PrintMailbag: Abate Pizza
Dear Slice,
If you ever make it back to New Haven, you could do a lot worse than Abate, just a little way down Wooster Street from the better known places. Always overlooked because of its famous neighbors, you won't get slow or rude service there, and the pizza is excellent. Modern is excellent also. Considered one of the big three but seemingly without all the attitude of the other two. I've had some great pizza at numerous places in the greater New Haven area. There are some mediocre places in New Haven as well, but, in general, the standard is a lot higher there.
On a totally unrelated subject, I saw someone raving about Casserta's in Providence, Rhode Island, and comparing it to the best of the best. Bleecch, I say. As a frequent visitor to Providence, I think they have a fantastic Italian section—great restaurants and salumerias to die for. But pizza? Markedly inferior. Regular slices at Casserta's were mediocre. Spinach pie is great if you enjoy a mini calzone stuffed with lots of soggy, gray-green, overcooked frozen spinach. Tried pizza at three different places in the area and was disappointed at all of them. I finally decided it was just something they didn't do well in Rhode Island (they do a lot of other things well).
—Jim H.
Dear Jim,
Thanks for the tips. Slice has been to Pepe's and Sally's the "famous neighbors" of Abate that I'm sure you're referring to. Modern Apizza has long been on our to-try list, but Abate itself is a new one for us.
As for Rhode Island, Slice hasn't been. What about Al Forno, home of grilled pizza? We've heard great things about it. Have you been?
Hasta la pizza,
Adam
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4 Comments:
mmmm..... al forno. worth the trip!
Slice andy at 11:46PM on 02/21/07
Modern is great - and I would certainly recommend the eggplant pizza. Thin slices of breaded and fried eggplant, and absolutely awesome. The sausage is great as well, and the pie with fresh mozzarella also gets a big thumbs up. I think it's the most flavorful crust in New Haven, and probably the most consistent option, although not as good as Sally's or Pepe's on their best days. In Providence, I would suggest Sicilia's on Federal Hill. It's been several years, but at least when I lived in Providence, it was the best pizza in town. I think they call it "stuffed crust" - it is deep dish, although not quite Chicago proportions - and very good.
Adam Kuban at 11:47PM on 02/21/07
one more providence reccomendation: Antonio's in the neighborhood near Brown. This is the 3rd store opened by the folks who run Antonio's in Amherst, Ma. (they also have one in Northampton, Ma.) Saying that they sell CPK-like slices really does not do justice to the wonder of their mexican slices (black beans covered with tortilla chips, guacamole & quese fresco) or their slices with tortellini. Amazing. There's also a similar establishment in Madison, Wisconsin called Ians that was started by an Antonio's (Amherst store) alumn. I've eaten at then all and they are all wonderful. Why can't i get a slice like this in NYC????
Slice andy at 8:38PM on 03/05/07
I am totally unimpressed with Antonio's dough. Their pizzas *look* delicious, but compared to standard slices in NYC, there is no comparison. I would suggested Nice Slice, almost directly across the street from Antonio's. They use a deck oven and make a halfway decent margherita - one of the best pies in RI, i would say. Around the corner is Via Via, which has a wood-burning brick oven. Not bad... delicious tomatoes here, but sometimes their crust can be a little too soft on the outside. About a mile away is Felini- thin crust wheat dough here (nonstandard, yes, but very tasty), uniquely topped pizzas which remind me slightly of Two Boots. Outside of providence, you'll find a few Pier Pizza locations, which is the *only* place in RI where you will get an authentic standard NY style slice.
This is pretty much it for RI in terms of anything resembling NY style. Zooma (restaurant on Atwells ave) *used* to make an amazing Neapolitan margherita in their wood-fired oven, but they've gone downhill.
Grilled pizza is an entirely different topic... lots of that here in prov.
addicted2pizza at 1:21PM on 01/20/08