Pizza Quixote

After writing this blog for only a few months - spurred at first by my search for worthy pizza in my then-new hometown of West Chester PA - I stopped going to storefront mom-n-pop places. Other than the legendary spots that had been open for 40, 50, or 60 years, I found that most of them were using the same mass-sourced ingredients and churning out value-priced and tasty but ultimately ordinary pizza.

Dozens of times I've driven by one such place - Venice Pizza & Pasta, in Malvern PA - with little thought of trying the pizza. However, I'd seen great reviews from Pizza Scorecard. Then, a colleague recently came by for lunch, and offered to bring a pizza from his favorite local pizza place. This provided the chance to taste this local offering.

From PizzaScorecard.com

The pie was a big 18 inches round, and we'd selected sausage as a topping. Happily, it was not the sausage crumbles some places use, but good thick slices of genuine Italian sausage. By its look, this pizza seemed to be the standard mom-n-pop variety. We discovered that in some ways it was, but it also differed in some key features.

I ate this pie twice - once at lunch, right out of the box, and then re-heated at 450 degrees on a perforated pan at home the next day. At lunch on the first day, the crust suffered from being steamed in the box. Still, it held together well, and the cheese and sauce were expertly melded to the crust. That is a sign of a well-made pie - that the cheese is not a threat to slide off. This pie had a wonderful orange-gold top that indicated some good top heat.

Speaking of the cheese and sauce, they played together well on this pie. The cheese was mild and a bit of a role player, adding texture, chew, and creaminess. The sauce was wonderful - lively, herbal, tangy. The genuine sausage added the perfect meaty and savory flavors. Each bite was pretty satisfying.

As I expected, the pie was even better as a re-heat on day two. The crust was firm and crisp, which enhanced those excellent flavors on top. A close look at the bottom revealed that this pie had been cooked on a screen. I'm not fond of that technique, but in this case it worked.

This pie - by its look and by its screen-cooked crust - seems to have been made from ordinary and probably mass-sourced ingredients. No bufala mozzarella or San Marzano tomatoes here. But it was elevated well above the ordinary by the magic the pizzaiolo worked with that sauce, and moreso with the technique that made the ingredients blend together so well.

We've looked several times at ingredients, ovens, and technique as factors in making great pizza. This was not gourmet, high-end, destination pizza. But this pie - by the superior skill of the pie maker - stands above 90% of the mom-n-pop places. Given how the skills of the pizzaolo lifted these ordinary ingredients into such a well-crafted pie, I'm inclined to re-visit Venice Pizza & Pasta to try the other menu items. Kudos.

Three years of writing about pizza had led me to some firm convictions and preferences. One of my pizza tenets had been that only a pie with a thin sturdy crust can compete for "best pizza." For me, that meant top contenders must be like a Trenton tomato pie such as Papa's (reviewed HERE), a New Haven apizza as fashioned by Modern (reviewed HERE), or perhaps a classic "American pie" such as I found at Pizza Brain in Philly (reviewed HERE). No Sicilian thick pies or Chicago deep-dish need apply.

Antipasti, potato slice, Rosso Amatriciana

And though I love a good Neapolitan pie and especially value how the Neapolitan surge has brought back the craft of pizza-making, every Neapolitan was always a clear second to the rigid crust pies. However, in Delray Beach, Florida, I found a Neapolitan pizza so nearly perfect that it confounded my long held bias for thin, crisp, Northeast pizzas. Scuola Vecchia (full review HERE) is making the best Neapolitan pizza I've ever tried, and it can challenge any pizza, any style, any place. My long-held rigid crust bias was confounded.

Bufad, in Philly

Well. What to which fundamental pizza commandment may I still cling? How about this Golden Rule: any pizza defined by its toppings, and not by its crust, is bound to be second rate. Get outta here with that Buffalo chicken pizza!

Let's find out if that great truth yet stands.

On a Wednesday at lunchtime, we traveled to Bufad Pizza, just north of center city Philadelphia, at 13th and Spring Garden Streets. It was easy to find metered parking nearby. We were the first ones in for lunch, but the small venue filled up shortly after.

Great staff, wood fired oven

At the site of a former Chinese restaurant, Bufad opened in 2013. To my suburban eyes, it looks like a neighborhood on the rise, and its proximity to center city will make it an attractive and relatively affordable location. This area is Philly's Loft District, and it perhaps has something in common with Bushwick in Brooklyn and Fishtown in Philly - both gentrifying neighborhoods anchored by hipster pizza joints.

Like nearby Vetri (reviewed HERE), Bufad offers a wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and Roman-style "al taglio" rectangle slices. And it was the Roman pizza that drew me to Bufad.

In this attractive and cozy space, we saw a daily specials chalkboard. There were several attractive options; we chose a crostini trio that featured crisp yet chewy triangles topped with a creamy spread made from potato, poquillo peppers, and baccala. Other than being a tad messy to eat with your fingers, this appetizer was a delight in flavor and texture. I might have guessed the peppers in the creamy topping, but the potato and salted cod were mild and understated. I have no picture of the trio because we eagerly scarfed them down before I remembered to take a picture.

Click to see this beautiful app full size

The staff also gave us another appetizer - a luscious scoop of cold burrata cheese over warm asparagus, pine nuts, golden raisins, and some other wonderful ingredients. It was heavenly, and just a masterpiece for the eye, too.

Lunch here might be the best value in the city. We each chose the lunch special of any two slices of the "SPQR" al taglio pizza with a side antipasti salad - just seven bucks. I opted for a slice of the potato pizza and the spicy "Rosso Amatriciana." Tracy, with the cool fingernails, chose a potato slice and one with asparagus and prosciutto.

Asparagus pie in the middle

The antipasti featured white beans, chick peas, and tiny cubes of cured meat and cheese. Dainty yet robust, it was an ideal lunch appetizer. The only change I would make would be to provide a spoon instead of a fork.

Underside, and Tracy's cool fingernails

The rectangle slices had immediate eye appeal. Potatoes on pizza is a gamble; if they are cut too thickly, they just add weight and moisture than can ruin a pie. But we had the chance to see the whole rectangle pie behind the counter, and the thin slices of potato developed a crispness that enhanced the overall texture. This slice included fennel, rosemary in abundance, and Pecorino Romano cheese. Tracy and I agreed it was wonderful, but it was the second-best slice for each of us.

Good hole structure in the crust

Tracy's other slice was the asparagus pie. Smartly, the asparagus was sliced into small pieces so there was a bit of asparagus in each bite. The prosciutto added the right salty tang. Floating on top was some delightfully pungent Grana Padano cheese. Tracy loved this full-flavored pie; I got a taste and concurred.

My second slice was the Amatriciana, and it was the highlight of the meal. Flecked with red pepper flakes, it was spicy as advertised. It had a bit of pancetta and some Pecorino, both of which added a salty tang, but the star was the red sauce. It was thick and liberally applied in a way that might drown a lesser pie, but here it compounded the luscious nature of this slice. The red sauce was perfection, an ideal balance of sweet tomato and robust earthiness.

Wait, what about the crust? The crust - the foundation - is the most important element of any pizza, according to my last surviving pizza commandment.

Well, it may no longer survive.

This was not a thin, crisp, rigid crust. It was not thick like a Sicilian, but about as thick-yet-light as a Philadelphia tomato pie (defined HERE). This light golden brown crust had a good hole structure, much like the crostini we had as an appetizer.

This crust was a role player. Despite its medium-thickness, it was sturdy and almost crisp, and it provided the palette on which the pizzaolo painted the well-matched sauce, cheese, meats, and vegetable toppings. Unlike the al taglio pie I had in Rome (reviewed HERE), the crust was not thin, crunchy, or the star of the pie. It stayed in the background and let the toppings shine. It was an excellent dough and can stand on its own, but it played a supporting role.

Is this destination pizza? Absolutely. There is a masterful touch in the kitchen here, and it's hard to imagine a better lunch experience. So another tenet is destroyed - the crust does not have to be the star of a great pizza.

I'd go back to Bufad for a hundred reasons - but the obvious one is to try the Neapolitan pies there. I did see some coming out of the oven, and they looked spectacular. Great vibe, great service, inventive and satisfying delectable fare. This BYOB is firing on all cylinders.

Making pizza at home can be a fun, if occasionally frustrating exercise. I'm not an accomplished baker - and so while I feel confident in choosing the right types and amounts of toppings, I've struggled to produce a crust that is better than that of even the most mundane corner pizza shop. And, with rare exception, the crust is the key to pizza success.

Home pizza makers face one built-in disadvantage - the oven typically gets no hotter than 500 or 550 degrees. Commercial pizza ovens begin at 600 degrees (gas types) and go up to 900 degrees or higher, allowing some pies to cook in 90 seconds. This high heat allows for all kinds of magic to take place both in the crust and in how the toppings meld to the crust.

Another hurdle is the cooking surface. Commercial ovens have a baking surface that is already hot when the pie goes into the oven. Home pie makers typically make their pies in round or rectangular pans which are room temp before entering the oven, or they use a pizza stone.

Pizza Stone

The pizza stone is a great advance. You can put it in your oven, let it pre-heat as your baking surface, and then insert the pie. The stone is sufficiently porous that excess moisture can escape. However, the stone is often the same size as your pizza, so it requires a lot of dexterity to get your pizza onto the hot stone for cooking. Some folks just put the pizza - in a pan - onto the stone. Others have had success with swapping quarry tiles for the stone, using up to four 12" square tiles to get a big 2 feet by 2 feet baking surface.

From www.seriouseats.com

Not long ago, I discovered the "Baking Steel" - a quarter-inch thick slab of rectangular steel. It cost me $72, but once it is pre-heated for an hour, you get a hot cooking surface that comes pretty close to that of a commercial gas oven. It is heavy, difficult to clean, clumsy to store - but it produces wonderful pizza crusts. See my full review HERE. It is a clear upgrade over the pizza stone, and it allows easier transfer from your pizza peel to the baking surface.

Then, a few months ago, I saw a Kickstarter campaign for the "Pizza Grate." Like the Baking Steel, the designer sought to craft an optimal surface for baking pizza at home. He tested and found better results using aluminum over steel. He built prototypes with large ventilation holes, to allow excess moisture to escape. It is big - about the full size of an oven rack - and it has a backstop to prevent you from sliding your pie off the rear edge. It is lightweight and easy to handle, but it is clumsy to store (due to its size) and difficult to clean. The key question is - how are the pies baked on the Pizza Grate?

My first attempt produced a very tasty pie, but I did burn the bottom (not quite to the point of inedible) even though the top was cooked about perfectly. I concluded that, because the aluminum conducts heat to the crust faster than does the steel, I needed to raise my oven rack higher to get a better balance of top cooking (my gas oven goes to 550 degrees).

My pie from Roberta's in Brooklyn

On my third attempt, I made several adjustments. I did move the rack higher, and I followed a crust recipe as closely as I could. I used the recipe from Roberta's in Brooklyn (a hipster restaurant which I have visited and reviewed HERE). You can find the recipe in the New York TimesHERE. I made the dough on a Saturday, refrigerated it for 24 hours, then let it warm to room temp for about an hour before making the pies.

I used 50% Italian imported "00" flour and 50% conventional all-purpose flour, with a little salt and olive oil; I resisted the urge to stray from the recipe by adding some sugar as I otherwise might do.

Red wine was not an ingredient; but still vital to success

The recipe was enough for two 12" personal pies, and for the first time in my pie-making experience, I did not use a rolling pin to expand the diameter of the crust. I actually "hand-tossed" the pie (not airborne), stretching it only with my thumbs and gravity. I did a clumsy job, but they both came out in rough 12" rounds, albeit with uneven thicknesses.

I followed my norm for the sauce - a simple can of diced tomatoes (from ALDI), drained, and then hand-crushed. I added some fresh garlic and dried basil and a bit of olive oil. I never cook the sauce before it goes on the pie. The one standard can of tomatoes was enough for both 12" rounds.

Roberta's Neapolitan pie calls for fresh mozzarella cheese, but I opted for the cheese on hand in my fridge. I grated a combo of about 2/3 Dubliner (Irish cheese) and 1/3 Grana Padano. The cheddar-like Dubliner supplied the requisite creaminess, and the Grana Padano added a pungent tang. I've learned that the key to successful pies is to go lightly with all toppings.

Finally, I had some Chianti-infused cured salami (also from ALDI), which I cut as thinly as possible for a topping better than pepperoni. It was essentially a sweet soppressata. As a rookie dough handler, I used lots of flour on my hands, the prep surface, and the peel. The resulting pies had that telltale white dusting. I've always regarded that a sign of artisanal baking, but some family members wish I could make crust without the unmoistened external flour.

My Roberta's-recipe pie, cooked on the Baking Grate

Results? After about 7 minutes, I checked the underside of the pies. Cooking, but not at all burnt. I then turned off the baking setting and switched to broil (high) for two minutes more to watch the cheese bubble and the salami become crisp on the edges.

The pies came out with more hole structure and puffiness than anything I've made. Texture-wise, it was ideally like a puffy Neapolitan that is somehow crisp and a little rigid underneath, exactly as I would hope. Due to the uneven thickness, some parts were more doughy than ideal. But on balance, this crust was better than about half of the Neapolitan pies I've had, and there was no soupy wet center.

The sauce was close to perfect, but not quite the magic I recently experienced at Vetri and Bufad in Philly (review of Vetri HERE, and Bufad HERE). The cheeses were fine, but the Dubliner may have been a bit too bland. I've really enjoyed tallegio on pies lately, and need to get some. The salami added the perfect salty, meaty, smoky edge - but hot soppressata might have been even better.

Tallegio cheese

The Pizza Grate has taken on some major stains after just three uses. The creator suggests cleaning with steel wool or in the oven on the "clean" setting, but I may just regard this added color as seasoning.

Gorgeous undercarriage

This is the best pizza I've made at home. Certainly much of the credit goes to the Roberta's recipe and a little goes to my slowly improving pizzaolo craft. But without question, the Pizza Grate is a wonderful tool for the home pizza chef.

"Seasoned" Pizza Grate - after I cleaned it

Which is better - the Pizza Steel or the Pizza Grate? I think I need to bake and eat a lot more pies before I can say. For me, both are clearly superior to a pizza stone. If you are a home pizza maker, I recommend you get one or both.

Disclosure: Several months back, I did THIS interview with inventor John Daniels. Although the Kickstarter campaign did not reach its goal, he proceeded to build some prototypes and sent one to me for my analysis. In other words, I paid $72 for my Pizza Steel, but got the Baking Grate without charge. Still, I wouldn't recommend either if I did not have success with them.

For an office event, a colleague brought in several pizzas from Malvern Pizza & Beer. The pies were well-received, and I had the chance to take several slices home to re-heat and evaluate.

I had one slice of pepperoni, two mushroom, and several plain. I added some Chianti-infused slices of hard salami to the plain slices. I heated them on a perforated pan for about 10 minutes, then gave them a few minutes under the broiler for top browning. I did not eat any of the pizza when it was first delivered, but I'm pretty sure my re-heat improved it from its original state.

This pizza has an appearance that is different than the typical storefront pizza joint. The crust had a big thick cornicione on it, and for a moment I thought it might be Greek style. However, one bite disspelled that notion. The crust was thick, yet crisp, light, and very airy. I first felt the crust was akin to a thinner, round, Sicilian crust, but in fact this crust has more in common with the "bakery style" crust found on Philly region tomato pies.

You can click HERE for a full primer on varieties of tomato pie, but the Philly version (aka "Conshy" tomato pie) is a rectangular "pizza" made typically at a bakery, cooked in a pan, with a thick yet light and airy crust that may or may not be crisp. It's generally meant to be eaten at room temperature, and it is topped with a lot of sauce and little to no cheese.

I haven't verified it, but this pizza seems to have been cooked in a round pan, with some oil underneath to give it crispness. I enjoyed the texture of this crust, and it was sufficiently sturdy to hold the modest amounts of sauce and the overload of cheese riding on top.

Cross section of the cornicione

The flavors were modest. The sauce, buried under the cheese, was barely a role player. The cheese seemed to be mostly conventional mozzarella and stayed bland even with my broiler browning. The crust added little flavor. We added red pepper flakes and salt to give this pie some pop.

From Malvernpizza.com

Overall, Malvern Pizza is a well-constructed pie. The toppings adhered well to the crust, there were no soggy spots, and I appreciate the unique approach to the crust. But I'm lukewarm in general about a Philly tomato pie, so I can't get too excited about the bakery style crust; it is too much like toasted white bread. I'd probably enjoy this much more as a breakfast pizza with bacon, egg, and cheese instead of red sauce.

If you enjoy Philly tomato pie, you may well enjoy this pie. Malvern Pizza & Beer gets high marks from other online reviewers, and they value the service, the beer, and the take-out and delivery options. It's a good place to have in the neighborhood.

Given my satisfaction with other refrigerated or frozen pizza offerings at ALDI (such as Mama Cozzi's, reviewed HERE), I was intrigued when I saw a weekly special for a $3.79 "Specially Selected" Pizza Kit in the refrigerated section. The kit is a long narrow box, which contains only a small jar of "sweetly spiced sauce" and a small rectangle of pizza dough, rolled up with parchment paper.

Following the package directions, I pre-heated the oven to 425 and assembled the pie. I added some grated Gouda cheese and slices of ALDI "Country Style Chicken Breakfast Sausage."

I was tempted to bake it directly on my Pizza Grate (full story here on that cooking surface) but instead laid the parchment on the grate. I was also tempted to cook it at a higher temp, but I kept it at 425.

Just dough and sauce in the box

Before baking

The directions called for 15-20 minutes, but the pie looked pale so I left it in for 25 minutes. Even after that, it was not crisp or rigid as I removed the pie; instead the crust was limp.

Out of the oven

I cut it into 8 square slices. The thin crust was sturdy enough to eat it without knife and fork. This pizza (product of Austria!) was tasty enough, but no better than an average frozen pizza. Its soft crust and sweet sauce will probably appeal to children. The Gouda and sausage were nice enhancements, but did not lift the pie above average.

Pale underside of a slice

The crust could be better if I cooked it right on the Pizza Grate or my Baking Steel at 550 degrees, but that sweet sauce is a limiter. The crust - thin, limp, pale when prepared as directed - gets a 3. The sauce gets a 5. The parchment paper is a nice touch. This is a decent buy at its sub-$4 price, but unless you are feeding kids, why bother?

Authentic Neapolitan pizza remains a hot trend, and a very welcome one. The quaint hamlet of Phoenixville, PA is home to about 14,000 people, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia, where the Schuylkill River meets the French Creek. And this lucky burb has one very authentic Neapolitan pizza slinger of its own.

Margherita con soppressata at Vecchia

Vecchia opened here in 2012, and quickly garnered acclaim from Craig LaBan, who favored the Regina Margherita pie:"Savor the roasty chew of the crust, the creamy cheese and bright fresh sauce in one bite." Vecchia has been on my short list since then, and I finally made the 30 minute trip there for lunch on a Tuesday.

Oven and interior at Vecchia

The menu is pointedly brief. No Buffalo chicken pizza here - just a short list of Neapolitans that includes a white pie, a Marinara (crust and San Marzano tomatoes), a Margherita (adds mozzarella), and the Regina Margherita (uses fresh Bufala Mozzarella). There is also a short list of toppings. Each pie is personal sized, but generously so. I ate about two thirds of my pie for lunch.

Regina Margherita

Margherita with soppressata

On our visit, shortly after the noon opening, the small place began to fill but there was only one staffer (father of owner Frank Nattle) who tried to keep pace until his pizzaiolo nephew arrived. I love Bufala Mozzarella, but not on my pizza. For my taste, it is too wet and insufficiently salty for pizza. I understand that the soupy center it produces is known and expected on authentic Neapolitans, but I prefer a pie with more salt and with a consistently crisp or chewy texture.

Hence, I ordered the regular Margherita, topped with soppressata. Kevin joined me for lunch and he chose the Regina pie with no extra toppings. The pies cook rapidly in the 1000 degree oven, and they came out quickly. Somehow Vecchia was out of Diet Coke, but unsweetened bottled iced tea was a decent substitute.

Underside of a slice

Like the very best Neapolitan pies, mine was almost perfectly balanced. There was no wet center, the crust was light and puffy, yet with enough chew and substance to hold the toppings well enough that no knife and fork were needed. The crust had a fine flavor all its own, and the lovely browned and blistered cheese added more - but the tomatoes were the standout flavor. Deep orange in color, bright, fresh, tangy, and in harmony with the pie. The soppressata was applied in thin slices, but each imparted a near-explosion of flavor that made each bite rewarding.

Fuel source

Dough ready for pie making

I had a taste of the Regina pie - and it was very good. But it was wet in the center, and the flavors much more subtle than on my pie. I'd love to try the white pie and especially the Marinara, given how good the tomatoes are. Next time!

The ambiance was pleasant, but not very different than any other mom and pop pizza shop beyond the massive dome oven. The pizzaiolo spoke to us at length about the oven, its construction, and let us watch a pizza bake in 60-90 seconds.

A second location is about to open in Wayne, PA, on Philly's Main Line. Wayne is rapidly becoming the New Haven of Pennsylvania, with more great pizza-per-capita than any other city. Jules Thin Crust (reviewed HERE), Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza (reviewed HERE), Arde Osteria & Pizzeria (coming soon). While the Chester county seat of West Chester still waits for its first worthy pizzeria, Wayne will have four.

We spoke to the senior Mr. Nattle about the name "Vecchia," which means "old" and he noted that this pizzeria honors the old traditions of pie making. My top American Neapolitan remains the pies from Scuola Vecchia ("old school") in Delray Beach, Florida (reviewed HERE), but this Phoenixville pie can stand with the best in the region, such as Stella and Zavino (reviewed HERE) in Philadelphia. It's clearly superior (and more authentic) to the good pie at Stella Rossa in Downingtown (reviewed HERE).

Any complaints about Vecchia? Only one - it is too far from my West Chester home!

Two years ago, I attended the South Philly Pizza Olympics. A fun bargain event (but seriously over-crowded). Most pizzamakers had boxes of their pies brought it - and of course the quality suffered. Pizza quickly got to room temperature, and it steamed itself soft inside the delivery boxes. You can see my Full Recap Here.

Roman pizza at Nomad Roman, Philadelphia. Click any pic to enlarge!

The easy winner was Nomad Pizza, because they were churning out fresh and wonderful Neapolitan pies from the wood-fired oven in their 1949 REO Speedwagon.

At the 2012 South Philly Pizza Olympics

Nomad had, at that time, three "locations" including Philly, Hopewell NJ, and that mobile truck. Not long ago (October 2013), another Philly location made its debut at 1305 Locust Street - Nomad Roman.

Inside Nomad Roman (from philly.thedrinknation.com)

All the other Nomad locations make Neapolitan pie - the city's best, according to Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan. Neapolitan is that smallish, puffy, charred and chewy style of pizza that is typically cooked in under two minutes at temps from 800 to 1000 degrees. Purists (not me) will insist on San Marzano tomatoes and Bufala mozzarella.

Italy's most famous city, Rome, does not enjoy the same pizza reputation as its southern neighbor, Naples. But there are at least two distinct styles of Roman pizza.

Pizza al taglio, et al, in Rome

One is pizza al taglio (pizza by the cut) which is sold as slices. Typically baked as a large rectangle, the slices are squarish, with a medium thickness to the crust. It may sometimes look like a Sicilian pizza, but it's not thick and doughy. Pizza al taglio was spectacular at Forno Marco Roscioli in Rome (full review HERE).

Pizza al taglio at Jules Thin Crust

The Philly region is fortunate to have a few sources for al talgio pie - the funky stuff from local mini-chain Jules Thin Crust (reviewed HERE), the imaginative slices at Bufad in Philly's hipster frontier (reviewed HERE), and the magnificent $6 slice at Pizzeria Vetri (reviewed HERE).

Pizza al taglio at Bufad in Philly

Pizza al taglio at Pizzeria Vetri

The other style of Roman pizza is a round pie with an exceptionally thin crust. The crust is just as thin but not as crisp or crackerlike as a classic American bar pie (as found at Lee's Tavern in Staten Island) or a midwestern party-cut pie (like Rubino's in Columbus OH). The crust on a round Roman pizza is more akin to a very thin Neapolitan - and that is the pie being made at Nomad Roman.

Midwestern pie with "party cut" at Rubino's

In Rome, this round pie was a revelation. It was only 13 or 14 inches across, and sold unsliced. I ordered the simple Marinara pie there at Montecarlo (reviewed HERE), which was assembled with just crust, sauce, and some garlic. Simple, brilliant, elegant, delicious. But so much more a snack than a meal.

Roman pizza at Montecarlo, in Rome

I haven't had a pie like that until Nomad Roman. I prefer to eat a pizza at the source, because most pies suffer from travel. But circumstances dictated take-out, so I called ahead and ordered one $11 Marinara pie (to compare to my experience in Rome) and one $16 "Spicy Soppressata" pie with fresh mozzarella, soppressata, parmesan, honey, and red pepper flakes.

On this Thursday summer night around 8:30, the tables were about half full. Importantly, the staffer who took my call was alert, polite, and made sure that the kitchen staff did not slice the pies, per my request. The interior was cozy and inviting - I know I will be back to experience the pie in-house.

I didn't have opportunity to taste the pies that night, so they spent an evening in the refrigerator. The next evening, I reheated them on my gas grill, which was pretty easy because they were not yet sliced. Because the pies were so thin, each was ready in about 3-4 minutes, and they returned to crispness without drying out.

Marinara pie from Nomad Roman

Both 13" pies were spectacular to look at - pizza suitable for framing. The Marinara pie was remarkably similar to the one I had in Rome; clearly the chefs at Nomad understand the round Roman pie. The crust was one of the thinnest I've ever had, yet it held up well under the toppings. It was pale in its base, with leopard char spots like a Neapolitan, but without the puffy handles.

Spicy Soppressata pie

Every element of each pie had its own distinct flavor - crust, cheese, soppressata, Italian tomatoes, even the red pepper flakes - and they also worked in perfect harmony. The texture was likewise al dente - a little crisp, a little soft, but never soggy.

Underside

I cut both pies into six slices and then ate two slices of each pie, but I could have easily eaten both entire pies. By my estimate, each whole pizza had fewer calories than one slice of conventional pizza. This is indeed pizza as a snack, or as an appetizer. Other than the basic ingredients of crust, tomato, and cheese, this pie has little in common with the cheesy/greasy belly-filler role of most American pizza.

Wafer-thin crust

Conclusions? Wonderful stuff in every way. I found nothing to criticize and plenty to love. Great ingredients, wonderful concept, artfully fulfilled. Destination pizza, worth the trip - there should be a long line out the door for this authentic rendition of Roman pizza.

America has some famous, long-standing, iconic pizzerias. Because most of them are on the east coast, I've visited many of the established giants of pizza (click on any for the full review and pictures) --

Frank Pepe Pizza Neapoletana (New Haven, CT)
Sally's Apizza (New Haven, CT)
Santarpio's Pizza (Boston, MA)
DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies (Trenton/Robbinsville, NJ)
Papa's Tomato Pies (Trenton/Robbinsville, NJ)
Denino's Pizzeria (Staten Island, NY)
DiFara Pizza (Brooklyn, NY)
John's Pizza (Manhattan, NY)
L&B Spumoni Gardens (Brooklyn, NY)
Totonno's (Coney Island, NY)
Tacconelli's Pizzeria (Philadelphia, PA)

Conspicuously missing from that list, above? Lombardi's in New York, the birthplace of pizza in America. Until now.

Our pie at Lombardi's in Little Italy. Click any pic to enlarge

When any restaurant morphs into an icon mentioned in travel guides, there must be a lot of challenges in meeting the increased demand while maintaining the quality.

At DiFara, for instance, there has been no compromise. Dom DeMarco (age 79) bakes every pie himself; when Dom isn't there, no pies. And he works in one tiny kitchen with a double oven.

Dom DeMarco, at DiFara

Other legends, like Grimaldi's, have franchised the recipe and expanded to multiple locations. Trenton's shining star, DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies, now operates out of a much larger restaurant in nearby Robbinsville NJ. The pizza is still world class, but with so many more hands involved in the production, a bit of the magic has worn off. Still, it seems like a decent trade-off to make this wonderful pie available to so many more people.

Lombardi's expanded to occupy the neighboring space on Spring Street, so it is a big pizza restaurant. When we went on a lovely August Saturday afternoon, we faced a relatively easy 20 minute wait for a table (I've waited two hours in sweltering heat for a DiFara pie). The restaurant employs a lot of hosts and servers, and I imagine quite a few in the kitchen, too. Can it still deliver pizza worthy of the heritage and legend?

Upstairs

Downstairs

We were seated in a pleasant basement-level room that featured a wall-sized wine rack, and we ordered a pepperoni pie after learning that the sausage topping is sliced, not chunked as we would prefer. Our server seemed annoyed to be working but she made a few half-efforts to be pleasant. The base price of the pie was about $23 for the large, and $4 more for the topping. Still a few bucks cheaper than a DiFara pizza.

Our pizza arrived swiftly. It had a relatively modest amount of pepperoni, a bright red sauce, and white flags of fresh mozzarella. The pepperoni, was however, perfectly reminiscent of this pizza haiku:

crisp pepperoni

edge curled from the heat

a chalice of sweet, hot oil

Read the full "pie-ku" story at Seriouseats.com.

The thin pizza crust was nicely charred, and had an excellent crispness, even though the crust was not rigid. It drooped considerably even though not overloaded with sauce and cheese.

Oddly, sections of the crust gave the appearance that it had been cooked on a screen - but perhaps it acquired that dimpled look from resting on some vented surface? Lombardi's is known for its coal oven, so let's assume there is no screen in the cooking process!

We agreed that the crust was superb in both flavor and texture. No points deducted for the droop. The sauce, likewise, was deeply flavored, a rich and concentrated tomato sensation. I normally prefer conventional mozz to the fresh variety for a pizza, because the fresh version can be both bland and wet. This cheese, though, was flavorful, applied judiciously, and worked well other than a tendency for one bite to pull off the entire white flag of mozzarella.

Like so many great pies, the elements were in harmony. The flavors were correct, and the proportions of ingredients about perfect. A very well balanced pizza.

For the most part, Lombardi's pizza matches its reputation. It is truly destination pizza, it's in a great neighborhood, and it's a worthy stop for tourists and locals alike. It's not quite as over-the-top transcendent as the other pies listed above, but it's authentic old-school stuff turned out in remarkable quality at that high volume. If you are passionate about pizza, put it on your pizza bucket list.

Some background for my visit to Pica's Restaurant:

Beyond the conventional pizza varieties, there are thick-crusted rectangular Sicilians, thin and crisp bar pies, puffy and charred Neapolitans, thin squares of Grandma pizza, flatbread pizza, pan pizza, and endless topping varieties.

Adding even more pizza diversity are the countless regional styles. Detroit pizza, St. Louis style, New Haven apizza, Midwestern thin party-cut, Trenton tomato pie (my favorite), and the nearby but entirely different Philly tomato pie.

The Philly tomato pie (defined HERE - also known as the Conshy tomato pie) is rectangular, pan baked, with sauce, but with just a sprinkle of cheese post-bake.

Pica's makes a pizza that is a cousin to the Philly tomato pie. In March of 2014, Philly native Tina Fey appeared on the Tonight Show, where she surprised host Jimmy Fallon with a delivery of pizza from Pica's, her hometown favorite.

Click on any pic for full size version

I remember 80s-vintage Philadelphia radio ads (on the Sundays with Sinatra show, hosted by Sid Mark) for Pica's Italian Restaurant. It sounded like the kind of old-world place I would enjoy, and it's been on my pizza radar for a while. I was finally prompted to visit Pica's and sample their famous "upside down" rectangular pizza.

My dining companions, Kevin and Mary Ann

I met two colleagues for dinner there on a slow Monday evening in summer. Pica's is indeed a big, old-school, red-gravy Italian restaurant. I plan to go back to sample the other fare, but this visit was all about the pizza.

Fresh from the oven

"Upside down" pizza is simply pizza where the sauce rides atop the cheese. It has the advantage of cooling quickly to avoid burning the roof of your mouth, but the distinct drawback (like a Chicago deep dish) in that the cheese never gets any delicious browning from exposure to oven air.

We ordered a pie with half pepperoni, and half mushrooms. The pie arrived quickly, and one glance confirmed its unique nature. While the mushroom side looked mostly like a Philly tomato pie, the pepperoni under the sauce was visible in the way that the sauce had pooled atop each big circle (two per slice) of thin pepperoni.

A pepperoni slice

Mushroom slice

The cheese peeked out from under the sauce in only a few places. How is Pica's pizza like a Philly tomato pie? It is rectangular, baked in a pan, and the crust is the light and airy bakery style. Distant cousin, also, to the celebrated squares at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn (full review of L&B HERE).

Crisp, airy crust

This crust was delightfully crisp and browned on the bottom and edges. The airy bakery style crust will never be my favorite - I like a more doughy chew - but this was executed about perfectly for the genre.

Busy kitchen & takeout area

The sauce was, much like the best Philly tomato pies, the star of this pie. Bold and concentrated tomato flavors. The cheese was kind of lost under the sauce. Pica's fans swear by this style - but I would prefer the cheese on top. The pepperoni, in thin flat and wide slices, was not at all like the thick, small, curled cups found on my recent pie at Lombardi's in NYC (full review HERE).

The mushrooms were fairly standard - I'm fine with fresh or canned mushrooms on a pie.

Even with the cheese under the sauce, I categorize Pica's as a Philly tomato pie, and one of the best ones anywhere. It stands right up to great ones like Tony Roni's (full review HERE) or Corropolese (full review HERE).

Kevin and Mary Ann with our server, John

Although Trenton, New York, and New Haven style pizzas remain my favorite due to the crunch & chew in the rigid crust, the Philly tomato pie is justly celebrated. Its lighter nature makes it a better snack or party dish. Try it if you haven't yet; and you won't find one much better than the pie at Pica's. Toss in the great service, long tradition, and old-school red gravy ambiance, and this is destination pie.

Because we at Pizza Quixote can't eat every pizza in America, we're glad to get guest reviews. Recently, a colleague visited Hoboken, ate some good pie, and brought some back to share. Let's get her thoughts first and then my perspective about the re-heated slices I was privileged to enjoy in my own kitchen.

"Arugula Smokeout" pie - click on this or any pic for full size resolution image

Sunny's Guest Review

"I was in Hoboken, NJ to see a family member few weeks ago. While I was in town, I decided to stop at Tony Boloney’s sub and pizza shop. Hoboken is their second location; the original shop is in Atlantic City, NJ. I have tried different subs and their Brussels sprouts pizza in the AC location and remembered it being good, so I decided to order one.

Guest reviewer Sunny and husband Rob

"The Royal Balls pie has roasted Brussels sprouts on top of smoked mozzarella with truffle butter. I didn’t taste much of the smokiness of the mozzarella cheese, but there is definitely a dominant flavor of the truffle butter. It was as good as I remembered and I loved the roasted Brussels sprouts with crispy outer layers.

"Royal Balls" Brussels sprout pie

"After finishing the Brussels sprouts pizza, my husband and I decided to get a second pie and agreed on the Arugula Smokeout. Just like the name, the pizza had arugula topping all over it but the added lemon and Parmesan cheese made it even better. Obviously, this isn’t something you want to take to go because of the arugula. However because it was so good, we didn’t mind packing up what was leftover and eat it for late night snack. This is probably my favorite pizza from Tony Boloney’s.

The Gindolune

"Before heading back to Philly that weekend, I contacted my colleague who is a pizza fanatic to ask if he wanted to try any of the Tony Boloney’s pies. He chose to go with a Gindolune, a pie with fennel sausage and garlicky broccoli rabe with homemade mozzarella cheese toppings.

"We split the pie and I tried it few hours after I picked it up. I loved the garlic flavor from broccoli rabe and the sausage was pretty tasty. I would like to get this again and try it fresh."

PQ Tasting Notes

This Gindolune pie was full of flavor. I could tell it was a high quality and savory sauce, and the cheese also gets high marks. Despite having eaten this pie on the re-heat several days after it had been baked, moisture from the generously-applied rabe had not soaked into the crust.

A re-heated slice

On the perforated re-heating pan, post re-bake

The sausage seemed to be of good quality, but the pie would have been lots better if the sausage had been applied uncooked, instead of cooked and sliced.

Underside of a reheated slice

The fundamental quality of any pie lies in the crust. From Sunny's pics, the crust looks superb. By the time I ate my re-heated slices, the taste was fine but the texture was unremarkable. I do suspect it is much better fresh out of the oven, and I hope to get there soon to verify.

Grotto Pizza is a regional small chain, with 16 locations in tiny Delaware, 3 in Pennsylvania, and 2 in Maryland. It's pretty much unknown outside the area, but it's the pizza of choice for many residents of the First State. On a recent visit to lovely Dewey Beach, I had my first chance to try it.

A 12" pie from Grotto

In general, I avoid chain pizza. Most of it is made with inferior mass-sourced ingredients, both to allow a low price and to appeal to the palates of children and ravenous drunks.

Click on any pic for full size image

Having said that, some chains execute at a very high level, especially the smaller ones like Bertucci's, Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza, Jules Thin Crust, and Monical's. Even California Pizza Kitchen is pretty good. Click on any of those for a full review.

With that in mind, I was open to Grotto pie, given the love it gets from locals.

We didn't try the Gelato

We were on the beach on a beautiful sunny day, and this Grotto location (Route 1 at Read Street) was just a one block walk. I chose a 12" pie with pepperoni, and to my surprise it took 15 minutes to get it. This tells me that they made the pie fresh when ordered - none of this pre-cooked or pre-assembled slop. I forget the exact price, but it came to over $15 for this small pie; I presume this was "beach pricing."

The strength of this pie was its crust, which was sturdy, with both good crunch and chewiness, and a nice interior hole structure. All that, despite having been baked on a screen. The sauce and cheese were suitably bland (but salty), and applied in about an ideal proportion. The pepperoni was surprisingly spicy.

Damn good crust!

Cooked on a screen, but still well-executed

This pizza passes our "does it beat DiGiorno" pizza test. It's not destination pizza, but it beats 90% of the mom-n-pop stuff, and it is miles ahead of Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizza Hut.

Pizza at the beach? No complaints here

The crust gets a 7, the sauce a 6, the cheese and pepperoni 5. Overall, 6.5 pizza. Chain pizza can be just fine, but mostly when it is a regional, smaller one. Still wise to avoid the giant national chains.

Grotto Pizza - Dewey Beach on Urbanspoon

We have a guest review from a pizza oven expert, Eli at Pinkbird.org.

Unlike the pizza found in many contemporary restaurants, pizza traditionally has been cooked in large solid ovens built of brick and fueled by fire. These ovens are hugely versatile due to the extreme temperatures they can generate, their energy efficiency and ease of use.

Conventional gas oven at DiFara Pizza in Brooklyn

The high heats of over 370°C (700°F) mean that once the fresh pizza is placed on the brick hearth of the oven, immediately the dough and sauce will begin to bubble and generate flavours unique to this type of cooking.

High-heat wood-fired Naples-made oven at Vecchia in Phoenixville PA

The pizza will cook in only 90 seconds producing a perfect base and crust which has been cooked uniformly from all sides top and bottom. These types of ovens are coming back into favour as they create great tasting food and are fun to build and use.

A traditional wood fired oven in the ruins of Pompeii.

Building such an oven can be done at home as a DIY job on essentially no budget all the way up in to the thousands. The basics of the oven are a floor where the pizza is placed called the "hearth," a dome over the hearth which captures and radiates the heat, the "vault" which is the open space between the dome and hearth, and the insulation which is placed over the dome to minimise heat loss to the atmosphere.

Cob oven

Generally, temporary ovens built on the cheap are made out of mud and straw called "cob."Cob ovens are quite basic, cheap and easy to make. The oven is built directly on the ground utilising a few bricks, straw or grass, and standard mud found in your back yard. Simply create a flat section of ground and lay some flat bricks to create a hearth where the pizza will sit.

The best type of bricks are called "fire bricks" which are widely used in industrial kilns or ovens. The bricks have a high alumina content which ensures they work excellently with high heats. Placing the bricks on a level bed of sand makes it easy to create a level hearth.

Oven made with fire bricks

Once the bricks are laid a mound of wet sand is built up on the hearth in the shape of the inside of the oven or "vault" and then covered in wet sand. Cob balls are made by mixing wet mud and straw, and then moulding them in the palm of your hands. The balls are then used to create the oven dome using the sand mound as a supporting structure.

Brick ovens are similarly built upon a flat hearth of fire bricks; however, this is generally off the floor in a nice kitchen setting. A wet sand mound or a wooden structure is again constructed to shape the vault of the oven where the dome is built on top. For brick ovens the fire bricks are again used to create the dome, entrance and chimney. Although cob may hold high heats if insulated properly, fire bricks will function at much higher temperatures and create outstanding results.

Once the dome is complete the oven whether cob or brick will need to be insulated so as to retain heat for as long as possible. Well constructed ovens with domes of thickness 4” or more and insulation of 4” or more will take 1-2 hours to bring to temperature and then may stay at cooking temperatures for over 12 hours. Insulation for the oven comes in many different forms such as vermiculite mix cement, or insulating fire blankets.

Finally, the oven is clad with either a mud layer or concrete mortar like mix to create a smooth aesthetic outer finish. A fire is built inside and you’re on your way to cooking up your first of many perfect homemade pizzas.

Detailed descriptions, plans, techniques and how to source the required materials can be found here:

How to build a wood fired oven.

I have logged decades of pizza eating. In my experience, the odds of getting decent "supermarket" pizza (via kit, refrigerator case, or freezer) has moved in the opposite direction of the odds of getting worthwhile pizza at your local mom-n-pop pizza shop.

In other words, if you go back to the 1960s and earlier, most pizza shops used home-made dough, house specialty sauce, and maybe even local sausage and other meat toppings. Any pizza was made by a pizzaiolo who was a genuine craftsman. On the other hand, supermarket pizza was laughably bad. Frozen pizza was in its infancy, and the pizza kits (such as the one from Chef Boy-ar-dee) yielded thin pies of wet white bread, topped with pink ketchup and barely enough cheese to be visible. Truly wretched.

Until the very recent pizza renaissance, with artisanal pizza shops popping up all over, the quality at the typical corner store pizza joint was sliding downhill. Forced to compete on price with the big chains, they began to order bland mass-sourced ingredients from suppliers like Sysco, and the talented pizza chef was supplanted by cheaper and less skilled pie makers. Your local place is chasing Papa John's and Pizza Hut, but the frozen pies are getting better and better.

This gave rise to my DiGiorno test: is your local pizza better than DiGiorno frozen pizza? Probably not!

The point of the preceding discussion is to highlight what was a revelation for me in the 1970s: a chance to get tasty pizza, at home. In my world, the very first was Ellio's frozen pizza. The odd rectangle slices, nine to a box. It was not like having real pizza parlor pie, but it was a remarkably good snack, from my young perspective. I LOVED Ellio's pizza. Like most childhood treats, I outgrew it and stopped eating it. But on a nostalgic whim, I picked up a box recently to see how it compares to other frozen pies.

Inside the box, there are three long shrink-wrapped rectangles. I think each one is designed to break apart into three slices, but I could not discern the break points. I was re-heating some excellent leftover slices of Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza (full review HERE) on a perforated pizza pan, so I just plunked the Ellio's on there too (after 30 seconds defrosting in the microwave). The slices cooked for 11 minutes at 400 degrees, then I gave them a minute under the broiler to get the top crisp and sizzling.

What I found was a thin crust (but with decent hole structure) that was crisp and sturdy. It was bland but inoffensive. The sauce was sweet, in a way that appeals to kids. The cheese was clearly inferior stuff, with little elasticity or flavor. The pepperoni was surprisingly good, but wafer thin.

Overall, pretty terrible stuff. But - and this is largely dependent on the strength of your childhood memories - terrible in a good and embraceable way. I enjoyed my slice, and I will (slowly) enjoy the rest of the box. It's not pizza, really, so much as a snack made of pizza-like ingredients.

I often doctor up slices, and I imagine this could be pretty OK with some garlic, onion, sausage, or other stuff added.

Underside of the crust

No one said it better than Adam Kuban who used the phrase "crappy fantastic" in describing his childhood favorite, Totino's Party Pizza:

Frozen Pizza revels in its crappiness. It amps up the flavor with an ingredients list of junk you probably don't want to look too closely at. It's "pizza" in the same way a Big Mac is a "hamburger" or Taco Bell is a "taco." If you suspend your disbelief, I believe you can thoroughly enjoy it for what it is.

Elliio's frozen pizza is awful. And I like it.

Not too long ago, there was only one pizzeria of note in Philly - the thin crust legend at Tacconelli's. While New York had dozens of classic pie makers, Philly was more of a cheesesteak town.

Philly still IS a cheesesteak town, no doubt. (Here's a rundown of the best ones in the region.) But very quickly, Philadelphia has become home to several world-class pizza joints. Gennaro's, Nomad Roman, SLiCE, and Pizza Brain join Tacconelli's in offering old-school thin and crisp pies.

"Beastia" pie at Barbuzzo

Most of the other newcomers are working in the Neapolitan zone, with authentic pies flash baked at 900 degrees or so, yielding a thin crust that is puffy on the edges, chewy and a little crisp, with lots of leopard spots. Great Neapolitans in Philly include Zavino, Nomad, Pizzeria Vetri and its upscale cousin Osteria, Bufad, and Stella.

On a warm October evening, I visited Barbuzzo (13th Street, near Sansom) to try the highly-regarded Neapolitan style pie. I arrived at 5pm, opening time, and naturally the place was nearly empty. It's a handsome space, long and narrow, with tables and a long bar with seating.

The list of personal-size Neapolitan pies contained some novel choices - but the combinations all seemed to be well thought out. A few of the white pies were intriguing - for example the 'Uovo' pizza with brussel leaves, guanciale, secret white sauce, parmesan, fior di latte, and truffled farm egg - but I was drawn more to those with the conventional tomatoes.

I chose the $16 'Beastia' with San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, hot coppa, wild board sausage, pepperoni, provolone picante and chili flake. I also had a nice blackboard special pumpkin ale draft for $6.

The pizza arrived quickly, and it was a beautiful sight. The three meat toppings were applied (much like the tomatoes and fior di latte cheese) in almost perfect proportion; enough to have some in each bite, but not so much as to throw the pie out of balance. It was indeed spicy from the chili flakes. The pie was served with two tiny jars, one with chili oil and one with dried fresh oregano still on the stem. Very nice touch, but the chili oil was redundant for this spicy pizza.

The crust was a well-executed Neapolitan, thin, crisp yet chewy, and (importantly) not wet or soggy in the center. It had an excellent flavor of its own, detectable even as it served as the tablula rasa for all that artisan stuff riding on top.

In the category of fresh mozz style cheeses, fior di latte is perhaps my favorite. This one was bright white, and unusually stringy. The tomatoes had the full flavor you'd expect, and they were properly seasoned (meaning little or not at all, so that their flavor can best mesh with the other toppings). The three meats were all wonderful, but the hot coppa was my favorite because of the texture it took on in the oven.

The thick yet light cornicione provided a perfect handle for each slice, yet somehow was the weakest part of this pizza. Each bite up to the edge was a near-perfect blend of well-chosen toppings on a superb crust, but the pizza bones here were (relatively) indistinctive. I'm still not sure why - but it's a minor point.

Barbuzzo is adjacent to Zavino on 13th Street, and that area is pretty rich with attractive restaurants and sidewalk cafes. Later that same evening, I came past around 8:30. Barbuzzo, Zavino, and every nearby place was full and spilling over. For a city that once had but one worthy pizza joint, it's now an embarassment of riches to have TWO great pie slingers back to back.

Do I have a favorite between Zavino and Barbuzzo? I do, but it's pointless to pick sides here. Both are so good that I'd go for whichever has the shortest wait for a table. Both also have a lot of other interesting menu items which I've yet to try. Barbuzzo gets a lot of acclaim for its salted caramel budino dessert, a compelling reason for me to return.

Two huge thumbs up for Barbuzzo.

The great Eastern cities often have a venerable and legendary pizza shop, whose popularity with the locals has attracted national attention. These pie makers win acclaim for their old-school stylings; none of them are selling Neapolitan pizza, designer pizza, or Buffalo Chicken pizza. The signature pie will have a thin, crisp, generally sturdy crust that rivals the finest Italian bread.

Click any picture to see full-size resolution

In New York, it's Lombardi's (and DiFara); Philly has Tacconelli's, the Trenton area has DeLorenzo's, New Haven has Frank Pepe's. Boston has the terrific Santarpio's, but the flagship pie for this town since 1926 is Regina Pizza, in the North End.

From that original location at 11 1/2 Thacher Street, Regina has leveraged its popularity and today there are over 20 locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Seven years ago, I got a slice from "Regina Pizzeria" (the name for Regina's quick service locations) in a food court at a Boston shopping mall. I found it to be unremarkable - not meaningfully different or better than Pizza Hut.

That is why I first targeted Santarpio's when visiting Boston two years ago. However, on my latest trip, I felt I was overdue to visit the original Regina Pizza location in the North End. I've heard more than once that the pizza there is better than the other locations.

Waiting for Regina Pizza

We arrived around 6:15 on a chilly Saturday in October. The entire North End was abuzz - locals and tourists were flocking to the high end Italian restaurants and pastry shops as well as to the Bruins game at the nearby Boston Garden. We paid $30 to park a few blocks away.

We found a long line outside, and it grew yet longer after we joined it. It took about an hour to reach the front door (the last few feet, you get the benefit of standing under heat lamps). Once inside, we were seated quickly and our server arrived promptly.

Old-school radiator next to our table

The interior is a rustically attractive place, with a happy bustling ambiance. We ordered a large pie with half sausage (the waitress assured me that it goes on the pie raw) and half meatballs (like the sausage, house-made). We each ordered a glass of wine. The mid-grade red was served at room temp; the low-end house Chianti was served cold, an odd habit also practiced at Rossi's Tavern, Trenton's famous hamburger joint.

The pie came relatively quickly. It looked promising but not pretty; the generous meat toppings were scattered unevenly across the top. When we removed our first slices, we saw lots of cheese and sauce oozing onto the serving pan, which can be a sign of an overloaded pie.

Sauce and cheese overflow

I'm not reluctant to eat the first bite (or two) of a slice with knife and fork; it protects you from burning the roof of your mouth and from the bad habit of pizza folding. The tip of each slice is where any toppings overload will have the most effect. After that, this pizza was easy to eat in the conventional way.

The first bite told me the the sauce was good. In fact, the sauce was superbly rich and tangy without being salty or spicy. The crust was a bit drowned (but not soggy) on the first bite of each slice, but every inch closer to the cornicione yielded a bite more al dente, with real crunch and good chewiness.

Equally important, the crust had a wonderful flavor on its own. The cornicione was thick, crunchy on the outside, densely airy within. One of the best pizza crusts I can recall, and it is the crust that really sets this pie apart. The underside had an almost perfect char.

The cheese was good, but it was a role player. The crust and the sauce are the stars. The meatballs were clearly high quality and smartly seasoned, but they lose points for being sliced too thinly. We would have preferred big fat half-globes of meatballs to the thin slices that got a little too dry in the oven.

When a great pizza place puts Italian sausage on a pie, they shred or rip the raw sausage onto the assembled pie, and the sausage cooks in the oven. This yields odd-sized and shaped sausage on the pie, but near-perfectly juicy and savory bites. (I prefer not to think about the fat that cooks out of the sausage and leaches into the pie, though of course it enhances the flavor).

Here, oddly, the thick and juicy sausage chunks were uniformly cube shaped, which made it appear that the sausage had been pre-cooked before being added to the pizza, but the flavor and texture signaled that indeed the sausage was uncooked before the pie went into the oven. I'm confused, but this was top-notch. I did re-arrange the sausage chunks to get a more even distribution.

Often, an overload of sauce and cheese is a sign of an unskilled pizzaiolo, or an attempt to disguise an inferior crust. Clearly, the crust needs no protection here, and the overload was tolerable. Sometimes, the messy aspect of eating pizza can be a good thing, and it was here.

Regina Pizza clearly deserves its lofty reputation; this is destination pizza and easily worth the wait. If I get a chance, I will again try another location to see how it measures up to the original Thacher Street location. Boston's North End is a foodie's dream destination; if you go, try to leave the car at home.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about DiMeo (or DiMeo's) pizza in the Philadelphia region. A web search for DiMeo pizza yields several local results - in Philadelphia on Henry Avenue, in Conshohocken, in nearby Wilmington DE, and in Berwyn on Philly's Main Line. Furthermore, the Philadelphia DiMeo's is adding a location in Wayne, very close to Berwyn.

Click any pic for full size image

Before I learned that the authentic Neapolitan pizza at Philly's Pizzeria DiMeo's (and its cousin DiMeo’s Pizzaiuoli Napulitani in Wilmington) is getting all the buzz, my DiMeo confusion led me and my dining companions to DiMeo Pizza in Berwyn.

Our group of three arrived expecting a high-end Neapolitan place with the wood-fired domed oven. However, upon entering, DiMeo Pizza looked like your average strip-mall storefront pizza joint that uses mass-sourced ingredients to make cheap, tasty, but ultimately ordinary fare.

The Capricciosa

The pizzas behind the counter indeed looked very ordinary; we agreed that they showed little promise. Nothing here made us think that this pie would rise above the ubiquitous storefront joints hashing out mediocre pie. We did see a glimmer of hope in that the menu offered a good variety of red and white pies; we chose the "Capricciosa" featuring prosciutto, black olives, mushrooms, tomato sauce & mozzarella.

From www.DiMeoBerwyn.com

The pie came out relatively quickly. It was mostly an attractive presentation, other than the pale and sickly look of both the mushrooms and the prosciutto. On the first bite, we noticed that the sauce had a lively tang. The cheese was standard grade dry mozzarella, and merely a role player. The mushrooms were canned and the prosciutto was low-grade in appearance, texture, and flavor (but still tasty).

An excellent crisp and chewy cornicione

Every pizza lives or dies by its crust. And, surprise - the crust, thin and crisp, had an excellent texture and nice flavor! Each bite closer to the cornicione, it got better. This is definitely a place where you should be sure to eat the pizza bones.

DiMeo uses a conventional oven, and apparently the pie cooks on a screen or a screened tray. Despite that dubious technique, the good crust elevates this pie above the other mom and poppers. If I were to return, I'd keep it basic and get a pepperoni pizza here; low-grade pepperoni is a better topping choice than low-grade prosciutto.

Cooked on a screen

Service was pleasant, except for the cigarette smoke wafting in from the kitchen. DiMeo Pizza in Berwyn earns a 6 out of 10. Better than a frozen pizza -- and many strip-mall pizza places can't beat that fundamental metric.

Pizza tasters

ALDI Supermarket offers a selection of big 16"Mama Cozzi's refrigerated pizzas for baking at home. We reviewed one of those - the "Italian Meat Pizza" HERE and found it to be above average.

Mama Cozzi's Caprese Pizza

Recently, my local ALDI (Exton, PA) began offering some new varieties of frozen pizzas. Most of these are considerably smaller than the refrigerated pies, and a bit cheaper.

Click on any pic for full-size image

Most of ALDI's store-brand products are good or better quality, and I've found that the items imported from Germany (ALDI's home) are often the best.

I was intrigued to see the rotating selection of frozen pies include a few new ones, including a Greek style pizza and the Caprese, topped with cherry tomatoes.

We paid just $3.99 for the Caprese. This small pizza contains a whopping 1200 calories, but that is on the low end for frozen pizza. Beyond the cherry tomatoes, it also has "marinated semi-dried" tomatoes. I take them to be akin to sun-dried, but probably dried in a commercial oven.

Frozen pizza, before baking, just out of the box

I also bought a bag of Mama Cozzi's pepperoni, and added some before the bake. I followed the package directions and baked it directly on the middle rack of my oven at 400 degrees.

The baked Mama Cozzi's Caprese pizza

At the conclusion of the recommended baking time, it looked pale and undercooked, so I gave it 2 minutes under the broiler to finish. (That's a good tip for reheating pizza, too).

It came out of the oven with an appealing look. It was quite small - less than ten inches in diameter. The toppings held fast to the crust when I cut it into six modest slices. With the pie I had some $1.49 ALDI-sourced sparkling Italian mineral water (akin to San Pellegrino).

One flaw was that the cherry tomatoes gave up a lot of water that was pooling in the center of the pie; I wicked it up with a paper towel. That is the reason I never use fresh tomatoes on home-made pizza; they are too wet.

On the first bite, I was struck by the flavor of the toppings. There is buffala mozzarella as well as "Italian style cheese," and I think those semi-dried tomatoes added a lot of punch. The crust was firm, rigid, with a good crunch and yet still a soft chewy center. It was a little bit cracker-like, in the way that a good bar pie might be.

This was a highly enjoyable pizza, easily one of the best frozen pizzas I've tried. It compares very well with the frozen pizzas, imported from Italy, available at Trader Joe's bearing the Trader Giotto tag line. (See our review of Trader Giotto Pizza Margherita HERE). Both are modest in cost and calories, imported from Europe, and sport a remarkably good crust.

Crust with nice color, flavor, texture

No sag to this crisp crust

Compared to any pizza -- fresh, refrigerated, or frozen -- this pie earns a huge 7. Compared to just frozen pizzas, this one (along with Trader Giotto) is a 9. Cheap, tasty, and highly recommended.

Phoenix is home to some remarkable pizza, and in fact many credit Pizzeria Bianco as the place that kicked off the Neapolitan pizza renaissance that has, thankfully, spread all across America. I can verify the superb pie that we had there, and it was worth the three-hour wait.

The "Rosa" at Pane Bianco

For Phoenicians and visitors, the quest for good pizza is getting easier, because Marc Bianco has opened some more locations, and his brother is running the wonderful Pane Bianco, which offers many of the same pies with none of the wait. My pizza at Pane Bianco was every bit as good as the one at Pizzeria Bianco; full review and pics are HERE.

We have a field report of more top-shelf pizza in Phoenix. Chris and Leah are Trenton natives (and hence experts at tomato pie) who traveled to Phoenix to see the Eagles play a road game. On that autumn trip, they visited Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana.

Pizza at Pomo

Chris reports:

Pomo has a certificate that says the oven is made from bricks that come from Mount Vesuvius ... Very good sauce, buffalo mozzarella ... They have two locations so both are worth a visit ... I like more sauce, both overall a good pie ... not quite DeLorenzo's on Hudson, but very good.

Chris did not describe the crust, but it looks pretty genuine. Pomo is on my list to visit for my next trip to Phoenix.

Those who care deeply about pizza probably know about Liz Barrett. Liz is editor at large for PMQ Pizza Magazine, and blogger at The Pizza Insider. She's just released her first book, Pizza: A Slice of American History. As soon as I could get a copy, I did - and I devoured it almost as fast as a DeLorenzo's tomato pie. Click HERE to find her book on Amazon.

I appreciate when a book is well-written and thoughtfully organized; I think of her pizza book as the necessary "Volume II" that follows Ed Levine's Pizza: A Slice of Heaven. Read them both for a valuable perspective on pizzas new and old.

Liz Barrett

I had some questions for Liz after reading her book; here are her answers.

PQ: Liz, in your book you quote Ed Levine, who says that the first pizza of your childhood becomes the metric against which you judge all pizzas. Tell us about your first pizza, and if it still holds a place in your heart even though you now know of so many world-class pizza styles and pizza makers.

LB: My first pizza was in Troy, Michigan - typical Detroit-style pizza with the thick crust, crisp bottom and caramelized cheese around the edges. No matter how many pizzas I eat, I still get excited when I hear that a place I'm visiting may have an authentic Detroit-style pie.

PQ: I particularly enjoyed your chapter on the tomato pie, the Trenton NJ version of pizza, because that was my first pie and the inspiration for my blog. Despite having eaten (or searched) for Trenton-style pie my entire life, I never heard the term "reverse pizza" applied to tomato pie, as noted in your book. Can you tell us where you heard that, and also your own tomato pie experiences?

LB: That's a good question. I've interviewed so many people over the years and talked with so many pizza experts that I don't know if I could pinpoint the person who called it that first. I'd hate to name the wrong person here. It makes sense though; the pizza is assembled in a reverse fashion, with cheese on the bottom and sauce on top.

PQ: One aspect that elevated your book beyond the mere passion of a pizza fan was your thoroughly researched approach. I dug deep into the chapters on Detroit style and St. Louis style pizza, because they sound (and look) wonderful and I've yet to try either. Have you sampled all the styles in your book? What kinds of pizza remain on your "must try that" list?

LB: I'm happy to say that I have tried all of the main styles in the book. There are only a few styles in the More Pizza Styles chapter that I have yet to try, such as grilled pizza, Quad City-style pizza and Colorado style mountain pie.

PQ: I've noticed a lot of overlap in pizza styles. Your book covers the bar/tavern/party cut thin-crust pies, with the wonderful Rubino's (Columbus, OH) as an example. I often think that a New Haven apizza has much in common with a Trenton tomato pie. And a Philly tomato pie is, to me, a Sicilian pizza with no cheese. Are there other hybrids or overlaps that stand out from your research or pizzeria visits?

LB: You're right; there's some crossover with pizza styles, mainly because of the close proximity to other towns and the fact that pizza makers move from one place to another and integrate their skills into the next place. Many people have compared Detroit-style pizza to square pan pizzas and Sicilian pizza, but without the caramelized cheese on the edges, you don't have Detroit style, in my opinion. I don't think we've seen all the pizza styles we're capable of yet.

PQ: My blog's tagline is "La pizza male è meglio che non la pizza" -- even bad pizza is better than no pizza. But let's be honest - some pizzas are better than others. Your books offers a passionate yet fair-minded analysis of all the pizza styles - but is there a type of pizza that you don't like? For instance, I have never had Old Forge style, even though it wouldn't be a long trip from my home to try it. From pictures, it looks like a soft, gloppy, badly undercooked attempt at Sicilian pizza. Is there any pizza style you judge to be unworthy of the calories?

LB: There are some pizzas I haven't finished; but I always give them a chance (it's a tough job, but you know).

PQ: While on the subject of bad pizza, let's talk about the chains. As your book notes, the chains are very much responsible for the popularity of pizza in America. Without the chains making pizza into a cheap, tasty, and convenient dining option, we probably don't arrive at the Neapolitan pizza renaissance taking place right now all across the country. Nonetheless, I feel that most big chain pizza can't compete with a good frozen pizza. However, I find a lot of the smaller chains are making some good to excellent pies. Grottto, Jules Thin Crust, Monical's, Bertucci's, and most of all Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza. Do you have a favorite chain pie, big or small?

LB: There are times when I just need some delivery. And much like your quote above, I'd rather call for some pizza than have no pizza at all. My delivery pizza of choice is usually Domino's. I like the seasoned crust they added a couple of years back.

PQ: Lastly, do you have a guilty pizza pleasure? A particular pizza, or topping, or other decadent pizza habit? I admit, I will wolf down a monstrous slice of $2 Costco pizza a little too often. I know it's not "good" pizza but I enjoy it anyhow. Anything you'd like to confess?

LB: While it goes against everything traditionalists fight for, I can't resist a barbecue chicken pizza. Just love it.

Inside Liz Barrett Foster's Pizza Book

PQ: Liz, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with Pizza Quixote blog readers, and thanks for that thoroughly-researched tome on pizza. It's added to my growing list of "must try that" pizzas.

While the greatest pizza pleasures are found in the destination pizza parlors like Apizza Scholls in Portland, Oregon and Gennaro's Tomato Pies in South Philly, I don't dismiss the merits of an occasional cheap-but-tasty frozen pizza.

Red Baron Deep Dish Pizza Single

I've found that the rising-crust frozen pizza from DiGiorno is better than all the big chains and most of the mom-n-pop storefront pizza joints. It's the minimum standard for "Should you really be in the fresh pizza business if there is a better pie in my grocer's freezer?"

With that perspective in mind, I had some hope for the "Deep Dish Singles" with pepperoni offered by Red Baron. The twin-pack was just $2.78 at Bottom Dollar, a discount grocery chain.

Out of the box, before baking

Most frozen pizzas bake directly on a oven rack, but the instructions here called for 22-24 minutes at 375 Fahrenheit, on a baking sheet. Fearing that the baking sheet would mean a soft and crunchless crust, I coated it with some olive oil in the hopes of some crispiness underneath.

Each single pie had a generous amount of cheese and pepperoni. I followed the package directions to bake for 23 minutes, then finished with 2 minutes under the broiler to get some nice browning on top.

The pies had good eye appeal, but the overall experience was disappointing. The crust was thick and bready - and not soggy - but its texture and flavor were indistinct. If this was a genuine pizza crust, then a Pop-Tart is an authentic pastry.

Out of the oven

The cheese and pepperoni were a little better than average, but the sauce said to me "high school cafeteria pizza."

Underside of the pale and bland crust

Cross section

Did I eat the whole thing? Yes I did - both of them - and enjoyed them. But there's no way I can recommend this pizza, especially when you consider the 420 calories per deep dish single. There are lots of better ways to spend those calories.

Notably, these are marketed as "deep dish" but not "Chicago style." I think the city of Chicago can be happy about that.

"Trader Giotto's" at Trader Joes, imported from Italy

The best frozen pies we've found are the imported German ones at ALDI and the imported Italian ones at Trader Joe's. Both of them are about $4 and much better values.

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Quick Take: Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana, Phoenix

Interview with Liz Barrett, Author of "Pizza: A Slice of American History"

Review: Red Baron Deep Dish Singles - Frozen Pepperoni Pizza