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Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
The Blue Cheese, Pear, and Pecan Quiche sounds AMAZING!
Cook the Book: 'How to Roast a Lamb'
Greek lamb burgers with feta cheese, perhaps. Or a gyro. I really cannot decide. I'm starving.
Cook the Book: 'Japanese Hot Pots'
Pho or anything with a ton of udon noodles!
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Lasagna with San Marino Sauce
Posted by ReneeRobinson, August 19, 2008 at 12:30 PM
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
Another vote for Bar Pizza in New Haven!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
The Blue Cheese, Pear, and Pecan Quiche sounds AMAZING!
Cook the Book: 'How to Roast a Lamb'
Greek lamb burgers with feta cheese, perhaps. Or a gyro. I really cannot decide. I'm starving.
Cook the Book: 'Japanese Hot Pots'
Pho or anything with a ton of udon noodles!
Dinner Tonight: Sauerkraut and Sausage Paprikash
I just made this and it was absolutely amazing!!!
Photo of the Day: Epic Taiwanese Shaved Ice
THAT looks like the most delicious thing in the world.
Do Gals Eat Less When Guys Are Around?
I eat more around my boyfriend, as is evidenced by whatI call my "Scott 15."
Serious Heat: Mustards to Spice Up Labor Day Cookouts
Colman's mustard is my favorite, but I've been dying to try Philippe's. Is there anywhere on the east coast I can find it (I can't bear to spring for the shipping...)
Compiling recipes for a family cookbook - advice?
I did mine through Heritage Cookbooks, the program is really easy and the books came out beautiful, I definitely recommend it. http://www.heritagecookbook.com/
New iPhone Application Lets You Virtually Grill Bratwurst
It's absolutely awesome.
For the laddies- Hottest Food Network Dude?
The Deen Boys.
Seriously Italian: Saffron Fregola with Potatoes and Peas
This looks carbtastic!
Cook the Book: 'The Barcelona Cookbook'
My boyfriend and I had the best mussels in a tapas bar in Boston, and I wish I could remember the place!
Dear Food Network, Please Stop
This is exactly how I feel about FN. I used to watch it all the time, marathon style. It makes me very sad, actually.
Costco Will Accept Food Stamps at Two NYC Locations
I just read a great article on how expensive it can be to be poor, for example not having a car and therefore buying overpriced bread and milk from the corner store instead of a big grocery store. This might be a good way for people to stretch their dollars, even with the membership fee, and maybe they could afford better quality food?
In Videos: Rap Chop, the Remixed Slap Chop Infomercial
I want to, but cannot, stop watching.
Cook the Book: 'Serious Barbecue' by Adam Perry Lang
Beer can chicken? Clearly still an amateur, which is why I need the book...
Cook the Book: 'Tacos'
I lived in Oaxaca for a year, every night was a beautiful taco memory.
Long Flights - BYOF?
I even bring food on short flights. It gives me something to do.
What do you miss? (to: expats and others!)
Real Mexican food from when I lived in Oaxaca. Why is there no good Mexican food in the northeast?!
Cook the Book: 'Real Cajun'
Grandma's spaghetti.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
Adam out of respect for the Wooster St legacy I kept Pepe's at #3 because of the respect issue and because there are other pies Like the Clam which are out of this world. But I observed other people cutting into their pies and everyone was having the same issue and looked upset that it was taking so much work to eat their pies.....
the slice when you would pick it up would stay straight that's how tough the actual crust has been coming out of the oven lately at both locations.
I've eaten Pizza in quite a few cities and I've followed the GQ Pizza Article on a few of the Detroit pizzeria's since I have family on my wife's side who live out that way.
I really enjoyed buddy's pizza and actually found photos on my cell phone that I sent in. Way different pizza squares and such....
But back to New Haven, for the health conscious Pizza eater up the road about 4 miles up on Whitney ave in Hamden there is Olde World Pizza they do lo carb and even wheat pizza. It's not coal oven but it's pretty good stuff as well.
I haven't eaten yet at the new Yonkers location or the Mohegan Sun for Pepe's but once they went to 7 days a week and opening up at 11:30am something has changed, you need more staff, different people making the pizza and it's just different at Pepe's right now...
I should send them an email because I'm asked all the time 6'3 300lbs which of the big 5 is the best and I tell anyone depends on what you like on it. Sausage hands down is Zupps...... Modern is bigger in seating capacity, very thin Apizza...But they have won best pizza in the Advocate for the past 7 years....Ballot stuffing who knows..... But everyone I know loves Modern. The one thing I do love in regards to the peperoni used at Sallys and Pepe's is that it's cut off the stick.....It doesn't get any better than that......
Then you have to go down the block on Wooster for Italian Ice at Libby's.
Libby's has a new location in North Haven right down the street from me.
Homemade just awesomeness is all I can say. You want any Italian Cookie or Angel Wings, expresso , etc.....It doesn't get any better than Libby's after throwing down.....
Anyone ever wants to do a Pizza throwdown with a Former/Transplanted New Yorker.....
Just drop me a line.....
Enjoy the weekend and holidays everyone...
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
Wow. Thanks for the great intel, offthemeter. Interesting that Pepe's still comes in at No. 3 even from what you say above. Before I got to your ranking, I expected it to be somewhere after Bar or Zuppardi's. It's now clear we'll have to go back and do Bar and Zuppardi's (and re-try Pepe's).
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
I want to chime in since I grew up in New York City and now live 10 minutes from the Big 5 Modern, Sally's Pepe's, Zuppardi's and Bar.
Pepe's the last 3 times in the past 2 months and 1 time at the Spot which is the original Pepe's. Their crust I couldn't even cut it with my knife and it was beyond noticeable. 4 times same Original Location and the same experience it's not a coincidence until I read the other posts on here today.
Sallys sauce when you ask for extra sauce is the sweetest of the bunch. The rudeness factor makes me laugh but my wife refuses to eat there and she's a native and lifer of the area. The issue is they can only squeeze in 10 pies into their oven at a time and they take phone orders if you can get through.
Modern is our favorite out of the Big 5 the Italian Bomb is a hearty pie sausage, pep, bacon, onion, red pepper. I'm a Pepperoni guy that's all I need and sometimes just good old Sauce and Grated does me fine as well.
Bar Pizza is made by someone who used to work at Sally's so that's why it gets high marks as a sleeper pizza. I've only had pepperoni and cheese and it was pretty good.
Zuppardi's in West Haven...Their sausage Pie is really good not Coal Oven though and the decor is very old school.... Gives it Character.
1.Modern
2.Sally's
3.Pepe's
4. Zups
5. Bar
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
"My experience is also that Pepe's is much more variable than it was when the previous generation was running it and before its expansion, but I have had some remarkably good pizza there recently...."
IMO, I strongly feel that product AND consistency is what makes a great pizzeria. Most pizzerias, either because of lack of ingredient quality, lack of skill sets by the pizzamakers and/or lack of passion are not even capable of making a great pizza to begin with.
A "great" pizzeria is capable of making a great pizza and is driven to get as close to that greatness as often as possible.....which is most of the time.
It sounds like Pepe's is in the process of falling, or has already fallen from greatness, even if it can still crank out a great pizza from time to time. That's really sad to this pizza lover and a situation that hopefully will right itself sooner than later.
Adam, the pic of the Sally's pizzas look delicious BTW. I need to get to New Haven ASAP! --K
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
@gustoct: Point noted. I'll have to try Pepe's next time I'm in New Haven to see how the crust fares again. Now that I know how easy/quick it is to get to with a Zipcar, that should be soon.
Just called to verify with Zuppardi's Apizza: They use a gas-fired oven. No coal.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
As a New Haven whose exposure goes back 47 years and who simply won't put up with the treatment at Sally's, I have mainly frequented Pepe's with occasional detours at Modern (as well as other places not as good and some really great ones, alas no longer with us). My experience is also that Pepe's is much more variable than it was when the previous generation was running it and before its expansion, but I have had some remarkably good pizza there recently and disagree with Ed's verdict (of course, I didn't have the pies he had). You get superb pizza more often than not and I haven't had a BAD one. My experience with the Fairfield location has actually been quite good, but I haven't tried the others.
I'll have to try Zuppardi's in West Havenm. Do they have a coal oven?
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
@jwardell: Went to the Pepe's on Wooster. The big one, not The Spot. We ordered a clam pie and a sausage/mozzarella pie. My main complaint was with the ABSOLUTE TOUGHNESS of the crust. OMG. Jawache after trying a slice of each. Even if it had the most flavorful plain sauce/grated cheese, I'd still have an issue with the crust. Tell me how ordering a plain pie is going to change the crust situation and I may reconsider my assessment on further review.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
How can you diss Pepes when you didn't order a plainchees pie to compare it to the others?
I also wonder if you wen to one of its satellite locations which of course are nowhere near the original.
Also head into Reginas in boston (again, the original north end location), get a plain cheese well done.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
We're pretty much with you, Adam. I like Sally's best overall, Lil digs Modern's tomato pie, but Sally's mozz. We agree that Pepe's is third. Still, we'd be happy with any of the three on any given day.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
A few weeks ago, I stopped at Sally's while driving back from Boston to NYC, around 8pm on a Wednesday night. It was about half-full. The service was friendly, and not unpleasant. But the pizza... was superb. For two of us, we got a medium pie with mozzarella, and a medium eggplant parmesan pie (it was a special). Both were exceptionally delicious--if they have the eggplant pie, definitely get it--it's the best eggplant pizza you'll ever eat.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
I'm astounded by the undeserved dis of Pepe's clam pie. It was only a few weeks ago that my food writer friend and I drove up to NH with the specific intention of eating that very pizza. We even called ahead to make sure Pepe's had a clam pie that day since we were disappointed last time around when no clams were to be had. We arrived about 3pm. Not much of a wait at that time of day. We were seated almost as soon as we walked through the door. We ordered our prey. It came to the table large, hot, redolent of garlic and chopped fresh salty succulent clams. A little sprinkling of cheese (not a no-no in this instance) The crust was perfect. Chewy, crisp and light. Not a bit doughy or tough. The pie was, in a word, perfection and I will defend it to the death. To paraphrase a well-respected, former contender for the vice presidency of the United States-- I have had Pepe's clam pie and Lombardy's you are no Pepe's.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
Man, I really dont like sliced tomatoes on my pizza...but the "plain" and sausage look gooood! Used to go to Ricky's Clam House often back in the daze of yore..so funny its a Frank Pepe's now. Hope its good.
Dear Slice: 'Heading to NYC, and Pepe's in New Haven'
With 20/20 hindsight, we should have hit Bar instead of Pepe's. Even then, we would have been cutting it close. We were told by a New Havenite who joined us at Modern that Bar would likely have a long wait but that we could probably do a Pepe's take-out pie in between Modern and Sally's. And so that's what we did.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
The Silver Palate's Corn Bread-Sausage Stuffing With Apples, it just looks as if it is something that would be delicious even if there wasn't a 25 pound bird sitting next to it (not that anybody would dare get rid of the bird)
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Congrats to our winner Josh Baugher, and thanks to everyone who entered! The winner has been notified and the Contest Winners page has been updated.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
As a huge Shepherd's pie/ cottage pie fan I think "Shepherd's Pie, Thanksgiv-ified" is the best use of Thanksgiving leftovers I've seen yet!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Brussel sprouts and bacon!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Brussel Sprouts and Bacon!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
hmm… I don't think we are having a turkey this year, but plenty of squashy things.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Bittman's bread stuffing.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
I would love the coca cola ham!!! My kids would love it too!!!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
I make this all the time, so not sure if it counts as a Thanksgiving recipe, but I am looking forward to having the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts With Bacon!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
For my first non-vegetarian Thanksgiving in more than a decade: Corn Bread Dressing with Pecans and Bacon!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Mmmmm the Pumpkin pie Brulee sounds most yummy to me!!!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Corn Bread Dressing with Pecans and Bacon!!!
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Lasagna with San Marino Sauce
Posted by ReneeRobinson, August 19, 2008 at 12:30 PM
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Another vote for Bar Pizza in New Haven!