best pizza they've ever had. I can say without hesitation that it's the best Neapolitan I've had, beating Pizzeria Bianco (AZ), 2Amy's (DC) Motorino, Forcella, and Roberta's (NYC), as well as Zavino, Stella, and Osteria (all Philly). Click on links for full review.

Because I have long held such a strong prejudice for thin-crusted crisp and rigid "old school" pizza, I struggle to know where this perfect Neapolitan will stand when I next construct my ranking. It is certainly going to challenge for a top spot. I'd love to eat this Neapolitan pie side-by-side with a Trenton tomato pie.

With pizza this wonderful, rating and ranking is almost pointless. Still, the crust earns a 10, the cheese a 10, the sauce an 8, the salumi a 9.5, the truffles and mushrooms a 10, the sausage a 7.  Service was a 10, ambiance was a noisy 8.  Overall, essentially perfect pizza. It's the 10 of Neapolitan pies. Bravissimo!

Scuola Vecchia Pizza e Vino on Urbanspoon
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Review: Napolese, Indianapolis, IN

March 19, 2014, 6:06 pm
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On recent trips to Bloomington IN and Columbus OH, I gathered evidence that you don't need to be in a noted pizza town (New York, Trenton, San Francisco, New Haven, e.g.) in order to get great pizza. In the Midwest, I had expected little but Pizza Hut and even worse, but I found destination pie at Rubino's outside of Columbus (review HERE), and surprisingly good thin-crust chain pizza at Monical's in Bloomington (review HERE). Rubino's, in fact, landed at #22 in my recent list of my Top 84 Pizzas (story HERE).
Katie and Nathaniel, from Illinois State University

Within the past year, I visited Indianapolis and decided that there was not any pizza worth the calories here. In March of 2014, I had occasion to return and so I revisited my prior research. Once again, I rejected the local favorite Baxbeaux, mostly because pictures of the pies on Urbanspoon looked liked badly undercooked DiGiorno. These pics helped reinforce my sense that the good folks of Indianapolis may not know what good pizza is.

I did find a surprisingly good Neapolitan personal pie at Osteria Pronto, the Italian restaurant location in the JW Marriott.  Definitely worth the calories if you are staying near the Convention Center, but that's not the focus of this review.

A few places showed a bit of promise, and Napolese (3 Indy locations) branded itself as Neapolitan and "artisanal" pizza. Neapolitan has not been my favorite style, but: I've rarely had a bad one; I've never had a mass-sourced one; and, the last one I had was spectacular (Scuola Vecchia, review HERE). Walking distance from my hotel? That sealed it.
Brian, Illinois State

The Napolese downtown location on Meridian Street was in a pleasant district of too many chain restaurants. The building is attractive inside and out. Our large group of nine got a nice long table window, and wonderful service. The group had ordered a variety of salads before I arrived. I sampled a $10 salad that included spinach, smoked chicken, shaved fennel, apple, pancetta, and pumpkin seeds in a cider vinegar dressing, and it was fresh, tasty, and balanced.
Wonderful setting and service at Napolese

The menu offered a variety of fascinating appetizers, including cheeses, cured meats, and cassoulet - but we did not sample these. There are 17 artisanal pizza selections, priced from $10 - $14 each for a large personal size, as well as a "build your own" option. Many creative choices, with toppings such as quail eggs, Brussels sprouts, hog jowl bacon, winter squash, and braised pork belly. I selected the "BLT" pie, with caramelized leeks, taleggio cheese, and the hog jowl bacon. I did not taste the other pies, but all of them looked good.

My BLT pie with hog jowl bacon

Upon arrival at the table, the pies were uniformly beautiful, and the meat toppings were generous. Before I could get a taste of mine, my colleague John (who almost always orders the Margherita) lifted a slice and the cheese promptly slid off. Not a good omen.
Toppings too wet, too heavy

Many Neapolitan pie makers and pie eaters expect the center to be wet and soupy. I don't accept that - wet bread is ruined bread. It results from the pizzaiolo's inability to balance the toppings to the delicate crust, and/or failure to provide adequate top heat to cook the cheese and sauce to some measure of adherence to the crust base.
Delectable cured meats on top

And, for each pie on the table, that was the experience. Wonderful artisanal toppings riding on a good if not spectacular Neapolitan crust, but generally a failure in technique that might have allowed the crust to meld with the delectable toppings.
Mike's pie

All of us ate about half of each slice with knife and fork, due to the wet, soupy, sloppy center.  The outer edges were delightful, once we had eaten past the soggy part. The hog jowl bacon was wonderful (hey, it was bacon, right?).
John's Margherita

Three years ago, when this blog began, this would have qualified as spectacular destination pie.  But since then, I've eaten a lot of Neapolitan pie. It is always good, sometimes great, and the very last one before this (Scuola Vecchia) was perfect. So in comparison, this was a "B" grade pie.

Renee, Illinois State

The crust was very good. But even had it not been ruined by the sloppy center, it lacked the fully satisfying flavor of the best Neapolitans.  The cheese and tomato sauce were good, but not standouts. And, as often found, there was too much cheese. The meat toppings were exemplary, and they well represented America's heartland expertise with meats.
Good bottom heat, inadequate top heat

At the end of the day, this pizza merits a "good swing" rating. Good-to-great ingredients, wonderful service, delightful setting, but failed execution in the oven. It still may be the best pizza in Indianapolis, but it falls short of being destination pie.



Napolese on Urbanspoon
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Review: Pizzeria Vetri, Philadelphia

March 27, 2014, 4:35 pm
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A Monday excursion to the relocated Barnes Foundation Museum in Philadelphia offered an opportunity to get some pizza for lunch, and specifically Roman pizza. 
A better Neapoliltan at Vetri

I've been hankering for Roman pizza since a 2012 visit to Rome, where the al taglio (by the slice) square pie was astonishing; our full review of Rome's Forno Marco Roscioli can be found HERE. 
Al taglio in Rome

We opted for Pizzeria Vetri and headed out to their 20th Street and Callowhill location, because it promised both Neapolitan and Roman style rectangular slices. Pizzeria Vetri sits directly behind the Barnes Museum, in a row of brand-new shops and apartments on Callowhill Street. 

Wood-fired oven at Pizzeria Vetri

Marc Vetri operates several Philly restaurants, including Osteria, where I had my first wonderful Neapolitan pie (and where we spent $100 for appetizers, drinks, and pizza for two). Trained in Bergamo, Italy, Vetri is among the elite "star" chefs in Philly, along with Jose Garces and Stephen Starr.
Great beer list

Osteria is big, grand, elegant. Pizzeria Vetri, by design, is small, homey, casual. There is a curved counter that faces the large wood-fired oven, and a handful of community tables. It was pretty quiet around our 1:45pm arrival, but Vetri wants the place to be loud and energetic.
The menu - click to enlarge

The menu offered several Neapolitan pies, and two different daily al taglio slices - one meat, one vegetable topped. From the Neapolitan pies, we chose the $12 Marinara (crushed San Marzano tomatoes and garlic), the $18 Crudo (bufala mozzarella, parmigiano, and prosciutto), and the $12 Renato (white pie with mozzarella, rosemary, olive oil, sea salt). We also began by splitting an al taglio square with sopressata and fresh basil. That was a huge order, but we planned to take some home.

The al taglio slice, a huge square, arrived quickly. It was made with a thicker crust than the slices I had in Rome, and it sported four eye-pleasing cuts of sopressata riding on top - applied post-bake - along with small delicate leaves of fresh basil. We cut it in half to share.
Underside of the al taglio

The medium-thick crust was delightfully light and airy, in a perfectly moist-but-not-wet way. This made it different and miles better than the light and airy crusts of Philly/Conshohocken region tomato pies (defined HERE). The immediate comparison is the legendary squares at Brooklyn's L&B Spumoni Gardens (review and pics HERE)  - but this slice leaves L&B in the dust.
Square slices at L&B Spumoni Gardens

Beyond its perfect crust with a crisp golden bottom, this slice offered richly complex flavors. The sauce and cheese - deftly applied in a minimalist fashion - seemed to meld with the crust, creating that magic where each bite delivers the al dente feel of the crust, the tang of the tomato, and the salty savoriness of the cheese. The thinly sliced sopressata was the ideal capper, and the small basil leaves added just one more dimension to this essentially perfect slice. This one slice is $6 and yet a great value. 
The Marinara

Tough act to follow as our Neapolitans arrived next! I began with a slice of the Marinara. Vetri's Neapolitan pie has a dough modification that makes it a little heavier and chewier - and both qualities are improvements. If there is a beef with typical Neapolitan pies, it is that the thin, light, and puffy crust is delicious on its own but quickly becomes waterlogged mush under the weight and moisture of tomato sauce and heavy, wet, fresh mozzarella cheese. None of that issue here.
Under the Neapolitan

This Marinara pie had a substantial layer of crushed tomatoes, but the crust did not deteriorate. On this pie, the crust certainly flopped, but it did not require knife and fork. Overall, the crust was magnificent in flavor and texture, and the sauce was especially fresh and vibrant. The garlic was most welcome, but somehow tame. It could stand thicker slices of garlic and a few more. In the world of cheeseless pies, it beats all the Philly-style tomato pies, and stands at the top with Tacconelli's (also Philly, full review HERE) and the aforementioned al taglio slices in Rome at Forno Marco Roscioli.
Renato

Next, I tried a slice of the Renato. On this white pie, despite a substantial topping of cheese and olive oil, the crust was even better. Much like the Marinara, part of its success was its simplicity. Top-grade mozzarella, seasoned with rosemary, salt, and olive oil, riding on that magical crust. 
Crudo

The final pie was the Crudo. It was also a sauceless white pie, with parmigiano and bufala mozz. The prosciutto crudo was applied post-bake, and the heat of the pie turned it to glorious translucent flags of flavor. The bufala was applied in uneven chunks, taking on the appearance (but not the bland flavor) of ricotta. This pie, $18 compared to the $12 for the other two, quickly justified its premium price. The parmigiano added depth, richness, and saltiness that complemented the creamy bufala mozz, and the cured ham was tender and bursting with its own savory essence.
How about that hole structure? Great crust bubble!

We ate a lot of these wonderful pies, but did manage to take home more slices than would make a whole pie. That evening, we re-heated several slices (following the directions Vetri provides 4-7 minutes at 400 degrees). It's been my opinion that Neapolitan pizza does not travel or re-heat nearly as well as standard American pie, but this pie with this method was 95% as wonderful as when it hit our table in the pizzeria.

Very recently, the Neapolitan pizza at Scuola Vecchia in Florida (full review HERE) astounded me, and made me reconsider my notion that Neapolitans could not stand alongside the top American pizzas. Vetri now helps to make the case. Scuola Vecchia remains the King of Napoli, but Vetri is right there with Pizzeria Bianco, Motorino, Forcella, and Nomad. 

The crust earns a 9.9, the cheese a 9, the sauce a 9.5, the execution a 9.5, the meats a 9.9. Wonderful stuff, clearly destination pie. Great service was a big plus, and I can't wait to get back there.



Pizzeria Vetri on Urbanspoon
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Review: Domenica, New Orleans

October 30, 2013, 6:30 am
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As of October 2013, perhaps the hottest celebrity chef in New Orleans is John Besh. Besh operates Restaurant August, Besh Steakhouse, Lüke, La Provence, The American Sector, & Domenica. Lüke is smoking hot; it's tough to get a table, even late at night. Perhaps only Cochon is trending higher at the moment. I did get to Lüke for lunch, and it was excellent. But this being a pizza blog, a visit to Domenica was necessary.
"Cotechino" -  click any pic to enlarge

Domenica is at 123 Baronne Street, near but not in the French Quarter, and adjacent to the Roosevelt Hotel. The exterior is stately and the interior is a hip, airy, modern space with high ceilings. There is a full Italian menu, but other than one member of our party who chose risotto, our only non-pizza order was a shared appetizer. We chose the "Affettati Misti" - chef’s selection of assorted salumi, imported cheeses, marinated olives, roasted vegetables, and candied fruits. It was wonderful and served with superb Italian bread.

Three in our party ordered pizza. I had a very difficult time deciding on which personal-size Neapolitan style pizza (thin, puffy, charred crust) to choose, finally opting for the Cotechino, with pork sausage, scallions & tomatoes. Tony customized his white pie with soppressata, and Arthur selected the Smoked Pork pizza with mozzarella, red onion, Anaheim chili & salsa verde. I'd love to go back and try the Pizza Enzo, featuring anchovies, tomatoes, garlic & post-bake mortadella, reviewed HERE by Carey Jones of Slice - Seriouseats.
My dining companions

I had the luxury of eating my chosen pie, but also slice-swapping so that I could try the other two.  In general, the Neapolitan crust was well executed - tasty enough to eat alone - and marred (properly) with just a tiny few incinerated edges. My pie had wonderful flavors, but it was the least balanced of the three. In the center, a few slices became soggy and sloppy due to excess moisture from the red sauce; also, the sausage was applied to only one half of the pie. These are minor quibbles, because the pie was satisfactory and a great bargain at $13 in a pricey tourist town.
Affettati misti

Still, I can't say it threatened the best Neapolitan pies I've had, such as at PaneBianco (reviewed HERE) in Phoenix and 2Amy's (reviewed HERE) in Washington DC.
Smoked Pork pie

White pie

The white pie was better than my pizza, owing to a better balance of toppings to crust. This crust was thus crisper and better able to support the tasty cheese and cured meat on top.
Nice char

Best of all, though, was the more-experimental smoked pork pizza. The pie also enjoyed a wonderful balance. The pork was rich and savory without dominating the other flavors, while the Anaheim chilies added just a nip of spice. At home, I've been swimming in tomatillos and hence was skeptical about salsa verde on a pizza, but it was delicious here and applied judiciously. This pie was the clear winner.
Tomatillos, the source for salsa verde

New Orleans, to my experience, is a town where it's tough to get a bad meal. The service, the ambiance, and the food here were all delightful - just enough so that this very good Neapolitan pie qualifies as destination pizza. 

The crust gets an 8, the various toppings get a 9.5, service and ambiance a 10. Overall a "9" pizza and surely worth a visit.

Domenica on Urbanspoon
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