Opened in 2017 by owner Dean Kitagawa in the Callowhill area of Philadelphia, they make gas oven pizza from scratch under the motto: “No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no joke.” Their regular plain cheese pie is called the “Standard,” and comes in 2 sizes: small (14”) & large (20”). I ordered a large Standard, which is just a notch below medium thickness, certainly thinner than I expected, with a doughy & pillowy crust of minimal crunch. Despite some modest char on the crust & undercarriage, the dough is mostly soft & shockingly floppy. While fairly tasty, the texture of the dough is rather disappointing; I expected a much firmer pie from a gas oven. According to their menu, they use both mozzarella cheese & a housemade mozz, which combined has kind of a funky flavor. A smidge too salty, the blend tastes like other cheeses like pecorino, Parmesan & provolone are mixed in, creating a unique flavor & smell, which isn’t necessarily bad, just different. Moderately melty, the mozzarella has a good consistency, above average quality, but not as creamy as desired. The sauce is a mildly sweet & tangy marinara, more savory than anything else, along with visible seasoning and spices adding kick & depth to give the flavor some distinction. Given the saltiness of the cheese, I’d prefer a sweeter sauce blend. Shredded confetti basil atop the pie doesn’t particularly add much extra flavor, providing mostly cosmetic color & class, separating itself from typical Philly football pizza with more style than substance. Not a bad pie to say the least but a little too soft & salty for my liking, in need of crisping & sweetening of the sauce. Overall, this is super filling gussied up Philadelphia football pizza with signature Philly flavor. Much better than average pizza in the area but not quite a destination pie.
