Slice

That's Amore: 'I See Your Beautiful Face and Your Banging Body When I Come by for a Slice'

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:30:00 -0500

In which Slice wades waist-deep into the plaintive muck of Craigslist's Missed Connections in search of pizza-related longing. Such is the swamp of love that spawns That's Amore. I haven't done one of these round-ups in a long time. And I love doing them. It's a sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always weird glimpse at the human condition. —The Mgmt.

RE: you're a liar and i hate your guts (Boston): Why I think about you....worry about you.....even give 2 shits about you is currently beyond my comprehension........it's because you loooooooooooove me. Like a fat kid and a cheese-stuffed pizza crust.

Boston

the one with the cute face - m4m - 19 (huntington ave): you were with your friends at the massart cafeteria. I was the one in the muscle shirt eating parfait. I saw you check me out and we made eye contact. You have sandy brown hair, and are HOT! two of your friends had pinstripe hats and you were going to town on a piece of pizza. I couldnt help but notice the way you made eye contact with me when you slid that greasy slice between your lips. ¶ I go to MCPHS and live in EWT on the top floor. FIND ME

New York City

Come on, New York. We have the highest concentration of pizzerias of any city in the nation. The pizza-related Missed Connections in the Big Apple for this round-up sucked. I'm only including this handful as a sop for all the New York sliceheads who read this site.

SINGAS FAMOUS PIZZA - w4m - 24 (ELMHURST): I SAW YOU WORKING ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT SINGAS ON BROADWAY...YOU WERE WEARIN A BLUE YANKEES HAT AND HAD ADORABLE FRECKLES. I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPER CUTE :) LOL
Cute girl on 28th street bet- 6th & 7th - m4w: I saw you at Waldys today. its on 28th street on 6th ave. I wanted to get a seat but it was packed. You had ordered some pasta when i had a classic maragateria pizza pie. ¶ You were sitting by your self. I would have talked to you, but it seems that you didnt want to be bothered with. ¶ You had your hair up with a black bandana. You also had a grey sweat shirt with white horses around it. ¶ Me Brown short hair, with black jacket, underneath wearing white & little blue stripe lined dress up shirt. ¶ Just wanted to say that you are amazingly beautiful. If by any chance you do read this. I would like to get some coffee with you. On me... Hope to hear from you [Waldy's is pretty damn close to the Slice–Serious Eats office. Other than that, this is a pretty boring MissedCon. —The Mgmt.]
Gorgeous green eyes again on the train, just now around 1:10pm - w4m - 26 (ASTORIA --Ditmars station on the N train): This is the second time I've seen you. I saw you months back and today, you walk on the train,sit next to my friend but on the other side of the bar. I am sure I don't have to tell you how absolutely gorgeous you are. You have dark hair, kinda in a faux hawk style (very nice), green eyes, that look like they could change to a light hazel depending on what you are wearing. You had on dark windbreaker type jacket and darker khaki colored pants. You looked at me and I smiled (or tried to) and then you kinda smiled back but then proceeded to put on your headphones and stare at your side kick. I'm the curly haired brunette in the black pea coat and gray slacks who was holding a pizza box. I got off at 36th ave. I hope you see this! I would LOVE to get to know you.
Girl with glasses eating slice of pizza at Pinnacle today - m4w - 27 (Harlem / Morningside): This is for the girl I saw today at Pinnacle near Columbia University around 12:45 or so. You have glasses, and were drinking a Yellow Vitamin Water and eating a slice of pizza with what appeared to be spinach on it. Anyway, if you read this I justed wanted to say that you are very cute. How about next time we eat together?
Penn Station Lust - w4m (Penn Station): I stood in front of Krispy Kreme waiting for my train in Penn Station and you stood next to me. You had a bike and were eating pizza hut. You had beautiful flowing red hair. We glanced at each other but I was too shy to say anything. Tell me what I was wearing and I'll know it was you. You can ride MY train!!

New Jersey

Girl with son in John's pizza - m4w - 30 (Brooklawn): Hi you were in john's pizza in brooklawn around 7:30 P.M wednesday night! we stared at each other a few times and smiled. You were wearing grey sweat pants and sweatshirt, black long jacket and wearing glasses. When you left you drove away in a grey ford focus. Just wanted to say you were very cute and wanted to get a drink or coffee sometime with you. What did we both have to do to pay for our food. [She must have been hot if the sweatpants weren't a deterrent for this guy. —The Mgmt.]
GORGEOUS FORT LEE COP AT 7-11 / Pizza Nova store at Lemoine Ave today - w4m - 28 (Fort Lee): I saw you today at the mini-mall entering the 7-11 today. You are absolutely gorgeous. You are built like a brick house and have a face that melts my heart. I saw you once before over the summer. I'd love to hear from you. On the back of your uniform shirt there was writing (other than the word POLICE ) on it -- tell me what it is and the color of your hair. I would love to chat and grab a coffee?

Philly

your dumb ass orange fixie (south street): i was crossing south street and you almost hit me on your stupid hipster orange fixie. you jerk. you had a pizza bag on the back of your bike so i guess you work for giannas. im gonna kick your ass. stupid. stupid....stupid ass. go to heck. [Yeah. What's up with hipsters and their fixie bikes? I like gears. —The Mgmt.]
Cashier At Pearl - 23 (South Street.): I came in yesterday and bought some brushes. You have a great smile. Just thought you should know. Also the time I came in before and saw you, we talked about Pizza Trucks. [Pizza trucks are great. This guy or gal is a keeper. —The Mgmt.]

Chicago

Girl Working the Fast Food Counter in Target Wearing a Starbucks Hat - m4w (Target on Diversey): You had a Starbucks hat on even though you were working the Pizza Hut counter in Target - you were also absolutely beautiful. This was Tuesday after 5PM. ¶ You work hard to pay for school - maybe I can help you pay for school so you can work a little less? [Um, is this a weird thinly veiled prostitution reference? —The Mgmt.]
I delivered pizza to you last night - m4w - 24 (stave): I delivered some food to you last night. You came downstairs immediately after to let your dog out, and I totally lingered. We shared a few glances at each other. I hope you order from us again sometime soon. [Creepy! —The Mgmt.]

KC Metro Area

pizza street yesterday - m4w - 28 (olathe): We were both there around 1pm or so and made eye contact a couple times. you were with someone so i didn't want to interrupt. [Olathe! My hometown! But I've never been to Pizza Street. It's after my time there. —The Mgmt.]
Fine Looking Burnett - m4w (Pizza hut (Wilson Rd)): You came into Pizza Hut on Wilson Rd about 12:30 this afternoon and took my breath away. Me: Red flannel Jacket You: Blue outfit. Would love to hookup if interested. Tell me why you came in so I know its you. [Um, I would guess she was there to get pizza, dude. Duh. —The Mgmt.]
Hot dude at CiCi's Pizza Thursday night - m4m - 24 (Cicis- North Oak): Hey there. You were helping out at Cici's pizza for some elementary night. You were wearing a black fleece pullover and gray underarmour sweatpants. Looking very hot bro. I am a former college ball player who thought they would love to be coached or play with you. Hit me back if this is you and you are interested. [What's up with the sweatpants today? —The Mgmt.]

Portland

To Princess Hotness - m4w (Oasis Pizza): I see your beautiful face and your banging body when I come by for a slice. What a tight, sweet little unit you are. Just the thought of you sends shivers up my timbers. ¶ I would walk on my lips through busted glass to spend an hour in your company...you hot little fox. ¶ Your secret admirer, Louie. [I used to go to Pizza Oasis when I lived in Portland. And one of my friends worked there. Fun to see it in the mix. —The Mgmt.]

Bay Area

Sexy guy at Mary's Pizza in RP 12/3 8:30ish - w4m - 23 (rohnert pk / cotati): You're super freaking delicious. I wanna lick every inch of your naked body. But anyways, you were there with your brother, I'm guessing cuz you look a like, and you have stretched ears, and tribal tattoo up your left arm. You are probably more tattooed, but I couldn't tell from my seat. ¶ Yeah, so actually this is the second time I have seen you, the first time was in August at an art show at Buddha's Palm in Sebastopol. I'm pretty sure you must get your ink from Christian. I was there on a date, and I had to drool a little, over you then. ha. ¶ Well yeah. Anyways. Thanks for looking hot and making my night.
crying at the bar at wolfgang puck in lax - m4w: i saw an opening and wanted pizza to go down with my whiskey so I sat next to you in your business attire. you were loud on the phone, whiny voice..didn't really look at you but could tell you were hot. not from theremones or anything, maybe just the desperation in your raspy, whiny voice. I hope you get your job back and returned from a safe flight.

California Pizza Kitchen

An inordinate amount of missedcons seemed to happen in CPK in this roundup. CPK must have a policy of only hiring hot people.

Jennifer Owen CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN - m4w - 30 (Schaumburg): You were my waitress a few months ago. You wore pigtails and were adorable. Would love to talk to you.
waitress at california pizza kitchen - m4w - 23 (king of prussia): To the cute waitress at California Pizza kitchen who served us tonight. I think you were new and your name was Krista. Just wanted to say I think your really cute!! If you can guess who this is just let me know what I was wearing. hope to hear from you!
Hot Waiter at California Pizza Kitchen in the Pru - m4m - 22 (Back Bay): You were my waiter at California Pizza Kitchen tonight. I was having dinner with a friend there around 5:00-6:00ish. We were sitting in a booth close the bar. Your name starts with an S. I think you're very cute and would like to meet for drinks sometime. If you read this send me email with your pic. I hope to hear from you.
California Pizza Kitchen - m4m - 25 (Bellevue, WA): You were the host a couple weeks ago and you sat us..... I should have said something :(

Co. Still Not Open

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:25:55 -0500

Target date was December 2. Lahey and company said December 5 or 9 were other possible opening dates. Stay tuned. More on Co. here on Slice »

Photo of the Day: No Pizza for Bambi

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:15:18 -0500

I had no idea that the goofy little "quick bite" post I did on the deer-butchery in Allentown, Pennsylvania, would get so many comments—or a link to this funny photo. Thanks, Boscoep!

Pizzeria in Trouble After Butchering Deer

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:15:00 -0500

"[Stromboli Pizza manager John] Okumus said one of the pizza shop's cooks mistakenly started butchering the deer, and a girl using the women's restroom peered into an open door to the kitchen and saw what was happening. A health inspector wrote up a report but the pizza shop was not cited." [The Morning Call; via Daniel M.]

Food Blogger Orangette and Husband to Open Seattle Pizzeria

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:30:00 -0500

Popular food blogger Orangette dropped some awesome news on her site early last week: Her husband is opening a pizzeria. It's in their Seattle neighborhood, too, which I assume is within walking distance of their home. How cool would that be, to own a pizzeria and be able to walk to it? Here's what she says about his pizzamania:

[Brandon] is also obsessed with pizza. As a grade-schooler, he used to go to a pizzeria near his parents' house in New Jersey and pepper the owner with questions about dough and mozzarella. When I met him, he lived on the Upper West Side [of New York City], but he trekked out to the middle of Brooklyn at least once a week to wait patiently in line at Di Fara. Last year, he agreed to drive a car from San Antonio to Los Angeles just so he could try the pizza at Mozza, and he took an overnight trip to Phoenix for the sole purpose of eating at Pizzeria Bianco. So when he told me that he wanted to make pizza, it didn’t exactly surprise me. It may have scared me a little, but it didn't surprise me.

The place, which doesn't seem to have a name yet, is slated to open in spring, and judging by the 200-some comments on Orangette Molly's post, her readers will be out in full force to support it. Good luck, Brandon and Molly!

Edwardo's Natural Pizza: No Longer Great, But Still Very Good

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:00:00 -0500

Daniel Zemans, our man in Chicago, checks in with another piece of intel on the Windy City pizza scene. Daniel also blogs about Chicagoland pizza with his friends on the Chicago Pizza Club blog. —The Mgmt.

Edwardo’s Natural Pizza Restaurant

1321 East 57th Street, Chicago IL 60637 (map); 773-241-7960; 8 other locations
Getting There: Metra to 57th Street or 6 Jackson Park Express bus to 57th Street and Stony Island, walk 1/2 mile west
Pizza Style: Stuffed and thin-crust available; known for stuffed
Oven Type: Gas
The Skinny: One of the oldest stuffed pizzerias; still good but, other than the crust, has declined in recent years
Price: $20.72 for a medium pizza with one topping

In my review of Bacino’s, I mentioned that the owner of that establishment got his start in the pizza business after entering into a relationship with the owners of Giordano's (review here). That relationship didn’t work out, and Dan Bacin opened Bacino’s in 1978 using an Italianized version of his name. It so happens that there is a second pizzeria that has a similar history.

Edward Jacobson split from the Broglio brothers (then the owners of Giordano's) and went out on his own in 1978. There was no way to Italianize Jacobson, so he added an o to the end of his first name and opened the first Edwardo's Natural Pizza Restaurant on the far northern border of Chicago in Rogers Park. A year later, he opened his second location, this time on the south side in Hyde Park.

Edwardo's sought to carve out a niche as the healthier version of stuffed pizza. They pushed (and may well have invented) a spinach-soufflé-stuffed pizza, which was full of finely chopped fresh spinach. Hydroponic basil and oregano was grown in each restaurant and they used it on the pizza and sold it separately to people who wanted to take home some fresh herbs. Edwardo's tried out a whole-wheat crust as early as 1981. A concern with quality was also evident in the restaurant's use of San Marzano tomatoes in the sauce.

The company was clearly onto something, as there were six locations by 1984. Jacobson then entered into a relationship with Chicago real estate investors Ivan and Jeffrey Himmel. Soon thereafter, Edwardo's expanded to Minneapolis and Milwaukee and had plans to expand throughout the Midwest. They had some success in both areas and even worked out a deal whereby United Airlines served individual sizes of their stuffed pizzas on some flights.

In the meantime, the Himmels's company took over Edwardo's entirely and expanded its food empire to include Gino's East (review here). Edwardo's has suffered some setbacks in recent years, but today there are still nine locations, seven of which are in the Chicago area, with one on the outskirts of Milwaukee and another in Muncie, Indiana.

The highlight of Edwardo's stuffed pizza is the crust. The flaky crust has a nice soft chew but is strong enough to stand up to and complement the large quantities of cheese and sauce. The mozzarella was a little tough and chewy, although not terribly so. My understanding is that mozzarella gets tougher as fat is removed, and the ingredients listed on Edwardo's mail-order page indicate that the mozzarella is made from both whole and skim milk. It could also be that the company is using lower-quality cheese.

The generously applied sauce had a strong, slightly sweet flavor. It had fewer tomato chunks and was a little pastier than is common on stuffed and deep-dish pizzas but was still pretty good. I do not know what kind of tomatoes Edwardo's uses today, but I think it's safe to say that the days of using San Marzano tomatoes are long gone. There was a noticeable amount of salt in the pizza, which might have been in the sauce and might have been in the cheese, but that didn't detract much from the pizza. The sausage, which was overly salted, had a decent fennel flavor but was otherwise not good, an inexcusable fault in a city with ample suppliers of excellent sausage. I did not have it on this visit, but spinach remains a very good topping choice at Edwardo's.

Edwardo's has been a major player on the Chicago pizza scene for 30 years. It still serves up a very good stuffed pie, but I would recommend both Giordano's and Bacino's over Edwardo's.

Bacino's: Chicago's Healthy (?) Stuffed Pizza
Giordano's, a Stuffed Pizza Classic in Chicago
Pizza D.O.C.: Less Than a Minute from Greatness
Delisi's Pizzeria & Bar: A Fully Restored Neighborhood Institution
Gino's East: One of the Best Deep-Dish Pizzas in Chicago
Bricks, Pizza Heaven in the Bowels of Chicago
Burt's Place: Home of the Pizza King of Chicago
Is Chicago's La Madia a Pizzeria or Restaurant? Who Cares?

The Pizza Dome: Whatever

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:30:41 -0500

Yes, we've seen the Pizza Dome.

It's so not going into the upcoming Slice–Serious Eats Gift Guide this year.

Original Cosmic Ray's Pizza from 'Futurama'

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:00:00 -0500

Jason Kottke just hipped me to this funny bit of pizza trivia from Futurama. Original Cosmic Ray's Pizza. The joke works on so many levels.

What Pizzerias the Gossip Girls and Boys Would Frequent

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:30:00 -0500

I just watched last night's Gossip Girl episode ("It's a Wonderful Lie"), the one where Vanessa has a gift certificate to Grimaldi's ("I'm thinking double pepperoni"). For all you non–New Yorkers, yes, it's a real place (you can read all about it here on Slice), and, yes, it does offer gift certificates (I called to make sure).

Vanessa Abrams

I agree with New York magazine's recap assessment—Vanessa would totally be a "Di Fara diehard." All the way. Why? Vanessa sucks. She's annoying and oppressively self-righteous in that way that only certain chip-on-shoulder Brooklynites can be. If you were unlucky enough to befriend her—or worse, date her—she would totally twist your arm, reverse-snob you, and schlep your ass all the way out there. "OMG, Nate! I totally know this little place that's hidden and has, like, the best pizza ever! None of your Constance Billard or St. Jude's friends would be caught dead there." And then she'd secretly judge you if you grumbled about the long wait or what a mess the dining room was.

Where the Rest of Them Would Eat Pizza

Blair Waldorf

My first thought: Blair wouldn't eat pizza. But then an evil little elf reminded me that, "Yes, she would! She would just throw up afterward!" I think any generic Ray's pizza would do for that. Loaded with all the crap the various Ray's put on their pies.

Dan Humphrey

Dan is overearnest, smug, and unbearable. Like a lot of the folks on Chowhound. Which is why he, like a lot of the folks on Chowhound (and like Vanessa), would be a Di Fara fan. He's also writing a pretentious short story or a "Shouts & Murmurs" piece about the Di Fara experience in hopes of getting it in the New Yorker.

Serena van der Woodsen

Serena has a kind, goofy side, so she'd be comfortable slumming it in pizzaland. But she's totally high-maintenance, so only Una Pizza Napoletana will do. Then again, Dan could puppy-dog-eye her into a trip to Totonno's (it's deep to wander Coney in the off season), after which she'd reveal her vulnerable side and wonder "Why can't we always be like this?"

Nate Archibald

Nate is totally dull. He gives little thought to what he eats and just grabs an unimaginative slice of pepperoni at whatever pizzeria is closest. (Unless Vanessa drags him to Di Fara.)

Chuck Bass

Chuck Bass eats at whatever pizzeria is still open after he gets out of his burlesque parlor or the strip clubs. Since the New York burlesque scene seems to be centered on the Lower East Side, let's say Rosario's. It's open till 5 a.m. If he's cruising the West Side strip clubs, let's say 99¢ Fresh Pizza, open 24 hours.

Little Jenny Humphrey

Jenny would eat at Lazzara's. It's one block up from Mood Fabrics.

Rufus Humphrey

Rufus would make homemade pizza (with some sort of expensive Spanish ham, imported "00" flour, and buffalo mozzarella) and then guilt-trip Dan and Jenny into staying in, listening to him blather about Lincoln Hawk and Lisa Loeb. Lily van der Woodsen would show up unexpectedly, have a bite of pizza, swallow with a pained expression, and then make a grandiose statement.

XOXO,
Pizza Boy

Additional reporting by Kerry Saretsky

Kansas City's Grinders and Its Tater Tot Chili Pizza, on 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives'

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:45:00 -0500

Madness lies ahead, at Eat Me Daily.

Kansas City, I love you. I spent my formative years in your metro area. But this nonsense is why we had to break up.

You will forever be synonymous with barbecue and pretty little women, but you will never be known as a pizza town.

How could you, with this crazy-ass Tater Tot–Chili Pizza at Grinders?

The Eat Me Daily weblog has video of the monstrosity.

Grinders

417 East 18th Street, Kansas City MO 64108 (b/n Oak and Locust streets; map)
816-472-5454

Pizza Quote of the Day: XOXO

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:45:00 -0500

"Vanessa had a gift certificate to Grimaldi's? No way would she admit to that. She'd be a Di Fara diehard all the way. Minus 3." —From New York magazine's always hilariously dead-on Gossip Girl recap [And, yes, Grimaldi's does offer gift certificates.]

Ray's Real Pizza Moves to Jersey

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:45:00 -0500

New York Times

As if things weren't confusing enough when it comes to the name Ray's and the world of pizza. The New York Times chronicles the move of Ray's Real Pizza, once a Times Square pizzeria whose customers included (at some time or other) Alec Baldwin, Puff Daddy Diddy Dude, and Dom DeLuise.

The story mostly details how the former Times Square location attracted celebs and how the new Hazlet digs are devoid of famous eaters: "The Russo brothers keep a camera under the counter just in case a celebrity happens to stumble in. Some customers claim they’ve seen Jon Bon Jovi, the drummer Max Weinberg and Bruce Springsteen drive by."

Given the way that most pizzerias (and restaurants in general) seem to exaggerate star appearances, it's hard to tell if Ray's Real Pizza was ever a celeb magnet, but when you're touting a Max Weinberg drive-by, things have definitely slowed down in the limelight department.

Truth Hammer: The First Ray's

Also, I've gotta bring out the Truth Hammer here. You may see some other websites (ahem, Grub Street) getting confused and dubbing Ray's Real Pizza "the actual original Ray's Pizza," but that is far from the case. Ray's Real is said to have opened "in the late 1970s," according to today's Times story. Compare that to this nugget from the Times archives:

Documents gathered during the Rays' legal battle show that there was no Ray's Pizza listed in the 1959 Manhattan telephone book. That was the year Ralph Cuomo, the 22-year-old son of immigrants from southern Italy, opened a pizzeria in Little Italy, using his mother's recipe.
It was at 27 Prince Street, between Mott and Elizabeth Streets, on the first floor of a building that his family lived in and owned. The next year's telephone book listed the name: Ray's Pizza.

Ray's Real Pizza

3429 State Route 35, Hazlet NJ 07730
732-203-1600

View Larger Map

Dear Slice: Check Out My Research Paper on NE Pennsylvania Pizza!

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Clicking in to the Slice inbox today, we've got some scholarly research to delve into. (Emphasis mine.) ...

I'm in the American Studies graduate program at Penn State-Harrisburg. A link on your blog about Northeastern Pennsylvania being the Pizza Capital of the U.S. led me to a short research paper last spring, so I thought I'd share it. Most of this is nothing new to you experts, but you may find some of the info I found in mid-century city directories interesting.

—Tim

------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Tim,

This is AWESOME.

Thank you! I love the research on the directories. That was a really smart way to look at historical pizza data and one that I would have never thought of doing. It would be cool to do that with NYC pizzerias, but I bet it would get hairy!

Hey, would you mind if I offered up this paper as a PDF for Slice readers to download and read? I totally understand if you wouldn't be into that, but I think it would be fun.

Thanks again for the reading!

Hasta la pizza,
Adam

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

Hi Adam,

Feel free to share, since your site was the spark.

—Tim

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

And here's the PDF: brixius_AMST535_final.pdf

East Village's Five Roses Pizza Closing

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0500

According to Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, the landlord is raising the rent on the little pizzeria on First Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets.

Saturday is the last day, and after that, the owner may try to move the location farther east.

Five Years Ago on Slice

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:20:06 -0500

A screen grab from the Slice archives:

Five years ago to the date, if not the minute.

I was just looking at past Thanksgiving posts on the site and found this one. The sentiment remains the same, if not the travel plans. I'm staying in New York this year but eating turkey nonetheless. Pizza is for after the holiday, when I'm sick of the bird.

I Hope So

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:35:03 -0500

From the FAIL Blog.

Citigroup Deal Banged Out Over Domino's Pizza

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:15:00 -0500

Domino's latest slogan is "You've got 30 minutes ..." But this gives a whole new meaning to that tagline:

Meanwhile, about 20 staffers were working at FDIC offices a block from the White House, subsisting on Domino's pizza for dinner at around 8 p.m. and working on the deal until about 11:30 p.m., according to a person familiar with the matter. The agency's board met at 10 p.m., discussing the package for about 30 minutes before the vote to aid the bank.

We're all doomed.

First Taste: A Pizza Preview of Jim Lahey's Upcoming Pizzeria, Co.

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:30:00 -0500

Co.

230 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10001 (at West 24th Street; map)
The Skinny: Actual round pizza from Jim Lahey, the bread man behind Sullivan Street Bakery (as opposed to his Roman-style flatbread pizzas found at the bakery). And, oh, it is awesome
Pizza Style: A sort of Neapolitan–New York-style hybrid
Oven Type: Earthstone gas oven; Lahey may burn a couple logs of wood or add wood chips to aromatize the crust
Opening: Target open date is Tuesday, December 2, but Lahey says, "realistically the 5th or the 9th"
Related: Update on Jim Lahey's Co., Co. Is 'Pizza Hut Meets Blue Hill'

Wednesday, about 5 p.m., Ed Levine here in the Slice–Serious Eats office was like, "So, who's going to Co. with me to shoot the tasting?"

"Um, what tasting," I asked.

"I told everybody about it. In the group chat on IM."

"Uh, no you didn't."

Long story short, I volunteered myself to trail Ed to some sort of preopening oven test and tasting at Jim Lahey's upcoming pizzeria on Ninth Avenue and 24th Street. (Lahey and company have a target opening date of December 2, but, Lahey says, "Realistically, it's more like December 5 or 9.")

We arrived, and it turned out Ed had scored some sort of super invite, because it appeared to be a tasting primarily for Lahey's investor, Phil Suarez. I felt like I had crashed an intimate gathering, but the company was welcoming, and pretty soon everyone was concentrating on the food coming from the kitchen, anyway.

Below are some photos, along with some thoughts. But before I get into it, I have to say that as I was writing this post, I called Lahey to get some follow-up details, and he told me to just come over and fire away as he was experimenting with some new pies. So the set below mixes Wednesday and Friday evening. Just go with my flow, peeps. Mega pizza porn, after the jump.

The Oven

Lahey is using a gas-fired Earthstone oven. He says he may put a couple pieces of wood in it or use wood chips to aromatize the pies. (Aromatize the pies. Poet but didn't know it.)

Co.'s Company Rules

The bread matters
Freshness (no old mise/misse/mies)
Quality
Consistency—properly trained
Thought out
Simple

And, yes, that's a Raytek infrared gun-style thermometer on the make table.

The Domenico

The first pie to come out of the oven Wednesday night was what Lahey called the Domenico. On my subsequent visit Friday afternoon, he had shortened it simply to "The Dom." It's an homage to, you guessed it, Dom DeMarco of Di Fara.

It's basically tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, and just enough pecorino Romano, though on Friday, Lahey mentioned keeping 36-month grana padano around.

Before rabid Di Fara-heads pile on, let me say that this pie is an homage to Dom. Not a straight-up attempt at cloning. As such, it was pretty much a Margherita pie with some added tang from the pecorino. Another difference between it and the Margherita was that it was a little more cheese-heavy than the Marg.

Margherita

Here's Wednesday night's Margherita pie. I didn't get an upskirt of this one, but hold your breath a bit while you scroll, because I've got a crust reveal of one of the Friday afternoon Margs below, taken after watching Lahey build about three pies with varying sauce and cheese ratios. Here's a step-by-step of a Margherita build-up:

Stretching the dough—an obvious first step. After which Lahey flours the pizza peel and then sprinkles on a bit of salt with the flour, something I'd never seen any other pizzaiolo do.

Saucing the dough. The sauce layer was pretty sparse on this first one, but he was experimenting with different amounts of the red stuff to find the right balance.

Lahey adds the cheese. They're using buffalo mozzarella, sourced from Italy, but they haven't settled on one particular source yet.

And, of course, basil makes the Margherita complete.

Here's one of those bad boys about 10 seconds out of the oven.

I promised it, and now I deliver: There's the upskirt on that bad boy.

The Hunter

The Hunter, in the kitchen.

When Lahey brought this one out of the kitchen on Wednesday, he called this one the "boscaiolo," Italian for forester or hunter. It's a pie made from things a forester might pick up while out in the woods. As served, this one had mushrooms, sausage, and onion. Which just happens to be very near my favorite combo (sausage and onion).

The Hunter, on the table.

The Popeye

The Popeye needs no explanation. Strong to the finish, folks. Strong to the finish.

Other Pies Not Pictured

There was a pie Lahey's calling the Ham and Cheese—topped with fontina and then prosciutto thrown on immediately after the pie comes out of the oven, which serves to warm the meat just enough. We sampled two versions on Wednesday, the more interesting one with a few caraway seeds scattered on the dough to give it some aromatic pop while eating. I hope the caraway version shows up on the menu rather than the noncaraway version.

On Friday, I watched an experimental pie being born. It was awesome (can you say Kentucky bacon?) and would probably have purists scratching their heads, but it really worked. Unfortunately, Lahey went off record with this one, so I cannot tell you more than bacon! at this time.

Toasts

In addition to pizza, the menu will also feature "toasts." If you want to get all Italiano, you could call them bruschetta. This pinto bean toast was my favorite (we also tasted a tomato-topped toast, but as tomatoes aren't in season, it may not find its way on to the menu come opening day). Flavored with peperoncini, it has a subtle heat that cuts the slight sweetness of the beans. Lahey adds the slightest bit of anchovy to the mix to give it some salt—but fear not, anchovy haters, you'd never know the little fish had any part in this bruschetta.

And of course the base is from Sullivan Street Bakery, so you're already starting with some of the best bread in the city.

Yeah, Yeah, Pretty Pictures. But How Did It Taste?

The pies on Wednesday night were amazing. Lahey is a bread genius, and as the crust is the hardest part of pizza to perfect, we're already in good hands. The hole structure was beautiful, giving the end crust a crisp, chewy puffiness that would compel even crust-haters to finish an entire slice. There was ample flavor here, thanks to a dough that was left to rise 24 hours, developing a yeasty tang. The crust was crisp and chewy, but did not suffer from overchewiness. You know how some pizza crusts are too chewy and give you a jaw ache? Not happening here. There was minimal tip sag on any of these pies.

Friday's pies were made using a younger dough, so the flavor wasn't as assertive, but they were just short of pizza nirvana and would still blow away many of the best pies you've had.

One of my favorites was the Hunter, which featured the same peperoncino used in the pinto-bean toast, giving it a little bit of a kick that started slow but never overwhelmed the other flavors in the mix. In fact, Lahey said on Friday, much of the menu will make use of the chiles to greater or lesser extent.

I liked the Dom for its use of the salty, tangy pecorino and would probably opt for that over the Margherita.

The nice thing, though, is that the pies are small—about 12 inches in diameter—so if you go with a group of three or four people, you can order different pizzas and share, easily getting a taste of many of the pies.

The menu is not yet set, though it seemed pretty certain that the Dom, the Hunter, the Margherita, and the Popeye would be on it, along with a basic Marinara pie.

Compared to pizzas of similar size and style, I'd say Lahey's making a pie that's more Franny's than Una Pizza Napoletana, but it's easily in that league of awesome. There's more crispness to the crust than you'll find at UPN, but the pizzas seem less fussy than those at Franny's.

My prediction is that the place will be packed. Good thing that it's only a couple blocks from the Slice–Serious Eats office, so I can get there early.

The Dining Room

I usually don't get too into interior design crap on Slice because, really, who cares? But since I had unusual access, I snapped some dining room porn for you. And, at the bottom of this post, there's the entire set of photos in a slide, with some bonus outtakes for you.

The dining room is all clean lines and warm wood. Though minimalist and spare, it has a welcoming feeling. There are 54 seats.

There are two communal tables with 12 seats each and a banquette of two-tops flanked by two round six-top tables.

The bar. It's got a marble top and, at the time of this photo, one tap for beer. There's an espresso machine on the back bar.

Miscellanea

This rabbit lamp sits in the windowsill of the kitchen, for now. "We found it in the basement," Lahey said. "It's the only thing we kept from what was in here before. I guess we should give it a name."

The expediter's view into the dining room.

Other Restaurants Nearby

Txikito, two doors up
Grand Sichuan International, across the street

Cool Video: The BBC Goes Inside a Frozen-Pizza Factory in Ireland

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:15:00 -0500

The BBC has a fascinating video inside a frozen pizza factory in Naas, Ireland. It's amazing how few people are needed to run the place, which turns out 2 million pizzas a week.

It's all very Laverne & Shirley intro, minus the wacky charm of human beings.

When the pizza "bases" are topped with to-mah-to sauce, it'll sort of remind you of the Play-Doh Mop Top Hair Shop.

And the pepperoni stick machine—looks sort of like some octomonster has been caught in a trap. [via Tien Mao]

Italian Fiesta Pizzeria: The Obamas' Chicago Pizza Favorite, Reviewed

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:30:00 -0500

But President-Elect Appears to Favor St. Louis Pizzeria

Italian Fiesta Pizzeria

1400 East 47th Street, Chicago IL 60653 (map); 773-684-2222 to order; 773-924-5339 to reach restaurant
Getting There: Metra to 47th Street or 6 Jackson Park Express bus to 47th Street and Lake Park
Pizza Style: Tavern-cut thin crust
Oven Type: Gas
The Skinny: Greasy thin-crust pizza
Price: $19.70 for a large pizza with one

When reports started trickling out in July that Barack Obama's favorite pizzeria was Italian Fiesta Pizzeria, I took it a little personally. By that time, I had already given time and money to his campaign, and despite my cynical nature, I had already had so many glasses of Obama Kool-Aid that my former neighbor and state representative could do no wrong in my eyes even as he surprised me by voting for FISA and shown ~~cowardice~~ political pragmatism on gay marriage. But now came reports that he favored pizzas from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria, which I knew served far from top-notch pizza.

Italian Fiesta has been in the South Shore neighborhood on Chicago's south side since 1951. Even as the neighborhood changed dramatically (read: blacks moved in and whites ran away), Italian Fiesta stuck around, eventually adding locations in Hyde Park and a couple of southern and southwestern suburbs. Michele Obama grew up in South Shore and, presumably, she gets the credit for introducing it to the president-elect.

After the jump, find out whose pizza Barack Obama really craves. [He] "wouldn't shut up about my pizza," the joint's owner said.

Obama banners decorate Hyde Park and downtown Chicago.

The Hyde Park location that the Obamas patronize is a small restaurant in a strip mall that does not offer a dine-in option. Those who choose to go pick up their pizzas are advised to call at least 45 minutes before they arrive, despite there being no possible way it takes even half that amount of time to cook one of Italian Fiesta's thin-crust pies.

Another quirk of the ordering process is that the phone number used to place the order is not to the restaurant itself, but to a general number where the person answering asks not only takes the order but also asks which location the order should go to.

The restaurant consists of a waiting area that's about 10 feet by 20 feet and a large kitchen area visible through a small bulletproof glass window, where about a dozen people were busy making and packing pizzas. There were a couple of signs on the wall in the waiting-ordering area that caught my eye. One warns that there may be a long wait for pizza, and the other explains the refund policy: No refunds, only exchanges, and if a customer wants to make an exchange, they have to bring in the uneaten portion of their pizza.

I picked up my sausage pizza and headed to the car to open the box. Inside was a steaming thin-crust pizza with a noticeable amount of oregano and grease sitting on top. The buttery crust is thicker than traditional Chicago thin crust, but still pretty thin. The homemade sauce was well seasoned and was generously applied around the outer part of the pizza, but the middle pieces could have used a bit more. The sausage seemed to be fairly low quality, but it had some flavor and was well-represented on the pizza.

I was ready to write off Italian Fiesta after a couple of pieces, but when I got home about half an hour later, I ate some more. By that time, the grease had largely soaked back into the pizza, which resulted in a vastly improved pie. That's not to say the pizza magically became a high-quality treat, but there was something rather comforting about it. Italian Fiesta does not offer a pizza to be savored, but it offers a decent pie, particularly for late night diners—Italian Fiesta is open until 1 a.m. during the week and 2 a.m. on weekends.

Obama's Real Favorite Pizza—It's from St. Louis

That said, I'm not certain that Barack Obama fans will actually be that much closer to their hero by eating pizza from Italian Fiesta. See, while Michelle Obama has proclaimed her love of Italian Fiesta, I haven't found a quote from the president-elect himself sharing her enthusiasm. In fact, the owner admits that Obama has never been seen in the restaurant. There is, however, a story out of St. Louis that offers some insight into his pizza palate.

Pi

6144 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis MO 63112; map); 314-727-6633; restaurantpi.com

When campaigning in St. Louis toward the end of the election, Obama spoke to about 100,000 people. As anyone who has given a speech to 100,000 people knows, it's a draining experience that builds up an appetite. Chris Sommers owns Pi, a Chicago-style pizzeria in St. Louis. He sent Obama and his staff some pizzas for a post-speech meal, and a few hours later, the future president called Sommers and said it was the best pizza he'd ever eaten.

Apparently, Obama was not just being the nice politician when he made the call. The campaign's Missouri Field Director later called Sommers and said that Obama "wouldn't shut up about my pizza."

Eager to ~~get more publicity~~ return the affection, Pi is introducing a new pizza called the Broccoli O'Bama, which consists of a vegan thin-crust topped with broccoli, seasoned potatoes, applewood-smoked bacon, gruyere cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, and fresh chives, and is served with a side of sour cream.

I have never been to Pi, so I can't vouch for it one way or the other. But as far as Italian Fiesta Pizzeria goes, well, let's all hope Obama is better at leading the country than he is at picking a pizza. At the same time, if anyone had to go eight years without pizza, Italian Fiesta would taste like the best food on the planet.

Pizza D.O.C.: Less Than a Minute from Greatness
Delisi's Pizzeria & Bar: A Fully Restored Neighborhood Institution
Gino's East: One of the Best Deep-Dish Pizzas in Chicago
La Gondola: A Chicago Version of New York Pizza
Pizza Capri: Disappointing Thin-Crust, Passable Stuffed Pies in Chicago
Bricks, Pizza Heaven in the Bowels of Chicago
Burt's Place: Home of the Pizza King of Chicago
Is Chicago's La Madia a Pizzeria or Restaurant? Who Cares?

Pizza on the 'Sarah Silverman Program'

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:15:08 -0500

On the Sarah Silverman Program, "Steve and Brian threw their backs out in the bathroom (for reasons I don't want to get into). And they're hungry. And there's a pizza in the other room." Video of the scene at Eat Me Daily.

Two Boots Rock Center Closing; Two Boots Hell's Kitchen Imminent

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:15:00 -0500

The Two Boots location in Rockefeller Center (in the weird mall-like area belowground) is closing. But when a door closes, a (pizza) window opens. The mini chain will open a branch at Ninth Avenue and 45th Street. So sayeth Midtown Lunch.