Slice

Frank Pepe's Head-to-Head (Yonkers vs. New Haven)

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:30:00 -0500

Serious Eats–Slice overlord Ed Levine here has been on my case about getting to the new Frank Pepe's in Yonkers for a while now. He wanted to see how it stacked up to the original in New Haven, Connecticut.

See, the Frank Pepe family has been on a small tear in the last few years, opening branches of the famed New Haven pizzeria throughout Connecticut—first in Fairfield, then Manchester, then at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville.

Then they opened one in Yonkers, New York. This was sort of a big deal in pizza circles, since there's a fair amount of rivalry between New Haven– and New York–style partisans.

When the New York Times beat us to the punch on blabbing about Yonkers Pepe's, I knew I'd hear it from Ed.

But here's the thing: Nobody has approached this from the correct angle—namely comparing the two head-to-head to see how well Yonkers Pepe's does against the New Haven original. That's where Slice comes in. We're adding some context to this saga. Peep the photo gallery for the comparisons.

Cook the Book: Pan Pizza

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:15:00 -0500

From Recipes

"Starting with the pre-ferment gives you a dough that's more resilient than most make-at-home pizza crusts."

[Photograph: Caroline Russock]

Homemade pizza is something that I try my hand at fairly frequently and although it's never bad, many times the dough isn't exactly where I want it to be. I suppose that I just hadn't found the ideal pizza dough recipe until I came across the Pan Pizza from The Grand Central Baking Book. It's really one of the best dough recipes I've tried in a while.

This dough is a thick-crusted base that can stand up to a lot of toppings, similar to a Sicilian-style. The dough has a lightness that belies its dense look, which comes from a technique that was new to me, at least as far as pizza is concerned—the pre-ferment.

Basically you mix yeast, water, and flour and let it sit for an hour. After it bubbles up into a starter, you mix it in with the rest of the ingredients for the dough, a little more yeast, olive oil, salt and flour. The dough is kneaded and left to rise again for another hour.

Starting with the pre-ferment gives you a dough that's more resilient than most make-at-home pizza crusts. It's pliant and easy to work with so you don't have to worry about using an light touch to stretch the crust, for fear of tearing.

I wasn't sure what kind of dough this recipe was going to produce so I left my topping options open until I had a feel for what the dough could handle. Once the dough was situated in the pan I realized it was dense enough to stand up to heavy Chicago-style toppings, like cheese on the bottom, followed by sausage and dollops of sauce.

I layered on the cheese, pressed in little lumps of fresh homemade sausage, dolloped the sauce on top, and finished the whole thing with a grating of Parmesan. I placed it in the oven and 40 minutes later my pizza was finished, golden brown and bubbling.

The pizza was a hybrid of Sicilian and Chicago styles, the oils from the cheese and sausage permeated and flavored the dough but the bottom stayed crisp enough that the square slices didn't buckle under the weight of the topping.

It was definitely one of the best pizzas that has ever emerged from my oven thanks mostly to the incredible dough. I suppose that my only regret would be I didn't invite a slew of hungry friends over for dinner since the pizza could easily feed six or more.

Win The Grand Central Baking Book

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The Grand Central Baking Book to give away this week. Enter to win here »

Pan Pizza

- makes one 8 by 12-inch pizza -

Adapted from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson.

Ingredients

Pre-ferment
1 1/3 cups (7 ounces) high-gluten bread flour
1 cup (8 fluid ounces) tepid water (about 80°F)
2 teaspoons dry active yeast

4 cups (1 pound, 5 ounces) high-gluten bread flour
11/4 cups (10 fluid ounces) tepid water (about 80°F)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 tablespoon salt

Procedure

1. Mix the pre-ferment: Measure the flour, water, and yeast into a bowl with high sides and whisk or beat until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and ferment for one hour before adding ingredients for the final dough.

2. Mix the final dough and let it rise: Combine the pre-ferment, flour, water, olive oil, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and run a plastic bowl scraper or a rubber spatula around the sides of the bowl to loosen the dough and bring it to the center, then switch to medium-high speed for 5 minutes.

3. Let the dough rise: Generously coat a clean bowl with olive oil, then scrape the dough from the mixer into the oiled bowl using a plastic bowl scraper. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (at least 75°F) for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

4. Preform the dough: Generously dust a work surface with flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the work surface and gently tug it into a rectangular shape measuring about 8 by 10 inches. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes to allow the dough to relax and stretch easily into a large rectangle that fits nicely into the baking sheet.

5. Fit the dough into the pan: Liberally oil a 12 by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, then tug and pull the dough into the corners and up the sides of the pan, stretching it from the middle as well as the sides. It takes some practice to stretch the dough evenly over the large baking sheet. Ideally, you'll be able to cover the entire pan without creating holes or extremely thin spots. If the dough wants to spring back to its original shape, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Be patient--this skill is developed over time, with practice. If you make a hole in the dough, patch it with a small piece of dough from a thicker area. Above all, resist the urge to ball up the dough and start over.

6. Top and bake the pizza: Preheat oven to 450°F. Use a light hand to top the pizza. (It's less important with a pan pizza since the crust is a bit thicker.) Begin with a layer of sauce followed by a liberal covering of grated cheese. Finish with the meat and/or vegetables and some additional cheese, if desired. You should still be able to see the various toppings when you've finished. That is, the sauce should show through the cheese layer, and the cheese shouldn't be covered entirely by the next layer of toppings. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the crust is brown and crispy and the cheese is bubbling.

Pizza Obsessives: Seriouspizza

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:00:00 -0500

Today's Pizza Obsessives Q&A features frequent Slice commenter seriouspizza. You might think you know him from the comments. But you ain't seen nothin' yet. —The Mgmt.

Name: seriouspizza
Location: About 4,300 miles from a decent pizzeria
Occupation: Part Time Pizzaiolo.Full Time Antagonist
Website: I'll use yours.
[Do you have a photo we can run?] You're fucking joking.

What type of pizza do you prefer?

Neapolitan. The proper type.

The Pizza Cognition Theory states that "the first slice of pizza a child sees and tastes ... becomes, for him, pizza." Do you remember your first slice? Where was it from, is the place still around, and if so, does it hold up? On that note, has your taste in pizza evolved over time?

I agree. My first pizza was a pizza, not a slice, in the Santa Lucia area of Naples (mid '70's). I could never find it again. I look every time I return. It's like my first-ever girlfriend, infected me and fucked off. That stays with you for life.

My tastes remain steadfast.I know what I like and how it should be. That's why I'm such an opinionated cunt.
What's your favorite topping or topping combination?

A perfect Margherita needs no further adornment.

Where do you go for pizza in your area?

I don't. All that Munchmobile shit you blog about is nonsense. I used to go to UPN in Point Pleasant occasionally, always hoping he would find his "sweet spot," but I never did. I've given up trying. I'll buy the odd slice for my wife anywhere local; she's not concerned about it like me.

Do you make pizza at home? If so, how? What recipes do you use?

Yes. Hand-built wood-fired oven. Typical "00" flour, water, salt, yeast. I've dabbled with starters, but don't do it enough to maintain a healthy offspring.

What's most important to you: crust, sauce, or cheese?

They are all equally important. Have you ever had a hooker take her wig off before you split? It's a huge fucking letdown. EVERYTHING is important or don't get into it.

Anything you'd like to get off your chest?

Yeah... I coined the phrase "leoparding," and I abhor the term "upskirt." I promise never to use it again if you do the same.

What one thing should NEVER go on a pizza?

Don't get me started... Anything that's not listed as an ingredient for THAT pizza on the menu... and some of the abortions being created by people who you would think should know better.

Weirdest pizza you've ever eaten?

I don't eat weird shit. There's enough decent stuff without upsetting my metabolism.

What's the farthest you've traveled for pizza?

About 4,301 miles.

[If you have anything else you'd like to include, feel free to make up question(s) to ask yourself.]

How much do you make a year for the shit you write?

Is it true Ed Levine has got a tattoo of UPN on his ass?

When will Slice officially be renamed "The Paulie Gee Pizzeria Promotional"?

[Now: Who would you like to see interviewed next?]

I don't fucking care just as long as it's not another ass-kissing frenzy between a blogger and the next big thing........Oh!......... and Dan Lepard.

(And: my bonus question is...)

Who do I admire in the Industry?

Anthony Mangieri. The night I moved to 2nd Avenue and 10th in '89 there was a shoot-out between some rival drug dealers; the police moved in and the area started to get cleaned up. Years later a couple of blocks north, a $24 crackpizza dealer had everyone hooked until a bunch of others hit the scene, undercut his prices, and flooded the market (largely with shit, I'm told?). Quickly, he sussed the game was over, sold up, and split before he got busted. If only I had balls as big as his.........I should be hooking up jumper cables.

Jim Lahey: Because sometimes his pizza is not round........... He appears resolutely phlegmatic. Steven Wright with dough on his hands. I guess people like a laugh?

If there are folks you'd like to see get the Q&A treatment, let us know. Email adam@sliceny.com with your nomination.

Video: Pizza Plotter — Why?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:30:18 -0500

I had higher hopes for this video of the Pizza Plotter when I saw the headline "Print Your Own Pizza" on Hack a Day.

Looks like all it's doing is applying sauce — and way too much sauce at that. Call me when it prints crust, sauce, and cheese and then throws it in the oven. And then you could use the laser pizza cutter to slice it.

Poll: Leftover Pizza — Do You Eat It Cold or Reheat It?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:30:00 -0500

[Photograph: negligentoverseer on Flickr]

You might have some leftover pizza from your game-watching party last night. (How 'bout them Saints?!? Oh, yeah!) This week's Slice Poll question is: Do you eat your leftover pizza cold or reheat it?

Related: How to Really Reheat Pizza in a Skillet or on a Griddle »

Best Time to Order Your Pizza Today Is 60 to 90 Minutes Before Kickoff or Halftime

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:50:00 -0500

The Chicago-area pizzerias in this article all recommend calling an hour to 90 minutes ahead if you want your pizza for kickoff or halftime. Better decide what you want now and reach for the phone soon! See also: The Best Delivery Pepperoni Pizza »

Self-Slicing Pizza Decides How Large Your Slice Will Be

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:30:00 -0500

Interaction/industrial designer Matt Brown has come up with something really random and fun here. It's a self-slicing pizza. Instead of using one unbroken round of dough, Brown has cut up the dough into pieces and then worked them together in various overlapping patterns so that when you grab a "slice," the pizza decides how large (or small) it will be. It all depends on how the ~~tessellated~~ pieces were arranged with their neighboring bits.

This was Brown's first self-slicing pizza experiment. He says he'll toy with different patterns to see how it affects the pull-apart experience.

Related

Video: Laser Pizza Slicer »
How Long Would the Large Hadron Collider Take to Defrost a Pizza? »

'New Jersey Monthly' Searches for the Soul of Jersey Pizza

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:00:00 -0500

Al Santillo Jr. of Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza serves a couple customers at his pizzeria in Elizabeth. [Photograph: NJMonthly.com]

Great article in New Jersey Monthly in which author Laura Schenone searches for the soul of the Garden State's pizza:

My assignment was to search for the soul of New Jersey pizza. What is its essential nature? With thousands of pizza joints in the state, it's an impossible task. And yet, after much eating, driving, tasting, and talking to makers and experts, I came up with a few theories:
1. Pizza is highly subjective.
2. Our pizza roots run deep.
3. New Jersey pizza came into its own after 1945.
4. Techniques vary.

With 25 perfect pies, celebrity picks and the history of Trenton tomato pies.

From Serious Eats Talk: Pizzeria Recommendations in the Bay Area?

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:00:00 -0500

Over on Serious Eats Talk, MTorres650 asks: "I'm always looking for new pizza spots. I know of Applewood, Paxti's, Howies, Pizza my Heart...any other suggestions." Share your intel here »

This Week's Poll Results: What's the Best Way to Eat Pizza?

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0500

Folded — whether that meant the New York slice fold or the Neapolitan a libretto — made a strong showing at 30 percent with flat trailing by just a bit at 25 percent, but all of the above beat them all (including "cold" and "with knife and fork") with a 37 percent total. Which seems about right, since most of us take pizza in all its forms and adapt to eat it depending on its configuration.

NYC Quintessential: Ray's Pizza, Prince Street

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:45:00 -0500

[Photographs: Nick Solares]

Ray's Pizza

27 Prince Street, New York NY 10012 (Elizabeth/Mott; map)
Pizza Style: New York–style
Oven Type: Gas
The Skinny: As classical an example of New York City pizza as you will find. A well-balanced slice with a classic flavor
Price: Plain slices, $2.65; pies, $16

Ray's Pizza on Prince Street opened it doors in 1959. Although the word "original" does not appear in its name, there is a fairly broad consensus (if not a unanimous one) that it is in fact the first of the numerous Ray-named pizzerias in New York City.

"A Ray's on every corner" is the oft-repeated phrase that reflected the deluge of pizzerias using some permeation of the name Ray—Original Ray's, Famous Original Ray's, World Famous Ray's, Ray Bari, etc.—that sprang up in wake of the success of the Prince street location (henceforth referred to as Ray's for the purpose of this review). The whole business devolved into self-parody as the differing Ray's pizzas (some were chains, others single-store entities) tried to top each other with lawsuits and publicity stunts and by adding more cheese and thicker crusts to their recipes. In my view the last point is the most compelling argument in favor of the Prince Street location's claim. The pizza it sells is primal in its architecture. Whereas the others offer dense crusts with overly sweet sauces and mountains of cheese, the pizza Ray's serves is subtle and sleek by comparison.

Ray's was a barber shop before it was a pizzeria. The tile floor (bottom right) was there when the oven doors swung open in 1959.

Ray's remains a family-owned business. The recipes and the essential way of doing things has been handed down from pie man to pie man and generation to generation. It is an enduring institution in a neighborhood that has changed significantly, especially in the last decade.

The dough, like the sauce, is made in-house. You probably won't see the pie man throwing the dough in the air, a spectacle better suited to creating a theatrical mood than actually making better pizza. The dough releases a fresh, yeasty fragrance as it is worked from a ball into a large flat disk.

The sauce is mildly sweet but not at the expense of acidity—it adds a pleasing tang to the pie. The cheese is the classic low-moisture mozzarella that defines the typical New York slice. The cheese is added in sparing amounts.

Ray's gas oven runs at around 550°F; it is not the blast furnace of a coal- or wood-fired oven, and it won't blister and mottle the crust, but it is well suited for the density of the pie.

The crust is crisp, but it has some softness as well. It is a textural contrast that escapes many pizzas in New York, although it can get lost at Ray's on occasion if the slices have been sitting around too long. But fresh from the oven it is a perfectly balanced slice.

The cheese is well suited to the pie, not only by virtue of the creaminess that it imparts but also because it melts so perfectly. Quite unlike the "fresh" mozzarella found at many pizzerias that shrivels into desiccated slivers, the mozzarella here can get blistered while still remaining moist.

Putting aside the pies sold at the few remaining coal-oven spots like Patsy's in East Harlem and the elevated, fancy cheese combinations made by the likes of Di Fara, I don't think there is an everyday slice more quintessentially New York than the one sold at Ray's Pizza on Prince Street.

Totonno's Reopening Wednesday, February 10

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:30:47 -0500

[Photograph: Adam Kuban]

Our man Ed Levine just got off the phone with Totonno's owner Lawrence Ciminieri, who tells us that Totonno's is reopening next Wednesday, February 10 at noon.

Ciminieri says he himself will be making the pies that day.

We're confident that this is the real deal this time. Ciminieri says he will have the necessary permits in place, and that the pizzeria will be ready to go on Wednesday.

Pizza Girl: This IS the Industry

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:30:00 -0500

Every week, Pizza Girl (Diary of a Pizza Girl) stops by with insights and a behind-the-scenes look into the world of pizza-delivery drivers.

[Photograph: powerbooktrance on Flickr]

I really wanted to do something positive for my second post here because Slice is such a positive, happy pizza-land. But as I'm writing this I can't seem to find the writing groove on anything except the battle I'm in with my employer over wages. When Adam asked me to do these segments, it was so that I could be a voice that's inside the delivery industry. I've been researching, asking around, and discovering that this problem IS the industry. I find myself forced more and more to be that whistle-blower employee who calls out my employer (hereafter referred to as The Man) on deceptive practices.

Let's get a few things out of the way. I acknowledge that The Man's goal is to make the most profit and that one way to do this is to lower labor and that one way to do that is to pay drivers less. The Man balances this with the need to have quality employees (who are unlikely to be attracted to bottom-of-the-barrel wages). I have no problem with these things; I agreed to them when I decided to work here. At the same time, to maintain a reputation among the masses, there needs some sort of quality control on both product and process. The quality-control system that is in place is broken; It encourages managers to cheat in order to make pizzas appear as if they are getting to customers faster. I have some problem with that, but it's not my place to tell anyone how to run a business. I start to care when the broken system conspires with cost-cutting to cheat me out of the wages that I work hard for.
Recently the driver pay format was changed from a flat rate to a split rate, one rate—a higher one—while I'm "in-store" (as defined by not being checked out on a delivery) and another rate while I am out of store on a delivery (as defined by my being routed on a delivery in the computer).

In order to show lower delivery times, managers encourage in-store employees to check pizzas off of the make-line computer early (before the pizzas are in the oven) so that they show up as ready-to-be-routed more quickly. Drivers are encouraged to check out the pizzas before they are ready for delivery (sometimes they aren't even in the oven yet) so that the store's delivery time looks lower.

Imagine the Pizza Tracker (you know which one I'm talking about). The thing is partially timer, partially based on what is checked out where. Have you ever seen it go to "in the oven" much much more quickly than you think it would? (Especially when the quoted delivery time was an hour?) This is essentially the same concept.

The Man can't pretend that he doesn't know this is going on. Despite the fact that everyone is on their best behavior during inspections (we even got docked on our inspection for checking a pizza off the make-line early out of habit), I have worked at two different stores and under four different general managers. It's a reasonable assumption that it is prevalent at least districtwide, making it a de-facto policy.

Now that we have the split pay rate I am refusing to check out deliveries before they are ready. I have talked to my general managers about this, and they agree that they can't force me to do it. However, one manager has indicated that they are further cheating the system by rewarding drivers who agree to route deliveries early by allowing them to take deliveries while they are checked in and making the in-store rate, netting those drivers a higher paycheck. I would hope that it is clear to you the problem I have with this. The Man has essentially created an environment within the store that penalizes me for insisting that someone be accountable for what I get paid. I want to know exactly what I'm getting paid at all times and know that I am getting paid my proper rate.

There are two directions to go about solving this problem. The first and easiest would be to return drivers to the flat rate. The second would be to fix the system.

I don't know if what The Man is doing is illegal. It is certainly deceptive and immoral. I've debated at what point this is worth quitting over. I'll be taking this up with my district manager next week. I don't want to get anyone in trouble, the managers are working in a system that's beyond their control, but I can't do nothing.

Thoughts, tips, or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Slice: 'I'm Looking for a Particular Pizza Joint in Greenwich Village'

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0500

Reaching in to the Slice mailbag, we've got ...

Dear Adam,
Last time I was in New York I went into a pizzeria to look at the menu. I don't remember the name. I was hoping you could help me out if I give you a explanation of where I was.
I was eating at Kesté and after lunch walked down the street Kesté is on. On the right side a block before the Village, there was a wood-fired pizzeria. I think it had a number in its name. The inside had the oven separated from the restaurant, and there were a few tables in front of the oven. The smell of the pizzeria was exceptional. Do you know this restaurant?
I am a big follower of Slice, I own a pizzeria in Oberlin, Ohio, called Lorenzo's. Our pizza is baked in a pan and is a type that is typical of the Cleveland area. I cook wood-fired in my back yard and am a fan of Neapolitan pizza. Thanks for any help you can give me.
—Larry Cariglio

Your answer, Larry, after the jump.

[Photograph: Adam Kuban]

------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Larry,

This one's easy!

That would be No. 28.

So named because it's at 28 Carmine Street, New York NY 10014 (at Bleecker Street; map).

Enjoy!

Hasta la pizza,
Adam

View Larger Map

Now It Can Be Told: What 'Pizza Madness 2009' Was All About

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:10:00 -0500

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 hits newsstands on February 14. As commenters on the various blogs have wrongly assumed, however, Ms. Ray herself didn't do the bracketing — that was all Ed Levine and me.
And that's what all that crazy-ass traveling I did in late October was about. I did West Coast scouting and eating for the article, while Ed did Mid-Atlantic and South, and we had trusted pizza compatriots score parts of the Midwest and the South/Southwest.

I couldn't reveal what I was up to until the magazine made its announcement. And for now, it appears like the editors there have leaked the final four pizzerias to the media to generate some buzz. As you may have seen they are:

Motorino (Eastern Division)

Pizzeria Mozza (Western)

Pizzeria Bianco (South/Southwest)

Great Lake (Midwest)

Any info I could give about the winning pizzeria is embargoed. Sorry! You'll see it soon enough.

We're extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Ms. Ray and her team on this project. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience--getting to eat pizza on a crazy-ass road trip. For RR and her team, I hope they like the finished article. I have an advance PDF copy of the story sitting on my desk, and it looks beautiful.

Gadgets: Pizza Stick Pan from Williams-Sonoma

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0500

From Serious Eats

[Photographs: Williams-Sonoma]

More Gadgetry

Yogurt Maker by Waring Pro »
All Gadgets reviews »

All the pizza talk around here has really intensified now that the Super Bowl is coming, and I'm jumping in full force. Though I'm sure most of you know the benefits of using pizza stones for your homemade crusts (they suck out moisture giving you that awesome crunchy browning), I wanted to try a rather unconventional approach. Williams-Sonoma makes this crazy pizza stick pan ($24.99). Would it work well without a ceramic base or coating?

I made my dough and used the provided cutter to get it into the right shapes. This part worked like a charm—the edges aren't sharp so there's no danger in handing it to the kids, but it cuts through the dough with ease. Some sauce and toppings later, my pizza sticks went into the oven.
The results were mixed. The added surface area should have cooked my dough faster, but it took a few extra minutes to get it all done. When the sticks were done, they slid out of the trays easily. My dough was sturdy enough to hold a large number of toppings, and it wasn't soggy, but my fears were right on point—The sticks were not crisp.

Serious pizza lovers: This one might not be for you.

But as I thought about the quirky shape and its nonpizza applications, I had some ideas that may redeem it. First, I tried a graham cracker crust topped with marshmallows and chocolate—success! And garlic bread (or homemade hoagie rolls) might be other options for the cutter and wells here. Sure, these aren't exactly kitchen essentials, but the functions aren't limited to just one.

Previous Gaget Tests

Wilton Brownie Bites Mold »
The Original Muffin-Top Tin »
The Aebelskiver Pan »

Open Thread: What's on Your Grease-Addled Mind?

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:15:00 -0500

Got anything pizza-related you want to get off your chest? Have at it! »

Taste Test: 5 Frozen Pepperoni Pizzas

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:30:00 -0500

"Sadly, frozen pizza will never develop that primordial ooze that truly good pizza has."

[Photographs: Robyn Lee]

Brings to mind...

Dr. Oetker Frozen Pizza »
Totino's Party Pizza as "Pizzarito" »
Surreal '60s Pizza Roll Commercial »

With so many frozen pizza brands claiming to use higher-quality ingredients and "new recipe formulas," aiming to taste like, well, not frozen pizza, we decided to cruise the freezer aisle and load up the shopping cart to see if any of them were actually decent.

Not so surprisingly, this didn't win for most delicious and exciting taste test at Slice–Serious Eats headquarters. The frozen pizza fest was welcomed with many groans and grumbles and "are we done yets?" We persevered through five brands: DiGiorno, Red Baron, Freschetta PizzAmore, Tombstone, and the Whole Foods house brand.

It became clear that we were divided into two different camps: those of us who want frozen pizza to taste like frozen pizza (woo, sweet sauces and dry seasonings!) and those who consider it a cheaper or more convenient option than delivery or take-out but wish it could taste as good. We were split—what some considered the winners others could barely take a second nibble. So decide what kind of frozen pizza eater you are, then interpret our findings accordingly.
Follow @slice on Twitter »
Friend Slice on Facebook »

DiGiorno

[Photograph: Adam Kuban]
Crust: Too much. Too doughy. Too soft. Too thick and spongy. (And any other adjective that means "a huge beast of a wad to chew.") Cheese: "I see cheese, I feel cheese, but I don't taste cheese," one taster said. Pepperoni: While DiGiorno get points for a well-balanced pepperoni-per-slice distribution, it had an "eerie taste," one taster said. Hmm, pepperoni probably shouldn't frighten you. Sauce: Good sauce. Not too sweet.
Should You Buy It? If you're of the Frozen-Pizza-Should-Taste-Like-Frozen-Pizza crowd, then sure. It's not good, but if you're craving that bad-good-processed pizza taste, then embrace the DiGiorno.

Freschetta PizzAmore

Crust: Whew! Not another DiGiorno situation. Thinner crust but not cracker-thin. Good amount; not too doughy. "More pizza-y than bready," one taster said. Plus the whole pie gets a gravelly crunch with the sprinkling of breadcrumbs on top.
Cheese: Fine.
Pepperoni: Meatier than the others and on the thicker side. Tastes the most like pepperoni.
Sauce: Though a wee bit sweet, it "almost tastes like tomatoes in there," one taster said. (We're getting somewhere!)

Should You Buy It? If you want frozen pizza to taste as much like real pizza as possible. This was definitely better than the worst of our recent delivery pizzas (cough, Little Caesars). Plus it comes with a cool leakage tray, which you should absolutely use. This is an oozer.

Red Baron

Crust: No chewiness or crispness. Just a dense, tasteless cracker. The whole thing broke apart in the box—technically not Red Baron's fault (maybe we were reckless transporters, fine) but it's a testament to the brittleness.
Cheese: Hmm.
Pepperoni: "Very artificial-smoky tasting" and "dog-food-like," were two tasting notes. Bad pepperoni distribution (all piled in one massive heap!). Again, not Red Baron's fault, per se. As Adam will argue, the onus is on the pizza eater to evenly distribute toppings, but if we're already counting the strikes, let's just throw this one in there.
Sauce: Tastes like it's from a can, and not a lot of it (which is probably good).

Should You Buy It? Yes, if you're of the FPSTLFP! camp.

Already broken before oven time. A sad situation.

Tombstone

Crust: "Rim tasted like stale fried bread." Crackery and flat. No chewiness. No, thanks!
Cheese: Waxy.
Pepperoni: Meaty and not completely offensive. Could be spicier.
Sauce: Sweet. Way too sweet.

Should You Buy It? Both camps agreed no, no, no. But aww, it's tiny. If you have a soft spot for tiny food, keep that in mind.

Whole Foods

Crust: Crisp with a decent chew; not too thick. Nice as far as frozen pizza goes (but just decent in the larger scheme of pizza).
Cheese: Only instance where the cheese actually tasted like cheese!
Pepperoni: Artificial tasting. Aww, there was potential here.
Sauce: Very seasoned, as in the dry shakeable kind of seasonings, not real herbs. Hello, basil.

Should You Buy It? This actually wasn't wretched. But, shoot, there's got to be tastier options at Whole Foods?

Final Thoughts

Our stomachs don't feel too good. Grumble, groan, oy vey, urgghhhhh.

We initially went into this thinking, How bad could melted cheese on bread really be? Indeed it can be less than good, especially in mass no-human-should-be-subjected-to-this quantities. Sadly, frozen pizza will never develop that primordial ooze that truly good pizza has. But, hey, sometimes frozen pizza has its place, and for many of us, it's bad-good in the same way McDonald's or Kraft Singles can be.

See also: Taste Test: Delivery Pepperoni Pizza

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NYC: Job Openings at Scott's Pizza Tours!

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:00 -0500

[Photograph: Scott's Pizza Tours]

Another jobs-related post. And this one is really awesome. Scott Wiener of Scott's Pizza Tours is looking to hire additional pizza tour guides. This sounds REALLY FUN. Not only do you get to share your love of pizza and NYC with people eager to listen to you blab, I'd imagine you get to eat pizza at the various stops, too. Here's Scott's ad from Craigslist:

New York Pizza Tours, Inc. is now hiring licensed guides to conduct tours of New York's vast pizza landscape. Share your love of pizza and NYC with locals and visitors from around the globe!
Must be ENERGETIC, PERSONABLE, RESPONSIBLE and HUNGRY!
We're not looking for somebody to read a script. While we will train you in the style and flow of our tours, we would rather you have your own angle on the subject matter. Knowledge of pizzerias is a definite plus.
New York Pizza Tours, Inc currently conducts one of the Top 10 Tours in the US according to TripAdvisor.com. Please visit www.scottspizzatours.com to learn more.
To apply, please email a short cover letter and resume (both pasted in body of email, NOT attached!) and change the SUBJECT line to the name and location of your favorite pizzeria (ex., Pizza 2000 - Newark, NJ).

Reply to: job-hhbcg-1572230009@craigslist.org

Surely at least a couple of you pizza obsessives out there would qualify.

NYC: Job Openings at Nate Appleman's Pulino's Bar & Pizza

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:30:00 -0500

NBC New York has dug up floor plans of Pulino's, should that type of thing excite you. [Plans: NBC New York]

First, I will once again say that they have the name bass-ackward, but there is some news coming from Pulino's Bar & Pizza helmsman Nate Appleman. The guy tweeted this last night:

Hiring: cooks, pizza makers, prep, dishwashers. Anyone interested please send resumes to [nappleman@pulinosny.com]

(Note that the correct email address is listed above; Appleman tweeted an incorrect address in the original tweet.)

Polish up those interviewing skills!

San Francisco: Flour + Water's Jon Darsky Going Solo

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:00:42 -0500

Pizza-maker Jon Darsky has split amicably from Flour + Water in hopes of opening a WFO place of his own. From Tablehopper:

Darsky, a New Yorker whose background also includes Pizzaiolo and Pizzeria Delfina, is currently scouting neighborhoods where he can open a pizzeria with a wood oven, turning out Neapolitan-style pies made with American ingredients. (The dough-obsessed Darsky is proud to use American flour.) He would also like to offer sandwiches during the day, made on fresh-baked bread.

[via Grub Street SF]

Chicago: Pizza Lunch Feast at A Mano

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:15:00 -0500

Serious Eats Chicago contributor Daniel Zemans checks in with another piece of intel on the Windy City pizza scene. —The Mgmt.

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

A Mano

335 N. Dearborn, Chicago IL 60654 (map); 312-629-3500; amanochicago.com
Getting There: Brown Line to Merchandise or Red Line to State/Lake or Grand
Pizza Style: Thin crust
Oven Type: Wood
The Skinny: Very good pies with great crust at excellent prices could use a boost in toppings and sauce but are a great lunch option Downtown
Price: Pizzas are $12.50 most nights; $5 Thursday nights; $11.95 lunch deal includes pizza, antipasti, and gelato

Next to Bertrand Goldberg's Marina City, the two large corn cob–looking structures that were once the largest residential buildings in the world and remain among some of Chicago's most recognizable buildings, sits Bin 36, a 10-year-old Italian restaurant and wine bar that continues to win high praise. Three years ago, the trio behind Bin 36, owner Dan Sachs, chef John Caputo, and wine man Brian Duncan, opened A Mano underneath Bin 36, a smaller casual rustic Italian restaurant.
Michael Nagrant wrote a little about A Mano a while back on Serious Eats, but that was before a burst pipe in 2009 destroyed the floor and gave the team a chance to reconfigure its menu. Fortunately, the wood-burning oven remains and still pumps out some very satisfying pies. While I went to A Mano for the pizza, I would have been a fool not to drop the additional $2 for unlimited trips to the antipasti bar and a scoop of the house-made gelato, a lunchtime special available Monday through Friday.

Up first was a trip to the antipasti bar, which sits on the edge of the open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. I was able to restrain myself to one trip and only got to try about 5 of the dozen or so items. The highlight was the nice mix of olives which got an added burst of flavor from the fennel seeds mixed in with the oil. I was also a fan of the salami fritatta, which was unfortunately the only antipasti offered that included meat. On the other end of the spectrum was the tomato soup that was too thin to be served with no vegetables in it, a flaw that ultimately did not matter thanks to the metallic taste that stopped me from eating more than a couple of spoonfuls.

There are only four pizzas on the menu and we bypassed the buffalo mozzarella pie and the Margherita for the two meaty options. Up first was the A Mano Fennel Sausage which came with fingerling potatoes and arugula along with the housemade meat. The soft hunks of sausage were rich and full of fennel and the potatoes were cooked perfectly if a bit sparsely applied. The arugula was a nice addition but was severely damaged by an overabundance of salt - large salt crystals were visible on the greens. The sauce was applied with so light a touch that it was imperceptible.

The second pizza was the soppressata, which also included spicy peppers. Like the sausage pie, this one suffered from insufficient quantity of toppings and a sauce that seemed to exist for decoration only. The soppressata, which was very good, was the most thinly sliced I've ever had on a pizza. Between the meat and the peppers, this pie did have some nice kick to it.

While the toppings get a few complaints, I can't say a bad word about the crusts on either pie. Both had a nice crisp shell, but retained enough chewiness that a nice little tug was needed to separate each bite from the rest of the pie. The soppressata crust (not pictured) had a bit of extra char, but not so much that any bitterness was noticeable.

Both crusts had the feel and taste of a good rustic loaf of Italian bread. The bottom crust is thicker than a Neapolitan and easily held up the limited toppings and cheese. The end crust had a beautiful hole structure; actually one of the best I've seen in a while.

The final course was a small scoop of housemade gelato, which is among the best in town. I was tempted by the caramel with sea salt and the blood orange sorbet, but settled on the chocolate hazelnut. The serving was small, but at the price there's no room for complaining.

Chicago's Loop is surprisingly weak on good, reasonably priced lunch options. While most people understandably don't want to drop $12 on a lunch, this deal at A Mano definitely ranks among the better lunchtime deals. That's particularly true when you take into account that most people will finish with half a pizza or so to take home for a second meal. For people who only want the pizzas, an even better deal awaits on Thursday nights when all four pies are sold for $5 each.

Related

Is Chicago's La Madia a Pizzeria or Restaurant? Who Cares? »
A Mano: In Good Hands »

Vinnie's Pizza: Hawaii 5-0 Slice

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:29:21 -0500

I'm back in Williamsburg on Tuesday nights once again for league bowling. I'm between games now as I write this, blogging my between-games pizza dinner.

Vinnie's Pizza in Williamsburg always has some wacko special each night. Tonight's was the Hawaii 5-0 slice. Ham, pineapple, and fresh (supposedly) oregano. Not great but not horrible. Crust is OK. All crisp, no chew — likely the result of sitting for a while and then getting the reheat.

I toyed with the idea of eating the Vinnie's special slice each Tuesday and blabbing about it here, but I don't know if that would serve much of a purpose. Anyway, here's the upskirt:

BTW, this is the place with the somewhat-internet-famous T.HANKS trash can.

Mamma Mia

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:30:00 -0500

Girl Slice IM'd me this link. Here's an excerpt from an item on Postcards from Yo Momma:

mom: What are you doing today/tonight?
me: I am going to emily's for domino's night
mom: Are you playing regular old dominoes?
me: no, we're ordering regular old domino's PIZZA...

Brings to mind: Taste Test: Delivery Pepperoni Pizza

Dear Slice: Is Paulie Gee's Place Open Yet?

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:45:36 -0500

Reaching in to the Slice mailbag, we've got ...

Dear Slice,
As the go-to guy on everything pizza-related among my friends, I've been bombarded recently with questions from northwest-Brooklynites and southeast-Queensians about how much longer it is until Paulie Gee actually opens his doors. Slice has been silent on the matter for a bit; do you have any inside info?
Thanks, and keep fighting the good fight.
—Ben
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Ben,

All I've gotten from Paulie is "soon, Slicemeister, soon."

He hasn't put an official opening date out yet, but he promises Slice will be first to know, which means you will be a close second to know!

Hasta la pizza,
Adam

PS: If Paulie is reading (and you know he is), care to answer, Gee Man?

Motorino Sells Dough for $5 a Pop

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:20:39 -0500

From a Chowhound thread:

Turns out the answer is yes, $5/ball and they will even give you cooking instructions. Aren't they nice!

Of course, then talk turns to the fact that most people won't have the oven to achieve the hot, hot proppa results. [via Eater]

Dear Internet: These Awesome Cool Motorcycle-Inspired Pizza Cutters Are the Work of Artist FRANKIE FLOOD

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:15:49 -0500

[Photographs: Frankie Flood]

Dear Internet,

Yes, Slice has seen these awesomely cool pizza cutters. You can stop sending us the link now.

Since so many of the oh-neat-look-at-this/design blogs out there fail to credit the man who made them, let us just say for the record that they were created by artist FRANKIE FLOOD, who, according to his website is "an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where he teaches in Foundations and is currently co-area head in Jewelry & Metalsmithing at UWM."

That is all. Carry on.

How to Wrap and Store Cheese

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:30:00 -0500

From Serious Eats

Here's how to store your cheddar collection. [Photograph: steve p2008 on Flickr]

More Cheese

10 Things That Make a Great Cheese Shop »
All About Cheese Knives »
All Serious Cheese coverage »

I've had a number of SE'ers here ask for my advice on storing cheese, and luckily it's not too hard to keep your cheese happy until it's consumed. I've got a particular wrapping technique for cheese storage that I hope everyone will find useful.

When I worked as a cheesemonger, we always advised our customers never to store their cheeses in direct contact with plastic, and not to wrap them too tightly. There's some science behind this, as kitchen scientist extraordinaire Harold McGee writes in his indispensable kitchen reference, On Food and Cooking. There are, McGee says, three essential reasons to avoid tight plastic wrap. First, any kind of tight wrapping will promote the growth of bacteria, including those not native to the cheese, which can cause food-safety issues or off flavors. Second, tight wrapping prevents the dissipation of natural off odors, like ammonia, which is produced by bacteria native to the cheese. Finally, cheese, being mostly oil and fat, is able to absorb flavors and chemicals from the plastic, which you definitely don't want.

So what's a better alternative? At Cowgirl Creamery, we sold cheese wrapped in waxed paper, which I recommend, as does McGee. If you're worried about your cheese drying out, you can then wrap it loosely in plastic wrap or place it in a plastic bag that's not fully sealed, but remember to leave a way for ammonia and other unpleasant chemicals to dissipate. Here's a pictorial guide I put together on what I consider cheese-wrapping best practice.
How to Wrap and Store Cheese

[Photographs: Jake Lahne]

Say you've bought an excellent cheese—in this case Moonglo, a lovely washed-rind goat's cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm that, for some reason, the shop has seen fit to wrap completely inappropriately. You've got to deal with that.

You're going to need a piece of waxed paper, a piece of cheese, a roll of scotch or masking tape, and, possibly, a small plastic bag. The waxed paper should be a rectangle about twice as wide as your cheese wedge is long; the length should be 3 to 4 times that measurement. This is not an exact science, so don't stress out about it too much.

Place your cheese on the paper about two-thirds of the way up. Place the cheese cut-side down on the paper, so that the sharp, narrow end faces right and the thick, blunt end faces left. Unless your cheese wedge is from an exceptionally large wheel, it should have rind on at least one of the top or bottom sides.

Pull the bottom right-hand corner of your waxed paper up over the piece of cheese so that it pulls tightly against the bottom of the cheese and lays flat across the top.

Still holding the paper tightly over the cheese, pull the right-hand side of the paper over to the left, forming a tight crease over the pointy end of the cheese (on the right side). Use a small piece of tape over the side you just folded over to secure the first two folds.

At the top of the cheese there is now a double sheet of paper kind of flopping over. Take that piece and crease it sharply over the top side of the cheese, so that it runs flat along the top of the cheese and then meets and runs flat with the paper that is underneath the cheese.

Fold the now-triple piece of paper at the top of the cheese back over the cheese, and secure it with a piece of tape. Your cheese should now be starting to look something like a culinary Christo piece.

The only loose flaps of paper should be those sticking out over the blunt end of the cheese. Just like you're wrapping a birthday present, fold two corners in, and the other two corners over them, and secure the whole mess with another piece of tape. Hey! Your cheese is wrapped. Sweet.

If you're at all worried about the cheese drying out, stick the whole thing in a plastic bag, but don't seal it or seal it only part of the way.

Your cheese, wrapped this way, should be good for 5 to 8 days. But, if you're anything like me, it won't have to last.

Pizza Madness on the Central Coast

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:00:00 -0500

[Photographs: LA Pizza Maven]

In the last six months or so, I've had the now nearly routine pleasure of eating my share of great pies here out West. In San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area, north, east, and south, great pizza is readily available—although at certain times and in certain places a wait may be involved. Whether you're at Tony's Pizza Napoletana in North Beach, A16 in the Marina, Pizzaiolo in Oakland, Pizzeria Picco in Larkspur, or Howie's Artisan in Palo Alto, I'm confident you and I could order any of a number of pies and be unequivocally, perfectly happy pizza fanatics. Even here in LA I have the enviable option of scoring a serious pie high from Pizzeria Mozza and Antica.

Sorry, but that ain't quite good enough! I am quite regularly tortured by a slice craving. OK, a three-slice craving. In service of this pizza jones I have been doing something I once disdained; over the last month or so, I've been seeking out and trying assorted pizzamongers in my quest of the elusive perfect—or at least damn good—slice. And believe it or not, I've actually been on a decent streak of good luck—I mean, good pizza.
Beginning in the 1990s, I took road trips up to the Bay Area a couple of times a year. The Central Coast, and Pismo Beach in particular, became a natural, halfway pit stop for food and fuel. On one trip, I noticed an inviting Italian deli and pizzeria (the name of which escapes me). I stopped in and ordered a couple of slices, one margherita and one sausage, and an arugala and gorgonzola salad. The area, known for its quality produce for decades has, in recent years, become a rising star of wine grape production. Well, the local vegetables made for an absolutely fresh and fragrant salad. But the pizza knocked me off my feet. I simply was not prepared for a great slice halfway between SF and LA. Although the crust was thicker than I generally favor, it had an airy hole structure and was crisp and chewy enough to seriously capture my attention. Keep in mind, this was before the pizza revolution had begun. At that time there was no pizza out West that I can honestly say I looked forward to eating. Needless to say, I anxiously looked forward to my biannual visits to this rural pizza oasis, nestled along the Pacific Coast, in the middle of California farm country.

Well, you can imagine how crushed I was when on one trip, 8 or nine years later, I noticed the crust had become noticeably thicker and noticeably less crisp. I asked what had happened but the people working there claimed to have no idea what I was talking about. No doubt my questions and evident anxiety must have struck them as quite odd. Maybe they thought I was having an acid flashback and was "out of it," just ramblin' on about the pizza.

Now, a few more years have passed and this little deli has been replaced by a hot dog or taco stand, I forget. But the good news is that it has reopened down the street (the main drag in Pismo is Price Street) as Giuseppe's Express, an outpost of a nearby full service Italian restaurant, Giuseppe's. I excitedly ordered 2 slices, a thick crust Margherita and a pepperoni slice. The thin wasn't available at that moment. The accompanying fotos reveal slices with nicely blistered corniciones, some charring on the bottom, slices of local Roma tomatoes and a few leaves of basil atop the mozz, and spicy pepperoni. My first bite crunched into the margherita slice, and I was rewarded with a burst of hot, simple flavors. Although the humble Margherita has been the object of a growing backlash, of sorts, (harrrrummphh!) around Slice, this was one tasty triangle. My post-pizza bliss not only carried me all the way to SF, it inspired me to finally try Giuseppe's Cucina Italia on the way back.

Three days later I drove back into Pismo Beach and headed straight to Giuseppe's. If the pizzeria could produce such quality slices, what might the restaurant be capable of? If first impressions mean anything, I walked in, found a table and looked across the reataurant, only to see a lovely wood burning oven staring back at me. Oh yeah!

I place primary importance on crust quality in evaluating pizza, and the house made bread's chewy, rustic quality inflated my hopes for the pies. Let's face it, anyone can buy the best meats, cheeses and other choice toppings, but an excellent crust can't be bought. The Diavolo pizza was every bit as spicy as the name suggests. Organic, spicy Tuscan salami, Gaeta olives, house marinated peppers and a creamy mozzarella. Perhaps a bit too oily but unequivocally delicious. And the crust, well blistered, crisp outside and yielding to a soft inner core, held firm enough to carry the weight of the toppings. I couldn't get enough of the pie but I restrained myself because I had to keep room for the 2nd pie, the Sao Paolo, with homemade sausage, onions and mushrooms. As I was dazed from the picante pizza, I inadvertently forgot to delete the mushrooms from the next pie. I'm not a fanatic for mushrooms on pizza and, in this case, as usual in my experience, their moisture overwhelmed the crust. The mushrooms' flavor seemed to even overpower the sausage, which was quite flavorful.

Yes, I've definitely been on a pizza roll. The die have been tossed and they've come up seven twice. Two strong choices for a lunch time pizza break in the midst of California's rolling green hills and blue Pacific. Did I hear someone say road trip? Gas up the car and pass the grated Parmesan.

Quote of the Day: Hiyoooo!*

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:15:27 -0500

"...Imo's is to pizza like Skyline is to chili." —evilangela on Reddit *