What follows is a mish-mash of some of our favorite posts, our top-choice pizzerias, books we like and think you should read, and other fun slice-and-pie miscellanea. Buon appetito!
The phone rings at Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza and Al Santillo Jr., third-generation bread-baker and pizza-maker, picks up. "Yeah? The usual? OK. How's your mother? OK. See you soon."
Hidden down an alleyway between two houses in a sleepy section of Elizabeth, it's just the kind of place you'd expect that kind of exchange to happen. Santillo's is a certifiably old-school New Jersey pizzeria. Al says he's been working at Santillo's since he was 5 — he's now 54.
Daniel Zemans, our man in Chicago, checks in with another piece of intel from the road, this time in Indianapols. —The Mgmt.
[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]
Pizzology
13190 Hazel Dell Parkway, Carmel IN 46033 (map); 317-925-0765; pizzologyindy.com Pizza Style: Neapolitan The Skinny: Very good, creative toppings on a very solid crust; balance issues need to be addressed Price: 13-inch pizzas start at $11 Notes: No delivery but carryout is available
The pizza revolution took a little longer to hit Indianapolis than a substantial swath of the country, but it has spread to Circle City in the last year. I'm not suggesting Indy's been devoid of good pizza; local classics like Maria's (Slice review here) have been putting out excellent pizzas for decades. But until recently, there haven't places that have put quality ingredients front and center while openly trying to make something more aligned with traditional Neapolitan pizza.
597 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (17th/18th streets; map); 718-788-7333; paulineandsharons.com Getting there: R train to Prospect Avenue Pizza style: New York–style Oven type: Gas-fuel deck oven The skinny: Exemplary New York–style pizza with a flavorful crust, a robust sauce, and a scattering of fresh oregano — a nice touch. If the place looks familiar, that's because new owner T. J. O'Connor took over the spot that used to be Peppe's Pizza & Panini Price: $2 a slice; $10 for a 12-inch pizza; $14 for 18-inch pie
One of the most gratifying things to a slice-snooper is finding a "hidden gem" of a place. That's been nearly impossible, though, ever since Jim Leff founded Chowhound way back whenever that was. (Could that possibly have been 1997?!?) And with Twitter, and Facebook, and whatever else, forget it. The days of finding some place nobody had heard of and then spreading the news have been long gone.
But what about Pauline & Sharon's? Open now since November 2010, it seems to have cruised silently beneath the digital waves, making hardly a ripple. Could it be that rarest of things, a true hidden gem?
Alas, no. Word has trickled out. It's got five reviews (as of this posting date) on Yelp — all overwhelmingly positive. And you know what, based on what I have observed and eaten, the place deserves it. Slices here are exactly what you want your classic New York pizza to be like. The crust is crisp, just the ideal thickness (we're talkin' Goldilocks here*), with a satisfying chewiness and the kind of flavor that only comes with a 2-plus-day dough-fermentation process. Bubbles of slightly charred crust and browned cheese form at the edges of the pies. The sauce is a robust, simmered-down, herb-spiked concoction. Cheese is decent quality pizza cheese — not too much, not too greasy. In all, a stand-up slice and well worth your time to seek out or order from.
3308 Grand Avenue, Oakland CA map); 510-763-2668; bootandshoeservice.com Pizza style:Neapolitan-inspired Oven type: Wood-fired The skinny: More excellent pizza from Charlie Hallowell of Pizzaiolo fame Price: Pizzas, $10 to $16
The exterior of Charlie Hallowell's first restaurant, Pizzaiolo, is so nondescript that LA Pizza Maven claims to have driven right past—twice—when he went to review it last year. Hallowell has gone one better with his newest spot, giving it as un-pizza-y a name as he could muster: Boot & Shoe Service. (It was named after a former business in the same space.) Nice try, Charlie, but as the lines outside will attest, we'll still find you and your excellent pizza.
The mission at Boot & Shoe is much the same as at Pizzaiolo. Neapolitan-inspired pizzas are topped with locally sourced ingredients and cooked in a wood-fired Mugnaini oven. The menu of about eight pies rotates regularly, but Hallowell's greatest hits from Pizzaiolo have a permanent spot on Boot & Shoe's menu as well. Though I had intended to branch out, the potato-pancetta pie and the rapini-sausage pie both found their way to my table.
155 Washington Avenue, Belleville, NJ 07109 (map); 973-751-5726 Pizza style: Grandma style Oven type: Gas The skinny: Genre-defining grandma style pizza, plus excellent seafood Price: Pizzas $6.50 to $13. Cash only
Fellow pizza-crazed friends, I'm usually hesitant to hype anything for fear of backlash, but I must emphatically present a new candidate for the great pizza hall of fame.
It is a garlic-laden, tomato-loaded masterpiece that, in Kuban vernacular, has haunted my dreams since I ate my last bite.
Giuseppe Ali, La Sicilia's affable proprietor, immigrated to the U.S. in 1975 from Agrigento, Sicily. After navigating a 30-year circuitous bout of restaurant gigs in Bayonne, the West Hamptons, and Jersey City, Mr. Ali opened La Sicilia in Belleville, New Jersey, six years ago as his first pizza-centric venture. The net effect of all his experience is a menu full of exquisitely delicious, classic red-sauce Italian cooking.
1432 Valencia Street, San Francisco CA 94110 (map); 415-558-9991; pibarsf.com/ Pizza style: New York–style with a California twist Oven type: Gas The skinny: Great toppings and great beer. Price: 15-inch pizza starts at $14; 21-inch at $20; toppings are $2.50 to $4.50
Pi Bar, the rational San Francisco pizzeria named after the irrational and transcendental number (thanks private school education/Wikipedia!), hits nearly every note perfectly in its quest to bring delicious New York–style pizza to the city.
Pi plays a few clever games with customers. The name is a play on math and pizza, two favorite activities of engineer-laden San Francisco. From opening time at 3:14 p.m. until 6:28 p.m. every day, the "Pi R Square Special" is available: a single slice of cheese pizza and a pint of the beer of the day for $6.28. The beer is of the craft variety (and usually a local one at that), making it a steal in this town.
3800 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento CA 95820 (map);
916-456-0641 Pizza style: pizza parlor pizza The skinny: Old-fashioned pizza parlor with modern hours; open until midnight on weekdays, 2 a.m. on weekends Price: 12-inch pizzas, $8.45 to $12.75
Luigi's Pizza Parlor, open since 1953, is as old-school as it gets in Sacramento. There are red-and-white gingham curtains, there are pinball games, there is a 50's era sign urging you to "get pizzacated at your TV party", and there is quintessential pizza parlor-style pizza.
Affable owner Celso Brida urged me to get the Luigi's Special; it's topped with pork sausage that they make in house, seasoned with just "pepper, garlic, salt, and paprika". I also ordered half a pastrami pie for the sheer novelty, split with half pepperoni.
Luigi's pies have two notable eccentricities: The lashing of signature spice mix (black pepper, oregano, and garlic powder) that they sprinkle on top, and the thick slather of intense, tomato-paste-like sauce. This pizza is so saucy that each slice has a bulwark of tomato separating the (somewhat chalky) mozzarella cheese and the end crust.
54 Stone Street, New York NY 10005 (map); 212-248-3838; adriennespizzabar.com Getting there: N/R to Whitehall-South Ferry; 2/3 to Wall-William; J/Z to Broad; 4/5 to Bowling Green Pizza style: "Old-fashioned" Oven type: Wood Stone gas-fired ovens The skinny: The pizza style at Adrienne's sort of defies any of the traditional ones we normally talk about — it's just a really great, puffy, thin-crust grandmaesque pie. Not only good for the Financial District, which, let's face it, is not difficult — but great for anywhere. Destination pizza, folks Price: $17.50 for a plain pie
If you've been reading Slice with any regularity, you know I love to link to the old chestnut that is the Slice Pizza Style Guide (<-- there, I just did it again). The thing is, though, not every pizza falls neatly into a category. That seems to be the case with the "Old Fashioned" pizza at Adrienne's Pizzabar. It's got elements of the grandma pie, of New York–Neapolitan, of pan pizza, even a little Detroit style (though I'm sure Adrienne's Queens-born and -raised partner and head pizzaman Nick Angelis would be surprised to hear that one).
Adrienne's, however, does fit neatly into that category of pizza known as Destination Pizza. Because this rectangular, thin-crust, sort-of grandmaesque pie is worth traveling for. Good thing that its Financial District location puts it within an easy shot of eight different train lines.
Posted by Jim Bonomo, February 24, 2011 at 5:00 PM
[Photographs: Derek Arent]
Lovely's Fifty-Fifty
4039 North Mississippi Avenue, Portland OR 97217 (map); 503-954-1702; lovelysfiftyfifty.com Oven Type: Wood-fired Price: $12 to $15 for 12-inch pizzas
In many restaurants with open kitchens, the diners surround the kitchen. At Lovely's Fifty-Fifty, the kitchen surrounds you. And at its epicenter is that screamin' hot wood oven spewing forth quality pie after quality pie.
Light starters and ice cream play second fiddle to the stars of Lovely's seasonally-inspired menu: seven ever-changing pizzas with creative yet complementary topping choices. They gave me the option to play a little; egg, anchovies, chiles, coppa, and arugula were available to add on to any pizza.
The roasted potato with caramelized onions and gorgonzola dolce pizza ($13) blew up the spot like a true starch bomb should. The delicately softened cubes of salty potato (with crispy skin intact) were boss here, and the onions and cheese sweetened things up without tipping the balance too far. The perfect bite included a bit of each ingredient and reminded us of sopping up Indian food with delicious, crackly naan bread.
400 Leverington Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19128-3312 (map); 215-483-6126 Pizza style: Thin-crust Swirl Oven type: Gas The skinny: Super sweet sauce swirled on top of the cheese at this tiny neighborhood take-out spot Price: $8.52 for a small, $9.50 for large.
Swirl Pizza is a style found along the Schuylkill river towns just northwest of Philadelphia. This pizza is built upon a crust much thinner than your average Philly slice, and the sauce is applied on top of the cheese in a decorative spiral pattern. I found it at Alex's Pizzeria in Roxborough.
Alex's is as bare bones as it gets. They don't sell slices and they don't deliver. It's in a residential neighborhood, but there's nowhere to sit. But that's a good sign: I'm quickly learning that the best pizza in Philly comes from places with no tables or chairs. Dirt cheap prices and pies made to order keep the locals coming in.
I watched the pizzamaker toss the dough by hand and stretch it out on a floured counter. He piled it with cheese and then topped the pie with sauce from a plastic watering can to create the unique swirl pattern on the surface of the pizza.
Posted by Adam Lindsley, February 18, 2011 at 2:30 PM
[Photographs: Adam Lindsley]
The Independent Pizzeria
4235 East Madison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (map); 206-860-6110; theindiepizzeria.com Pizza style: New York-style, with a strong Neapolitan influence Oven type: Gas/Wood hybrid The skinny: Crave-worthy New York/Neapolitan hybrid with a killer crust and well-chosen toppings Price: 10-inch pizzas $8 to $12
Some of you may have found it hyperbolic when I deemed Delancey the best pizzeria in Seattle. What, then, do you think of the Seattle Weekly's claim that the very recent newcomer to the Emerald City pizza scene, The Independent, "easily makes...the best pizza in town"? I must not be the only one to find that statement provocative.
Located in swanky Madison Park near the shores of Lake Washington, The Independent sets you up for pretension before you walk in the door. One step inside and that all goes out the window. Mismatched cutlery and mismatched plates adorn the mismatched four-tops, beer is served in wide-mouthed Ball jars, and the walls are decorated with the emancipated covers of ancient hardbound textbooks. The tiny restaurant has a cozy, unfussy, down-home feel to it, one that lifts the guilt of entering dressed far more casually than the residents of the surrounding neighborhood.
Posted by Adam Lindsley, February 4, 2011 at 4:00 PM
[Photographs: Adam Lindsley, "Delancey" photo above: Gastronomy]
Delancey
1415 NW 70th St., Seattle, WA 98117 (map); 206-838-1960; delanceyseattle.com Pizza style: Neapolitan-inspired with New York influence Oven type: Wood-fired The skinny: The most masterful pizza in all of Seattle Notes: Reservations for 6 or more only Price: 12-inch pizzas $12 and up
In many cities, perhaps even most cities outside New York or Naples, you will come across a pizzeria that is clearly head-and-shoulders above the rest of the town's competition. This is very much true in Seattle, Washington, where owner/pizzaiolo Brandon Pettit's Delancey serves not only the best pizza in the city, but the best I've eaten in the entire state. By a mile.
Chronicling Delancey's inception, construction, and subsequent success is Molly Wizenberg, Pettit's wife and Orangette scribe. She helped design the charmingly low-key, cozy atmosphere of the restaurant, as well as many of the appetizers and desserts. No doubt she also was essential in establishing Delancey's popularity—this place is hopping from the moment the doors open and the obscenely long line of eager diners spills outside. But the pizzas speak for themselves.
254 Crown Street, New Haven CT 06510 (map); 203-495-1111; barnightclub.com Pizza style: New Haven-style Oven type: Gas Notes: Full bar, house-brewed beer Price: $12 for 18-inch "red" pie; $16 for a cheese, additional toppings start at $1, up to $12 (for fresh clams)
The pizzas at Bar are cooked in a beautiful custom-built brick gas-fired oven that achieves temperatures in the 900°F range. Since it operates on gas, the logs stacked atop the oven are mostly for show, though I was told that it was designed to burn wood as well, in the case of an "emergency."
Posted by Kevin Hayes, January 25, 2011 at 11:00 AM
[Photographs: Kevin Hayes]
ZaZa
753 Central Park Ave. Scarsdale, NY 10583 (map);
914-472-4005; zazasrestaurant.com Pizza style: Neapolitan–style with a slight NY twist Oven type: Wood-fired The skinny: First-class pizza made with quality ingredients Notes: The Margherita is a standout Price: $16-$19 for each 12-inch pizza
In December, USA Today put out a list of 51 great pizzerias: one for each state and Washington, DC. Did you happen to notice which spot was chosen as New York's representative to this pizza Senate? Was it Totonno's? Motorino? Di Fara?
Nope, it wasn't one of those. The New York pick was ZaZa.
When I heard, I was shocked that they'd picked a Scarsdale pizzeria that's located on a strip of strip malls with a Men's Wearhouse next door. I was prepared to hate the place. But now I must say that USA Today chose an amazing restaurant, one that truly should be considered among the stars of New York pizza.
My conversion experience happened two bites into a slice of Zaza's Margherita. The first bite impressed me. The crust was crisp—perhaps a little pale, but dotted with black blisters. The sauce was straightforward and balanced, with that nice bit of natural sweetness from the tomatoes. On the second bite I got a good amount of cheese. Creamy. Tangy. Even though it's not advertised on the menu, the cheese on these pies is buffalo mozzarella. The sauce is made from San Marzano tomatoes, the dough is made from 00 flour, and the wood-fired oven that dominates the restaurant's dining room was built in Naples.
711 NE Dekum, Portland OR 97211 (map); 503-954-1702; firehousepdx.com Oven Type: Wood-fired Price: $12 to $15 for 12-inch pizzas
Firehouse Restaurant is a relatively undiscovered Italian bistro in the Woodlawn section of Portland, a vibrant up-and-coming neighborhood that nurtures adventurous entrepreneurs (while at times making visitors feel unsure about leaving their car on the street). The restaurant's interior is warm and cozy, with an open kitchen focused around a hand-tiled wood-fired oven. Firehouse offers a full dinner menu as well as four different individual sized pizzas which are served to diners unsliced.
