Posted by Adam Kuban, October 3, 2007 at 1:00 PM
"It hurts me, because they act as if I'm trying to get something over on them. I wish I had the nerve to charge $50, because that's what it's worth." —Anthony Mangieri
Michael Bauer, the food critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, has apparently gone pizza mad after eating at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles.
The pies there inspired him to talk to some of the acknowledged masters of pizza: Anthony Mangieri (Una Pizza Napoletana, New York), Chris Bianco (Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix), and Nancy Silverton (Mozza).
Not only that, but readers hungry for San Francisco pies will be pleased to note that Mr. Bauer is launching "Pizza Friday" on his blog; it promises to be a "multimedia feature" that will document his quest to find the Bay Area's best pizzas.
Some choice excerpts from the pizza feature, after the jump.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, September 12, 2007 at 1:00 PM
- New York Times on Accademia di Vino:
Anyone familiar with the grilled pizzas of Al Forno, the Italian restaurant in Providence, R.I., will be glad that Kevin Garcia, who once worked the dough there, is serving very satisfying clones of those crackling crusted gems at Accademia di Vino, where he is now the chef.
X-ray-thin crusts have judicious coatings of cheese — robiola, goat cheese, ricotta, sheep cheese — and sparing but flavorful toppings like broccoli rabe, black truffle pâté and soppressata. The tomato and mozzarella pie is dotted with cherry tomato halves and fresh basil. One pizza caveat: skip the watermelon.
1081 Third Avenue at 64th Street, New York NY 10021 (Upper East Side); 212-888-6333
- The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Williamsburg hipsters lose free-pizza-with-beer dive Capone's:
The crowd—attractive local hipsters, artists, club kids, and even a few yuppies—was torn. "The skinny Williamsburg hipster fags need the carbs," griped Earl Dax, a promoter and performance-art curator. Some wished for a happy medium. "In a perfect world . . . " sighed a man in a harlequin get-up with sad, wistful eyes. Justin Bond (of Kiki & Herb) found the solution: "I've done performance where I strapped a pizza to me and then served it to the audience."
- L.A. Times on Nonna:
You also have the option of starting with a thin-crusted pizza, and they're very decent for a place that doesn't have a wood-burning oven. Classic too. The handful of choices includes a Margherita and a burrata pizza made with fresh tomatoes.
9255 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90069; 310-270-4455
- Mormon missionary discovers pizza in Italy, opens own pizzeria Stateside: "I don't think I was a great missionary, and Italy is mainly Catholic. I got over the fact that I wasn't going to convert people and just started helping people.... I loved the pizza there and it was a business that I didn't think had been tapped into very well in America."
- According to the Chicago Sun-Times, HomeMade Pizza Co., a Chicago-based take-and-bake pizzeria chain, is rapidly expanding thanks to the use of locally sourced ingredients—oh, and Brooke Shields and Oprah.
If the Sun-Times piece isn't enough for you, here's a profile on HomeMade from the Daily Southtown.
HomeMade store locations
- Subway, Dunkin' Donuts get into pizza:
"The demographic of pizza eaters is about the same as oxygen breathers," says Steve Green, publisher of PMQ's Pizza Magazine, a trade publication.
Recent pizza growth has been in artisan, take-n'-bake and rising-crust pizzas, Green says. Now, Subway and Dunkin' think faster, smaller pizzas may find a niche.
I tried the Subway mini pizza back in April. It's a niche that you, as a pizza consumer, don't wanna go near.
