Photo of the Day: 'I Thought There'd Be Pizza...?'
[Photo: staticsilence/Flickr via ☆Daniel]
January 27, 2012
Pizza Madness: Pizza In A Jar
[Photographs re-published with permission from 1 Fine Cookie]
Man, it's rare that anybody beats Slice to a story about pizza madness in the universe, but we gotta give props to bon appétit's blog for out-scooping us on this one.
The basic premise is simple. You've all seen pie in a jar, I'm sure. You bake a tiny pie in a jar, seal it, and give it away as gifts. Well ain't one pie as good as any other? What's to stop you from baking a pizza pie in a jar? The ever-creative 1 Fine Cookie wondered the same thing and actually did it. So here you go: pizza in a jar.
That would be dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings all layered into a mason jar and baked as-is, to be eaten with a fork.
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Talk!
Louie's in Elmhurst
Obama Orders Pizza from Dom DeMarco's
This nation—at least half of it—always seems fascinated with what our presidents eat and where. Nattering nabobs like to pick apart their ordering options. Haters like to say, "Who cares?" We've had the opportunity to highlight President Obama and the First Lady's numerous burger runs, but it's rare he does pizza. On that note, did you see that the prez ordered a dozen pizzas and cannoli from Dom DeMarco's Pizzeria in Las Vegas?
We posted a quick pre-opening tour of Dom Demarco's back in August, but the place has been open since December 1, 2011. That fact seemed to get lost in the holiday madness, but there you go.
See also: St. Louis Pizzeria Pi to Make Pizza at White House »
Dom DeMarco's
9785 West Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas NV 89117 (map)
702-570-7000; domdemarcos.com
Talk About a Pizza Revival!
I've felt like pizza has saved my life many times, but rarely does a slice have a starring role in a true heroic act. But this adorable 7-year-old, Rita Lawlor, has put pizza on the heroism map. When her mom wouldn't wake up, she gave her a slap in the face with a piece of pie. Once that didn't revive her mom, she knew that it was time to get serious about getting some real help. Add this litmus test to your first aid repertoire. You may not have smelling salts in house, but pizza, VERY likely!
Click through for the video...
Talk!
Pizza parlor etiquette
Daily Slice: Pizza Roma Now Available at Whole Foods, NYC
[Photo: Robert Sobotnik]
We've already written about Pizza Roma, the first American outpost of a Barcelona-based chain, on Bleecker Street. As of a few weeks ago, their square slices are now sold at the pizza station of New York's Whole Foods on the Bowery.
Three kinds are available: Margherita, Zucchini, and the Patate. As at their shop, we preferred the two white pies to the Margherita, whose sauce I find a bit sweet. In both of the sauceless pies, the cheeses seem to fuse into the dough with the help of ample olive oil; thinly sliced zucchini (in one case) and potatoes (in the other) both integrate well, a part of the pizza rather than thick chunks stranded on top.
All three of those "double" slices together cost $8, and could each make for a light meal or hefty snack; by the standards of the neighborhood and by those of Whole Foods, a pretty solid deal. Not convinced? They've been occasionally offering samples, so stop by and decide for yourself.
About the author: Carey Jones is the Editor of Serious Eats New York and co-editor of Serious Eats: Sweets. Follow her on Twitter (@careyjones).
Bowery Whole Foods
95 East Houston Street, New York NY 10002 (on Bowery; map)
212-420-1320; wholefoods.com
The Vegan Experience Day 12: This Is What Happens When I'm Too Busy To Cook
[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
Note: For the four weeks between January 14th and February 11th, I'm adopting a completely vegan lifestyle. Every weekday I'll be updating my progress with a diary entry and a recipe. For past posts, check here!
Day 12: Wednesday
Breakfast: None (per doctor's orders)
Lunch: A half falafel sandwich with a ton of salad from Maoz
Dinner: Smoked eggplant puree with an herb salad on bruschetta and crispy orechiette with scallions, olives, and grape tomatoes from Balaboosta
It finally happened. The first major downside I've discovered about being vegan. Here's how it went down.
A couple nights ago, I realized we were running short of leftovers in my fridge. Eh, I thought, no big deal, I'll grab a sandwich from Maoz for lunch and I have a dinner appointment already at Balaboosta. I'll just cook a few things tomorrow and we'll be fine for the rest of the week.
Yesterday morning I gave a quart of coconut-lentil soup to my mom for her and my grandfather to eat for dinner, as promised. My wife took the last of the leftover stir-fried bok choy and chow fun for lunch, which completely depleted my fridge of everything save raw ingredients. After a long day of various doctor's visits (myself, my mom, and my dog, all on the same day) and meeting after ever-so-interesting meeting, I finally got home around 10:30 pm, completely exhausted. My wife had eaten an omelet for dinner last night.
Too tired to bother cooking food for the next day, I resolved myself to another couple meals of eating out. What I didn't count on was having a second crazy-day in a row. After having a slice of toast and some avocado for breakfast, I was so swamped all morning that I didn't realize until 2:20 in the afternoon that I hadn't eaten all day. With another meeting starting at 2:30, I had mere moments to figure out some way to fill my belly.
I ran around the corner to Golden Steamer thinking I'd order a steamed pumpkin bun before I realized that while Chinese bao dough is often made with shortening, it can also be made with lard. So which does Golden Steamer use? Either the nice lady who runs the place doesn't know, or more likely, she didn't understand my question or why I'd even care.
With minutes to go and another long, dark meeting ahead of me, I did the unthinkable: I pulled out a pre-fab frozen vegan pizza from the fridge, tossed it in the toaster oven, and—gulp—ate it.
Chain Reaction: Uno Chicago Grill's Artisan Thin Crust Pizza
While we think mom-and-pop shops make the best pizza in the nation, we'd be remiss if we didn't keep abreast of what the chains are up to. Suit up, it's time for another Chain Reaction, folks.
[Photographs: Will Gordon]
Uno Chicago Grill (formerly Pizzaria Uno) has always had the potential to be my favorite restaurant chain, primarily because they're pretty restrained with the décor and the adjectives: There aren't too many old-timey tin signs on the walls or aggressively active descriptors on the menu. And while they don't insult you with fake ads for Farmer Jones's Magick Chicken Elixer or buckets of Boneless Ninja Anger Wings, neither do they reach too far above their natural station. Uno isn't one of those new-timey chains that regard themselves as suitable for a proper adult's first date, but it's not a pizza-packed playpen, either. Uno has found a nice upper-middle ground.
That's important, but all it guarantees is that going to Uno isn't instantly annoying. It's not as if you'd recommend a chain restaurant on the strength of the scene alone—you can't eat dark wood and understated signage. If you can't find something worth ordering, you might as well save a couple bucks at one of the lesser chains.
And that's always been my problem with Uno. I'm not a deep-dish guy, because I find it degrading to eat pizza with a fork or to wear pizza on a shirt, and I've yet to find a third way to deal with pizza casserole. I realize that Uno offers all sorts of other crust options, but since I'm turned off by their claim to fame, I've never invested much energy in finding the one that's right for me.
But last Saturday it snowed, and Uno is the closest place to my apartment where a snowed-on man can get pizza and a beer (a frustratingly rare combination in Boston), so I trudged on in to try the new Artisan Thin Crust line.
Top This: Cotechino and Cavolo Nero (à la Pizzeria Ortica)
Costa Mesa is a blooming destination for Neopolitan style pizza. With Ecco (LA Times recently gave them 1.5 stars), Il Doce, Nello Cucina and Pizzeria Ortica it can be hard to pick a favorite. But not for me. It's Pizzera Ortica, hands down.
The Executive Chef, Justin Miller, prepares a seasonal cotechino (a cooked holiday sausage) and cavolo near (Tuscan kale) pizza with smoked mozzarella, spiced mascarpone, and curls of spring onion. It is a perfect balance of flavor and texture. The chew of the pork skin and fat back in the Italian sausage marries with the soft earthiness of the cavolo nero. The smoky base notes from the mozzarella and sharp crunch of the spring onion accent the entire palate. It's simply a wonderful pizza with each ingredient playing off the others. But once the holiday cotechino is gone you can't get this pizza again until next year. Or you can follow Chef Miller's instructions and enjoy this pie in any season!
