Slice

My Pie Monday: 'Cherry Jones', Scotch, Pickles, and More!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:15:00 -0500

VIEW SLIDESHOW: My Pie Monday: 'Cherry Jones', Scotch, Pickles, and More!

We have a mighty fine My Pie Monday here! Included in today's mouthwatering dozen is the last Top This recipe, Paulie Gee's "Cherry Jones", as done by dmcavanagh. Girl Loves Pizza dove into pickle territory a la dhorst, and also getting into unconventional topping territory, a scotch whiskey splashed pie from jimmyg. A warm Slice welcome to pizzamaking.com member CTMike, whose first time submission is in the mix. More incredible looking pies come from: Norma427, amusebouche1, forzapizza, billgraney, TxCraig1, Imwalkin, and paralleli!

If you make pizza at home, join us for next week's My Pie Monday!

Just take one snapshot of your homemade pizza, describe your cooking method (briefly!), and follow these instructions to get it to Slice HQ by 8pm EST on Thursday night. Be sure to let us know your Slice/Serious Eats screen name!

Want to see more awesome homemade pizza photos from previous weeks? They're right here »

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Daily Slice: Bacon, Brussel Sprout, and Baked Egg Flatbread at Slow Club in San Francisco

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.

[Photographs: David Kover]

Slow Club's grilled flatbread* varies by season and by meal. Sometimes you get sausage, other times apples and sage. When I visited for brunch, it was sheep milk mozzarella, bacon, shaved brussel sprouts, caramelized onion, and a baked egg.

My dining companion accurately labeled the crust on this flatbread as resembling pita, though it had some crunchy edges. It worked as a utensil for delivering the caramelized cheese and other toppings to one's mouth.

I wanted more brussel sprouts, and more moisture at the center of my egg, but you won't find me complaining about melted cheese, smoky-salty cured pork, and sweet onions during brunchtime.

Slow Club

2501 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 (map)
415-241-9390; slowclub.com

*I've been intent on exploring San Francisco flatbreads recently. Some turn out to be pizza by another name. Others, like this one, maybe less so.

Poll: Cornmeal on Pizza Crust, Way or No Way?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:45:00 -0500

[Photograph: Meredith Smith]

Cornmeal makes its way onto the bottom of a number of pies. In the case of chain pizzas, the use of cornmeal makes the pizzas more foolproof so that there isn't as much skill required on the part of the employee. The ball bearing action of the course meal can make getting the pie from peel to pizza stone a much more successful affair at home. And there are styles where cornmeal is just part of the formula, like some of the best Chicago deep dish pizzas out there. The added texture and extra crunch on a thin slice can be part of the pizza's appeal. But adherents to the Neapolitan tradition would certainly frown on using anything other than flour to dust there pies.

Where do you stand when it comes to cornmeal on your slice?

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Comic: Pizza Bagel Quartet

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 -0500

[Image via marriedtothesea.com]

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Nunzio's, a Classic Slice on Staten Island

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Almost every time I'm on Staten Island, I pop into Nunzio's for a slice. And while I wait for the quick reheat I always stare at the photo above. It's from when Nunzio's was in SI's South Beach neighborhood, before it moved to Grant City, along Hylan Boulevard.

Nunzio's today is an uninspiring-looking beige stucco blok of a building with almost no character whatsoever. But, you know what? Who cares? The pizza there is great.

I've read online reviews and have even heard people mention that they think Nunzio's has slipped. Ladies and gents, that's just not the case. The most recent slice I had is identical to all the to-go slices I've had there over the years.

A minimally beautiful little slice. Life rafts of mozzarella float atop a bright-red sea of fresh-tasting, chunky sauce—it's little more than crushed canned tomatoes, some salt, and a some basil. The crust is crisp and pliant and thin. You'll probably want a couple.

I prefer the take-out counter to a sit-down pizza here. It's always seemed that the sit-down pies have more cheese than the take-out silces, throwing off the crust-sauce-cheese balance. Plus, the dining room lacks any kind of ambiance. It's not new and hip, nor does it have old-school charm. It's just very ... beige.

This longtime Staten Island favorite is located in an area that Jeff Orlick calls the Pizza Capital of the World. Maybe something nearby can sate the Nunzio's naysayers. All I'll say is that if the place has indeed slipped, I'd kill to have tasted it in better days. Because it is pretty great right now.

Nunzio's

2155 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island NY 10306 (at Midland Ave.; map)
718-667-9647

About the author: Adam Kuban is the founder of Slice, where he has been blogging about pizza for more than 8 years. You can follow him as @akuban on Twitter.

The $10,010 Pizza Hut Proposal Package

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:30:00 -0500

[Image via Pizza Hut]

Oh, Pizza Hut, you finally have the answer to every girl's proposal fantasy! Check out this deal. Not only do you get a RUBY ring, limo, fireworks, flowers, a videographer and photographer to capture the magic, but you also get the NEW Pizza Hut Dinner Box, all for just $10,000. Wait, sorry, that actually doesn't include the Dinner Box. That'll be $10 extra. But if that doesn't say "Baby, let's do this thing!" then I don't know what does.

The fine print is the best part on this thing. Only 10 available—VERY exclusive. Must be purchased by 2/14/12, but you can get a full refund if not used by 3/31/12. Did someone say AmEX points? And only one per customer; polygamist need not apply.

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Toaster Pizza: A Retrospective

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:15:00 -0500

[Photograph: Marks & Spencer via Metro

Earlier this week there was a new product release from the British department store Marks & Spencer: Toaster Pizza! When I first saw the announcement, it seemed worthy of a mention; finally a product that would solve pizza's lack of toaster compatibility. The heat resistant sleeve protects the pizza and the heating elements. Just how many lubricated minds have attempted to revitalize cold pizza in a toaster without this? The sideways toaster method seems like a reasonable solution.

[Photographs: Flickr Patosohn]

In looking for photographic proof of all the toasters that must have fallen victim to this reheat scheme, I turned up a number of food stuffs over the decades that have attempted to marry the two. Having been raised in the era of the microwave, I missed out on these toaster treats. It seems that almost every major food manufacturer had a version. Here's Nabisco's...

[Photograph: grickily]

I like that this one is so bold with the cheese exposure. How did that not cause a total meltdown? There is no indication that toaster sleeve technology was employed here. Other brands like Kellogg's went the Hot Pocket route. This seems like a safer bet for keeping the coils and wires cheese free, but if my extensive middle school research taught me anything, it was the high probability that frozen pastry pockets would inevitably leak. These look more like pizza Pop Tarts, but I think the sauce and cheese would cause them to preform more like a Hot Pocket when heated, producing some innard ooze. I have seen modern day versions of these from Amy's. But having missed out on the versions from the 60s and 70s, I can't say if the are a huge improvement.

Threads on pizzamaking.com and chowhound generated a lot of enthusiasm for Buitoni Tosterinos.

[Photograph: John666Steele on Flickr]

This one seems particularly ambitious. Not only are they going for the toaster angle, but Buitoni really pushed the envelope with the pizza burger angle. It doesn't work now and I'm sure it didn't work then, but clearly a multi-decade American dream.

For those whose reheating supplies don't include a stove and a cast-iron skillet (for the best re-heat method ever), or a toaster oven (I just can't believe anyone is without both) then maybe the Marks & Spencer method holds some appeal. In which case you can just slip your favorite leftover slice into a reusable Toastabag. Just don't be like this dude:

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Emeryville, California: Rotten City Pizza

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0500

[Photographs: David Kover]

Rotten City Pizza

6613 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608 (map); 510-655-CITY; rottencitypizza.com
Pizza style: New York
Oven type: Gas
The skinny: These pies have potential, but were undone on our visit by a crust that went soggy
Price: Pies, $22-$27

For most San Franciscans, Emeryville is known as the local home of IKEA, or possibly as the headquarters of Pixar. Well, purchasers of laminate furniture—and probably Buzz Lightyear too—need sustenance. While IKEA does serve pizza, we found ourselves more motivated to check out the offerings at Rotten City Pizza. Not just because it seemed a more likely option for a slice that would satisfy, but also because local mobile pizza entrepreneur Casey Crynes credits Rotten City as playing a small role in the development of his pizza skills.

Rotten City Pizza actually sits a couple miles away from IKEA and the mallscape that surrounds it, in a rather quieter part of town. As the traditional gas deck ovens behind the counter and the Times Square subway sign above the entrance indicate, they specialize in slices of New York-style pizza. You can get a whole pie, but plan to take it out. The restaurant has no tables, only a narrow counter along the wall that's too shallow to comfortably support a whole pizza box (we tried). The kitchen space, where Crynes worked a few shifts in order to refine his dough-stretching technique, takes up more than half the restaurant space.

At Rotten City, the basic plain slice comes with tomato sauce and a blend of shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese, but when we stopped by for a late lunch, it appeared that many of the slices had spent a bit too long in the display case. We wanted to try Rotten City at its best and so made the majority of our meal from a fresh pie, going halvsies so we could get a broader sample of their wares.

On one side of our pie, we upped the ante from the traditional slice by ordering a Margherita, with fresh mozzarella instead of their standard cheese blend. This pie showed off the fact that Rotten City uses better-quality ingredients than your standard small-city pizzeria. They sure don't skimp on quantity of ingredients either. Our sizable pie had been generously covered in a layer of thick tomato sauce. The flavor of the tomato, spiked with garlic, dominated things. It had plenty of oomph, though became just a touch overwhelming by the end of a few slices.

For the second half of our pie, we ordered Rotten City's Calabrian pizza—housemade sausage, Gaeta olives, and Calabrian chilies. They augment the flavors of the nice sausage by sprinkling the pie with roasted fennel seeds. Boosted by the heat from the chilies, it all came together really well. Only olive haters should steer clear of this pie, as sections of briny fruit do dominate certain bites.

Though ordering a single pie limited our explorations at Rotten City, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't at least describe their Bianco Verde, with mozzarella, ricotta, and a concentric swirl of arugula pesto that tried to hypnotize me from the display case. Another pie, the Acciughe, bears mention because it sounds as if each topping tries to overpower the next. With red onions, chilies, anchovies, and ricotta salata, it's hard to imagine that the marjoram they also toss on this pie gets noticed at all.

The end-crust on Rotten City's pizzas stays crisp throughout. However, the lightly-charred bottom crust, which starts life pliant and foldable, had been stretched extra-thin, resulting in a very short shelf life. After only one slice, the more lightly-topped Calabrian side of the pie had gone limp. Meanwhile, the heavily-sauced Margherita had practically liquified, leaving the tip of the slices to slough off when we picked them up. I shudder to imagine what that crust might have looked like if we'd tried to take it home in the box.

With a creative approach to topping New York-style slices, and a clear interest in producing quality pies, I can find lots of things to like about Rotten City Pizza. If our visit was representative, the calculus seems to be about arriving at the just-right moment to receive a slice from a freshly-baked pie as it exits the oven.

About the author: David Kover is a San Francisco-based freelance writer and food enthusiast. He's willing to try any pizza topping combo at least once, even if it doesn't always leave him with a happy stomach. Follow him on Twitter (@pizzakover).

The Vegan Experience Day 25: Can Vegans Still Enjoy Pizza?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:30:00 -0500

From Serious Eats

Note: For the four weeks between January 14th and February 11th, I'm adopting a completely vegan lifestyle. Every weekday I'll be updating my progress with a diary entry and a recipe. For past posts, check here!

Paulie Gee's Red White and Greenpeace. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Days 25: Tuesday

Breakfast: Tostada with beans and avocado.
Lunch: Spinach, potato, and caper empanada, black beans and rice.
Dinner: A few vegan pies at Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint.

In my Vegan Experience entry from a couple days ago, I drew a conceptual map charting my cravings. Along the bottom axis was how badly I wanted to eat something, and along the left axis was how meaty that thing was. In the far bottom right corner, at maximum crave and minimum meatiness level was one single word: pizza.

The word means many things to many people, but for most of us, the very first thing that comes to mind is a round disk of flat bread, baked at very high temperatures so that it achieves a crisp, lightly charred outer crust and a soft, pillowy, pliant crumb, topped with a sauce of minimally seasoned crushed tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and perhaps a bit of basil.

But the real question: can vegans still enjoy great pizza?

I've thought long and hard about this question and come to a couple of conclusions. The first, and most important, is that yes, indeed vegans can enjoy pizza every bit as tasty and satisfying as a non-vegan pizza. However, not all styles of pizza can be made in a satisfactory matter.

The key to great vegan pizza? It's exactly the same as the key to great cheesy pizza: it comes down to the pieman's craft, the tools being used, and the quality of the individual components, the most important of which is the crust.

When I asked Ed, he nailed it right on the head:

Can vegans still enjoy pizza? Yes, but it depends exclusively on the pizzaiola's skill and the ingredients being used. A great Marinara pizza (made at places at Una Pizza Napoletana in SF, Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. and Motorino in NYC), which has no cheese, is a wonder to behold and a treat to eat. Ditto for a great slice of pizza bianco, made in NY at Sullivan Street Bakery and at Grandaisy, which also has no cheese, but gets plenty of flavor from the rosemary, sea salt, and olive oil that go into it.

Some of the greatest pizzas I've had in my life—the pizza bianca at Forno Campo de'Fiori (here's how to make your own version at home), the marinara pie from Motorino, the Red, White, and Greenpeace from Paulie Gee's—have been 100% vegan, and I loved them without even thinking to myself that I was avoiding meat and dairy at the time.

What did all these pizzas have in common? Perfect crust and great ingredients, skillfully manipulated by a master craftsman.

When flour, water, salt, and yeast come together in the hands of a craftsman and get manipulated into perfectly bubbly, crisp, charred pizza crust topped well-balanced fresh, bright, flavorful vegetables, it's one of the most perfect foods out there.

What About The Cheese?

I can hear you skeptics now: What about the cheese?

Well? What about it? I'm a firm believer in the idea that great pizza is defined by the quality of its crust, not by its toppings, and as such, by my personal standards of judgment, perfectly satisfying pizza can exist in a completely cheese-free realm.

That's great, you're saying, but don't you sometimes just crave that fatty, gooey, cheesy, greasy stretch? The answer is of course. Sometimes.

I stand by my assertion that cheese doesn't make or break a pie under certain circumstances—the skilled craftsman circumstances—but yes, there are certain styles of pizza that absolutely require cheese. Ed went on to say, "but ordering a vegan slice with no cheese at a regular NYC slice place is a very bad idea," and again, he's right.

That style of pizza—from the middle-of-the-road corner slice down to the frozen snack variety—needs the cheese to come together in a satisfyingly greasy, filling way.

A vegan pie with mushrooms, red onions, olives, and Daiya cheese.

The good news: there are a number of vegan cheese options out there made from soy milk or or other nuts.

The bad news: none of them come close to the real thing. Most vegan melting cheeses are abysmal. Grainy or bland, with poor melting characteristics, they may look vaguely like cheese, but they taste of sadness and sawdust.

At Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint, an entire section of the menu is devoted to vegan pizzas (go Paulie!). The cheesy options are made with Daiya, the king of vegan cheeses, prized for its realistic melting characteristics and "cheesy" flavor. And indeed, the stuff does melt, though it's more in a Velveeta-esque manner than actual stretchy mozzarella.

It's the flavor that's terrible though. It tastes like the worst kind of American cheese with no freshness, no complexity, simply salt and fat. If you're really desperate for a cheese fix, it might vaguely satisfy you, but I cannot see myself ever wanting to let it pass my lips again, confirming my thought that when it comes to faux meat or dairy products, you can't help but compare it to the real thing, and in that comparison, the faux product comes up woefully short.

My advice? Forget about the cheese, and forget about eating the type of pizza that requires cheese to be good (hey, nobody said being vegan would be easy!). Instead, focus on what does work. If you take the time to search out the best of the best, you'll be rewarded.

For instance, the last pie I had at Paulie's, a simple marinara pie with extra garlic, basil, and a drizzle of aleppo chili oil was simply phenomenal. Bright, fresh, acidic tomatoes, garlic sweetened by a trip to the pizza oven, a nice smoky char on the intensely flavorful crust, a whiff of basil, a touch of heat, and plenty of richness from the chili oil.

As A Vegan, The Average Pizza Will Be Better

An omnivore has a wide range of pizza options, mostly falling into the middle-to-low-end category. A vegan, on the other hand, has two options: excellent cheese-less pizza made by a craftsman, or poor pizza made with vegan cheese or no cheese at all.

As an omnivore, I spent a lot of time eating that mediocre pizza just walking down the street—either in the name of research or in the name of drunk-food—because it was an easy option. That won't happen as a vegan.

So while the total amount of pizza I consume may drop considerably, I can guarantee you that the average quality of the pizza I eat is going to go way up, for as a vegan, I won't fall into the trap of eating any pizza that's short of extraordinary.

By the way, I was dining at Paulie Gee's with my mom and my wife. At the end of the meal, guess which pies had the least leftover slices? That would be the two cheeseless, vegan pies.

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Managing Editor of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

Giuseppina's: Is it Lucali East?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:45:00 -0500

[Photographs: Michael Berman]

Giuseppina's

691 Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (map); 718-499-5052
Pizza Style: Charred, thin crust New York pizza, whole pies only, top shelf ingredients.
The Skinny: 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.
Price: Plain pie, $22; toppings $3 each except artichoke topping is $8; garlic and basil, free.
Notes: Dinner only. Closed Tuesdays. Beer and wine. Cash only.

I knew Chris Iacono could make good pizza. Before opening his own place last year, he made pies for about three years at his brother Mark's excellent pizza restaurant, Lucali. But as I headed for the first time to Giuseppina's, the place he opened last year at the corner of 20th Street and 6th Avenue in Brooklyn, I wondered how Giuseppina's would compare. Specifically, would Chris's dough and brick oven achieve the same level of thin, chewy-crunchy brilliance? (Yes.) Would the sauce be the same? (Yes.) Would Giussepina's, like Lucali, provide a candlelit experience worthy of date night?(Yes.)

With Lucali as small and busy as it usually is, Giuseppina's presents an excellent option for easier access to this brick-oven buffalo mozz version of New York pie—especially if you live in Park Slope or Sunset Park. Giuseppina's, in fact, (sort of) takes reservations. They suggest calling the same day, at 5 pm. When I called prior to going, they happily offered to hold a table for eight at 6 pm on a Saturday.

For the most part, Giuseppina's is very much like Lucali. The pizzas are sharable eight slice jobbies cooked in a hot wood and gas-burning brick oven until lightly charred on the bottom and along the edges. The cheeses used match Lucali's: a blend of Italian buffalo and American low-moisture mozzarellas, Parmigiano Reggiano, and an option for ricotta as a topping (more on that later). The sauce is also the same: a concentrated potion of sweet tomato magic. Most NYC pizzerias top round pies with an uncooked sauce; Giuseppina's and Lucali distinguish themselves by using a cooked sauce based on their grandma's recipe (some old school Italian-Americans would refer to this red liquid as "gravy"). The crust is very thin, almost cracker-like at times. And despite a preponderance of crispy air bubble pockets—especially near the edges—a Giuseppina's slice holds together when folded for New York-style eating.

But don't walk with this slice. You must stay for the atmosphere. With the pizza oven to his back, Chris works from behind a three-sided marble countertop and faces into the candlelit room. Arranged behind wine bottles and more lit candles on the front counter are pizza ingredients for all to see: white balls of buffalo mozzarella floating, crowded in a bowl of foggy white liquid, long-stemmed artichokes lined with grill marks, a messy-looking tin of Calabro brand fresh ricotta, portobello mushrooms, shallots, red bell peppers, onions—and a mandolin for thin slicing. With employees on either side, Chris controls pizza prep and watches over the results as they emerge from the oven. (Before sliding a pizza off of the peel onto a serving pan (or into a box), the pie finisher sprinkles the surface of each pan/box with bread crumbs. "It helps the pizza stay crispy," Chris told me. Crispy it is. Even after a pie has cooled, the crust—at least near the edges—retains its crunch. )

I tried three pies.

The first was half-sausage/garlic, half-pepperoni ($26.50). Standard Hormel-type pepperoni is not my thing: it leaches too much grease and tastes processed. Not the case at Giuseppina's. This is an all-beef pepperoni and it tastes more like paprika-dosed actual meat than machine-made flavored meat. I much preferred the pepperoni half to the sausage.

Second was straight-up cheese and tomato ($22). Three cheers for a good plain pie anywhere. Because Giuseppina's sauce and blend of cheeses stand out as they do, a plain pie here is essential eating: zero distractions from good, simple quality.

I had to loosen my belt for the third pie: portobello mushroom, tomato sauce and mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, and basil ($28). Wow. (Like Lucali, Giuseppina's offers garlic and basil as gratis toppings. Do it.) As a topping, ricotta can elevate any pizza to higher plateau: its creaminess—almost like the cream component of a burrata—adds a dimension to the pie that leaves me wondering, "Why don't I do this more often?"

I live four blocks from Lucali, but getting a table there can be difficult. Giuseppina's offers essentially the same product: Grandma's sauce, cheese, and toppings. Simplicity. Great crust. Warm atmosphere. Oh, and excellent calzones.

Giuseppina's is closed Tuesdays.

Michael Berman is a photographer and writer based in New York. He publishes multimedia food stories on his blog www.pizzacentric.com; and more frequent, sometimes mundane Twitter observations at @michaelberman.

Pizza Obsessives: Michael Berman, New York Contributor

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0500

Those plugged into the pizza blog scene may already know Michael Berman from his own project, Pizzacentric. Now let's see what makes this pizza-loving man tick. —MS

Name: Michael Berman
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Photographer, Writer
URL(s): Twitter @michaelberman; seriouseats.com/MichaelBerman; pizzacentric.com; msbphotography.com

What type of pizza do you prefer?

It depends. For a benchmark, I like to try plain tomato and mozzarella, and I usually prefer the quality of fresh mozzarella to that of low-moisture mozzarella. But plenty of places have toppings or combinations that stand out above and beyond plain.

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 don't remember my first slice. But growing up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, there were two pizzerias that I had often: Pizza Oven, in Rockville; and the Pines of Rome, in Bethesda. I'm pretty sure Pizza Oven is gone (they made rectangular pies with thin crust and elevated edges), but the Pines of Rome is still there—and still making great pizza, I should add. (If you go to the Pines of Rome, try both the red and the white pizzas.)

What's your favorite topping or topping combination?

Usually plain. But I like sausage when it's good, fresh garlic and basil are great, and mushrooms when they're thin and not canned. At Luigi's in Brooklyn (Fifth Avenue and 22nd Street) they bring amazing tomatoes from the father's Staten Island garden—unbelievable as a topping. I also love clams, so I am a sucker for good clam pizza.

Also, don't overlook condiments! South Brooklyn Pizza makes a couple of good ones in house (roasted garlic and marinated hot peppers). In Italy, if you ask for hot peppers, they give you hot pepper olive oil. It's great. I think Paulie Gee has that in Brooklyn.

You are in serious pizza territory with lots of great options, but do you have a go-to in your area?

My regular pizza for delivery is the "grandma" from House of Pizza and Calzone. I order it with fresh mozzarella. (I also add a side order of spinach sauteed with garlic, which gets spread onto some of the slices.) I use the toaster oven to reheat slices. It works great and requires no maintenance.

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

I like to make grilled pizza at home. The dough recipe I use is from Chowhound (here's the link.) I find it needs more flour than the recipe calls for. And you can make it by hand (without a stand mixer) pretty easily. The trick in grilling is to put coals only on one side of the grill (or leave one half off, if it's a gas grill) to prevent it from burning.

What one thing should NEVER go on a pizza?

Spaghetti.

I know we've seen that here on Slice before, but have you ever been in a position to try a pasta topped pizza?

I've never had spaghetti on pizza, I answered "spaghetti" because I tried to think of something that would be most ridiculous. We live in a day and age where chocolate and eggs can go on pizza (hopefully, separately). Those things aren't my cup of tea, but I'd try them if the opportunity presented itself. I think I tried a Nutella pizza somewhere sometime. It was good. But, you know, I'm just as good with a crêpe.

So, what is the most unusual pizza you've ever eaten?

I guess I don't take too many risks. Or maybe I haven't been anywhere weird enough. I like toppings to be good quality. I'd rather avoid industrial foods—which is what I suspect most pepperoni is, for instance. Maybe I'm naive about the sourcing of much of the sausage, but I like to think that it could be "homemade" by some local place, and that therefore it's a better choice in terms of meat toppings. For sure, there's more variety in sausage.

But pizza's not the healthiest food, and I'm 44, so I do try to steer clear of extra artery cloggers as much as I can. I love clams. I'd guess that 100 years ago clams on pizza might have sounded unusual. In the last decade or so, I think we've become very flexible in the range of ingredients we find okay for pizza.

What is the farthest you've traveled for pizza?

I've been to Italy a number of times but I go mainly to see friends. Pizza is of course a natural byproduct of those visits.

Here in NYC I will get it in my mind to try pizza from some place I've read about and I might drive for half an hour in a rainstorm, having already eaten lunch, because I have to know what it's like right away.

We look forward to getting the first-hand report on your impulse investigations for sure! What about places in Italy? Any favorites?

I've been to Rome several times because I have friends who live there. Several years ago my friend Alexia brought me to a place on the outskirts—it's called Angelo e Simonetta—where she said I've gotta try it because they win awards in Rome. True enough, there are trophies and certificates scattered around the place. And they make excellent pizza al taglio. I go there every chance I get. (I wrote a piece, which includes video, on pizzacentric.

There was a place on Campo dei Fiori that's not there anymore. It was a little room on the long side of the square. An older woman cut your slices to size (as is customary with pizza al taglio), and their mushroom slice was incredible. Room temperature. But that place isn't there anymore.

I haven't been to Naples, but I plan to go this summer.

What do your family and/or friends think of your pizza madness?

They all like pizza too—except for one friend I have who hates cheese. But we do need a break from pizza now and then. It gets to be a little too much from time to time.

Thanks for sitting in the hot seat, Michael! It's been a real pleasure getting to know a little bit more about you, and we look forward to having more of your pizza insights in the future!

Daily Slice: Casa Bianca, Los Angeles

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:30:00 -0500

Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.

[Photographs: Kelly Bone]

Casa Bianca got a lot of flack when Jonathan Gold called it his "favorite non-Mozza pizza in L.A." But with an hour wait at prime time, this family run pizzeria has clearly been doing something right since 1955. I went in with low expectations, but came out adamantly declaring this is the best Chicago style thin crust pizza in LA.

My local friend ordered us his regular—a medium with olives and eggplant ($11.25). The pizza arrived studded with firm green olives and slabs of breadcrumb crusted eggplant. It's by the far the best eggplant I've had on a pizza. Golden and slightly sweet, it retained its crunch in the pool of oil. The sauce was bold, full of dried herbs and acidic tomatoes. Some may call it "over seasoned" but you need a fiercely present sauce to hold up to the massive globs of gooey mozzarella.

I can see why people compare the crust to cardboard. Ultra thin and rigid, it showed no signs of buckling under the massive weight of the toppings. The crust was cooked to a cracker crisp, yet maintained a tender buttery texture as it approached narrow charred edge. Considering how long Casa Bianca has endured the ever evolving Los Angeles landscape, it's perplexing that there are no imitators. Though I doubt any newcomer attempting this style in LA could compare.

Casa Bianca Pizza

1650 Colorado Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90041 (map)
323-256-9617; casabiancapizza.com

About the author: After nearly a decade in Brooklyn, Kelly Bone landed back in Los Angeles where she writes The Vegetarian Foodie. She spends the rest of her time designing office cubicles... you might be sitting in one right now! Follow her on Twitter at @TheVegFoodie

How to Make Heart-Shaped Pizza and Heart-Shaped Pepperoni

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:15:00 -0500

Valentine's Day is around the corner, so it's about time we pulled these guides from the archives for you ...

Video: How to Make a Heart-Shaped Pizza ̱
Make Heart-Shaped Pepperoni »

Happy VDay, pizza-lovers!

My Pie Monday: Frankenpizza, Sfincillian, Salmon, and Much More!

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:30:00 -0500

VIEW SLIDESHOW: My Pie Monday: Frankenpizza, Sfincillian, Salmon, and Much More!

Happy MPM folks! A day late, but there is nothing short of excellence in this week's roundup. The dedication to pizza in this group is pretty hardcore. I'm talking vigilante-flour-smuggling-across-borders hardcore. And beyond that there are new hyrbrids cropping up, like dmcavanaugh's Sfincillian, some kitchen chemistry from the first lady of pizza experiments, Ms. Norma427, and the topping ingenuity that we have come to expect from amusebouche1. Girl Loves Pizza shows a simpler, and equally delicious side, to her pizza making and Jimmyg gets back to his New York roots after his hiatus into Bonci-landia. TXCraig1 continues to heat things up in the Lone Star State. Things get fancy-pants in BHKitchen's dough department, and equally fancy when it comes to Shantillypicnic's toppings. And check out Crystaldragon's cure for a bacon craving, and the pickled pepper fix from Atmast.

If you make pizza at home, join the My Pie Monday fun, just take one snapshot of a pie you made recently, describe your cooking method (in 80 words or less), and follow these instructions to get it to us by 8pm (EST) Thursday. Be sure to let us know your Slice screen name.

Want to see more inspiring pizza made by Slice'rs? Right this way »

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Pizza Preview: Don Antonio in Midtown Manhattan

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:30:00 -0500

VIEW SLIDESHOW: Pizza Preview: Don Antonio in Midtown Manhattan

Don Antonio, the latest Neapolitan pizzeria to come to NYC,* is set to open Tuesday, February 7, in Midtown Manhattan. It's a partnership between Kesté's Roberto Caporuscio and his mentor, Antonio Starita of Naples' Pizzeria Starita. Caporuscio learned the ropes under Starita, who is vice president of the Naples-based Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, an organization that trains pizza-makers. (Caporuscio is head of the APN's U.S. branch.)

It's no surprise that the menus at Kesté and Don Antonio are similar, but there are some exciting new pies at the Midtown joint — including the Montanara Starita, a version of the deep-fried pizza that's been cropping up among the newer Neapolitan places. Slice got a sneak peek at some of the items exclusive to Don Antonio. Peep the slideshow above to get the skinny.

Caporuscio will split his time between Kesté, and Starita, who is in town through March for the opening of Don Antonio, will eventually cycle through town to work at the pizzeria according to a schedule as yet to be determined.

The slideshow above is just to whet your appetite for some killer video that Slice/SE videographer Jessica Leibowitz shot. (She also did this great Pieman's Craft video with Caporuscio in late 2010.)

Don Antonio opens Tuesday at 11am.

Don Antonio

309 West 50th Street, New York NY 10019 (near Eighth Ave.; map)
646-719-1043; donantoniopizza.com

* But not the last. Stay tuned for Seattle import Via Tribunali.

Poll: Pizza vs Wings Super Bowl SnackDown

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

There were a lot of hubbub about wings overtaking pizza as the official food of the Super Bowl in the pre-game hype this year. But let's see what the real eaters out there say. What was your official Super Bowl grub?

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Video: Pizza Hut's 'Top This' Super Bowl Commercial

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Watch David Johnson, the Department of Defense employee who won Pizza Hut's 'Top This' jingle contest, in his 30-second rap debut. The commercial will premiere just before the Super Bowl, but here's a sneak peek. I like the line:

"Take it from your boy / if you order from those other places / you'll just get annoyed."

Is that annoyed or a noid? Some clever rival pizza punning there, DJ.

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Madonna Gifts Pizza to Super Bowl Entourage

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:00 -0500

[Composite by TMZ]

TMZ reported that Madonna bought her crew fifty pies to earn some brownie points. According to TMZ the pizzas were an attempt to do some damage control on her reputation after being called a pretentious jerk. So where did she order her unpretentious pies from? Papa John's. I guess if you're gonna pick a chain it should at least be one that originated in the state, but the assistant that ordered the pizzas really short changed the crew by not going with one of the better offerings in the area. The pies were of the cheese, pepperoni, and veggie varieties. The pop icon, however, went with a cheese-less veggie. That's one way to make sure you don't eat too much.

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Dancing Pizza Goes Missing!

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0500

This popular piece of pizza, known by locals in Portales, New Mexico as Pepe, has gone missing. The Papa Murphy's pizza mascot was allegedly stolen from a local gymnasium during a basketball game, before getting a chance to break out some of his sweet signature dance moves. Papa Murphy's is holding out hope that the local hooligans that stole Pepe will return him, unharmed for a $200 cash reward—no questions asked. They just want their lovable plush pizza back.

I liked AHT editor Robyn Lee's reaction when she saw Pepe: "Pepe looks like he swallowed Homer Simpson." Hehe. Here's the whole scoop on the Pepe saga.

[Via KRQE News]

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Astoria, Queens: Via Trenta Osteria & Wine Bar

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

[Photographs: Adam Kuban]

Via Trenta, on 30th Avenue in Astoria, is yet another wood-fired-oven pizzeria in the neighborhood. Like Basil Brick Oven a little farther north, Via Trenta is Neapolitan in style—small pizzas, minimally topped, attention to ingredients, etc.

Via Trenta takes over the space once occupied by Trattoria el Greco. It's been open since late fall of 2011, using the same Wood Stone oven that was there before but is burning wood in it instead of the gas Trattoria el Greco was using.

The pizza is better than that of its predecessor. The sauce is bright and fresh tasting, and the house-made mozzarella is creamy, pulling away from the slices as you bite, thin strings—elastic, edible.

The crust is crisp, and a bit dry. Tight hole structure and a minimal amount of rise at the rim. Fans of airy, supple cornicione may be disappointed. It reminded me of Nick's Pizza in Forest Hills or Forno Italia up on Ditmars (also in Astoria). Good for the neighborhood but maybe not world-beating pies. At least not yet.

The atmosphere is comfortable (much brighter than the previous incarnation, which required night-vision goggles), and the staff is friendly. I could see this becoming a go-to for me not because the pizza is AMAZING but because it is good enough and nearby.

About the author: Adam Kuban is the founder of Slice. You can follow him as @akuban on Twitter.

Daily Slice: Shorty's Pizza, Tucker, GA

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:00 -0500

Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.

[Photographs: Todd Brock]

Set in an old barn on a congested stretch of industrial-park highway, Shorty's Pizza may not immediately strike you as the home of some killer pies. But locals who haven't given it a spin are missing out on a unique taste experience.

A Modena wood-fired oven cranks out an ultra-thin crust pie that 's been dubbed "Decatur/Tucker Style," after the addresses of Shorty's two locations. After just a few moments on the deck, the underside of the crust shows heavy charring, with a cornicione that absolutely crackles.

They don't do slices, but the 10-incher equals a satisfying lunch plus leftovers. Shorty's offers 8 cheeses, and over 40 meats, veggies, herbs, and even fruits for you to go crazy with. Can't decide? Scan the diverse playlist of "signature pies," all named for musicians: B.B. King, Jack White, Chrissie Hynde, Wu-Tang Clan, etc. Some fit their namesakes (Sid Vicious is a hardcore meat-lover's, Frankie Valli has a topping that rotates throughout the Four Seasons), while others seemingly have no connection whatsoever (Elvis is a Margherita with white anchovies). And while the wisdom of eating a Weird Al Yankovic is debatable, there are some wacky pizzas here that you just won't find anywhere else.

Take the Janis Joplin. She doesn't do anything for me as a singer. As a pizza, however, I'm a big fan. It's a white pie with sliced apple, a liberal studding of bacon, rich gorgonzola, and walnuts (although the walnuts seemed to be MIA this day) atop that crisp, cracker-thin crust. I had a tough time biting cleanly through the apple; the slices tended to pull out whenever my teeth caught hold of one, but it didn't diminish my overall enjoyment of this pie.

The Janis Joplin is even served with honey, to be drizzled across the pie's surface. Shakers of grated Parm and jars of red pepper flakes need to make way for the honey squeeze bottle. This pie made me a believer in the bear. Hell, maybe I'll give Bobby McGee another chance. I'll definitely be back to Shorty's to expand my pizza (and musical) knowledge in the future.

Shorty's Pizza

3701 Lawrenceville Highway, Tucker, GA 30084 (Map)

770-414-6999; www.shortys-pizza.com

About the author: Todd Brock lives the glamorous life of a stay-at-home freelance writer in the suburbs of Atlanta. Besides being paid to eat cheeseburgers for A Hamburger Today and pizza for Slice, he's written and produced over 1,000 hours of television and is the author of Building Chicken Coops for Dummies. When he grows up, he wants to be either the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys or the drummer for Hootie & the Blowfish. Or both.

Top This: Cherry Jones (à la Paulie Gee's)

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:30:00 -0500

VIEW SLIDESHOW: Top This: Cherry Jones (à la Paulie Gee's)

For our latest installment of Top This, we met up with Paul "Paulie Gee" Giannone at the famed Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Paulie's protegé, Bryan Van Deusen, taught us how to make the Cherry Jones, which ups the topping ante with a rather nontraditional pizza ingredient, dried cherries. The slightly tart Bing cherries and orange blossom honey are perfectly played against creamy, earthy gorgonzola cheese, milky fior de latte, and sweet and salty prosciutto. The resulting pizza is rich, intense, and leaves you wanting more. Fortunately for Slice readers, you can follow the slideshow to recreate the Cherry Jones at home. But if you live anywhere near Greenpoint, do yourself a favor and visit Paulie Gee's for some of the greatest Neapolitan-style pies in New York.

If the Cherry Jones makes the man himself swoon, you know that's a good pizza pie!

What You'll Need (for one pizza)

1 dough portion (Watch this video to learn how to make Neapolitan style dough)
Fior di Latte Mozarella, chopped or ripped into small pieces
A small wedge of Gorgonzola (Paulie uses BelGioso Crumbly Gorgonzola)
Dried Bing cherries (Paulie gets his from Yellow Frame Farm)*
Prosciutto di Parma, sliced thin
Orange blossom honey (Paulie uses Gunter's, from Virginia)

*During the months that figs are in season (June-October), Paulie Gee makes the same pie with slices of black mission fig instead of cherries. He calls the pie "Go Fig Yourself".

Paulie Gee's

60 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11222 (map)
347-987-3747pauliegee.com

About the author: Originally from Los Angeles, Erin Mosbaugh writes Je Blague, where she captures her food adventures in NYC and beyond. Erin also writes dining and nightlife features for Robb Report's New York City.

Cambridge, MA: Area Four Pizza

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

[Photographs: Andrew Janjigian]

Area Four

500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139 (map); 617-758-4444; areafour.com
Pizza Style: Upscale New York-Neapolitan
The Skinny: The toppings and the presentation are the highlights here. The bones are far too wide, but the crust is otherwise nice, making for an enjoyable pie.
Price: 10" pies, $10.50-16.50; 14" pies $17-24

I first tried the pizza at Area Four a few months back, and was a bit disappointed, which was one reason I sat on my write-up for so long. But the delay was all to the good, because Area Four has tweaked their formula slightly in the interim, and our return visits have been far more positive. Back when they first opened, they only offered a 12-inch pie, which, given the width of the back edge, seemed too small to me. Since then, presumably to accommodate solitary diners or non-sharers (don't these people know about leftovers?) they've added a 10-inch size, and upgraded the large pie to 14-inches. If the 12-incher was a little cramped, the 10-inch is all the more so, so my first piece of advice is that you should ignore that column on the menu. The end crust takes up far too much of the limited square-footage of the pie, leaving hardly any room for toppings.

The 14-inch pie is much roomier, though I still find its bones too thick. I'm a breadhead through and through, but when I'm eating pizza—a.k.a. bread with stuff on it—I want stuff on my bread, not naked bread. End crust, bones, cornicione—whatever you want to call it—is purely functional, people: it's a handle, and needn't be any wider than necessary to let you grab the thing without befouling your manicure. I'd rather the overall pie be slightly smaller with a narrower crust than be left staring at this come the end of my repast:

Okay, end of rant, because—that gripe aside—I quite like the pies at Area Four. The dough, made with a secret formula that—from what I could glean from my conversation with chef Michael Leviton—involves a long cold-fermentation of a combination of Italian and American flours with a sourdough starter and commercial yeast, is flavorful and tender. The pies are baked in a roomy Woodstone oven that is jacked with three separate heat sources: gas, wood, and an infrared element buried within the deck to help it with recovery times. It's the first such triple-threat oven I've every seen, and it seems to work, leaving the bottom crust nicely crisp, with a respectable amount of char:

While the crust at Area Four is very good, it's in the toppings and combinations where the pizza really shines.

The Margarita, topped with housemade mozzarella and a little pecorino, is first-rate. The sauce is little more than crushed tomatoes and salt, but it makes a bright foil for the creamy, buttery cheeses.

The Wellfleet Cherrystone Clam and Bacon pie has all the elements of a great pie in place: freshly-shucked local clams, smoky house-cured bacon, hot pepper flakes and parsley. Fresh from the oven, it is very tasty, but it definitely suffers a bit on standing. The clam pie is among the hardest to pull off well: without a thick sauce to insulate the crust and pull all of its topping elements together, it is often either brothy and waterlogged, or dry and stiff, since the dough quickly sucks up what little moisture there is. I know it's a delicate balancing act, but this clam pie could use just a bit more clammy broth to bring it all the way home. (I'd much rather a slightly soupy pie requiring a knife and fork to eat than one that stiffens up as it cools down.)

The Fennel Sausage and Pickled Banana Pepper pie is hands-down my favorite pizza on the menu at Area Four. As with many of the other ingredients, the tasty, moist sausage is house-made. (Its somewhat unusual pink color, reminiscent of Chinese dried sausage, comes from the inclusion of a bit of curing salts into the mix.) The briny-sour hot peppers balance perfectly against the richness of the sausage.

Area Four isn't just a pizza joint, with a wide variety of other items, some roasted in the second Woodstone oven that sits aside the pizza oven, but other than some very tasty salads (the shaved raw brussels sprouts and kale one makes a nice accompaniment to a few pies), we haven't tried them. But once you've had your fill of pies, be sure to order a dessert or two from pastry chef Katie Kimble, whose pastries I have raved about elsewhere on Serious Eats.

About the author: Andrew Janjigian day-jobs it as an Associate Editor at Cook's Illustrated Magazine. When he's not dismantling recipes for hire, he's likely baking bread or throwing pies into his WFO. He twits regularly as @dikaryon, and blogs much less regularly at blog.dikaryon.org.

Ask Nancy Silverton!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0500

From Serious Eats

As Serious Eaters, I'm sure that Nancy Silverton needs no introduction for you. Co-founder and head baker at La Brea Bakery and former pastry chef at Campanile, she's now the owner of Pizzeria and Osteria Mozza. If you're to take our word for it (and you should), that makes her one of the key players in the pizza game, serving what may well be our favorite west coast pies.

More recently, she joined the burger biz by helping her friend, chef/partner Amy Pressman, to open upscale burger joint Short Order. Tragically, Pressman passed away shortly before Short Order opened.The winner of countless awards from the world's most respected cooking organizations and magazines, Nancy Silverton is a woman with a story to tell.

Now's your chance to ask her anything you'd like, from how she makes her pizza dough to the best way to grind burgers. Want to know the biggest challenges of running a world-class restaurant? She's got opinions. We'll be shooting all the answers in video, so if you'd like to get a tour of her kitchen, or perhaps a demo on how to stretch a pie, well, we can make that happen too.

Submit your questions in the comments by midnight Eastern Time on Thursday the 3rd. We'll pick the best ones and post her answers next week!

Photo of the Day: Football Pepperoni Pizza

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0500

Reprinted with permission from babble.com. [Photograph: Angie McGowan]

Gear up for Pizza, er I mean Super Bowl Sunday, by making this Football Pepperoni Pizza. Just arrange pepperonis in a football shape, and for pristine white laces, the author of the recipe recommends using slices of Swiss. Touchdown!

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Cheeseburger and Fries Pizza: The Sober Truth About This Drunkard's Slice

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:30:00 -0500

[Photographs: Meredith Smith]

We've seen fries grace the top of pies before—poutine pizza and hot dog and french fry pizza—and those were deemed reprehensible. And then we've seen Adam tackle the cheeseburger and pizza mashup, only to learn how dangerously wrong that combo could go. So what compelled me to eat the Cheeseburger and Fries slice at New York Pizza? Novelty and a lapse in judgement.

New York Pizza on Mass Ave in Boston has provided serviceable slices after one too many on a number of occasions. And it's not unheard of to soberly seek it out when you're nearby and want a thin slice alternative that isn't putting on any Upper Crust type airs. While I knew their strength was in the post-libation camp, I didn't know how much they were firmly planted there until I encountered this fine specimen in their case.

Instead of tomato sauce, this pizza is made with ketchup(!). Who wants to be bothered with operating condiments when you're at the cheeseburger and fries pizza point in the night anyway, right? So there's some logic there, but not a lot of good sense. I can only think of one acceptable application where baking ketchup is a good idea: meatloaf. And you know, that's what this tastes like more than anything. Except unlike meatloaf which has lots of fat to keep the ketchup from getting that metallic quality when it dries out, the rim of the crust is ketchup's death kiss.

And while there is a certain appeal to french fries coated in blistered cheese, they just can't give a star performance after sitting around cold and then getting a little reheat in the oven. All the appeal of their crisp exteriors are lost, and the flavor of the earthy spuds begin to sour. It's just sad all around. From bland burger to soggy fries with a ketchup stand-in for sauce, this is a slice best avoided regardless of your state of sobriety. Can anyone name some other bad idea pizzas?

New York Pizza

435 Massachusetts Ave Boston, MA 02118
617-266-7020; newyorkpizzaboston.com

More Pizza Wierdness

Pizza in a Jar »
Wackiest Pies of 2011 »
SpaghettiOs Pizza »
The Ultimate Cheeseburger Pizza »
Poutine Pizza »
Hot Dog and French Fry Pizza »
Peepza = Peeps on a Pizza »
Full English Breakfast Pizza »
Tater Tot–Chili Pizza »
Peking Duck Pizza »
Korean Shrimp and Hot Dog Pizzas »
Mac and Cheese Pizza »
How to Make a Pizzarito »

About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.

Chicago: Embrace the Stuffed Pizza at Porretta's

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:45:00 -0500

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

Trattoria Porretta Ristorante & Pizzeria

3656 N Central Ave, Chicago, IL 60634 (map); 773-736-1429; trattoriaporretta.com
Pizza Style: Midwestern thin crust, pan, and stuffed
The Skinny: Solid stuffed pizza but thin crust falls short
Price: Medium thin crust with three toppings is $15.62; 12 inch stuffed pizza with one topping is $17.60
Notes: Stuffed pizza is carry-out only

When I reviewed Suparossa's last year, dedicated Slice reader and pizza fiend Alberto (forzapizza) chimed in to bemoan the fact that my voyage to Portage Park was limited to a review of a pizzeria not owned by his family. It took about a year, but I made it back to the neighborhood to visit Trattorria Porretta & Pizza. Alberto, who built an oven in his backyard, makes gorgeous pies of a Neapolitan bent, but his family, which entered the pizza business long before the quest for "authenticity" became a culinary trend, turns out decidedly American pies.

Over the years, Poretta's has grown from a tiny pizzeria to a successful business that includes a full-service Italian restaurant and a large banquet hall across the street. The restaurant offers thin crust pizza and pan pizza if you dine in, but also sells stuffed pizza to go. Much as I would have loved to take in the ambience of the restaurant, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to try a new stuffed pizza, so I picked mine up, took some quick pictures in the car, and ate pizza for a good portion of the 20-minute drive home.

The stuffed pizza made my decision to sacrifice the comforts of a sit-down meal a good one. The thick, rich sauce is tangy and a little sweet, and is loaded with an oregano-heavy mix of herbs. The crust, flaky as is normal for the style, had a bit more crunch than is typical, which made for a nice contrast to the massive quantities of cheese and sauce. It's a very good representative of the style that Portage Park residents are lucky to have nearby.

Where the stuffed pizza fell short was with the sausage. We Chicagoans are spoiled when it comes to good sausage on pizza. Large chunks of oddly shaped pork, oftentimes housemade, appear regularly throughout the area. But these smooth-cut squares of "sausage" are short on flavor and texture. Thanks to the approximately three-quarters of an inch thick layer of cheese, the dull sausage couldn't detract from an otherwise fine pie, one that is decidedly better than that at nearby Suparossa's.

The thin crust was not as successful. Old-school thin crust Chicago pizza rarely wows anyone with its crust. There are some places that do things out of the ordinary, like Vito & Nick's putting milk in the dough, but for the most part you're getting a machine-rolled piece of bread without a lot of flavor. Given all that, this is a style of pizza that starts with a major barrier between it and greatness.

I tried a thin crust pizza with the reliable combination of pepperoni, onions, and garlic. The pepperoni is run of the mill stuff, which is fine; truly delicious pepperoni is fairly rare. The fresh garlic was applied with a pretty heavy hand, completely negating the onions, but the pepperoni still made its presence known and the two toppings I could taste made for a fine combination. But "fine" toppings weren't enough to catapult this pizza into the category of pizzas I'd like to eat again.

Sausage aside, Porretta's makes a good stuffed pizza, and if I lived in the neighborhood it would be part of my regular rotation. Forzapizza's grandparents and Porretta owners have clearly laid a solid pizza foundation. But based on the pictures of Alberto's My Pie Monday pies, I think he may have even surpassed the older generations in the family. Now we need to get that guy to open a pizzeria!

About the author: Daniel Zemans is so devoted to Chicago that he covers pizza for Slice and burgers for A Hamburger Today. When he's not focusing on expanding his waistline, he works as a lawyer on behalf of employees and tenants.

Portland, Oregon: Oven & Shaker

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:15:00 -0500

The Cauliflower Pizza at Oven & Shaker. [Photographs: Derek Arent]

Oven & Shaker

1134 NW Everett St, Portland OR 97209 (map); 503-241-1600
Pizza Type: Cali-meets-NW-meets-Neapolitan
Oven Type: Wood-fired
Price: $12-15 for 12-inch pizzas

Just like the bistro-style burger at Le Pigeon and the Fish Sauce Wings at Pok Pok, the pizza at Nostrana was a menu item deemed worthy of forming the foundation for a whole new restaurant. This formula is an apparent trend in the current Portland culinary scene, and the genesis of Oven and Shaker relied heavily on the weight of chef Cathy Whims' wood-fired pies. With the exception of cutting the pies before they arrive at your table (a Nostrana no-no), O&S's pizza style mirrors the mix of Italian tradition, Pacific Northwest seasonality, and farm-to-table sensibility that made Nostrana so popular.

Oven and Shaker offers $5 off pies during their nightly happy hour, and that's the best way to combat inflated Pearl district pricing. The Cauliflower ($7 for a 12" during happy hour) was topped with dainty, mildly caramelized florets of its namesake vegetable. Briny olives and vinegary Mama Lil's peppers fought for dominance, overpowering the sweet and earthy pecorino and cauliflower. Sparsely placed strips of red onion offered yet another layer of pungency, further burying the delicate nuttiness of the cauliflower which could only be enjoyed by picking petite pieces off the pie.

The Wild Fennel Sausage ($10 for a 12" at happy hour) was indeed fennel-y, and the slightly crisped potato medallions brought unexpected pockets of texture while absorbing some of the rendered pork fat. The pizza used a smoked mozzarella which just wasn't quite smoky enough, and clunkily cut raw scallions needed to be brushed aside to avoid palate fatigue. Delicate chile use and a mild tomato element added some acidity and zip, but were not present enough to add much overall. In essence, this was a fancied-up sausage and onion pie with a few curious bites here and there.

The Margherita ($7 for a 12" during happy hour) with salt-cured anchovy add-on ($3) was the highlight of the meal. The little fish preserved the balance between the fatty, fishy, and salty components, allowing the basil, cheese, and tomato to stand out individually. The artistically presented fresh basil was served uncooked atop the pie to preserve its garden freshness. The basic sweet and salty interplay of the tomato base showcased high quality ingredients used simply. Each flavor present complemented another, bringing an overall harmony to this pie. The cheese was the only problem area; the delicate, milky fresh mozzarella was cooked to a strange grainy texture which resembled ricotta in the final presentation, yet maintained a robust dairy flavor.

The integrity and quality of the crust was probably the best thing about Oven and Shaker's pies. Superficial charring provided the majority of the flavor to the cornicione, which varied from chewy, to brittle and flaky in spots. In contrast to the floppy character of a typical Nostrana pizza, the pies here had a relatively crisp and nicely spotted undercarriage, making the cut pie approach successful. Part of what keeps this pie from sagging may be the uniformly petite toppings. I get the strategy, but visually, it lacked that rustic quality. It's the price you pay for structural integrity, I guess.

After weighing the pros and cons, I decided that I enjoyed the pizza at Oven and Shaker (with caveats). I do think that work needs to be done on flavor combinations and visual presentation to bring these pies into the top tier of what Portland has to offer. Also noteworthy, is that I've based my opinion on the happy hour prices; I don't think the value or quality is quite up to par with the full dinner price of $15 per 12" pie. Lovely's Fifty-Fifty has the genre locked down at this price point, but the happy hour deals at Oven and Shaker are hard to beat.

About the author:Jim Bonomo was born and raised in Milford, Connecticut. He is currently eating and drinking his way through Portland, Oregon. Once all the pizza and beer is gone, he promises to go back home. You can follow him on Twitter at @goodbyeohio.

Scott's Pizza Chronicles: Fried Pizza

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:15:00 -0500

Forcella's Montanara [Photograph: Scott Wiener]

Yes, you read that correctly. Fried pizza is real and it's comin' to getcha. Imagine a sweet, innocent pizza walking home one night only to be cornered in a dark alley by a dangerous deep fryer. Sounds terrifying, but the confrontation actually results in a flavor mashup the likes of which few tongues have ever tasted. It combines the danger of oil with the familiarity of typical pizza toppings. New York pizza is currently experiencing its first real dose of the deep fryer, but what exactly is it and where does it come from?

I became a big proponent of fryers when I bought one in college. We had parties on Friday nights in which friends would bring over anything they wanted to fry. Yes, we did call it FriedDay. People brought anything from chicken and fish to cookies and Hostess cupcakes. We formulated different batters for sweet and savory items and eventually bought a second fryer to accommodate both genre. Come to think of it, I don't remember cooking anything else when I was in college—those fryers were pretty much it!

Suffice it to say, I was into frying almost as much as I was into pizza. So when my friend Jeff called me in 2003 to tell me there was a place doing deep-fried pizza in Brooklyn, I jumped on a train from New Jersey and met him at Chip Shop in Park Slope. What we got was a lackluster slice from the pizzeria across the street battered and abused by the deep fryer. We could still taste the briny residue from the day's orders of fish and chips. It was totally gross.

New York Post article about Forcella's Montanara.

Luckily, the fried pizza hitting NYC today is a completely different animal. I remember hearing about it from Keste's Roberto Caporuscio, but Giulio Adriani was the first to pull it off at his Williamsburg pizzeria Forcella. The process begins with a stretched piece of dough, opened in the same way a dough would be stretched for pizza. The one major difference is that the dough is punctured at several spots inside the outer rim. This "docking" process eliminates gas pockets that would normally expand when met with extreme heat. The dough is then placed into the deep fryer, where it puffs up and forms a bread bowl that is both light and crispy. After pulling the dough out and drying it for a few seconds, toppings are applied and the whole thing slides into the oven in a small metal dish so the oily dough doesn't make contact with the brick hearth and send smoke throughout the space. After a quick dip into the oven, the cheese is melted and the sauce is cooked. The result is a complete departure from pizza baked solely inside an oven.

But this isn't the first time anybody has ever dipped dough into a fryer. Southern Italian cuisine is littered with fried items, which is obvious when you walk down via Tribunali in Naples. Most pizzerias have a wood-fired brick oven and a deep-fryer just a few feet apart. You can order fried rice balls (arancini), potato croquets (croquettas) and fried macaroni and cheese balls (frittatina) at pretty much every pizzeria. Most signage even indicates Pizzeria (place that serves pizza) e Frigittoria (place that serves fried foods). The good folks at Molino Caputo in Naples even mentioned that their most popular product is called pizzeria flour and not pizza flour because it is formulated to work in both pizza and the various fried items everybody has on their menu.

Pizza fritta at Pizzeria di Matteo in Naples, stuffed with sausage and broccoli rabe.

Perhaps my brain was not yet tuned into the fried pizza frequency, but I don't remember seeing anything like Forcella's Montanara on either of my trips to Naples. I do remember pizza fritta, a massive deep fried calzone I tried at Pizzeria di Matteo. There are a couple places in the greater New York metro area that have them (House of Pizza and Calzone in Brooklyn and Delfino's in Hoboken) but nothing matches the insanity of what I tasted at Di Matteo in 2009.

The fried pizza served at NYC's Forcella, PizzArte, and soon to be available at Don Antonio (a forthcoming partnership between Keste's Roberto Caporuscio and his mentor Antonio Starita) is more closely related to a simple snack made at home. We're fortunate enough to live in a world in which every couple of newlyweds has a pizza stone collecting dust in the corner, but there was a time not long ago when making pizza at home was out of the question. For a quick and easy heat conductor, just throw some oil into a frying pan and crank that sucker up to high! This is the method most southern Italian families used for homemade pizza, as indicated by this recipe I found at the Ithaca Historical Society last year.

Pizza recipe found at the Ithaca Historical Society.

This sounds delicious and easy, so why am I wasting so much time and gas heating up the oven for pizza night? Armed with this 1960's recipe, my mission was clear. I whipped up some bread dough, saved it for an extra day and tried to make my own stove-top pizza. There aren't many details in Carmella's recipe, but I filled in the blanks and this is what happened.

Here's the Play-by-Play...

STEP 1: Stretch Dough Into 6" Diameter. Puncture the center if you want. I forgot.

STEP 2: Heat Oil. I used a cheap olive oil I'm trying to get rid of.

STEP 3: Fry Dough in 1/2" of Hot Oil. Be gentle. Don't get splashed!

STEP 4: Dry that Oily Cloud from Heaven. I used a pizza screen.

STEP 5: Top With "Whatever Tastes Good." I had no sauce. Still great!

Here's the cross-section. Sorry about the focus issue, I was too excited.

I know, it looks like a donut. But think about it... donut + pizza = awesome. That's math, folks. It's soft with a thin crisp on the outside, deceivingly light and airy, and unbelievably addictive. Good thing my roommates weren't home or I might have been forced to share. So next time your friends show up and you haven't even preheated the pizza stone, think about giving this homespun pizza variation a try. It's super fast, fun and delicious. Or check out how it tastes when done by the pros at Forcella (Bowery, Williamsburg),PizzArte (Midtown) and the forthcoming Don Antonio (Hell's Kitchen). Rumor has it there may even be a spot opening in the Lower East Side that will be serving only fried pizzas! More to come on that front as news develops.

And now watch Sofia Loren frying dough in the streets of Naples in the 1954 film L'oro di Napoli (The Gold of Naples). The pizza scene starts at around 1:30.

About the author: Scott Wiener runs tours of significant NYC pizzerias with an emphasis on the history, science, technology, economics and deliciousness. You can sign up for a tour at scottspizzatours.com or follow his pizza explorations on Twitter via @scottspizzatour

Daily Slice: Grilled Flatbread at Universal Cafe, San Francisco

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:00:00 -0500

[Photographs: David Kover]

"Sort of an open-faced, fancy-pants quesadilla."

This is the note I typed into my phone after eating one of Universal Cafe's grilled flatbreads, and it might as well serve as my whole review. It's pretty hard to think of their toppings as resting on anything other than a tortilla.

Though, please understand, I do like quesadillas.

Universal grills their tortilla—I mean, crust—to the point where the edges crisp up, and even the brown-spotted, ultra-thin undercarriage gains a little structural integrity. With a fold, the small slices can easily be eaten by hand.

Toppings on Universal's grilled flatbreads change regularly. I happened in upon broccoli rabe, caramelized onions, goat cheese, and mozzarella ($12.50). The tangy flavor of the goat cheese dominates most bites, receiving a classic contrast from the sweet onions, while the mozzarella amps up the cheesy, comforting qualities of the dish. I found myself inclined to add some hot sauce (just as I might with a quesadilla!), but certainly not dissatisfied with my little lunch of carbs and cheese.

Universal Cafe

2814 19th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 (map)
415-821-4608; universalcafe.net

About the author: David Kover is a San Francisco-based freelance writer and food enthusiast. Follow his attempts to bring Brooklyn-style bagels to San Francisco at Schmendricks.com, or his occasional musings on Twitter as @pizzakover.