Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Why is it that some joker in a yellow jersey is always out in front of the pack?

That looks dammned near a perfect amber Neapolitan crust to me.I agree i would also like the cheese a little more melded into the sauce personally,but that is also consistent with many i've had in Naples.I know there is a lot of debate about the causes of leopard spotting,but I believe it is caused by more than heat alone.If that were the case,most of the pizzerias in Naples would be putting out pizzas with similar characteristics as Da Michele,and that is just not so - more are similar to what you see here.

Crack for pizza eh Adam? is this driving the pizza commodity market up or down in the PNW?

"Sauce: If you are a pizzeria buying canned DOP rated San Marzano tomatoes and literally pouring them out of the can and using them as sauce.....you are lazy. You need to first find a quality brand which procures high quality tomatoes (not all tomatoes grown in a particular region are of the same quality!). The liquid they come packed in needs to be poured away, then you need to rinse the tomatoes....and rinse them again. By the time you are done pouring away and rinsing to get to the pure tomato essence, you've essentially "thrown away" a good 1/3 or so of what came in the can."

I wish I was selling you tomatoes pizzablogger,i'ld be laughing all the way to the bank.Talk about pouring money down the drain! (But more importantly , flavor ) yeah spend the extra bucks on DOP and pour the shit away.I agree that not all cans are equal (even from the same producer they vary from batch to batch).There's GREAT non DOP stuff out there in GREAT liquid.What exactly is it you are rinsing away?

I make and eat a Margherita for myself several times a week,always using the same ingredients,same oven,same balance and cooking it myself.Every now and then (to me) it is outstanding,but most of the time I would say it is good.Every pizza I make,I aim for oustanding.There is no rhyme or reason I can pinpoint.I said to a friend the other day ,"I think I just made the best pizza ever for myself",he laughed,knowing I have made thousands of Margheritas..but I was serious.Such is life and the pursuit of perfection.

Mushy peas are not mashed peas,but are in fact Marrowfat peas that are soaked and cooked until they become a thick puree.You can get them prepared in cans at some of the supermarkets in the international food aisle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrowfat_peas

Also pickles are a traditional side dish (Onions,Dill )

Is it open?

@Adam Kuban "way before anyone of his stature took the site seriously. I've always remembered that and have had great respect for Robert and his work."

Adam,is that why you pulled the less than favorable review of Saraghina : A First Visit to Saraghina, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn around 8/18/09 when he published a somewhat gushing commentary on that very same day? Did you fear your diametrically opposed opinions less credible than a blogger of his stature ? Maybe that is the point I should have stopped reading or at least taking your opinions seriously ?

http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-08-18/restaurants/please-welcome-saraghina/#Comments

Good points foolish, that I agree with.I think they probably had good intentions in wanting to protect a product and regional style,but untimately lost the plot.
Champagne got it right.
It would have been reassuring if you could have gone into any pizzeria in the world that was a member of that organisation and had confidence as to what to expect,much like a Michelin starred establishment.Now it is hit and miss,and has little credibility IMO.
I personally still fight tooth and nail in defense of the product and loath it's subsequent bastardisation,as I hope to be able to enjoy the real thing in at least some establishments outside of Naples in the coming years.I realise i'm in the minority,but so be it.

Moreover, the "true pie of Naples" is almost unbelievably bland....................

That sentence alone cements my belief that this clown ( as too many other commentators ) masquerading as a food journalist has probably never eaten Pizza in Naples,and wouldn't know shit from shinola.

"The service was horrendous. Not that I'm looking for nice service, but just not feeling like it is there. There wasn't anything horrendous, but "

And would you expect people to value your opinion?

Wow! For a first post on here you really slammed them ( I'ld be pissed if I was a hostess / Server here ) Is it maybe that you just don't like that style?
I've never been to either location and visually I like the look,but have heard from others that the dough was bland and that they had issues with balanced cooking. Reviews of the service in Brooklyn seem to have been less than favorable also.Maybe peoples expectations of pizzerias are equal to that of all restaurants these days? Time will tell. Did you return your food? Were you offered anything else?

@foolishpoolish:I mostly agree with you actually,but disagree when it comes to taking a specific regional style ,altering it to suit your tastes/customers and still referencing it as what you started out with.I guess i'm just against certain things morphing into something else.Neapolitan pizza has certain characteristics that just even in the recent wave of popularity seem to be getting ignored or overlooked,possibly for the sake of mass acceptace,profit or just plain ignorance.How many times have members of this forum been outside of New York to other states and been astounded at what is being sold as a "New York style" slice?There are loads of regional and international styles of Pizza to suit all tastes,so i'm all for protecting the integrity of the one I happen to love.I don't champion any organisation or need any rules stuffed down my throat,but I do respect and support culture and tradition.It can be lost far quicker than the generations it takes to regain.