Damn it Chris and Lance! now ive got to get back on the 10, drive through the desert and on to consume massive amounts of the greatest pizza on this Planet! yum
good bait but in this instance, Kenji the Shark swallowed the foolish fisherman whole! Yeah Kenji! those pies you display and the pies so many other Slicers tease everyone with are ample testimony to the pizza possibilities of home pizzaioli!
Im not in that part of town often these days but remember several great pies made by Brad that i devoured quickly...have to get back there soon...looks good but Kely does Brad have aschedule when he's manning the oven? id hate to hate over there and risk imperfection!
Lance, as i imagine you ingesting those horrible slices, I can only thank the pizza gods that im in Phoenix still high from the Bianco "wiseguy" w/ tomato sauce...unfortunately the Pope of Pizza was in London working on English concept resto with mega successful restaurateur, Jamie whats his name...well, even in Chris' abscence i had a great pie! Ah, integrity lives!
Lance, ive done some serious undercover investigating and have discovered that Mr Pizza is actually owned by a corporate shell entity apparently under the control of the N Korean Military Affairs Commission...at the risk of life and limb, i also determined that, in an attempt to reduce population pressure, civilians are being slaughtered and processed into pizza toppings...that infernal Kim Jong un!
God damn it! Im so excited reading this Ed...im headin to Phoenix early tomorrow morning for a little spring training baseball and Bianco Pizza! thats what makes life worth livin! yippee!!!!
@PaulieGee...Hey Paulie, I certainly respect your feelings about the mob stereotypes but as a Jewish American i am all for naming either a kosher pizzeria or a deli, "Meyer Lansky's"...one of the great immigrant tandems of all time...Meyer Lansky and Charlie Luciano...frankly, i dont consider such activities anymore criminal than the common activities of corporations and politicians!
Tony, cant wait to get up to SF in April!
I went back to Gjelina for the first time in a year and Id say the pizza has improved considerably...and that means the crust was better...no resemblance to the LIMP pies id been served before...and quite the take out joint next door...on the down side, my head was throbbing from the high decibel yapping goin on in there!
pray tell...share the news...and fotos...that kind of "hypoibaly" needs visual evidence before i schlep down there!
AK, i definitely have to go with TXCraig1 and your initial skepticism...its seems to be dedicated "to go" but not sure if youre "callin' the shots"(one of the most bullshit "concepts" Ive heard of) like the sit down joint...how can they possibly do it good? i woldve just opened another restaurant if theyre so hot to expand...which they are...maybe Slice correspondents Lance and Kelly can get over there and "take" the pies different distances to ascertain the pies' life expectancy.
thats Cancer waiting to metastasize in your body! ridiculous charring...might as well eat a charcoal briquette!
VPN definitely promotes the art of Neapolitan pizza! they train then they certify...ive eaten at several VPN certified pizzerias, the Prospector in Twain Harte in the awe inspiring Sierra foothills...great pizza made their by Robert Martin...Pizza e Vino in Santa Margherita(3 of 4 pies were excellent), Settebello outside of Vegas and in Pasadena( a great bufala Margherita with delish sausage..VPN is not fascistically strict in the "rules." if some of the requirements are not practical because of location, they allow deviation...but the training is quite comprehensive and they definitely instill their love of the Neapolitan tradition...i dont doubt that occasionally someone does not abide by the rules but generally ive never been disappointed by a VPN certified pizzeria...theyre not all great, im sure but VPN in this country has helped raise the pizza "bar." imho!
Awesome write up! you are a certified Pizza fanatico!
Id do it but frankly all the crusts look, and from the description, seem awful to me...thats a deal killer!
pictures?
@Adam K, those are some mouth watering pizzas AK! and when the time comes and Baby Slice needs a pizza, get 2 slices..those Rosario's slices look awesome...Fererico's and the Lombardi's truck pizza look the best to me...Out here in Cali, i have to put a NY style pie i had at Tony Gemignani's TPN as my fave of the year...generous with the sauce, a fresh, fruity style and killer chunks of sauseeeege had me in Pizza Heaven...then UPN's Filleti, Mozza's margherita w/sauseege, the same at Settebello in Pasadena, a VPN-certified branch out of Henderson, Nev; Sotto, a Sicilian w/sauseeege(a rare species) at Giuseppe's Express up in Pismo Beach was a monster...perfect crust with a rare outer crispness and home made meat; dont think i can come up with 8 dream pies...lokkin forward to Grimaldi's openin in the spring!
Ah hah! didnt see the video...funny...
Yo AK, whats up with dat?
@Caleb, hopefully, sometime the first week of Jan...if weather permits! Caleb, are you closing any of those days? very excited!
Hope the weather on I-40 is good next week...
Lance and Kelly, a salivacious 10 youve posted! Lance, i cant get over how an admittted carnivore gets excited by a kale pizza...oh well...you are from Detroit. I guess its just the nature boy in you tryin to compensate for an urban upbringing... Im still stunned from the last couple 'o years' pizza blooming...hard to believe how "great pizza friendly" the West has become, let alone LA...love Mozza, personally i prefer to combine that great sauseeeege with the Margherita but those are all great pies,...and Vito's def has excellent NY style pizza workin'....i wish i would find myself with another person there so i could try a fresh pie which i havent had since reviewin' the joint a few years ago...for a reheated slice, im satisfied!...i would send some love out to settebello in Pasadena, only ben there once but had an impressive sauseege/bufala margherita there...damn, there goes another diet!
Been a fan of Lucca's since the 80s..love their sandwiches and focaccia!
Yow!!!!!!!!!!
So, Ive ben eating Neapolitan style pizza for nearly 15 years and, as much as I love it, theres no denying it should be eaten straight outta the oven...Nevertheless, the pizzeria that has made a fairly recent splash for its quality and price ratio, 800 Degrees, has announced theyre opening a take-out branch in their Westwood Village barrio...Im assuming it will be the same Neapolitan style pies so how will this shake out?
Just got the news on Chowhound that Grimaldi's is planning on a late spring 2013 opening near LAX...though i havent been to the Patsy's/Grimaldi's in several years, and had never had anything but a delish pie there, i am thrilled at this news...I didnt have an inspiring visit to one of their earlier branches, Scottsdale, but 2 visits to Vegas were great pie experiences! If they bring their "A" game, theres nothing like that pizza here in SoCal!
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/08/pizza_los_angeles_best_sotto_mozza_olio.php
the LA Weekly food section is devoted this week to pizza in LA...heres a controversial(to some) list of pie joints and more! Lance, Kelly...thoughts? they pick Sotto #1!
Made a return trip to the California Gold Country and Yosemite and had dinner twice at Robert Martin's VPN certified, The Prospector, in Twain Harte. 2 years ago i sampled 3 different pies, all of which were excellent. This time the pies were as awe inspiring as the granite face of Half Dome, at least if you really love pizza.
Martin's restaurant moves indoors during the winter, which means seating for about 15. We got there at the 5pm opening and ordered a margherita and a sausage pie. Home made mozzarella, house cured pork, California grown plum tomatoes, a splash of extra virgin olio and Caputo flour all made for flavor explosions in the mouth.
The crust had the perfect outer crunch and inner chew. Nice sized and spicy, juicy sauseege chunks. Heaven!!!!!!
We tried the home made gnocchi. I loved the chewy pasta texture. Mmmm!
Martin offers a small number of changing daily specials and an excellent wine selection. And ya just can't help love watching the intensely passionate approach Martin takes in cooking and running his culinary dream, in which he is ably assisted by his lovely wife and daughter.
This foothill region of rolling hills and oaks, about 90 minutes from the grandeur of the Yosemite, is a perfect getaway from SF or LA, especially for the pizza freaks out there!
Having been disappointed by the "hype" so often in the past, I was a little late checking this pizza out. But lemme tell y'all: there's great pizza at the very kool Milo and Olive on Wilshire nr 26th st. Owned by the people who brought Westsiders Rustic Canyon and Huckleberry, Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb, this place is cozily mall and friendly, with the heat from their wood-burning oven softening the winter chill. OK, not really much of a winter chill out here but it can get a little nippy in winter. Anyway, its an organic, whole wheat flour that gives the pizza crust that rustic bread crunch and chewability. The cheese, sourced locally from Gioia Cheese, same as Mozza. And a delicious crumbled pork belly sausage made for a transcendent pizza moment. Hey Kelly, get over there, you'll love it...only one meat topping and many veg choices...Whoopppeeee!
After reading this tidbit of Slice themed news, i could only think...they both shouldve burned down...
http://news.yahoo.com/police-fla-pizza-workers-burned-down-rival-store-235723310.html
In what was once a barren pizza wasteland, news of a pizza oasis like Antica closing would be cause for me to get out the straight razor. Mercifully, Antica will reopen in months but until then Sotto will clearly be my default pizza option. Its considerably more convenient for westsiders(its located at 9575 Pico Blvd just west of Roxbury) than Mozza, though Mozza2Go is a godsend. And while it may fall a bit short of Nancy Silverton's transcendent doughy spheres, chefs Zach Pollack, the pizzaiolo, and Steve Samson, formerly of Pizza Ortica, sent me and regular Slice poster,Lance Roberts, home very satisfied today. We shared a Margherita(natchally) and a sausage, broccoli,mozz and chiles pie. Perfectly leopard spotted crusts, puffy corniciones and uber-flavorful toppings plastered a serious smile on my face while destroying another diet. A generous pour of extra virgin olive oil topped both pies. The fennel flecked sausage seemed a bit too pink but the taste burst forth with each bite, and the crusts actually held up quite well to the toppings' weight. Friendly and efficient lunch time service to boot guaranteed one very well spent afternoon. I will return...and soon! just wish i could upload a foto here...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/14/di-fara-pizza-heads-west_n_646092.html
Is it true? DiFara's young spawn opening in Vegas, then LA...
OK, Im not going to antagonize my Chicago pizza lovin brothers and sisters by revisiting the issue of deep dish's identity(Is it really pizza? blah, blah,blah!) However, the broadcast tonite of Tony Bourdain's visit to Chicago's Burt's Pizza pushed me over the line.Sorry, although I am admittedly a bit OCD regarding kitchen cleanliness, usually, I can control myself but there are times when, regardless of quality, one must speak out against outrages and Burt's beard, which reminds me of Marx and Whitman's facial hair, has no place in a kitchen. Good God, theres no way that disgusting pile of hair should be dangling over any food. Call the Health Dept!
The Neapartisanal pies that have emerged in the Bay Area represent an American re-interpretation of classic Italian pies and evidence new ways to successfully build off of established, traditional techniques. And, oh, what options there are! So many, that limiting this list to just eight seems a crime, but you have to draw the line somewhere.While there are many, many worthy pies in and around San Francisco, here are some of the most memorable ones that we've tried to date. More
Click me bigger! [Every Day with Rachael Ray] Some of you may have seen the stuff on the various Grub Street blogs, the Eater blogs, Village Voice/Fork in the Road, on the Chicago Tribune's Stew blog, in the New York Post, etc. The news that Rachael Ray has found the best pizza in the country. Yes and no. Every Day with Rachael Ray *magazine,* for the March issue, pegs a best-pizza-in-the-country story to college basketball's March Madness. The story will feature a 64-entrant mad-good-pizza bracket. I'm told that subscribers should be getting theirs as early as today; the issue... More
My hard copy of Steven A. Shaw's circa-1999 "Pizza Guide," printed out on November 7, 2001. After an almost eight-year absence, the guide is once again available on eGullet. If you're a longtime Slice reader, you've heard bits of this site's origin story (ad nauseam) over the years. In a nutshell, when I first moved to New York City in the summer of 2000, I ate pizza almost every day for six months or so. I was broke, it was cheap, and, well, like I needed an excuse to go nuts here in Pizza Mecca. At first, all the... More
This gift guide is for the New York food lover. Recipients can be New York expats or those who've never actually lived in the city but have come to appreciate quintessential Gotham foods. This year we've added a Brooklyn element, since there are so many skilled bakers, picklers, and cheesemakers opening shops and popping up at neighborhood farmers' markets, contributing to the budding artisan food scene in the borough. More
Editor's note: Today, Chuck K., a New York expatriate living on the West Coast, drops by with intel on the outpost of Joe's Pizza that opened in Los Angeles. Buon appetito, friends! —The Mgmt. Step right up! Get your honest-to-goodness, 100 percent original New York-style pizza. Whether it's Tony's, Johnnie's, Frankie's, or Vito's, Los Angeles pizza purveyors love to claim New York authenticity in their pies. Not long ago, an establishment in Marina Del Rey killed whatever optimism I had left for "New York-style" pizza around L.A. At this nameless place, the crust tasted like a ream of loose-leaf paper,... More
In my pizza book, A Slice of Heaven, the last chapter was devoted to the "Keepers of the Flame," people whose dedication and single-minded devotion to making great pizza made them worthy of inclusion in what could have been called the Pizzaiolo Hall of Fame. Today, I induct Brian Spangler of Apizza Scholls into this hallowed society. More
Pizza wars, once confined to New York, now rage in Los Angeles. New York's dough-slinging gladiators, DeMarco, Grimaldi, and Mangieri, have their counterparts here in Joe and Vito, of their own respective eponymous pizzerias. L.A. food bloggers, like their New York brethren, get rather emotional over pizza, which strikes me as odd since I've yet to taste pizza in L.A. (except for Mozza) worth getting especially excited about. Nevertheless, on the web locally, and on Slice, pizza freaks have slammed Joe's for uncharred crust, insipid sauce, and unhelpful and discourteous service. One gourmand opined that Vito's "is genius ...... More
Trembling like a teenager in anticipation of his first kiss, I got in my car and headed in an easterly direction on the Santa Monica Freeway. Unlike a teenager, however, I was anticipating that Bollini's Pizzeria, out in Monterey Park of all places, would satisfy my now desperate craving for great pizza. Up till now, every pizzeria that has been touted as awesome here in California has left me seriously disappointed. Nevertheless, the hype about Bollini's fired my hopes. Signor Christiano Bollini, born and bred in Monterey Park, a predominantly Chinese suburb of Los Angeles, had trained in Naples,... More
By the time i get to Phoenix, the dough'll be rising...