John's of Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
His own
I've had six of the 10 from this nicely varied list—minus Caioti, Colosseo, Paradiso, and "Dad"'s own pizza. On that note, including your own pizza on a best-of list is at once a bold move and an obvious one. Speaking for myself, I find even my own haphazardly constructed pies hard to beat, only for the sense of accomplishment and the work that goes into it. I'm sure "Dad"'s pies are much better than what I produce.
I tried Caioti Pizza after reading about its history..Unfortunately, unless quality declined after Ledoux passed away, I dont know what the praise is about..Ive been there twice and left disappointed both times...Regular gas oven which I found surprising( not that gas ovens cant produce great pizzas) and the crust was not nearly baked properly. Here in LA, Mozza and Antica Pizzeria rule...Joe's makes a great fresh mozz pie..ordering extra mozz is the way to go, though...too much undeveloped crust acreage otherwise...
I totally agree with LA Pizza maven. I went to Caioti while Ladoux was alive, and was the pizziolo that day. Ordered a Margherita and reported on the Chowhound board my disappointment. I was really blasted for my review, the best comment being that I was a chauvinistic New Yorker, and Caioti was about toppings, not crust.
@pizzafreak...Yes,the whole revolution in pizza(toppings like bbq chicken,lox!..etc) that he spawned at Wolfgang Puck's Spago was all about the toppings, which us sophisticated pizza lovers realize seriously ignores the foundational role of great crust as the basis for great pizza...It's not too difficult to buy great, fresh ingredients but turning that into great pizza is obviously a formidable task.
Pizza Paradiso definitely ain't no Johnny come lately and I always will give big props to Ruth Gresser for starting a Neapolitan influenced pizzeria back in 1991.
Back in the 90's I might have agreed with placing Paradiso in a top 10 list, but there were not too many pizzerias in the DC area to aid in lending context to Paradiso back in its early days when life was a pizza wasteland. Paradiso was, and still is, much better than the standard fare dotting the pizza landscape, but the new vanguard of high quality pizzerias has left Pizza Paradiso behind.
a mano in ridgewood, nj is just like da michele where pizza was invented in naples
also mon to thurs buy one get one free
great salads, gnocchi, other pastas as well as awesome gelato
mr nino in harrison new jersey makes the best sicilian in the world yes in the world
also great round pie and steak itialana
semolina in millburn brilliant gourmet pies and over the top tomato pie
joe's vuuxhall road in union nj amazing, what a scene space age plastic in white seating area.
totally weird new york.
arturos on houston st in manhattan for old school burnt pie with blisters as well as live music
great date and or tourist spot in the beast sense of the term.
i am currently a member of the pizza patrol eating pizza with the newark star ledger
i know what i speak of but only one man's opinion
stay clear of the squid pizza in tokyo tho.
da michele in napoli is the holy grail
there is also a wonderful restaurant opposite the pompeii museum sit outside and enjoy
as an aside the store marinelli is a treat where the italian movie stars and politicians go for their ties watches pocket squares belts etc
small shop you wait in line outside the store
bought 2 watches at 250 each automatic and beautiful
be careful in naples do not look like a tourist
Lil and I tried Collosseo some months ago and really liked several of their pizzas. I'm not sure of the etiquette of putting a link here, but if you want to see the review, it's here: http://www.passion-4-pizza.com/colosseo.html.
paulie
very funny, gave me a good life
don't u love it when you buy a phony the vendor whispers in your ear don't tell anybody his boss will get mad at him for selling it so cheap.
my cartier story is that a friend sold me one in the late 70s because he got tired of it and thought it was a phony
turned out it was a real gold one, lucky i lost track of him thus my guilt was lessened.
paulie u r a scream
if you are in ridgewood, nj u will adore a mano a great genuine napoli place
mr nono's in harrison, nj for a sicilian pie
yes i am shilling for them for great pizza places need to be supported
and no i am not paid by them
i just love and support great pizza
my bad it is mr.nino's in harrison, nj a legendary pizza shop and lovely, truly lovely people.
every friday we are in the star leger
we have done 60 and will do at least that many more
only liking 25 so far of the 180 pies we have tasted
used to say i never met a pizza i couldn't eat well i have been proven wrong sadly too many times.
by again, i can only speak for my self after some 50 years of eating.
i wonder if my taste buds are off?
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21 Comments:
I tried Caioti Pizza after reading about its history..Unfortunately, unless quality declined after Ledoux passed away, I dont know what the praise is about..Ive been there twice and left disappointed both times...Regular gas oven which I found surprising( not that gas ovens cant produce great pizzas) and the crust was not nearly baked properly. Here in LA, Mozza and Antica Pizzeria rule...Joe's makes a great fresh mozz pie..ordering extra mozz is the way to go, though...too much undeveloped crust acreage otherwise...
L.A. Pizza Maven at 11:15AM on 08/10/09
How can you possibly rate a pizzeria where you have not eaten?
pizzafreak at 11:40AM on 08/10/09
I totally agree with LA Pizza maven. I went to Caioti while Ladoux was alive, and was the pizziolo that day. Ordered a Margherita and reported on the Chowhound board my disappointment. I was really blasted for my review, the best comment being that I was a chauvinistic New Yorker, and Caioti was about toppings, not crust.
pizzafreak at 11:49AM on 08/10/09
@pizzafreak: I don't think anyone here was rating pizza he had not eaten? Where did you get that idea?
Adam Kuban at 11:57AM on 08/10/09
@pizzafreak...Yes,the whole revolution in pizza(toppings like bbq chicken,lox!..etc) that he spawned at Wolfgang Puck's Spago was all about the toppings, which us sophisticated pizza lovers realize seriously ignores the foundational role of great crust as the basis for great pizza...It's not too difficult to buy great, fresh ingredients but turning that into great pizza is obviously a formidable task.
L.A. Pizza Maven at 12:09PM on 08/10/09
Pizza Paradiso definitely ain't no Johnny come lately and I always will give big props to Ruth Gresser for starting a Neapolitan influenced pizzeria back in 1991.
Back in the 90's I might have agreed with placing Paradiso in a top 10 list, but there were not too many pizzerias in the DC area to aid in lending context to Paradiso back in its early days when life was a pizza wasteland. Paradiso was, and still is, much better than the standard fare dotting the pizza landscape, but the new vanguard of high quality pizzerias has left Pizza Paradiso behind.
Pizzablogger at 2:36PM on 08/10/09
I think paradiso is pretty crappy like all DC pizza because of the water used for the crust
downtownstef at 3:28PM on 08/10/09
a mano in ridgewood, nj is just like da michele where pizza was invented in naples
also mon to thurs buy one get one free
great salads, gnocchi, other pastas as well as awesome gelato
mr nino in harrison new jersey makes the best sicilian in the world yes in the world
also great round pie and steak itialana
semolina in millburn brilliant gourmet pies and over the top tomato pie
joe's vuuxhall road in union nj amazing, what a scene space age plastic in white seating area.
totally weird new york.
arturos on houston st in manhattan for old school burnt pie with blisters as well as live music
great date and or tourist spot in the beast sense of the term.
i am currently a member of the pizza patrol eating pizza with the newark star ledger
i know what i speak of but only one man's opinion
stay clear of the squid pizza in tokyo tho.
foodismylife at 4:23PM on 08/10/09
@downtownstef: do you consider 2Amys as crappy?
Pizzablogger at 7:04AM on 08/11/09
1. savoy(tokyo)
2. pizzeria bianca
3. di fara
4. great lake
5. going to naples in september
6. "
7. una pizza napoletana
8. tacconelli's
9. totonno's
moesizlacks at 9:32AM on 08/11/09
da michele in napoli is the holy grail
there is also a wonderful restaurant opposite the pompeii museum sit outside and enjoy
as an aside the store marinelli is a treat where the italian movie stars and politicians go for their ties watches pocket squares belts etc
small shop you wait in line outside the store
bought 2 watches at 250 each automatic and beautiful
be careful in naples do not look like a tourist
foodismylife at 2:03PM on 08/11/09
Lil and I tried Collosseo some months ago and really liked several of their pizzas. I'm not sure of the etiquette of putting a link here, but if you want to see the review, it's here: http://www.passion-4-pizza.com/colosseo.html.
passion4pizza at 2:31PM on 08/11/09
@Adam Kuban - sorry - misread it
pizzafreak at 4:23PM on 08/11/09
@pizzafreak: NP! I was just wary that I had failed to convey something clearly.
Adam Kuban at 4:28PM on 08/11/09
@foodismylife You think you got a good deal? When I was there, I got two Cartier tank watches for $10 each.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 9:30PM on 08/11/09
paulie
very funny, gave me a good life
don't u love it when you buy a phony the vendor whispers in your ear don't tell anybody his boss will get mad at him for selling it so cheap.
my cartier story is that a friend sold me one in the late 70s because he got tired of it and thought it was a phony
turned out it was a real gold one, lucky i lost track of him thus my guilt was lessened.
foodismylife at 3:01PM on 08/12/09
@foodismylife Hide that watch. Everybody reads Slice.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 3:33PM on 08/12/09
Totonno's, Upper East Side? Huh.
kathryn at 3:56PM on 08/12/09
paulie u r a scream
if you are in ridgewood, nj u will adore a mano a great genuine napoli place
mr nono's in harrison, nj for a sicilian pie
yes i am shilling for them for great pizza places need to be supported
and no i am not paid by them
i just love and support great pizza
foodismylife at 4:03PM on 08/12/09
@foodismylife Thanks for the recommendation. It's time for me to go back. I'm glad it's still worth going to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauliegee/sets/72157603411254722/
When is your Pizza Patrol article for that area gonna show up on www.nj.com?
Ciao,
PG
pauliegee at 4:38PM on 08/12/09
my bad it is mr.nino's in harrison, nj a legendary pizza shop and lovely, truly lovely people.
every friday we are in the star leger
we have done 60 and will do at least that many more
only liking 25 so far of the 180 pies we have tasted
used to say i never met a pizza i couldn't eat well i have been proven wrong sadly too many times.
by again, i can only speak for my self after some 50 years of eating.
i wonder if my taste buds are off?
foodismylife at 5:11PM on 08/12/09