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Pizza Review
I’m closer to Dave’s score on this one. This is a Frank Pinello joint of Best Pizza and VICE fame. The tartness of the sauce, heavy char, lack of much basil or any naturally “sweet” note on this pizza added up to a flavor profile I only thought was okay. I’m gonna get dissed over the “heavy char” comment. I like New Haven style apizza. Look at my Frank Pepe and Sally’s scores. I always order a pie well done. But I felt what I got must’ve picked up a lot of the ash and soot of earlier pies in a bad way. That charred flavor overwhelmed the rest of the pie, particularly because it wasn't offset my anything on the pizza except the chersr. The pie I got leans heavily on savory flavor, despite other reviewers talking of San Marzano sauce. You do get milky fresh mozzerella though with does add an element of creaminess and olive oil, which can vary in flavor but it helps carry taste and helps protect the cooked basil. It's best to look at this like a Napolitana type margherita but on a flat New York style crust. So the crust is doesn't have to the delicate chew of a Napolitana that a lot of Americans don't like but I do for that style. Here that makes for a crispy and moderate chew, which is fine. Sauce is looser though not watery. It's tart and I'd've liked it better simmered where it leaned into it's savoriness more in seasoning or naturally sweeter with just raw well picked tomatoes. I'd like to come back to try other pizzas or it may just be that Best Pizza is more up my alley.
3 likes
Pizza Review
Even though they’ve only been open since 2017, there is a true old school vibe to this joint. That vibe definitely emanates from their “Peterson oven” that dates back to the 1920s when this place was a bakery. The owners renovated and restored this 100-year old baking oven and converted it into a wood-burning oven, with temperatures as high as 850° and making it possible to cook pizzas in as fast as 2 to 3 minutes. The wood-fired pies served here are 14” Neapolitan style, slightly bigger than personal sized pizzas, certainly shareable. Their Margherita pie is a mix of San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, salt & extra virgin olive oil. The dough is light, fluffy, and crispier than the average wood-fired pie, with nice char on the crust and a very tasty, smokey flavor. The crust has exceptional crunch & crisp, some of the best wood-fired crust I’ve ever had. The fresh mozzarella cheese is thin and light, spread around the pie in splotches, melted very well with just enough creaminess to meld with the dough. Thanks to the San Marzano tomatoes, the sauce is very sweet, bursting with flavor, carrying the pie to an extent but all of the ingredients work well together to make for a delicious pizza. The fresh basil definitely accentuates the flavor of the sauce, while the oregano dulls the sweetness a bit. I think a dusting of Parmesan or pecorino Romano would be better than oregano, which interrupts the flow of the flavor, to neutralize the sweetness instead. Overall, this is really good Neapolitan style pizza and definitely defies the odds of generic wood-fired pies lacking in crispness. The tasty thinnish dough combined with the outstanding crispy crust puts this pie on another level. If you’re a fan of Neapolitan style pizza, this is a travel-worthy destination in a very cool, little hidden spot of New Rock.
2 likes