Rubirosa's Caprese pizza is offered year round, typically with cherry tomatoes. But right now they are layering it with slices of juicy red, green, and yellow tomatoes and this is one pizza that is worth having! If you know of other pizzas featuring peak-of-the-season tomatoes, tell us in the comments. More
Located just a few blocks away from Piazza Navona in the heart of Rome's centro—ie. tourist area—La Montecarlo doesn't feel like a tourist trap: no french fries on pizza, no bow-tied employee hawking tables to every passerby, and prices that are not inflated. More
The addition of a new Grimaldi's outlet to Coney Island offered the perfect excuse to assess the pizza landscape, find the best non-pizza alternative, and check in with longstanding pizza heavyweight Totonno's. More
There is no gold standard when it comes to the ingredient proportionality of a pizza. At Nino's, the tilt is toward tomato. Nino's makes excellent pizza in a neighborhood filled with pizzerias. It would take several visits to hit them all. Without question, Nino's is a good place to start. More
The car dominated thoroughfare of McGuiness Boulevard in Brooklyn has long lacked the foot traffic to make it a pizza hotbed. But with the addition of Tuttobene's, it looks like times might be changing. More
Pizza nomenclature can be confusing. Particularly when it comes to less commonly seen pizza styles. At Europa Restaurant in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, schiacciata refers to a pizza, first baked plain, then sliced to make top and bottom halves, and then filled and baked again. More
My Little Pizzeria takes pizza-by-the-slice to the next level by offering self-service basil leaves. I know of no other place that offers it in this fashion. But even without the added culinary perk, MLP produces a solid neighborhood slice. More
Workers on Manhattan's West Side: are you suffering from Midtown-food-choice blues? Wanna sit (not-stand), eat pizza civilized-like, and not pay a fortune for it? Do you think, like I do, that we should pay more attention to things founded in the '80's? If you answered yes to any of the above, then head to Lazzara's. More
As part of an ongoing effort to try more pizza in Brooklyn's southern reaches, today I checked out Pizza Den. I was immediately stricken by the old-fashioned countertop and the eight vinyl-topped stools that face it. Good looking place. More
Like his brother Mark (owner of Lucali), Chris Iacono uses a gas- and wood-fired oven to produce thin crust New York-style pizzas with a Di Fara-inspired blend of three cheeses and impeccable toppings, all in a warm and romantic ambiance. More
The Sicilian at John's Pizzeria tastes much lighter than others around town―probably due to the many micro-air bubbles within its crust. More
Sitting in Buschenschank feels a little like you've escaped from a snowstorm and have come inside to warm up with some good beer, meaty food (or pizza), and some friends. The pizza—about twelve inches in diameter—was so thin and crispy it had virtually no hole structure (except at the edge). But the ingredients on top provided a soft cushion and kept my taste buds busy trying to identify and understand the flavors involved. More
Named after the owners' hometown—which is the second largest city in Sicily—Catania on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights is neither pizzeria nor restaurant. Rather, it's a laid-back and cheerful tavola calda-style food place that&mdassh;without an ounce of pretension—prepares an impressive array of excellent Sicilian food. More
Ben - I don't doubt it! I had Motorino's colatura di alici pie a couple weeks ago and the tomatoes were perfect.
John: I did catch that the grandma at Nino's is parbaked (I included in the review a photo of flat "shells" stacked up) but I did not realize the margherita is too. I suppose plenty of pizza experts consider parbaking a sin -- and maybe from a technical/pizzamaking perspective a parbaked crust is far from "real deal" -- but I have no problem with the eating angle of Nino's margherita. BTW, I had one slice reheated off the shelf and another straight from a fresh pie -- both had the traits I like in pizza crust. Sorry you were disappointed though :-(
Re. Bay Ridge: glad you found well-executed Greek food at Something Greek. I'll check it out. There's a lot of great (affordable) food in Bay Ridge. Though it's been a couple years since I've been to Alsalam on Fifth Ave. nr. 72nd Street, their chicken schwarma sandwich was always excellent.
NYC Food Guy: I agree re Nino's Sicilian. It's really good. Thanks for the Valentino's tip. I'll def. check it out!
DHorst: I'm with you. The +tomato definitely makes it seem lighter - even if there is still plenty of cheese.
Adam: Thanks. I've yet to go to Pizza Wagon! It's been on my list. Hit Nino's next time you're heading to SI!
Pizzablogger: Pizzerias that burn wood usually cook pies faster at hotter temperatures and the results can be softer in the middle. At this place, I believe she was referring to the ease with which they can control the heat and keep it lower to avoid center-sog. (The quote was not from the owner, by the way.) Re char: I was referring to flavor I associate with the burning of coal or wood. I'll correct the wording.
Sourdoughpeter: This was my first (and only) visit to the place. I agree the crust could have more spring and moisture, but it definitely wasn't brittle.
No prob. When's your grandpa cookin'?!
Forzapizza: They're from Sicily but have lived in Northern Italy, too.
I've been very curious to try Grimaldi's since they reopened, driving past it often. Now I must! Based on your comments I'm guessing my old favorite -- a regular pie with added ricotta and pepperoni -- would still be excellent.
Question: could this work?: "...pull my Pizza Inspector General card and demand a taste."
Yet another reason to fork over that hefty toll. Now I've gotta go try Nunzio's again (the one time I went must have been an off day). Will have to combine with Lee's Tavern. Preferably it will be snowing. By the way, I just found out that the only remaining Lento's (right near there too) has closed. - Michael
Adam: "Another flat of crust" is how I feel too.
DT: I'm working on a piece about the P of R. Glad you mentioned the clams. Also, the shrimp parmigiana is addictive.
K: Thanks!
Rrakes: I agree. We had a Valpolicella Ripasso for $30.
Adam: Def. worth a revisit.
Hudsone: Never saw that blog. Thanks.
Thank you all for the kind welcome :-)!
Simon: I asked them to heat the pizza for the photos -- but not too much. I wanted it to remain salable. I can vouch however, that when heated properly, the Catania's pizza is very good.
If there's one thing any home pizza maker can tell you, it's that its nearly impossible to get the same bubbly, crisp, charring that you get from a real-deal wood fired Neapolitan pizza oven. Check out this video where Jim Lahey shows us that not only is it possible, it's actually pretty damn easy to do. More
I'm a big fan of Pizza by Certé in midtown Manhattan. They use fresh tomatoes all year round. To keep the sweetness consistent, they use more or less of caramelized onions - depending on the season. It's living proof that fresh tomatoes work even during February on the east coast, and refined sugar is not necessary. Go taste their sauce if you haven't - it's remarkable. There's a blog post that describes their process, has their recipe adapted for home cooks, and a video of the sauce-making. Link here: http://www.pizzacentric.com/journal/2013/2/20/pizza-by-certe-the-trailblazer.html