Serious Eats: addicted2pizza's Profile

Providence, Rhode Island: Al Forno, the Birthplace of Grilled Pizza

@adam: I was always under the impression that grilled pizza was invented at Al Forno, however, it seems that there is some debate over this. I've been living in Buenos Aires for the last year and grilled pizza ("pizza a la parrilla") is fairly common and considered to be something native to Argentina. I have also heard that grilled pizza exists in Italy and may have originated from there.

addicted2pizza at 10:18AM on 05/28/11

From Slice

Buenos Aires Pizzeria: A Taste of Argentina in Denver

I've spent some time in BsAs, and ate my fair share of pizza. Guerrin and Banchero are the most well-known pizzerias there, and the pizza above looks similar in it's cheese-slathered style. In Argentina, it seems common for pizza to be consumed with a slice of "faina", which is a chick-pea flour cake. I probably ate at about 10 pizzerias when I was there, including a place that served slices from smallish pies (actually 1/4 of the pie) which were very NY-like. I remember seeing a lot of wood-fired brick ovens there. I didn't have any when I was down there, but apparently grilled pizza (pizza la parilla) is consumed in Argentina in Uruguay. I had NO problems satisfying my pizza addiction when in Argentina. Brazil is big on pizza as well (even more brick ovens), but they definitely turned it into their own thing, far from being italian (though I did have an amazing DOC margherita in Rio).

http://www.buenostours.com/guerrin-pizzeria

addicted2pizza at 2:51PM on 01/06/10

From Talk

Favorite Pizza Condiment??

Just about every pizzeria in Brazil includes packets of ketchup and mayo with their pizzas, which are used heavily.

addicted2pizza at 10:55PM on 11/17/09

From Slice

Video: Rats on Vinny Vincenz Pizza Truck

I'd still eat Ratty Vincenz over some flavorless slice, as long as I can't taste the rat shit. Besides, rats never really hurt anyone on a large scale since like the mid 1300s. Poor stigmatized animals...

addicted2pizza at 9:42PM on 10/09/09

From Slice

The 'Pizza Strip': Indigenous to Rhode Island

Some places in RI have really good pizza strips, but a lot of them can be awful. It's definitely pizza, but just a different experience. There used to be a place which took pizza strips, heated them up, and threw on some fresh mozzerella - which was quite awful. Some RI pizza strips do have some sort of grated cheese

Superior Bakery actually distributes pizza strips to gas stations! I've seen them at a couple of different Shell stations.

addicted2pizza at 10:53AM on 08/01/09

From Slice

Bob & Timmy's Is the Fifth Best Pizzeria in the U.S.?

There is a lot of garbage here in Providence, but a few diamonds in the rough. Bob & Timmy's is *good* and is definitely the place I go when I'm specifically in the mood for *grilled* pizza (which is its own animal) and don't want to wait for a table at Al Forno and/or empty my wallet. But you're right, Ed - it doesn't even come close to Al Forno and I have yet to find any grilled pizza which does. I'd say "flatbread" does describe grilled pizza in general, however (including Al Forno). B&T's usually does have a little spring to it though.

addicted2pizza at 9:24PM on 07/16/09

From Slice

Alan Richman Names Top 25 Pizzas in the U.S.

Interesting to see Bob & Timmy's on the list. It's a grilled pizza joint. There are actually a lot of in the Providence area who don't even know about it. It's not nearly as well known here as places like Casserta (overrated) and Al Forno. It's located in Federal Hill (Providence's little Italy), but off of a main street and barely visible to traffic. A worker there said to me that they enjoy having just a small following of frequent customers. Al Forno and Bob & Timmy's are both great. Al Forno is an upscale and quite expensive restaurant. Bob & Timmy's is a small sit-down pizzeria. However, I frequent the Pizza Gourmet more often because it's a slice/takeout joint - and there's nowhere else you can grab just a slice of grilled.

addicted2pizza at 9:13PM on 05/20/09

From Slice

Opening Soon: Brick Oven Pizzeria in Chinatown

i checked out the pies at baby-o last week. Looked real good. I stared for about 2 minutes straight. Unfortunately, my stomach was already filled with about 6 slices. Next time...

addicted2pizza at 11:42PM on 09/02/08

From Slice

I Don't Know What to Make of This

Hey, not *all* mall pizza is bad! Pizzeria Regina, generally known as Boston's best, has a location in the Providence Place Mall - and it blows away most pizza in the RI/MA area.

It looks like Regina has a location in the Paramus Park Mall as well.

addicted2pizza at 6:37PM on 08/14/08

From Slice

Bronx Pizza Mini Crawl: Zero Otto Nove and Coals

These places look solid. If you guys plan on further grilled pizza investigation, I could provide you with a tour of some establishments in Providence, the home of grilled pizza.

addicted2pizza at 6:28AM on 03/05/08

From Slice

Pizzeria Regina, Boston

The Providence area has a handful of great pizzerias, however, there are many places to be avoided at all costs. I have some real horror stories. AS1979, do you live in Prov now?

addicted2pizza at 5:36AM on 02/25/08

From Slice

Mailbag: Abate Pizza

I am totally unimpressed with Antonio's dough. Their pizzas *look* delicious, but compared to standard slices in NYC, there is no comparison. I would suggested Nice Slice, almost directly across the street from Antonio's. They use a deck oven and make a halfway decent margherita - one of the best pies in RI, i would say. Around the corner is Via Via, which has a wood-burning brick oven. Not bad... delicious tomatoes here, but sometimes their crust can be a little too soft on the outside. About a mile away is Felini- thin crust wheat dough here (nonstandard, yes, but very tasty), uniquely topped pizzas which remind me slightly of Two Boots. Outside of providence, you'll find a few Pier Pizza locations, which is the *only* place in RI where you will get an authentic standard NY style slice.

This is pretty much it for RI in terms of anything resembling NY style. Zooma (restaurant on Atwells ave) *used* to make an amazing Neapolitan margherita in their wood-fired oven, but they've gone downhill.

Grilled pizza is an entirely different topic... lots of that here in prov.

addicted2pizza at 1:21PM on 01/20/08

From Slice

Coal-Oven Pizzerias Nationwide

Angela's Coal Fired Pizza, in Saugus, MA (slightly north of Boston) opened in November. Their web site looks very promising (angelascfp.com). I live in Providence and will be going to try it out today.

addicted2pizza at 12:08PM on 01/20/08

From Slice