Yes and no. Every Day with Rachael Ray *magazine,* for the March issue, pegs a best-pizza-in-the-country story to college basketball's March Madness. The story will feature a 64-entrant mad-good-pizza bracket. I'm told that subscribers should be getting theirs as early as today; the issue hits newsstands on February 14. As commenters on the various blogs have wrongly assumed, however, Ms. Ray herself didn't do the bracketing — that was all Ed Levine and me.
And that's what all that crazy-ass traveling I did in late October was about. I did West Coast scouting and eating for the article, while Ed did Mid-Atlantic and South, and we had trusted pizza compatriots score parts of the Midwest and the South/Southwest.
I couldn't reveal what I was up to until the magazine made its announcement. And for now, it appears like the editors there have leaked the final four pizzerias to the media to generate some buzz. As you may have seen they are:
Any info I could give about the winning pizzeria is embargoed. Sorry! You'll see it soon enough.
We're extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Ms. Ray and her team on this project. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience--getting to eat pizza on a crazy-ass road trip. For RR and her team, I hope they like the finished article. I have an advance PDF copy of the story sitting on my desk, and it looks beautiful.
Glad to have been able to join you in your research, AK. Wow, maybe you could get the 4 final pizzaioli to get together for a pizza showdown..tough to judge a winner out of this group. When do we get to see the video highlights?
Hmmm, I wonder if Two Amy's Pizza in DC was considered. They are one of the few D.O.C. pizza joints who belong to the VPN. They truyly have great pizza.
Also, where is the list of 64? I want to see how they got down to the final four.
I don't envy you in this task and would argue until the day I die about the outcome,but it is what it is. A couple of comments though......
How were the initial pairings drawn up? Different fuels/styles pitched against each other doesn't seem right to me.It seems that many of the entries are relatively new kids on the block.For fucks sake Stella didn't open it's doors until Sept 29th !
How come Paulie Gee isn't in the Final Four? His Promo Machine is failing him.
Great selection for the overall 64 ... but it's pretty unfair that Pepe's and Motorino went head-to-head in the first round. That's a heck of a lot tougher than any other first round matchup in any region.
Then again - although not considered part of the modern-day nor historic "South", Maryland and DC are south of the historical Mason-Dixon Line. Perhaps instead of East Coast, it should have said "Northeast" then. Because DC metro is Mid-Atlantic and/or East Coast.
@seriouspizza: Why does it matter when the places opened? The purpose was for them to identify the best pizzeria in the U.S. There's plenty of room for debate on most of the matchups, but longevity strikes me as immaterial.
I personally am offended [ ;P ]that Mayland is not considered the "East Coast". Last time I checked, a portion of the eastern border of our state is the Atlantic Ocean.
Since the tasting was presented using the NCAA Tournament tournament bracket, was it actually "seeded". If so, was perception of how good a pizzeria the determiner of the seeding? If so, then:
Pizzeria Mozza is the only #1 seed to make it to the final four. And true to recent form, those pesky #12 seeds are always trouble, with Pizzeria Bianco making it to the final 4...way to shake up the brackets CB! Great Lake was a 6 seed and Motorino an 8 seed.
What a fun looking event and it's cool you were able to partake Slicemeister! --K
How did Cane Rosso's mobile pizza oven not get a chance to slam dunk one of the South-Soutwest competitors? The mobile oven is mobile like a good point guard who can dish and pull up for a three ball! :)
This is definitely one of the koolest and funniest things I've ever seen... Have to agree with apizza82 about the first round hook up of Motorino and Pepe's..o well, the luck of the draw..Also, definitely think Picco won against Delfina...What a battle...
Fascinating stuff. Do I personally disagree with some of the rankings? Sure I do. But I think it's an honor for any of these pizzerias to appear on the list. More than anything, this is a guide for pizza lovers who want to try something new and fantastic.
Not to beat a dead horse, but I am with (most of) you all on the Pepe's Round 1 knockout. Ouch.
I am curious as to how were the brackets were chosen. Did seeds get picked based on Adam and Ed's previous dining experiences at these restaurants and/or reviews by those "in the know"?
@pizzablogger: I think your rage is misplaced. While you are correct that "a portion of the eastern border of our state is the Atlantic Ocean," the same is obviously true for Virginia, both Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. As you certainly know, you reside south of the Mason Dixon line in a state that had more than its fair share of secessionist sympathizers. While today's Maryland may be culturally more aligned with the Northeast than the South, I suspect a combination of history and the overabundance of high quality pizzerias in the Northeast left Ed and Adam no choice but to put your beloved home in the South/Southeast category.
To follow up my Pepe's/Motorino comment, as someone who's been to [most] of the East Coast places, I would do this: swap Pepe's for Modern in the first round, let Modern get beat by Motorino, and then Pepe's, in the Modern spot, beats Picco and then loses to Motorino in Round 3. That way Sally's still gets further, which is appropriate, but Pepe's still makes it somewhere more becoming of its comparative quality.
@quimjardi: I have always thought that his choice of Johnny's for best ever was pretty quirky...to say the least. It's good pizza, no doubt, but since trying it I've never really craved it again to the degree Varasano seems to think we all should. I think both the New York "new Neapolitans" and the New Haven apizza places are far tastier and memorable.
This is awesome...although you can never win trying to rank pizzerias - but the final four look right on. Too bad no Dallas pizzerias made it out of the first round - but it is for sure accurate. Next time Paulie Gee and Cane Rosso will be in the mix. We had a good write up from an interesting source...note the love for Mr. Gee :)
i've been to three of the top four and can't argue with any. i loved each and every one. however, i'm sure most pizza bloggers will never get to maria's in milwaukee but it has no place in a top 64 or 96 or 1000 let alone making it to the sweet 16. this is the worst pizza i've ever had and undermines the entire bracket. sorry maria's...
I can only comment on the East Bracket as I have`never tried Pizza in the other regions of the country. I have no quarrel with all the seedings in the East with the exception of Modern Apizza. It is good Pizza, but hardly elite.
In terms of weighing in on the Pepe vs Motorino controversy, I think if you are more inclined to accept a Neapolitan style pie, you will prefer Motorino. If you like the Italian- American hybrid versions as I do, you will be a Pepe's man. The Motorino pie is very flavorful and has beautifully blistered cornicione, but where it falls apart literally and figuratively is at it's soggy center. Like most pizza trying to emulate a Neapolitan rendition all the moisture pools toward the center of pizza, because of the short baking time. While the ingredients have a fresher taste because of the shorter cooking time, the dough that you put so much effort into literally disintegrates beneath a tidal pool of oil, tomato, and Buffalo Milk. The Pepe pizza uses ingredients of a lesser quality, but has a crust with an outstanding malty flavor and texture like good Italian bread. Plus they they get a good bake on their pie and and as a result the texture is never obscured or diminished by sogginess. To me the crust is the sole reason as to why I would give Pepe's the nod.
Great Lake is a very good pizza, no doubt about it. However, Great Lake is not uniquely Chicago. A unique Chicago pizza would be a pizza that represents a true Chicago style pizza. For deep dish, that would be Lou Malnati's. They are the first family of Chicago deep dish pizza. For Chicago style thin crust, how about Vito and Nick's on the South Side, or Pat's or Pizano's on the North Side ? These are all classic Chicago style pizza places. Great Lake does not resemble any of these places, although it is very good in its' own right.
Bottom Line: A true Chicago pizza place representing Chicago style pizza, deep dish or thin crust cut in squares, should have been in the final four. People can go ahead and bash me, but I was born and raised ( and still live here ) in this city, and I have a pretty good idea about what the average, everyday Chicagoan considers Chicago style pizza.
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And that's what all that crazy-ass traveling I did in late October was about. I did West Coast scouting and eating for the article, while Ed did Mid-Atlantic and South, and we had trusted pizza compatriots score parts of the Midwest and the South/Southwest.
43 Comments:
That is great, Adam!! Your top 4 look spot-on. Can't wait to see who final champion is!
Mad Ernie at 12:49PM on 02/04/10
Glad to have been able to join you in your research, AK. Wow, maybe you could get the 4 final pizzaioli to get together for a pizza showdown..tough to judge a winner out of this group. When do we get to see the video highlights?
L.A. Pizza Maven at 1:33PM on 02/04/10
Hmmm, I wonder if Two Amy's Pizza in DC was considered. They are one of the few D.O.C. pizza joints who belong to the VPN. They truyly have great pizza.
Also, where is the list of 64? I want to see how they got down to the final four.
Fernando at 1:59PM on 02/04/10
Dude, this is awesome- I'm a huge college hoops fan and a huge pizza fan. The perfect storm of hobbies and food! And Go Cuse!
Tupper Cooks! at 2:13PM on 02/04/10
@Fernando -- it was, but in the South/Southwest category rather than East Coast......
anysuchname at 2:35PM on 02/04/10
Curious what Coal Fire and 2Amys were doing in the South/Southwest category...?
foolishpoolish at 2:50PM on 02/04/10
this is so cool.
Kim Nyland at 2:54PM on 02/04/10
pretty cool idea. AK...never heard of great lake, gonna have to check it out. Motorino better win this for the Big City!!!
robopizza29 at 3:14PM on 02/04/10
I don't envy you in this task and would argue until the day I die about the outcome,but it is what it is. A couple of comments though......
How were the initial pairings drawn up? Different fuels/styles pitched against each other doesn't seem right to me.It seems that many of the entries are relatively new kids on the block.For fucks sake Stella didn't open it's doors until Sept 29th !
How come Paulie Gee isn't in the Final Four? His Promo Machine is failing him.
seriouspizza at 3:23PM on 02/04/10
......and Nella's opened Nov 20th ,already knocking out Spacca Napoli !
What a joke.
seriouspizza at 3:44PM on 02/04/10
Great selection for the overall 64 ... but it's pretty unfair that Pepe's and Motorino went head-to-head in the first round. That's a heck of a lot tougher than any other first round matchup in any region.
apizza82 at 4:18PM on 02/04/10
Fernando - 2Amys *is* listed.
However, since when is DC and Maryland in "South/Southwest"? They should have gone under East Coast.
jayevee at 4:39PM on 02/04/10
Then again - although not considered part of the modern-day nor historic "South", Maryland and DC are south of the historical Mason-Dixon Line. Perhaps instead of East Coast, it should have said "Northeast" then. Because DC metro is Mid-Atlantic and/or East Coast.
jayevee at 4:46PM on 02/04/10
Apizza Scholls was homered, is all I can say. I think it's unfortunate when the refs don't let the players decide the game. ;-)
extramsg at 4:55PM on 02/04/10
@seriouspizza: Why does it matter when the places opened? The purpose was for them to identify the best pizzeria in the U.S. There's plenty of room for debate on most of the matchups, but longevity strikes me as immaterial.
Daniel Zemans at 5:23PM on 02/04/10
I personally am offended [ ;P ]that Mayland is not considered the "East Coast". Last time I checked, a portion of the eastern border of our state is the Atlantic Ocean.
Since the tasting was presented using the NCAA Tournament tournament bracket, was it actually "seeded". If so, was perception of how good a pizzeria the determiner of the seeding? If so, then:
Pizzeria Mozza is the only #1 seed to make it to the final four. And true to recent form, those pesky #12 seeds are always trouble, with Pizzeria Bianco making it to the final 4...way to shake up the brackets CB! Great Lake was a 6 seed and Motorino an 8 seed.
What a fun looking event and it's cool you were able to partake Slicemeister! --K
Pizzablogger at 5:28PM on 02/04/10
How did Cane Rosso's mobile pizza oven not get a chance to slam dunk one of the South-Soutwest competitors? The mobile oven is mobile like a good point guard who can dish and pull up for a three ball! :)
Pizzablogger at 5:32PM on 02/04/10
This is definitely one of the koolest and funniest things I've ever seen... Have to agree with apizza82 about the first round hook up of Motorino and Pepe's..o well, the luck of the draw..Also, definitely think Picco won against Delfina...What a battle...
L.A. Pizza Maven at 5:52PM on 02/04/10
Out of curiosity why no love for Nomad in the RR bracket or (in your opinion) anywhere in the Star Ledger best NJ pizza article?
Kent at 7:06PM on 02/04/10
Fascinating stuff. Do I personally disagree with some of the rankings? Sure I do. But I think it's an honor for any of these pizzerias to appear on the list. More than anything, this is a guide for pizza lovers who want to try something new and fantastic.
Thanks for all the "hard" work, Adam and Ed!
WikiAdam at 7:12PM on 02/04/10
Very awesome Adam! This is so cool. Although my tastes wouldve liked to have seen spacca napoli battle great lake for the midwest final.
Good stuff!
forzapizza at 7:33PM on 02/04/10
Went to the BK Motorino this weekend. So, so, so fantastic.
pasvraiment at 7:35PM on 02/04/10
come on Motorino , bring it home !!!!!!!!!
pizzanator at 7:49PM on 02/04/10
Wow, 7 of the 16 in the South, Southeast bracket were in Texas. So many new places to visit.
ames.j at 8:05PM on 02/04/10
This tournament has no credibility whatsoever without Aurelio's Pizza in Homewood, IL in the bracket. Just like the obnoxious Miss EVOO.
Gregg at 8:05PM on 02/04/10
Is Aurelio's another mid-major who got shunned? Maybe we should expand to 96 teams!
Tupper Cooks! at 8:08PM on 02/04/10
Comments from elitist east coast types will be cheerfully ignored.
Gregg at 8:28PM on 02/04/10
Really? No Roberta's? No Nomad? ...and Grimaldi's and De Lorenzo's chosen to represent NJ pizza?
uhg...
Lou T at 8:45PM on 02/04/10
@Adam
I'm almost certain a while back, I read a comment of yours stating neither you or slice would ever get involved by ranking pizzerias.
I guess Rachel Ray's $$$ was enough to motivate you!!!!
davemp at 9:01PM on 02/04/10
To make your "Elite Eight" is truly an honor. Thank you!
Brian and Kim
Apizza Scholls
Kim Nyland at 4:30AM on 02/05/10
Not to beat a dead horse, but I am with (most of) you all on the Pepe's Round 1 knockout. Ouch.
I am curious as to how were the brackets were chosen. Did seeds get picked based on Adam and Ed's previous dining experiences at these restaurants and/or reviews by those "in the know"?
Damian at 10:41AM on 02/05/10
@pizzablogger: I think your rage is misplaced. While you are correct that "a portion of the eastern border of our state is the Atlantic Ocean," the same is obviously true for Virginia, both Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. As you certainly know, you reside south of the Mason Dixon line in a state that had more than its fair share of secessionist sympathizers. While today's Maryland may be culturally more aligned with the Northeast than the South, I suspect a combination of history and the overabundance of high quality pizzerias in the Northeast left Ed and Adam no choice but to put your beloved home in the South/Southeast category.
Daniel Zemans at 10:50AM on 02/05/10
To follow up my Pepe's/Motorino comment, as someone who's been to [most] of the East Coast places, I would do this: swap Pepe's for Modern in the first round, let Modern get beat by Motorino, and then Pepe's, in the Modern spot, beats Picco and then loses to Motorino in Round 3. That way Sally's still gets further, which is appropriate, but Pepe's still makes it somewhere more becoming of its comparative quality.
apizza82 at 11:58AM on 02/05/10
that bracket graphic should hang in the MoMA!!
pizzasnob at 1:56PM on 02/05/10
@Daniel: History also says that Maryland never seceded from the Union, and that Washington, DC, was the The North's capital during the Civil War.
jayevee at 2:34PM on 02/05/10
Frank Pepe's out in the first round? Wrong...just wrong.
nycParkie at 3:28PM on 02/05/10
where's johnny's of mount vernon, that jeff varasano claims is the best pizza on earth? this seems like an awful omission
quimjardi at 6:02PM on 02/05/10
@quimjardi: I have always thought that his choice of Johnny's for best ever was pretty quirky...to say the least. It's good pizza, no doubt, but since trying it I've never really craved it again to the degree Varasano seems to think we all should. I think both the New York "new Neapolitans" and the New Haven apizza places are far tastier and memorable.
apizza82 at 8:52PM on 02/05/10
This is awesome...although you can never win trying to rank pizzerias - but the final four look right on. Too bad no Dallas pizzerias made it out of the first round - but it is for sure accurate. Next time Paulie Gee and Cane Rosso will be in the mix. We had a good write up from an interesting source...note the love for Mr. Gee :)
http://www.gaylistdaily.com/dallas/entries/pie_in_the_sky/
canerosso at 1:15AM on 02/06/10
i've been to three of the top four and can't argue with any. i loved each and every one. however, i'm sure most pizza bloggers will never get to maria's in milwaukee but it has no place in a top 64 or 96 or 1000 let alone making it to the sweet 16. this is the worst pizza i've ever had and undermines the entire bracket. sorry maria's...
bagodonuts at 5:00PM on 02/06/10
I guess I better fire my PR firm.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 7:16PM on 02/06/10
I can only comment on the East Bracket as I have`never tried Pizza in the other regions of the country. I have no quarrel with all the seedings in the East with the exception of Modern Apizza. It is good Pizza, but hardly elite.
In terms of weighing in on the Pepe vs Motorino controversy, I think if you are more inclined to accept a Neapolitan style pie, you will prefer Motorino. If you like the Italian- American hybrid versions as I do, you will be a Pepe's man. The Motorino pie is very flavorful and has beautifully blistered cornicione, but where it falls apart literally and figuratively is at it's soggy center. Like most pizza trying to emulate a Neapolitan rendition all the moisture pools toward the center of pizza, because of the short baking time. While the ingredients have a fresher taste because of the shorter cooking time, the dough that you put so much effort into literally disintegrates beneath a tidal pool of oil, tomato, and Buffalo Milk. The Pepe pizza uses ingredients of a lesser quality, but has a crust with an outstanding malty flavor and texture like good Italian bread. Plus they they get a good bake on their pie and and as a result the texture is never obscured or diminished by sogginess. To me the crust is the sole reason as to why I would give Pepe's the nod.
Anthony A at 8:17AM on 02/10/10
Great Lake is a very good pizza, no doubt about it. However, Great Lake is not uniquely Chicago. A unique Chicago pizza would be a pizza that represents a true Chicago style pizza. For deep dish, that would be Lou Malnati's. They are the first family of Chicago deep dish pizza. For Chicago style thin crust, how about Vito and Nick's on the South Side, or Pat's or Pizano's on the North Side ? These are all classic Chicago style pizza places. Great Lake does not resemble any of these places, although it is very good in its' own right.
Bottom Line: A true Chicago pizza place representing Chicago style pizza, deep dish or thin crust cut in squares, should have been in the final four. People can go ahead and bash me, but I was born and raised ( and still live here ) in this city, and I have a pretty good idea about what the average, everyday Chicagoan considers Chicago style pizza.
cpd007 at 6:51PM on 02/10/10