Pizza – That’s Amore!

Like love, everyone has an opinion about Pizza

© Jacqueline Church

Sep 14, 2006

Like love, pizza is something about which everyone has an opinion. Everyone is an authority. More poetry might have been written about love, but I am certain equal passion is aroused by the topic of pizza. Don't believe me? Ask any three people about what makes the best pie and watch the sparks fly. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Americans are passionately in love with pizza. One source claims 93% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month and another study says that each man, woman and child consumes an average of 23 pounds of pie a year.

I grew up in a time and place when instant, convenient and semi-prepared food was seen as "modern". Chef Boyardee, indeed. Me and pizza, we've come a long way, baby. I've eaten it in Italy. I've had it in New York. I've eaten at a number of the revered spots that show up on most of the authorities' lists. Like anyone else, I can tell you what is wrong about bad pizza (thick, doughy crust or worse, the Bisquik grade school cafeteria style crust) and what is right about good pizza (thin, crispy crust, no soggy, sagging middle, no pooling of grease from cheap toppings.) I've never once seen mention of that venerated Chef of my childhood on any list. Go figure.

The start of pizza in the States

The history of pizza in the US might be generally agreed upon, but once you drill down a bit, claims of authenticity and authority can get dicey.

At the highest level, broad strokes, most would agree that pizza came to the US from Naples, via New York. What much of middle-America gets delivered to their door at halftime, bears little resemblance to the real thing. (Sorry, sometimes the truth hurts.) Some say it came back with WWII soldiers returning from Italy, others claim it came with earlier Italian immigrants.

Pizza Today

Regardless of the timing, it's well established that New York City and New Haven Connecticut are two of the legendary pizza cities. Whether you're a devoted fan of Frank Pepe's, swear by Sally's Apizza or moon over Modern Apizza, one thing these places have in common is a thin, charred crust from coal-fired ovens. The crust which bakes quickly at temperatures between 600- 800 degrees is impossible to replicate in a home oven. A pizza stone helps, but most home ovens don't get nearly that hot. Good oregano is also a key ingredient.

According to our server during our last New Haven , "the old timers" eat a pie "with no mutz" (mozzarella). Just a bit of grated cheese. What most of us know as a "plain" pie (sauce, mozzarella) is an American invention. At Frank Pepe's, they're referred to as "tomato pies."

Adventure

At Sally's, I was irritated to hear I'd have an hour wait. These are the rules, unless you know a guy. I was barely able to keep my composure. Ultimately, it was worth it. There are rumors of a secret number to call to reserve a table. Fuggedaboudit, I'm not even close to that connected.

Our server, distant relative of the original owner, worked the whole room, and still had time to lean on our booth, give us a bit of history, make a few suggestions and trade some jibes about Boston and New Haven.

I have yet to try Modern Apizza which is located on the Yale campus. Sally's and Pepe's are on Wooster Street. The clam pizza is said to have originated at Pepe's, ours at Sally's was great. Both Wooster Street shops still have family involved in the business.

Authorities with a serious love of pizza

Ed Levine has written "A Slice of Heaven" exerpted on the authoritative site SliceNY. Jan and Michael Stern Road Food gurus have also rated the New Haven scene in a chart . For the record, I disagree with quite a bit of the chart.

A recent entrant to the Boston pizza scene is the closest I've had to the New York/New Haven heavenly pies. Picco in the South End serves terrific pies. While they don't mention a coal fired oven (and I'm sure the luxury building and zoning laws would forbid it) the pizzas come close to the New Haven style crust. According to the menu, they use "a cold fermentation process starting with cold flour, yeast and water... allows the dough to develop a wonderful structure, but most importantly it acquires a very rich, toasty flavor."

The small pie is more than adequate for one person, if you're hungry, order one of the excellent salads, or better yet, save room for homemade ice cream. This is the pizza joint we wished we had when we were kids. They even "make an effort to support" organic and biodynamic wine producers. A second trip to Picco for takeout pies, mac and cheese and homemade ice cream confirmed this place is at the top of the list. Our two friends are New Haven afficionados and they agreed!

Now, tell us, with authority, what do you think?

As with love, only you know what's right for you. Find trusted sources for advice, cull through the data, then dig in and find your pie. Then you too, can be an authority. Even if you are unlucky in love, there's a lot of joy in a good pie.

We've covered some of the basics, including a few generally accepted authorities. I want to toss this out to you.

Join the discussion below and let us know what constitutes the best pizza, and where you prefer to go for your fix.

• Connecticut readers: Tell us why you choose Frank Pepe's over Sally's? Or does Modern really beat both?
• In Boston, is Santarpio's really like NY pizza? What about Picco? Regina's? Emma's? Figs? Upper Crust?
• What about frou-frou toppings? Mashed potato? Broccoli? Chicken?
• What about Devy Stone's wild BBQ Rainbow Pizza?
• What do you think never goes on a pizza? What's the perfect pie?
• What about Al Forno in Providence? Antonio's in Amherst?
• Anyone in the great beyond (that would be west of the Mississippi) think there's a pie out there that compares?
• Anyone? Anyone?

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