After a Saturday afternoon trek through the tidy town of Old Forge PA to sample three different pizzas there, I made a stop at Pizza Perfect (in Trucksville, near Wilkes-Barre) on my way home.
Like the Old Forge pizzas and much of the pies here in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA), the Pizza Perfect pies are pan-baked square rectangles that the locals call a "tray" and each slice is known as a "cut." ![]()
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| A cut of red Sicilian at Pizza Perfect, Trucksville PA |
I targeted Pizza Perfect because a colleague raised in Hazelton recommended it, and it is one of the well-known spots for "fried" trays of pizza. As I understand it, "fried" simply means that there is a surplus of oil under the crust to give it a decadent crispy crunch.
The building has a bit of a bowling alley look from the outside. On the inside, it is big, somehow cozy, and bustling with happy groups of pizza eaters. It looked like a great place to come with friends or family and enjoy a sit-down meal, but my time budget and nearly-full stomach permitted just a single slice.
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At a service counter near the back, I ordered a simple red "Sicilian style" slice for $1.30. It came out in just minutes, a medium sized cut in its own small box. I took it outside to my car, snapped a few pics, and tore in.
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The first sensation was a prominent onion aroma and flavor in the sauce; that's a good thing if you love onions as I do. The red sauce was very tasty overall, even though it was applied sparingly. The cheese seemed to have the mild texture and flavor of American cheese or a cheese blend.
The standout feature, though, was certainly the crust. This was not a pre-made shell for a crust, as some tray pizza places employ. This was not as thick as a regular Sicilian, and it had golden brown bottom crunch from the "pan fried" approach. Thanks to the house-made dough and the liberal use of peanut oil, the crust alone was a flavor burst. It was perfectly chewy above the crunchy base, too.
The elements blended together for a decadently oily and salty cut of pizza. Even though I had eaten 6 cuts already that afternoon (two each at Revello'sCafe, Arcaro & Genell, and Elio G's), it was easy to inhale this delectable cut of NEPA pizza. One slice is hardly a fair basis for analysis, but this cut was enough evidence to make me want to come back. Destination pizza without a doubt.
Based on some stories I collected that day, a grouchy elderly pizzamaker in NEPA would often throw away the pies made by three of her underlings, squawking that they must make the "pizza perfect." She repeated her criticism so much, they all quit, and somehow that term became the inspiration for this Pizza Perfect. There are three famous "fried Sicilian" pizza places in the region; Victory Pig is the best known; locals say that both Pizza Perfect and Pizza L'Oven are spin-offs from Victory Pig.
Many thanks to our friends at NEPA Pizza Review; please visit www.nepapizzareview.com for a wealth of reviews of pizza in Old Forge and all over the NEPA region. Also, check out the coming documentary on Old Forge and NEPA styles of pizza at: vimeo.com/207007036 .
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| Happy people inside Pizza Perfect, early Saturday evening in March |
At a service counter near the back, I ordered a simple red "Sicilian style" slice for $1.30. It came out in just minutes, a medium sized cut in its own small box. I took it outside to my car, snapped a few pics, and tore in.
The first sensation was a prominent onion aroma and flavor in the sauce; that's a good thing if you love onions as I do. The red sauce was very tasty overall, even though it was applied sparingly. The cheese seemed to have the mild texture and flavor of American cheese or a cheese blend.
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| The lovely fried bottom, crispy and chewy |
The elements blended together for a decadently oily and salty cut of pizza. Even though I had eaten 6 cuts already that afternoon (two each at Revello'sCafe, Arcaro & Genell, and Elio G's), it was easy to inhale this delectable cut of NEPA pizza. One slice is hardly a fair basis for analysis, but this cut was enough evidence to make me want to come back. Destination pizza without a doubt.
 |
| From www.NEPApizzareview.com |
Many thanks to our friends at NEPA Pizza Review; please visit www.nepapizzareview.com for a wealth of reviews of pizza in Old Forge and all over the NEPA region. Also, check out the coming documentary on Old Forge and NEPA styles of pizza at: vimeo.com/207007036 .