tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43195693696671716272024-03-08T14:58:35.463-05:00Stamford Pizza TourThe Stamford Pizza Tour aims to tackle every pizza restaurant in Stamford Connecticut and eventually crown an undisputed pizza champion. These pizza restaurants include Planet Pizza, Colony Grill, J and D's Pizza and Grille, Hope Pizza Restaurant, Vinny's Backyard Restaurant, Ridgeway Pizza, Sorrento Pizzeria and Restaurant, and moreScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-30282434554637801212014-08-29T07:47:00.001-04:002014-08-29T07:50:09.491-04:00End of an Era<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FT36vV3nVpKAHL3yc6zIFLiqRKOq0U3V3hkvupmUwkL08uz_LGn5drrbtCGPBrnJqpLnIPKIQgdSr0pzROa9SI2NEqsbsJylUz_auXuLWIJn6xxjXMJiwyvipbho11oYkj-Wi2Tpk5Jh/s400/amore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FT36vV3nVpKAHL3yc6zIFLiqRKOq0U3V3hkvupmUwkL08uz_LGn5drrbtCGPBrnJqpLnIPKIQgdSr0pzROa9SI2NEqsbsJylUz_auXuLWIJn6xxjXMJiwyvipbho11oYkj-Wi2Tpk5Jh/s400/amore.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
Five years ago, we stumbled upon a pizza that Al Carozza, owner of <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/07/amore-restaurant.html">Amore Restaurant</a>, already knew was the best. We were thorough and complete in our "quest to discover the greatest pizza in The City That Works" and Amore came out on top quite definitively.<br />
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After 50 years of slinging pies, <a href="http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Amore-owner-to-retire-after-50-years-taking-5714479.php" rel="nofollow">Al is hanging up his apron</a> and taking with him the pizza that we set out to find. His recipe and his staff will fade away in his retirement and Stamford's crown for best pizza will lay vacant. We encourage everyone to stop by this weekend, as it will be the last chance to catch a glimpse of the undisputed champion.<br />
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The Stamford Pizza Tour would like to wish Al all of the best in his retirement. This is the end of an era, but the quest continues.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-84163141259544936572013-07-13T11:19:00.001-04:002013-07-13T11:19:35.042-04:00Sauce on a Map<p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18tkh9fwc5x6bjpg/k-bigpic.jpg" width="500" height="284" /></p> <p>Gawker’s Max Read posted <a href="http://gawker.com/the-pizza-belt-the-most-important-pizza-theory-youll-743629037" target="_blank">an interesting article</a> the other day, detailing a theory (the Most Important Pizza Theory You’ll Read, in fact) on the concentration of good pizza in the northeast. Generally speaking, this “Pizza Belt” extends from southern Jersey up to Providence, RI, and represents a region where the odds of finding an “adequate-to-good” slice of pizza is better than fifty percent.</p> <p>Proving that singularity seldom exists in the scientific community, this pizza theory has been around for quite some time. Ed Levine of Serious Eats fame postulated <em>his</em> <a href="http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2006/02/ed-levine-discusses-the-pizza-belt.html" target="_blank">Pizza Belt Theory</a> in his 2005 guide, <em>Pizza: A Slice of Heaven</em>. Levine goes so far as to trace this regional phenomenon back to southern Italian immigration patterns (naturally) through some anecdotal tales of the northeast’s pizza juggernauts and their origins; an interesting read if you haven’t stumbled upon it already in the last seven and a half years.</p> <p>So, you say, how relevant is all of this science and history hooey? Well, the Stamford Pizza Tour represents a single data point, smack in the middle of the famed Pizza Belt. Taking a look at our <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/chart-chart.html" target="_blank">leaderboard</a>, local favorites like <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2011/07/ricos-pizza.html" target="_blank">Rico’s</a>, <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/03/original-pappas-pizza.html" target="_blank">Pappas</a>, and <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2010/01/coalhouse-pizza.html" target="_blank">Coalhouse</a> sit below the halfway point on our scale, but still represent very reputable and, at the very least, “adequate-to-good” pizza establishments—theory upheld.</p> <p>Now, if some likeminded native sons from the rest of the Pizza Belt (looking at you, Patterson, NJ) would like to be as intrepid as us and provide some more data toward this theory, kids could be reading about us in whatever replaces the thing that replaces textbooks (it might take some time).</p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-19356881022679385372013-02-10T15:50:00.001-05:002013-02-10T15:50:39.043-05:00Bar Rosso<p>This restaurant is far from a newcomer to the Stamford pizza scene. When Bar Rosso first opened, however, their pizza menu was limited to Thursday-Sunday or something absurd like that, and it felt like an afterthought. They’ve since expanded pizza service to full-time and we’ve since dropped in for a visit.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-x5PXnqZWoRs/URgH880BMaI/AAAAAAAAAsc/KSJBReSL11o/s1600-h/bar%252520rosso%252520inte%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="bar rosso inte" border="0" alt="bar rosso inte" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uwahBoqaha0/URgH9qsgsUI/AAAAAAAAAsk/vFSJSnfDUjA/bar%252520rosso%252520inte_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="280" /></a></p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> Bar Rosso is a really nice restaurant. Walking in, we were greeted by warm lighting, expensive-looking stonework, a big centerpiece of a pizza oven, and a greeter. In that order. There is an abundance of seating in the restaurant’s two floors of dining room and the service (albeit a bit shaky on reciting the daily specials we didn’t care about) was fitting of an establishment with cloth napkins, plates that aren’t round, and a lack of decimal points on the menu. Through all of these extravagant trimmings, though (and despite the big wood-fired pizza oven in the corner), Bar Rosso does not feel like a pizza restaurant. Sure, pizza is on the menu, but it takes a back seat to exotic pomegranate cocktails and stuff with truffle shavings on it.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Nevertheless, we stuck with our tradition of ordering a plain pizza (or the closest thing to it) and topped one, or in this case, three topped ones. Our pies of choice were a margherita pizza, and sausage-, spicy salami-, prosciutto-topped pizzas.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-U-g2x0oCBuY/URgH_bsvM5I/AAAAAAAAAss/D7hJ3Tr5oAM/s1600-h/bar%252520rosso%252520marg%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="bar rosso marg" border="0" alt="bar rosso marg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqN2vVcopaQmPR4eW6Snttu8VMFohwQ2ZvW0er_IqJ45XzLpSwgx2JrkEzC9tWYIR9OTucjXL7GXwx_QK9dGMtXS7iMkCksSuVlbeWFeo6K7jtIxlHaPRKqdoN9BGuijEBMD-FRV8yQnj/?imgmax=800" width="493" height="371" /></a></p> <p>Each pizza was founded on a delicate crust, blistered and charred out of the wood-fired oven, but not necessarily very crisp. While it held up fairly well on the plain pie, this crust proved to be very flimsy under the weight of anything more than a charred, wilted, and needlessly bitter basil leaf. In line with the quality ingredients prominent throughout the rest of Bar Rosso’s menu, the cheese (a house-made mozzarella) on these pies is very rich, creamy, and fresh. The sauce, on the other hand, is extremely subdued (some might say bland) and doesn’t stand out at all. As such, the foundation of any pizza you can order here has no real character; a resounding <em>meh,</em> regardless of how many ingredients one heaps upon it.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-k8LM5Ch91Jc/URgIFWiTfvI/AAAAAAAAAs8/cfWIgRe8H7A/s1600-h/bar%252520rosso%252520sala%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="bar rosso sala" border="0" alt="bar rosso sala" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-k_5K9qHuGIU/URgIF1DIzWI/AAAAAAAAAtE/AwuyGWFSY6Q/bar%252520rosso%252520sala_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="239" height="181" /></a>        <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPb6LJfqk1e01fN5Rbh9EYrILFaga38ZnbLK1m4RtvPJaVuxsx-Zotz38Ik9QY_HZw0_wv74OpflCj5PiwwzbV38ebubL6hoimBdTpGjR9_TzO625krp4Zdp3sDw0EiKcsIc_g7Zy5v4xX/s1600-h/bar%252520rosso%252520saus%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="bar rosso saus" border="0" alt="bar rosso saus" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4wrBZhAlrAg/URgIHtHRAJI/AAAAAAAAAtU/DY5ZcGmFDGs/bar%252520rosso%252520saus_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="239" height="180" /></a></p> <p>Our experience with the toppings we ordered ranged from good (sausage, prosciutto) to largely disappointing (salami) and all echoed the same sentiment: some toppings belong on a pizza, some just don’t. Bar Rosso shows an immense amount of creativity with their pizza menu and backs a lot of it up with quality ingredients, but the underlying element—the pizza itself—is underwhelming and there’s nothing a sprinkling of Calabrian chili oil can do to make it memorable.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Bar Rosso is clearly concentrated on being a top-notch, go-to establishment for modern Italian cuisine and fine wine; unfortunately, this comes at the expense of the simple things that make a good pizza.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 23/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 16/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 5/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $12.00 (10")</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1588905/restaurant/Bar-Rosso-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; padding-bottom: 0px; border-left-style: none; padding-left: 0px; width: 104px; padding-right: 0px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-right-style: none; padding-top: 0px" alt="Bar Rosso on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1588905/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-6398519731332867782012-12-06T22:31:00.001-05:002012-12-06T22:31:02.851-05:00N.A.P. - Neapolitan Authentic Pizza – Barcelona, Spain<p>Recently, <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/Judge%20Scott" target="_blank">one third</a> of the Stamford Pizza Tour found itself halfway across the world in the company of two seasoned <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/Judge%20Steve" target="_blank">guest</a> <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/Judge%20Marco" target="_blank">judges</a> and an <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/Judge%20Jessica" target="_blank">enthusiastic newbie</a> in search of a pizza to put through the wringer. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-T5dI0QT8wYU/UMFih4L-VXI/AAAAAAAAAqY/qUCh95lwzNg/s1600-h/nap29.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="nap" border="0" alt="nap" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9CtwQK8aDpI/UMFiiuhwMHI/AAAAAAAAAqg/o1Z54it8WSA/nap_thumb27.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="325" /></a></p> <p>As luck would have it, two of the aforementioned guest judges had already logged quite a bit of time on the Barcelona food beat (going so far as to embark on their own, website-less, scorecard-less <em>bravas tour</em>, no less) and were able to point the Tour in the direction of Neapolitan Authentic Pizza, or N.A.P.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NP-v9JXELvBrhIRRbJfoBvL63F0ERAgmXXHVGDb4du8NENDPfDLxV2s5RYBHSzcsNE33nNWFPOBg1Xcs2KcZHREWMwWor07peE_o5LMpmQB4vF-AektIOf4_iQKEYU4JNAfQCBtqRbmZ/s1600-h/DSCN044319.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="DSCN0443" border="0" alt="DSCN0443" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UZ5yjj3zXZA/UMFij1mF2UI/AAAAAAAAAqw/u_tYfV6cBig/DSCN0443_thumb15.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="222" /></a></p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> As is the case with many restaurants in big cities, this place is tiny and the parking is <em>horrendous</em> (to give you an idea, it was a good 3300 mile hike from the car). The most striking thing about this particular locale is its simplicity: the restaurant is clean, the seating is comfortable, and the service is quick. That’s it and that’s all. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nap.bcn/app_117784394919914" target="_blank">menu</a> highlights little other than pizza (check those prices, no complaints here!), offering minimal salad and antipasto options as complements to the eponymous star of the show.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EVWHyr1jqeE/UMFiolSMQmI/AAAAAAAAAq4/EKZKdJmv3Vo/s1600-h/image%25255B7%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6Xl3U22WDWza5u9NWfxdm-5cnUokAKGopOFZP6O7YBs94E1oxMyuMp6Tk5ww9gDRUY3VvqE3NvP7Dqy3TyM_hBXbV-3f47Id0d8nqF2YBzuAx9YUpcaKh2HsZTH5DZUqpWNMe-0fjt3b/?imgmax=800" width="489" height="368" /></a></p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Our pies of choice were a classic marinara (<em>tomate, ajo, aceite de oliva, oregano, albahaca—</em>translate it yourselves, kids, this is a cultured blog), a similarly classic Regina (<em>cherry tomatoes, mozzarella de bufala, aceite de oliva, albahaca, parmesano</em>), and a meat-laden heart-stopper that I can’t seem to find on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nap.bcn/app_117784394919914" target="_blank">menu</a> because I think it was a special.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OWuth_uMe9g/UMFivMf40tI/AAAAAAAAArI/o0CNUbc4K-c/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-O7mnpNtHuKY/UMFiwkb7YAI/AAAAAAAAArQ/H8z6SvmAfEA/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="489" height="368" /></a></p> <p>To say the least, these pizzas are all fantastic. Now, it might be the wine talking (for €11, how could we not throw back a bottle…or two) but this pie could really stand up to the best of them. On top of a light and airy, yet perfectly charred crust, this pizza combines some of the best quality ingredients we’ve ever tasted on a pie including rich, delicious cheeses and fresh, house-grown <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=408139829229101&set=pb.191048437604909.-2207520000.1354758074" target="_blank">herbs</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WIvB6XWQF4Va3Mh64erroik_yCeyREQTRitw0VCIzPF_0ZTCdqZBRUimeaMmqYS1cg10ZKnbQi-dji0S19wtEklGGWfzyXY3_VnaoIusfqvSiCe_9IEdje0Hq9WldZhUxe_PakDg0fcs/s1600-h/image%25255B14%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2Xl3pPOD0BI/UMFi3sGagLI/AAAAAAAAArg/sqOMm1xkhdI/image_thumb%25255B6%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="489" height="368" /></a></p> <p>The sauce was very light and subtle—both in quantity and taste—which tends to fall into the background, especially up against the richness of a true to form buffalo mozzarella and the phenomenal showcase of Spain’s finest cured meats that you see above. The meat-topped pie also begins to reveal some minor textural shortcomings, overwhelming a delicate pie with an inherent heft and saltiness that throws off the overall balance a bit. That said, each pie had incredible merits and for what it’s worth, this is all we left behind:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0REBEZ4IE0M/UMFi7iZZHDI/AAAAAAAAAro/8M_JXov41wM/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1PywhvqywFs/UMFi9ND3T9I/AAAAAAAAArw/36NjpG0TISQ/image_thumb%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="489" height="368" /></a></p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> If you’re in Barcelona and have somehow stumbled upon the Stamford Pizza Tour, go to N.A.P. and you’ll be happy you found us. Then drop us a postcard or something and let us know how you found us.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 22/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 25/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 9.3/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> €5.50 (355 mm) [$7.20 (14")]</p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-30028078054555494052012-07-17T22:29:00.001-04:002016-05-11T10:35:58.986-04:00The new bar (pie) in town and the controversy that ensuesThis post started out as a quick little aside to supplement our review of Ridgeway Pizza: a place we wrote about a few years ago that’s made some little menu tweaks worth mentioning since we last checked in.<br />
<strong>Behold, the latest addition to the Ridgeway Pizza arsenal: the Colony-style pan pizza.</strong> It’s unmistakable, really—thin crust, pan-cooked edges, the trademark lacing of cheese due to hot oil bubbling up from within, complete with greasy box and requisite pile of napkins (not pictured, but you get <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FPUg9VynyCc/TjR84Y_AM_I/AAAAAAAAAiQ/nGtybVXW0dc/s1600-h/Rico%252527s%252520aftermath%25255B4%25255D.jpg">the idea</a>).<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8HL6MGLDcsc/UAYffHSCFPI/AAAAAAAAAoY/tNxV0tqdYI0/s1600-h/IMG_0499%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_0499" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_G99vLADZJc/UAYffmM5yXI/AAAAAAAAAog/uWOAwHN0Yg4/IMG_0499_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="270" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_0499" width="364" /></a><br />
Ridgeway’s spin on the Stamford novelty implements some of their tried and true ingredients—namely a jalapeño and habanero infused olive oil with incredible depth and cheese that doesn’t degrade into a cold, rubbery sheet in 15 seconds—in the confoundingly popular framework of a pie from some dive bar down the Cove.<br />
While we still prefer Ridgeway’s traditional pizza over most others in town, this little greaseball has its merits. For one, it improves upon the temperature issue that plagues these types of pizza by using premium cheese not acquired in a back alley somewhere. Further, a more concentrated, acidic sauce cuts the greasiness inherent to a pizza slathered with hot oil rather nicely, making for what we think is a nice update on a style of pizza that garners most of its fans from its uniqueness and the tradition of being thrown a paper plate than, you know, taste.<br />
<strong>Which brings us to item number two.</strong> This article started out as a blurb, then we stumbled upon <a href="http://blog.ctnews.com/lunchbreak/2012/07/13/the-stamford-bar-pizza-challenge/" rel="nofollow">this little chestnut</a> in which Stamford’s two newest pan-pies (the second being Riko’s née <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2011/07/ricos-pizza.html">Rico’s</a>) were pitted up against the originator in some sort of taste test involving printed score sheets (so 2009), a business casual dress code, and celebrity guest judge, <a href="http://blog.ctnews.com/lunchbreak/wp-content/blogs.dir/210/files/the-stamford-pan-style-pizza-challenge/pizzatest-0008.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clay Aiken</a>. A corporate newspaper chain-sponsored pizza tournament (<a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/Pizza%20Tournament" target="_blank">cool idea</a>, by the way), if you will.<br />
The Hearst Connecticut Media Group gang goes on to call our preferred Ridgeway oil-slinger a cheap knockoff of Colony’s culinary shipwreck, even going as far as to give them the edge over Riko’s for “atmosphere and overall experience.” (Good Lord.)<br />
Whatever, that’s cool. What rings loudest here, though, is the stark disconnect between the opinions of Your Pizza Judges and some guys in a media castle somewhere. They love the things we hate, they hate the things we love, up is down, down is up, and et cetera. They go on to close the book on the “great Stamford pan-pizza debate” just in time for us to whip it right back open. While some pizza lovers in name only (PLINOs?) might grow <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qGe_7zzbXtk/SteidAfzSII/AAAAAAAAAb4/DijayaV9GXc/s400/le+sigh.jpg" target="_blank">tired of this drama</a>, we friggin’ love it.<br />
So, to our loyal readers, do yourselves a favor and patronize the new guys. Consume. Go out, try these three pizzas (or try 50, go nuts). Then come back here, or to Facebook, or the tweeter and make some noise. It’s a lot more entertaining than arguing about politics.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-12597846564658719822012-04-21T17:07:00.001-04:002012-04-21T17:07:05.817-04:00ZAZA Italian Gastrobar<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1vzA6Ag7TxI/T5MhSGGoS8I/AAAAAAAAAlo/M-xqEP3OOdE/s1600-h/zaza-2%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="zaza-2" border="0" alt="zaza-2" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IyA2o8gdxCA/T5MhaUpis1I/AAAAAAAAAl0/378XqC3eF_A/zaza-2_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="404" height="154" /></a></p> <p>We’ve been trying to check out ZAZA for quite some time now. Since meandering through the doors of the yet-to-open restaurant back in May, we’ve stopped by only to be turned elsewhere by huge crowds, long waits, and the will of the famed Pizza Tour <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllBdYwOjIBtNls6DcHpRIaFFNGUSQinAIUS0X45cxBpiKjeYuPxG-jOlWrj6JcVeeostu9QD-LbENJVhi749z9D5QJeAEW4JmUM7_DOC4-5kwEW5iePrN2o_JM5LWIsvSiDYV8rvYKyI/s640/IMG_7238.JPG">fedora</a>. But at long last, we finally found the time to venture over to the former home of 122 Pizza Bistro for one of Stamford’s newest (at least relatively speaking) pies.</p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> ZAZA never struck us as a traditional pizzeria, mostly because it isn’t one. It’s a “gastrobar” by name, with all that it entails: a mozzarella tasting menu, Italian tapas, a huge wine bar, trendy clientele, and a lot of dark paint and red leather.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Sd-lCgLGCUY/T5MhbSBzPyI/AAAAAAAAAl4/c2QjHPK8MCs/s1600-h/IMAG0128%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0128" border="0" alt="IMAG0128" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ue18GX7T9ws/T5Mhbxfi5iI/AAAAAAAAAmA/Jy39BqnZSGk/IMAG0128_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="220" /></a></p> <p>While a little off-putting and distinctly not our speed at first, ZAZA drew us in with super comfortable seating (save for the table sharing thing, which is weird), decent service, and an inviting—albeit a little vampirey—atmosphere that we really warmed up to. It didn’t hurt, of course, that their menu was anchored by a very familiar menu centerpiece—brick oven pizza.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Typical Pizza Tour fashion, we ordered a plain napoletana pie and one with sausage in the name of science and consistency (don’t call it boring).</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--yb4g9g12Ys/T5MhcVMhcLI/AAAAAAAAAmI/LoD6VdUX9xk/s1600-h/IMAG0127%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0127" border="0" alt="IMAG0127" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5sYn_iibtQ8/T5MhcxX1LQI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/tuZxdH8NJGs/IMAG0127_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="220" /></a></p> <p>What was immediately striking were the vibrant colors and strong aromas of this pizza’s fresh components. On top of an expertly cooked, golden brown crust was a fresh, tangy, chunky tomato sauce; smooth, delicious mozzarella (also browned to perfection); and just enough fresh basil to give the pie a very bright flavor profile. The sauce was almost too subtle, however, as most of us felt that it was a bit under-seasoned.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-j1oPo1lEHCs/T5MhdoD3ICI/AAAAAAAAAmY/2da6FsiX-GE/s1600-h/IMAG0126%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0126" border="0" alt="IMAG0126" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WBQwTBTNvM0/T5MheBVOb3I/AAAAAAAAAmk/CJ2mqRzkbqA/IMAG0126_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="218" /></a></p> <p>The sausage pizza left a little to be desired, as our favorite topping was pretty stingily and inconsistently sprinkled across the pie (which is unfortunate because its saltiness really highlighted the subtleties we missed on the plain pie), but most of the high spots from the napoletana pizza carried over to this one. A minor knock on both pies is that their delicately thin, airy crust cools really fast—not a huge problem seeing as the three of us wolfed down these 12” personal pies in about 6 minutes, but still worth mentioning.</p> <p>Also worth mentioning is ZAZA’s unusual subversion of our <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/stupid%20square%20slices">stupid square slices</a> pet peeve in which a <em>square</em> pizza is cut into wedges, as one would expect a <em>round</em> pizza to be served. Mind-blowing, we know. Fortunately, the inverse of this Greek abomination of a cutting technique is hardly offensive at all and didn’t stand in the way of the top-notch flavors and textures of a really good pizza.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> ZAZA is packed to the rafters on the weekends and it’s pretty obvious why: an inherent trendiness gets people in the door once, but dedication to clean, fresh flavors across the menu (but most importantly with pizza, of course) forces them to return.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 22/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 22/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 7.3/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $10.50 (12")</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1595441/restaurant/ZAZA-Italian-Gastrobar-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; padding-bottom: 0px; border-left-style: none; padding-left: 0px; width: 104px; padding-right: 0px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-right-style: none; padding-top: 0px" alt="ZAZA Italian Gastrobar on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1595441/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-8959455470298257682012-02-20T14:19:00.001-05:002012-04-21T15:16:47.197-04:00Rizzuto’s<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4iDXVDEQX5-ORh8Z-V8GWlF7gJrA2nlIJBakTkHkKuYcIZb122HAwDMtNvyvrjHme8M1v9Wpa76ej0KBeUB-yab-jO7wdxWAgMoWULNj1RI0EGIVVQDH7K2B2-SE-yDHewM7bryEpuAc/s1600-h/IMAG0112%25255B24%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0112" border="0" alt="IMAG0112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPP9enHHxbGvelRMsm8IHLO6e2t7ONTxlwzf4-xPLu9WQkSRP0bEgKEschTtGKUmGog-ItxoI1UlVRlpRDDbpFsrQy5e85k6GAS3Mexy4pF7WkK7foMsuAIZMdkIxIIkHek357XYEwwO4U/?imgmax=800" width="434" height="79" /></a></p> <p>Another newcomer to the Stamford pizza scene is Rizzuto’s, a local chain with locations in Westport, Bethel, and West Hartford, in addition to their new digs in the old Route 22 in Stamford.</p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> Rizzuto’s is a peculiarly Olive Garden-y restaurant. From its dubious location in a strip mall to its highly polished décor and menu items with no fewer than 8 vowels per word, this is every bit the spitting image of nobody’s favorite Italian restaurant. Aside from all of the uniform gloss, this restaurant does have some character, be it manufactured or not. With its open kitchen, comfortable and plentiful seating, and attentive service, Rizzuto’s has a friendly air about it. The menu is what you’d expect of an Italian restaurant—antipastos, pastas (avoid eating simultaneously), salads, and entrees that end in <em>parmigiana</em>—as well as a good selection of traditional and signature pizzas.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Our pizzas of choice were a plain and a meatball pie off of Rizzuto’s Neapolitan menu (they also offer margherita-style pizzas that omit tomato sauce in favor of plum tomatoes).</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JLlwZ0p_dy8/T0Kcw82akrI/AAAAAAAAAks/Qbq45gFAEq0/s1600-h/IMAG0116%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0116" border="0" alt="IMAG0116" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MPsBLwS55Aw/T0KcyYkb9MI/AAAAAAAAAk0/jfArO8X0UGo/IMAG0116_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="281" /></a></p> <p>The crusts were wood-fired and blistered to oblivion, with a nice char, chewiness, as well as an unfortunate and peculiar popcorn taste that we haven’t come across before (and hopefully won’t have to again). The sauce was bright and fresh but bland for the most part with only some subtle tanginess begging to be noticed. The high spot on this pie was without a doubt the cheese—a house made fresh mozzarella—lending a delicious creaminess and welcome stringiness to an otherwise middle-of-the-road pie.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mEzm6XCs7zA/T0KczeYUJhI/AAAAAAAAAk8/iPfY5uhmPZ4/s1600-h/IMAG0117%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0117" border="0" alt="IMAG0117" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RlsJ36NtmVQ/T0KczpWNRGI/AAAAAAAAAlE/CrHybzIv-sQ/IMAG0117_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="276" /></a></p> <p>Our meatball pizza had the same weird popcorn crust dealbreaker as the plain cheese pie, but the saltiness of the meatball brought out some of the subtleties of the sauce for a better overall taste. Despite looking rather stout and robust though, the crust couldn’t hold up to the the toppings and made for a more cumbersome pizza.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Despite a nice, welcoming atmosphere, Rizzuto’s puts forth a mediocre pizza that’s far from bad and just as far from good.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 25/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 16/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 4.5/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $10.95 (13")</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1630532/restaurant/Rizzutos-Stamford-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-right-style: none" alt="Rizzuto's Stamford on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1630532/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-90308174449721495452012-01-09T20:33:00.001-05:002012-01-09T20:33:19.736-05:00La Bellezza Pizza Restaurant<p>Every year around this time, the Stamford Pizza Tour wakes from its slumber to give you its take on a few new pizzerias in our fair City that Works. Of course, this year (technically last year) will be no different. We give you, a mere two months after its doors opened, La Bellezza Pizza Restaurant.</p> <p>Allow us to take you back to a kinder, gentler time: a few weeks ago, when the holiday spirit still carried some weight, strangers spouted “Merry Christmas” at passers-by, and the lighting in a certain pizzeria made all of our pictures completely unusable, save for this next shot of an elaborate cave manger scene outside the front door.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Dy4y8nYWVmA/TwuVVXcqXlI/AAAAAAAAAjk/GMlC8JDPKuQ/s1600-h/IMAG0111%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0111" border="0" alt="IMAG0111" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tWxcLlPjZlQ/TwuVV_XAKFI/AAAAAAAAAjs/UXfKfp_IuiU/IMAG0111_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="229" /></a></p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> With deep roots in the New York pizza scene, La Bellezza takes its act from the streets of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn (home of some of the <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2010/05/grimaldis-pizzeria-brooklyn-ny.html">best pies on the face of the earth</a>) to its new location on Atlantic Street in Stamford. La Bellezza struck us as a charming little place with a handful of tables, a welcoming staff, and rich, wooden furniture that would make Ron Burgundy blush.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdD_UIBmVnjdXGn3OzKkL-OaSJ7GaT4oOJ6smfMK4aZS0FtTDlpNhT8WqoxVOkUR7YPMAZY9PG7zxv_AGSd-yUg0LuD8idlO_w1_LKFv0DYEf9zJQKPhN4ylxzk6oPAu3eH7OTm16y35P/s1600-h/IMAG0108%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0108" border="0" alt="IMAG0108" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HwL7JAws5DY/TwuVW-HVZAI/AAAAAAAAAj8/0wtDtksBlLI/IMAG0108_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="229" /></a></p> <p>Between the brick, the chalkboard menu, and the bright, open, counter service kitchen, this was as New York a pizzeria as they come—save for the whole “being in Connecticut” thing. The service was prompt, courteous, and extra attentive being as we were the only party in the restaurant at the time. That said, their menu was complete with what one would expect of a pizzeria and then some, including dinners, sandwiches, a surprising wine selection, and of course, pizza.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> As usual, our two pizzas were a plain cheese, and one with sausage. The pies came to the table steaming hot and were doled out by the slice to each undercover judge by our waiter, fully unaware that he was about to pose his pie in one of the less flattering food shots we’ve ever published.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0bN0WdqGIVJu698L5-kwiDZL5bgtnKgFyhj7PVbXheknSCV9WerS48dajMZIMTy0mokyHSOjn0BPHYIi0s5UmaXP08ciGfJJhIkUpEwCRPT1B5X92wApqOuHQjTc3b4PBSXUkSnDGQhj/s1600-h/IMAG0107%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0107" border="0" alt="IMAG0107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DWpcXgUFRwISoDYV0QKvnzKcszR2AvoanG6UOkwOUjsINJzow8etTjBQ_t2EsN1HLwrYV-MQGKUW8TsEKWpAln50lVCcjHKE6uqy9pIJX9X4y_XGAsSpqimS51hbhGvIVcWt7CHI4Pvt/?imgmax=800" width="404" height="229" /></a></p> <p>Abysmal washout and color temperatures aside, this was actually a pretty good pie. The pizza’s thin crust held up reasonably well to a healthy amount of creamy, stringy cheese with its dense, yeasty bite; at the end of the day it wasn’t all that easy to keep this one from slip sliding away, though. The quality and quantity of La Bellezza’s cheese—while sacrificing something by way of texture—kept this pizza steaming hot until we had demolished the whole thing (we’ll be the first to tell you that there’s nothing more taxing than trying to finish a pizza that’s devolved into a <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/06/garibaldi-mexican-grill-pizza.html">gob of cooled cheese</a>).</p> <p>Cheese points notwithstanding, the sauce didn’t blow us away. Its subtleties were a bit too subtle, and there was really nothing there—good or bad—to go by. Fortunately, both their topping selection and specialty pizza offerings were quite good, making up for lost ground on La Bellezza’s shortcomings.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> La Bellezza is a friendly, personable place to grab a pretty decent pie in an unfortunate area that doesn’t get a ton of foot traffic; welcome these guys to town, they’ll be happy to serve you.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 21/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 20/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 7.8/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $12.00</p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-37363731937953013902011-11-04T18:41:00.001-04:002011-11-04T18:41:32.557-04:00Imagine<p>You’ll get a good pizza at <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/03/michelinas-pizza.html">Michelina’s</a> before this blog ever posts anything that even remotely resembles a political statement, but we couldn’t pass this one up.</p> <iframe height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-DrSEyjBj1w" frameborder="0" width="480" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-10074945673741135562011-07-30T17:51:00.001-04:002011-07-30T17:51:32.011-04:00Rico’s Pizza<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-C5QcAzStUz0/TjR8xgrN3oI/AAAAAAAAAho/RAKObEwOqp4/s1600-h/Rico%252527s%252520sign%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="Rico's sign" border="0" alt="Rico's sign" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-93TT27Ffez8/TjR8yBdlyxI/AAAAAAAAAhs/LddUR6kpSVw/Rico%252527s%252520sign_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="434" height="157" /></a></p> <p>For those living under a rock (or those too preoccupied with <em>actual</em> news), there’s a new pizza in town and <a href="http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Pizza-War-Colony-Grill-owners-cry-foul-over-1587590.php">it’s rattling some cages</a>. At the helm of Rico’s kitchen are two former employees of Stamford’s iconic dive, Colony Grill, and they’ve (allegedly) brought the pizza with them. Normally, we like to give new places time to settle in so that the inconsistencies, growing pains, and stupid waits normally associated with new places have a chance to die down. This time, Stamford’s newest rivalry didn’t afford us that luxury.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zOT4RdMVmug/TjR8y0bRieI/AAAAAAAAAhw/fZDYQHgNDV0/s1600-h/Rico%252527s%252520Window%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="Rico's Window" border="0" alt="Rico's Window" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_ceWhNz12xw/TjR8zROTkJI/AAAAAAAAAh0/emXLpd0uY7c/Rico%252527s%252520Window_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="388" /></a></p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> Plainly put, Rico’s is a takeout/delivery joint with a few tables in it. At best, they’re a counter service pizzeria with a 45 minute wait (partially due to the buzz surrounding the “illegal” use of Colony’s recipes, partially due to the curiosity that comes with having a new pizza in town to try). We tried to call ahead four or five times to place our order before we got there but the phones kicked us straight to voicemail despite them being manned by at least two people at any given time. Nonetheless, were were taken care of by a friendly staff without having to look at creepy painted wood cutouts while delivery orders went flying out the door in the interim. While we’re talking about differences between this place and another place, it certainly bears mentioning that Rico’s menu includes calzones, empanadas, wedges, wraps, and salad offerings in addition to the contentious little pizzas that brought us there. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjS9rDI4yD-BURyQ-lwfevLS8__uGQbHdrG64pOTkltu1KQ5tWVvTZxdfYSAx13kkKgpLjAoezQ-Z6Jfu8BVzP65OpNfWe6KdtRJRPsnd7bgaTsjzSUHu2l9I8399Q5FAqCB7HO1K2Ivq/s1600-h/Rico%252527s%252520plain%252520pizza%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="Rico's plain pizza" border="0" alt="Rico's plain pizza" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BSmzEFUYw0M/TjR80xBIqrI/AAAAAAAAAh8/DuWmy-MwOwc/Rico%252527s%252520plain%252520pizza_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="253" /></a></strong></p> <p align="left"><strong>Pizza.</strong> The minute these pizzas hit the table, we were thinking the same thing that you are looking at these pictures, “Boy, that pie looks familiar…” Upon further investigation, it also tastes familiar. Rico’s crust is super thin with crispy edges, a hearty crunch, and a surprisingly chewy bite that you wouldn’t expect from a cracker-thin pie (unless, of course, you’ve had some exposure to pizzas like this…) that contributes chiefly to the overall flavor. Rico’s sauce and cheese meld together in an intricate lace that yields a big texture and a not-so-special flavor. While adding a stringy, satisfying snap, the cheese seems like an afterthought with its flavor. Moreover, the sauce is noticeably underseasoned and carries an unnatural sweetness beyond what we’d naturally expect from tomatoes. Couple that with the breakneck speed at which the pizza cools and you have a recipe for a pie that doesn’t hold up very well after it’s been out of the oven for 10-15 minutes.</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yDqQlzpfP6o/TjR81-XyxLI/AAAAAAAAAiA/fRoxbIvqh0Q/s1600-h/Rico%252527s%252520hot%252520oil%252520and%252520stingers%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Rico's hot oil and stingers" border="0" alt="Rico's hot oil and stingers" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qbHpT3IfRog/TjR82EfZz-I/AAAAAAAAAiE/EUGIdJkMs-E/Rico%252527s%252520hot%252520oil%252520and%252520stingers_thumb%25255B20%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="148" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Nhpd5q2hDl8/TjR83D9KVoI/AAAAAAAAAiI/1MRsG8RH7l8/s1600-h/Rico%252527s%252520sausage%252520pizza%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Rico's sausage pizza" border="0" alt="Rico's sausage pizza" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NrNpQ8jPCiE/TjR83hH7FbI/AAAAAAAAAiM/f2xfkmfykMM/Rico%252527s%252520sausage%252520pizza_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="147" /></a></p> <p align="left">At it’s heart, Rico’s Pizza is about the toppings. With small, cookie-sized pizzas (okay, admittedly a big cookie), it naturally follows that they become customized to the individual with ingredients that fill the gaps left open by the lackluster sauce and cheese elements. We ordered a hot oil and stingers (hot peppers) pie and one with sausage. The hot oil was bold, spicy, and most importantly, used in moderation to complement the peppers for a considerably less greasy texture than an oil topping would lead you to think (in fact, all of the pizzas were considerably less greasy). Additionally, the sausage added much needed heartiness and saltiness to the pie that it was generously strewn across. Rico’s enters the Stamford pizza scene as a solid competitor to other thin crust <strike>bar</strike> pies, with subtle improvements that set it apart, albeit slightly.</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FPUg9VynyCc/TjR84Y_AM_I/AAAAAAAAAiQ/nGtybVXW0dc/s1600-h/Rico%252527s%252520aftermath%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="Rico's aftermath" border="0" alt="Rico's aftermath" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9VrBgh3Vepk/TjR846B6t6I/AAAAAAAAAiU/rAYsiEPpixQ/Rico%252527s%252520aftermath_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="220" /></a></p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Rico’s is the quintessential bar pie without the bar. If you’re looking for a good, traditional pizza, there are other places to go, but if you’ve got a Colony addiction, Rico’s is a viable substitute.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 16/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 21/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 7/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $8.50 (13")</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1601433/restaurant/Ricos-Pizza-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Rico's Pizza on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1601433/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-32762733323502172042011-07-27T18:56:00.001-04:002011-07-27T18:56:50.560-04:00Controversy, lies, and betrayal! Also, sauce.<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ORXYqLjPkjs/TjCXsOrNCpI/AAAAAAAAAhg/UJLLhr027l0/s1600-h/colo%252520001%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="colo 001" border="0" alt="colo 001" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Bh-rJW8BUf4/TjCXsVCA1LI/AAAAAAAAAhk/SuOEtrTVHeY/colo%252520001_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="261" height="484" /></a></p> <p>It’s come to our attention that there’s a new pizzeria in town. While we’ve known about Rico’s Pizza for some time now, we were unaware of the striking similarities their pies bear to a certain Stamford staple.</p> <p>We’ve been <a href="http://blog.ctnews.com/lunchbreak/2009/05/17/pizza-wars-stamford-pizza-tour-drops-bomb-on-cult-of-colony/">dropping bombs</a> on Colony’s cult-like following from day one, making our opinions known, but their following stands a new test in a supposedly noteworthy tastealike minus all of the dated idiosyncrasies that, for better or worse, define the aforementioned dive. We did plan on waiting a few months give Rico’s a once over, but alas, <a href="http://streetsofstamford.blogspot.com/2011/07/case-of-purloined-pizza.html">duty calls</a>. Stay tuned for a comprehensive review of the city’s latest copycat.</p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-76146939863140673862011-07-27T18:41:00.001-04:002011-07-27T18:41:12.349-04:00Morelli Pizza Cafe<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpsI0wZWYRSbyihjezPlJK8uyG_ycjdyaT3rIaDBdULRuhLCoRxDd5ZRO-bxPhyphenhyphen_G4KM7tn02auLmSK2i5vOiMDo2zrWjS9bIa1ngfr6nQUJ8IC7vUe3TOcN86iJzqTdJXdVyAYxKBYdR/s1600-h/Morelli%252520Storefront%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Morelli Storefront" border="0" alt="Morelli Storefront" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-V9_FKK5loLs/TjCT_m_2-nI/AAAAAAAAAhM/1KvLszFje8M/Morelli%252520Storefront_thumb%25255B27%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="144" /></a></p> <p>Located on the dense pizzeria stronghold of Stamford’s Broad Street is Morelli Pizza Café. Around the corner from Remo’s and a few doors down from the to-be-reviewed ZAZA Italian Gastrobar, Morelli faces stiff competition from the get-go as a uniquely themed newcomer with deep Stamford roots.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-i86NwT5dirY/TjCUAbdWqeI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/1Obsnt5ZLYQ/s1600-h/Morelli%252520Counter%25255B17%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Morelli Counter" border="0" alt="Morelli Counter" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-RwFIzuEbF5E/TjCUA0LzZhI/AAAAAAAAAhU/fOCFPcOw8_Q/Morelli%252520Counter_thumb%25255B20%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="374" height="212" /></a></strong></p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> Claiming a 30 year influence on Stamford’s pizza scene, Morelli Pizza Café exists as the reborn phoenix of the defunct Café Morelli that was once located in the purportedly cursed 269 Bedford property down the street. Creative renaming aside, the new pizzeria presents a smaller, more counter service-oriented atmosphere than the original. Resembling a clean, modernized bakery/café complete with trendy wall lettering straight out of Restaurant:Impossible, Morelli’s comes across as a place to grab a slice while passing by—not necessarily as a destination.</p> <p>As we’ve mentioned, counter service is Morelli’s MO, and as such, makes the few interactions with the staff all the more important. Having said this, we were totally put off by the lackadaisical “help” we received, the awkward glares that were shot our way through the duration of our meal, and by the ill-fated attempts made to charge us for tap water. Service has a tendency to set the scene.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> We visited Morelli’s months ago. Literally <em>months</em>. The fact that it’s taken so long to scrap together some semblance of a review for this boring, run-of-the-mill pie should speak for itself. But it doesn’t, so here’s some more words.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0xC3XCzDkhLLVFUwPxofKTXUUIQfp6dYlkWhTGZi0psg5FXfpYcb3Sm1wq_Z0sLnHqYFlSevnIRgDFsdWiyxhXZcxCAvS6-GxPNlep00ivosfgG9EvKKe-V4EOE3OwQTCqbe9WqWPs7c/s1600-h/Morelli%252520Pizza%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="Morelli Pizza" border="0" alt="Morelli Pizza" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WD5GVtDbDoA/TjCUBxugJVI/AAAAAAAAAhc/-8dlB2D5nS0/Morelli%252520Pizza_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="250" /></a></p> <p>In typical Pizza Tour fashion, we ordered a large, half-plain, half-topping measuring stick pizza. The crust was a big, chewy, bready number with no shortage of air bubbles and all the flavor to match. The cheese was slightly less offensive in the flavor department with a short-lived creaminess that became gummy and hard as the once scorching hot pie cooled rapidly, and turned it into a slippery sheet that slid clean off the crust. The high spot (if you could really call it that) was the sauce, which lent the pizza just about all of its flavor. While bold and tangy, this sauce was super heavy and helped make a cumbersome pizza borderline unbearable. It should be no surprise to you at this point to find out that the meatball topping we ordered was likewise devoid of an important attribute that we call “flavor.”</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> If you’re in the neighborhood, Morelli Pizza Café might be worth a visit for its vast menu of burgers, dogs, quesadillas, and soup, but better pizza and better service is no more than a 3 minute walk away.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 15/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 17/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 5.7/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $11.00</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1582722/restaurant/Morellis-Pizza-Cafe-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Morelli's Pizza Cafe on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1582722/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-17379368633190911002011-05-19T14:06:00.002-04:002011-05-19T16:15:28.087-04:00Luca’s Pizzeria<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TdVcTpqZ8kI/AAAAAAAAAgI/b4POlnKROAo/s1600-h/IMAG00101%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="lucas1" alt="Located on East Main with a sign you'd be hard-pressed to miss" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TdVcT-ScVxI/AAAAAAAAAgM/8YhxCZRniPI/IMAG0010_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="105" width="408" /></a></p><p>Every once in a while, the opportunity presents itself to return to our roots as a comprehensive tour of pizzerias in Stamford. It’s been quite some time (we start all of our entries this way now) but we’ve managed to make it to some new, local pizzerias as of late, the first of which was Luca’s Pizzeria on East Main.</p><p><strong>Establishment.</strong> Luca’s comes across as another delivery/pickup-oriented-but-still-big-enough-to-seat-six-people type of place (see: <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/ridgeway-pizza.html">Ridgeway Pizza</a>, <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/06/outpost-pizza.html">Outpost Pizza</a>, and for the masochists out there, <a href="http://stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/belltown-pizza.html">Belltown Pizza</a>) and it pulls the look off. Almost too well, actually. There’s nothing too spectacular about Luca’s—they have a counter, an oven, a few tiny tables that they wipe down with a wet rag now and again—but as far as setting itself apart from the 50+ other pizzerias in town that we’ve made it a point to scrutinize over the past two years…eh, not so much.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TdVcVLpHr5I/AAAAAAAAAgY/YVKR94y-4Uw/s1600-h/IMAG001010.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0010" alt="IMAG0010" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TdVcVToqEfI/AAAAAAAAAgc/Yts3OR1cS4Y/IMAG0010_thumb17.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="192" width="504" /></a></p> <p>Aside from the underwhelmingly in-the-box atmosphere, Luca’s comes across as a nice place run by nice people. We were helped quickly, well accommodated (they pushed two of their miniscule couples tables together for us), and watched closely throughout our meal by the 45 people that, for some reason, were all staring at us from behind the counter. Their menu is what one would expect from such an establishment, complete with wraps, salads, deli sandwiches and naturally, pizza.</p> <p><strong>Pizza. </strong>In following with what has become our Pizza Tour protocol, we ordered up one of Luca’s finest cheese pizzas, half-plain, half-topped with meatball—a make-or-break topping if ever there was one.</p> <p>The first thing we noticed about this pie was how light and airy the crust was. We were torn, however, on whether this was a good thing or not. While some argued that the pizza’s lightness was a pleasant surprise, others found it insubstantial on both texture and flavor fronts. The cheese offered a subtle, smooth flavor and pulled from the pie in delicate, stringy threads, but would have been better served if it covered the whole freaking pie.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TdVcVynCndI/AAAAAAAAAgg/mThxqlJNgNU/s1600-h/IMAG00139.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0013" alt="IMAG0013" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TdVcWBZL_3I/AAAAAAAAAgk/FmcFYZVGRYg/IMAG0013_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="214" width="374" /></a></p> <p>As you can see, there’s a good inch and a half of sauced crust on this pizza encircling the stingy application of everyone’s favorite dairy product. Speaking of sauced crust, it’s when we got to this lovely bit of pizza that the utter blandness of the sauce really stuck out. There were subtle hints of oregano and other not-so-discernable spices, but we like to get punched in the face with flavor, and this one didn’t do the job, nor was its cooked-down clumpiness very appealing texturally.</p> <p>Luca’s topping list is extensive with nothing too crazy and everything we’d expect (plus half-oddballs like fresh clams, broccoli rabe, prosciutto, salami, etc.), including the underwhelming but still comparatively tasty meatball topping we ordered that most certainly began its life as an actual meatball.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Luca’s is alright, but as a new pizzeria, it brings nothing special, extraordinary, or overwhelmingly different to an established landscape of restaurants that are as good—or better—at using this particular cookie cutter.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 17/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 18/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 5.5/10<br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $12.95</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1586225/restaurant/Lucas-Pizzeria-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Luca's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1586225/minilogo.gif" /></a></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-18572932374506987542011-01-12T13:46:00.001-05:002011-01-13T20:48:45.610-05:00Tappo<p>It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Sure it has. The Stamford Pizza Tour awoke from its slumber over the holiday weekend, and now that the hustle and bustle is dead and the freshly fallen snow has got us avalanched indoors, we’re sounding off on Stamford’s latest pizza purveyor, Tappo.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TS323JC3KYI/AAAAAAAAAfs/mRyLBPYUv7k/s1600-h/20101115tappoext%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="20101115tappoext" border="0" alt="20101115tappoext" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TS323qm5JCI/AAAAAAAAAfw/kA3sb7syIRc/20101115tappoext_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="268" /></a></p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> Tappo is located on Bank Street, nestled amongst ritzy eateries and men’s hair salons alike, and boy does it look the part. Between the dim-to-dark dining area, white tablecloths, and a fully stocked bar with a top shelf so high that no one can reach it—physically or fiscally—we couldn’t help but feel underdressed (nothing new, but still) in this modern establishment. Tappos’ smallish footprint is maximized with a good deal of small party seating and plenty of room to move around without feeling too cramped (a party of six might have been different, though).</p> <p>The service was super friendly albeit a bit overbearing, as our water glasses never went more than three sips without being refilled. This is not to a fault, though, as we found ourselves to be very comfortable, especially relative to the sometimes abrasive, always greasy environments that pizza establishments often harbor. In the same vein, the menu is admittedly less pizza-centric than other places, but it includes all sorts of true-to-form Italian favorites as well as some more adventurous offerings in addition to their pizza.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> As much as Tappo is not your run-of-the-mill establishment, it’s also not your run-of-the-mill pizza, unless of course you frequent the Cappriccio’s of the world. Our benchmark pies of choice were the standby margherita pie and an adventurous <em>Guanciale, Patate e Olio Tartufato</em> (bacon, potatoes, and truffle oil) number.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TS324YSZkDI/AAAAAAAAAf0/5ILqxNNk_hA/s1600-h/12302010054%5B1%5D%5B24%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="12302010054[1]" border="0" alt="12302010054[1]" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjli41cqBgKXK8mLxv2eUzndBKlomRp5bQ1zFst3LzKvVJ0v10W7PtaRsh8urN-Ng-OtziR62NfOP1UK2IT_iFjSWouanVDi7mhEMMzPtXJdhAZdB8YK4c2r7EK93KWfLVyjdS1n18l9kcT/?imgmax=800" width="364" height="268" /></a></p> <p>The margherita pie was everything we’d expect of a traditional Neapolitan pie. The sauce was naturally sweet and tangy, with a fresh, well-seasoned profile that cut through the acidity of the fresh tomato. The cheese was top-notch buffalo mozzarella, lending a deeper flavor than the regular stuff as well as a stringier texture and a nice, satisfying snap. The crust was rather tasty, but the texture was somewhat of a letdown. Fooled by the beautiful blistering on the pizza, we were expecting more of a bite and chew than we got with this light, bready crust that held up more like a wet pita than anything else. The whole was far less than the sum of its parts.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TS3254VCXwI/AAAAAAAAAf8/ZhtZKz6Gnm8/s1600-h/12302010053%5B1%5D%5B9%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="12302010053[1]" border="0" alt="12302010053[1]" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TS326FK439I/AAAAAAAAAgA/YYPPcmR2Fws/12302010053%5B1%5D_thumb%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="274" /></a></p> <p>The specialty pie built upon that disappointment with a much more significant one. Had we known from the onset that <em>guanciale</em> was essentially jowl bacon, we might not have been so quick to order this potato-laced, expensive oil-covered abortion. Everything from the fried fingerlings, to the white, chewy, pig face bacon, to the incredibly rich and pricey fungus oil resulted in an unpleasant, umami overload that literally and figuratively left a bad taste in our mouths.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Tappo outclasses many of its pizzeria peers with a charming, cozy establishment but is hampered in the pizza department by a reliance on great parts rather than a coherent final product that had us licking our chops for some of the other, non-pizza entrees at surrounding tables.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 22/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 17/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 5.3/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $12.00 (12")</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1561246/restaurant/Tappo-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Tappo on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1561246/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-51223166808055104282010-08-15T16:24:00.001-04:002010-08-15T16:24:26.933-04:00Speedy’s Pizzeria<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TGhM6iZ7DnI/AAAAAAAAAeY/imviNB8NV0k/s1600-h/IMG_42206.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4220" border="0" alt="IMG_4220" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TGhM6yYAqOI/AAAAAAAAAec/IpOTYKmiNQA/IMG_4220_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="64" /></a></p> <p>The last time we visited this place, a “pizzeria” it was not. Then known as <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/speedy-pizza.html">Speedy Pizza</a>, the restaurant was a literal hole in the wall, with little separating it from what we think a pizza place might look like in the Third World. There were so few good things about Speedy Pizza that we went as far as to say:</p> <blockquote> <p>Canadians (honest to God, Canadians) would not find this pizza anywhere near appetizing and may God have mercy on the souls of those keeping this scourge of the earth in business.</p> </blockquote> <p>Ouch. But that was then. Since then, the restaurant has been rechristened “Speedy’s Pizzeria.” Along with the name change (albeit slight) comes new management and a much needed overhaul of just about everything, from the staff to the food, to the waiting-room-in-the-kitchen motif. The new owner has even offered up a free small cheese pie to the countless patrons that Speedy Pizza and its horrid review scared away. We took him up on it.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TGhM7aHOz1I/AAAAAAAAAeg/d9geevlXLt8/s1600-h/IMG_4219%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_4219" border="0" alt="IMG_4219" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckWqMx92e9iQz2uaerTU1RdHyUv4Rj_pMmD0QbND28grAl39eh8_6LIBxcPm0yMxl3rZ-kJ3knFIure9B1MLmSh8hfpf1jXckYRkf-szOmDE9r38xj36JscFzLtecv8t7xC_ULwFxkWFt/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> Establishment.</strong> Speedy’s Pizzeria has walls and a counter and floors that aren’t covered in glue from ripped up linoleum; already a pretty monumental upgrade. Also falling into the upgrade column is the repurposing of Speedy Pizza’s hardly-working, gas-fired monstrosity of an oven as box/delivery bag storage while what we initially referred to as “a non-working oven” (and what was actually a Domino’s-style conveyor oven) has been resurrected into use. They’ve decked the place out with framed prints, a flat screen TV, even some tables and a restroom. Swanky.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TGhM8fGYIRI/AAAAAAAAAeo/_CEUqtEE8Ic/s1600-h/Capture%5B62%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Capture" border="0" alt="Capture" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TGhM80W9-PI/AAAAAAAAAes/K5PJFOLpq9Q/Capture_thumb%5B66%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="295" /></a> </p> <p>While the place probably won’t seat more than 2-3 parties, it’s comparatively comfortable and has much less of the seedy, backroom vibe that put us off so effectively last year. Service was also pretty personable and energetic. Speedy’s <a href="https://www.delivery.com/menu/Speedy_Pizza">menu</a> includes salads, appetizers (both standard American ones like wings and fries, as well as Mexican antojitos like arepas and salchipapas), wraps, subs, calzones, and of course, a selection of traditional and specialty pizzas.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> In order to stay true to our original Pizza Tour benchmark, we ordered the very same pizza that prompted our <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/speedy-pizza.html">damning original review</a>: a large pie, half plain cheese, half sausage.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TGhM9-cFpRI/AAAAAAAAAew/XJP18gxxoeQ/s1600-h/IMG_4221%5B12%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4221" border="0" alt="IMG_4221" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TGhM-j55GkI/AAAAAAAAAe0/2LNUGGOxTEI/IMG_4221_thumb%5B18%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="356" /></a> </p> <p>And there it is. A departure from our last visit, the pizza’s sauce and cheese were no longer of questionable quality and origin: the sauce was bright and tangy, while the cheese had a nice snap despite being a bit oily and gummy by the time we got it home (Speedy Pizza, for reference, topped their pies with some sort of candle wax). The crust had an alright flavor as well, but the conveyor oven does the pie’s texture no favors at all. The pizza lacked the crispness that all good pies absolutely need; it was bready and floppy and more reminiscent of a pita than a pizza. It was baked rather than cooked. The texture brought this pie to a screeching halt.</p> <p>You might gather from the photo that we weren’t super impressed with the sausage either (you might pick up on that gigantic, doughy blister, too). It was in short supply and it tasted like a canned breakfast sausage rather than the Italian sausage it was billed as. Some things never change. All things considered, though, we were able to finish this pie, which is something we wouldn’t dream of doing with an old Speedy Pizza.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Speedy’s Pizzeria is not <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/speedy-pizza.html">Speedy Pizza</a> by any means; it’s clean, friendly, and slightly more speedy with a product that was something that we can’t pin Most Improvement Needed on anymore (that’s now <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/03/michelinas-pizza.html">Michelina’s</a>).</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 13/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 14/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 4.0/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $12.99</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1261913/restaurant/Speedys-Pizzeria-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Speedy's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1261913/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-80489158871257316232010-07-21T20:55:00.001-04:002010-07-21T20:55:44.710-04:00Vigilante’s Italian Kitchen & Deli<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TEeW_0P9tMI/AAAAAAAAAds/bgFgjag-zDg/s1600-h/IMG_4212%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4212" border="0" alt="IMG_4212" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TEeXAHEFqNI/AAAAAAAAAdw/EpjGX_JRyIM/IMG_4212_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="229" /></a></p> <p>With our merry band of pizza tour brethren missing an integral member since we wrapped up our Pizza Tournament last summer, we don’t often get to judge Stamford pizzerias through the same lens as before. I say this, of course, because for but a brief moment last week, the Pizza Tour rode again into Vigilante’s Deli, the new pizza in town, that fights crime <em>on its own terms! </em>(HT – JR of Streets of Stamford).</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TEeXA8QhfaI/AAAAAAAAAd0/IGanNVqxSgE/s1600-h/IMG_4215%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_4215" border="0" alt="IMG_4215" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TEeXBe9ttoI/AAAAAAAAAd4/eII66EH1stA/IMG_4215_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="254" height="158" /></a> Establishment.</strong> While technically one of the newer pizzas in town, Vigilante’s has been around in deli form for five or so years, offering up hot and cold sandwiches and other typical deli fare along with Italian dinner specialties. As is the case with most delis, Vigilante’s isn’t particularly large, but it’s close quarters and small, personable staff make each visit feel comfortable and homey. Seating is pretty limited in the cooler months, but we found ourselves to be very comfortable outside on one of their huge picnic tables on a temperate, summer evening.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAWUDq4JYZrsNST03lPP7CkKcJHDYC74NKrzyQ1ljEsN98T3a5MFuxqvdoga83mhKDknfQGurpKxjpeqHVTHEMjv4yqtjaqUUihV6w586QPPjYn9HLk0fR_m1bisyzM9spNemBP8UmMkB/s1600-h/IMG_4213%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4213" border="0" alt="IMG_4213" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TEeXC1UNDsI/AAAAAAAAAeA/Qyn3MrXqP2E/IMG_4213_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="253" /></a>Since delving into the pizza scene, Vigilante’s has added calzones and Stromboli to their menu in addition to a broad selection of traditionally topped and specialty pies ranging from The Vigilante to the “Vig”etable (get it?).</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Our pizzas of choice were the aforementioned Vigilante (sausage, sautéed broccoli rabe, fried Italian hot peppers) and a traditional margarita (so, we didn’t judge this place through <em>exactly</em> the same lens as before with our strict “plain cheese + one topping” criteria…).</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TEeXDVLcHqI/AAAAAAAAAeE/56xSKesVl3Y/s1600-h/IMG_4217%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_4217" border="0" alt="IMG_4217" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TEeXD1_LyCI/AAAAAAAAAeI/OZ2S6EO1Zvg/IMG_4217_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="307" /></a><em>Here’s The Vigilante on a picnic table, our photographer failed </em><em>to shoot the margarita pie, yet again…</em></p> <p align="left">As far as crusts go, Vigilante’s was pretty bready and puffy, appearing relatively colorless and packing a bit of a yeasty punch without much of the chewiness we were looking for. The crust didn’t hold up well to the load of toppings offered, lending to the pizzas’ floppy, undercooked texture. All around, the cheese was very good (The Vigilante’s shredded mozzarella, and the margarita’s fresh slices of it), holding up well for a fresh and stringy bite.</p> <p align="left">The sauce was another story entirely; it was difficult to differentiate the sauce’s taste from the overpowering flavors of the specialty pie, but the clean flavors present in the margarita pizza made it pretty clear that this sauce was downright bland. Perhaps diluted by the inherent moisture of the fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes, this otherwise light and fresh sauce came across as being grossly underseasoned.</p> <p align="left">As we touched on before, the toppings had a tendency to overpower the pizza as a whole. However, they were quite tasty. The salty, savory flavors of the sausage combined nicely with the natural, concentrated bitterness of the broccoli rabe and the slow, spicy burn of the fried peppers for a particularly unique flavor profile.</p> <p><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Vigilante’s comes through as a deli should, with a personable, knowledgeable staff, quality base ingredients, and great flavor combinations, but the execution of our pizzas just felt off.</p> <p><strong>Establishment:</strong> 16/30 <br /><strong>Pizza:</strong> 15/30 <br /><strong>Hits the Spot:</strong> 5.6/10  <br /><strong>Large cheese:</strong> $12.95 (18")</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1261953/restaurant/Vigilantes-Italian-Kitchen-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Vigilante's Italian Kitchen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1261953/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-64359351033653276552010-06-15T15:54:00.002-04:002010-06-15T15:57:29.300-04:00John’s Pizzeria of Bleecker Street – New York, NY<p>Our second venture into true NYC pizzadom took us to John’s of Bleecker Street in the friendly, sunny West Village (it was really part of our first venture, as we hit Grimaldi’s earlier in the day).</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaTuU-03I/AAAAAAAAAcg/E2ZKaMvhUXM/s1600-h/feature_20%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="feature_20" alt="feature_20" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaUqyYLJI/AAAAAAAAAck/bZGfZFqBlDE/feature_20_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="169" width="354" /></a></p> <p>In an environment like New York City where there exists a “John’s” or a “Ray’s” on every other corner claiming to be “Famous” or “Original” or “Famous Original,” it’s hard to stand out as another “John’s Pizzeria.” John’s of Bleecker Street, however, has done just that by establishing a following dating back to 1929 with pizza that don’t need no stinking gimmicks.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaVsxRBuI/AAAAAAAAAco/EmMjt4Z1KAU/s1600-h/ZzNxcgbX54%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="ZzNxcgbX54" alt="ZzNxcgbX54" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaV5S7A3I/AAAAAAAAAcs/L446pw1M-e0/ZzNxcgbX54_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" align="left" border="0" height="183" width="244" /></a>Establishment.</strong> In many ways, John’s doesn’t look and feel like a typical New York Pizzeria, especially in Manhattan where a lot of them are by-the-slice walkups. John’s doesn’t do slices, only full pies as evidenced by their painfully long “specialty” menu that details <em>every single combination</em> of ingredients and toppings in list form. This restaurant is relatively large with a good amount of seating and eclectic decor in the way of mosaic painted walls, intriguing light fixtures and wall hangings, and the spoils of a carve-your-name-into-anything-made-of-wood policy.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaWTqjD1I/AAAAAAAAAcw/rPa9ypz_EkY/s1600-h/2819066731_d29015fab2%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-width: 0px; display: inline;" title="ecclectic wall..." alt="ecclectic wall..." src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaWmCYEYI/AAAAAAAAAc0/b5gJPmvkB14/2819066731_d29015fab2_thumb%5B12%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="204" width="204" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaX8ANLaI/AAAAAAAAAc4/2gwMNKeL83U/s1600-h/johns-pizza-table-7%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-width: 0px; display: inline;" title="...and a carved up table" alt="...and a carved up table" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaYQqCYDI/AAAAAAAAAc8/Dk0xmMpow7Y/johns-pizza-table-7_thumb%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="204" width="204" /></a> </p> <p>In other ways, John’s is exactly like a typical New York pizzeria: popular, excellent at packing as many people as possible into cramped booths (we said a good <em>amount</em> of seating, not good seating), littered with autographs of celebrities (Johnny Depp) and pseudo-celebrities alike (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD50cL5CMAw" target="_blank">Road Warrior Hawk</a>, two of Vanilla Ice), and featuring a brick oven that spits out good pizza on a daily basis.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Our brick oven fired pie of choice was a large sausage and fresh garlic pizza (we were hard sold on the garlic, this is important). This pie came to the table hot out of the oven with a well-charred crust, beautiful melted slices of mozzarella, and a shockingly bright red sauce.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaY4Ju_GI/AAAAAAAAAdA/_FSBn_o3duw/s1600-h/JohnsPizzaBleecker__CheesePizza_v1_34_-_Version_2jpg-v3%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="JohnsPizzaBleecker__CheesePizza_v1_34_-_Version_2jpg-v3" alt="JohnsPizzaBleecker__CheesePizza_v1_34_-_Version_2jpg-v3" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/TBfaZ8kQMoI/AAAAAAAAAdE/sXitpe0cugk/JohnsPizzaBleecker__CheesePizza_v1_34_-_Version_2jpg-v3_thumb%5B18%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="230" width="364" /></a><em>(Again, this is a representative picture because of our </em><em>camera issues, </em><em>but just imagine that it has sausage and dark little </em><em>specs of garlic on it…)</em></p> <p align="left">The crust was yeasty and delicious, but it was also rather toothsome and chewy, giving our jaws a more significant workout than even a bagel should. The cheese was of excellent quality and of lower moisture than we’re used to, lending the pie it’s nice, stringy snap with a more aggressive flavor. The sticking point with this pizza, however, was the sauce; while fresh-tasting and cleanly seasoned, the harsh bitterness of the tomato seemed overly concentrated, giving it the taste of a cooked down tomato paste rather than a good sauce. The toppings were nothing special either as the sausage was pretty forgettable and the fresh garlic that was so forcefully recommended to us ended up singed and bitter, not helping the sauce issues in the least. Still, despite its shortcomings, this is probably a better pie than many of the by-the-gigantic-slice, gas fired pizzerias on every other corner in Manhattan can serve up.</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> John’s of Bleecker Street serves a good pie with big flavors and textures that will hit or miss amongst different palates that stumble into their friendly, intriguing establishment.</p> <p>Establishment: 15/30 <br />Pizza: 20/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 6.7/10 <br />Large Cheese: $14.00</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/662106/restaurant/West-Village/Johns-of-Bleecker-Street-New-York"><img style="border-style: none; width: 104px; height: 15px;" alt="John's of Bleecker Street on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/662106/minilogo.gif" /></a></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-34082062901428187362010-05-20T19:46:00.001-04:002010-05-20T19:46:15.804-04:00Grimaldi’s Pizzeria – Brooklyn, NY<p>One of the reasons we’ve tried to keep up with our Pizza Touring is for places like this. While we started with the places we’ve known all our lives in Stamford, branching out into the pizza bastions of the northeast has exposed us to the cultures of textbook New Haven, and now New York pizza pies.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Grimaldis-Pizzeria-Brooklyn" border="0" alt="Grimaldis-Pizzeria-Brooklyn" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S_XJvYt0ZuI/AAAAAAAAAcM/ngTYukz_t-4/Grimaldis-Pizzeria-Brooklyn_thumb%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="171" /></p> <p>Tucked away under the bridge in Brooklyn’s eclectic DUMBO neighborhood, Grimaldi’s is the quintessential New York pizzeria. Staking the claim to countless prizes bestowed by locals and foodies alike, Grimaldi’s is indisputably iconic and renowned throughout the country as one of the best pizzas you’ll ever have the privilege of eating. Or so we’re trying to confirm.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S_XJwN2-oBI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/P6v4qsvo0pc/s1600-h/08grimaldis%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="Grimaldi's interior (representative photo)" border="0" alt="Grimaldi's interior (representative photo)" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S_XJwhT1NhI/AAAAAAAAAcU/I6jUSfJ-X1A/08grimaldis_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="254" height="161" /></a> Establishment.</strong> As is the case with many local institutions, Grimaldi’s sports a sizable line that often stretches the length of Old Fulton Street as well as some little quirks (cash only, no slices, takeout line and eat-in line are the same) that everyone begrudgingly deals with. After waiting in the sun (a welcome departure from our usual waits in the <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2010/01/coalhouse-pizza.html" target="_blank">cold</a> <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2010/02/sallys-apizza-new-haven-ct.html" target="_blank">winter</a> night) for about an hour, we were ushered in, bouncer style, to a packed but deceptively comfortable dining room. Cafeteria-style seating fills the restaurant to the rafters, seating eight to a side in what can be described as a mildly roomy feeding trough. The darkened, close quarters atmosphere is reminiscent of just about everything else in the city (as is the abysmal parking) and, like any respectable big-name pizzeria, Grimaldi’s incorporates photographs of <a href="http://www.grimaldis.com/2/Gallery.htm" target="_blank">its famous patrons</a> and Frank Sinatra into the decor. Our server was predictably terse and largely pragmatic, doing his damndest to dart from table to table in order to bring menus, take orders, drop checks, and usher a new party into the restaurant.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> The time we did spend in Grimaldi’s, however, was nothing short of divine. Our pie of choice was a classic Neapolitan topped with crumbled Italian sausage and fresh garlic, delivered <em>steaming</em> hot, no less than five (!!!) minutes after we ordered it.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S_XJxH2MXrI/AAAAAAAAAcY/X1KMQaR9qWg/s1600-h/89811%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="89811" border="0" alt="89811" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S_XJxuxcNNI/AAAAAAAAAcc/5sPSBO5gbr4/89811_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="354" height="262" /></a><em>(full disclosure: this, and all of the other pictures in this post are the best representative photographs that we could find…our camera kind of crapped out on us)</em></p> <p align="left">The crust was an oven-blistered masterpiece, delicately thin with a huge, yeasty flavor and the bitter notes of a perfect coal oven char. The cheese was a beautifully fresh, sliced mozzarella that melted into stringy pools of delicate flavor. Slicing through the mildness of the cheese was a phenomenally well-seasoned, fresh and tangy tomato sauce with light notes of natural sweetness. Full leaves of fresh basil complemented the sauce nicely, giving the pie a brightness amidst its inherently strong flavors. The crumbled Italian sausage and fresh, crushed garlic that topped this pizza were very complementary as well, moderately portioned as not to overpower the pie but contributing a good deal of savory, salty notes and working to deepen the flavors of the sauce. Our only criticism—and we’re really reaching here—was with the pizza’s overall texture: it was super thin, especially in the center, and as a result, some slices were on the floppy side. That’s it. This was one good pizza.</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> If you can stand to wait in line for upwards of an hour and you don’t mind little establishment idiosyncrasies, this isn’t just one of the best pizzas you’ll find in New York, but one of the best you’ll find. Period.</p> <p>Establishment: 16/30 <br />Pizza: 26/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 9.7/10 <br />Large Cheese: $14.00</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/29137/restaurant/New-York/DUMBO/Grimaldis-Pizzeria-Brooklyn"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Grimaldi's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/29137/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-4861135068462469822010-03-12T16:17:00.001-05:002010-03-12T16:17:51.502-05:00Post Corner Pizza - Darien, CT<p>We’ve gotten quite a few requests for this place, some going so far as to deem it a “local institution.” Located on the Post Road in the heart of Darien (or at least the <em>middle</em> of Darien), Post Corner has a bit of a long-standing following and—as we’ve been known to do—we’re determined to see if it’s the nostalgia or the pizza that’s keeping them in business. </p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S5qveZlnESI/AAAAAAAAAZk/mKxrppRZ1qs/s1600-h/DSCN2909%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="DSCN2909" border="0" alt="DSCN2909" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLbvICH7srwJY6_ZqadpppcA4mSgL5IeTIas6nyCCvZdq3kfP5GSnDSKriILBxkZnFITdZQbKIh2Ub8l81LDkQZARsHM4Apb_nqCL8D4Z1y6rmS7xOhDQ1pfN4Kavza042zLhazHbOHnk/?imgmax=800" width="254" height="127" /></a> Establishment.</strong> Post Corner Pizza is a family staple and borderline landmark in Darien with a menu that goes far beyond pizza. A Greek diner ambiance complete with urns on display, an indoor adobe tiled roof and ample seating set the stage for a <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/hope-pizza-restaurant.html" target="_blank">hauntingly familiar</a> dining experience complete with quick service and a family-friendly atmosphere. In past visits, Post Corner has been jam packed on a pretty consistent basis (especially on a Friday night) however, we were met with quite the opposite, as the dining room was pretty dead when we stopped by and flat-out empty once we left (don’t expect this to be the norm). Post Corner attracts many fervent regulars with children in tow with its deep, Greek-influenced menu featuring salads, sandwiches and grinders, kabobs, souvlaki, moussaka, gyros, and other fun-to-say items in addition to Greek-style pan pizza. Also, if it seems like we just cut-and-pasted our Establishment blurb for <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/02/hope-pizza-restaurant.html" target="_blank">Hope Pizza</a> in Stamford, it’s because we pretty much did.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Post Corner Pizza regulars often claim that this is the best pizza in Darien and rightfully so, as Darien isn’t exactly the most competitive of pizza hotbeds. Still, this is not a bad pie. Our pizza of choice was a large, bacon and green peppers number, infuriatingly cut up into stupid square slices.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S5qvfJlpNqI/AAAAAAAAAZs/x9SUZKUDT98/s1600-h/DSCN2908%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="DSCN2908" border="0" alt="DSCN2908" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ7W5RvmUMj_VP8Sa6N9uxd89LezzWLllERTDxbGV2T2JWYRNiChUp9pGOIOM6OcmJtYpTbXJa0HbuLNpd9rohfZ2xc1A_C3lzp6y48UA5Xe0qgYEbq-apl2Y4T2U31_bLLXbA1MJ_2nV/?imgmax=800" width="384" height="259" /></a></strong></p> <p>Founded on a spongy, buttery, unmistakenly Greek pan crust, this pie delivers what we’d expect with a few shortcomings in the texture department. For one, it was greasy even for a Greek pie (blame it on the bacon if you’d like), sapping the overall product of its crispness despite the crust’s beautiful golden brown color, forcing us to go the dreaded knife and fork route on some slices. The sauce was pretty tasty, but it felt thick and cooked down, again taking away from the overall texture with an unwelcome clunkiness. Speaking of clunkiness, avid readers might recall our fiery opposition to <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/stupid%20square%20slices" target="_blank">square slices</a> which incidentally, has not changed. Pulling the pizza together however, was a deliciously creamy and stringy blend of bright, fresh-tasting cheeses that did their damndest to salvage this markedly heavy pie. Additionally, the toppings—while partially to blame for the pizza’s texture issues—were doled out generously and absolutely delivered in the flavor department (as bacon tends to do).</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> While Post Corner might chalk up its following to having the best pizza in Darien, it’s much more plausible that their popularity has something to do with the personable, family-friendly environment they foster, as the pizza’s just north of mediocre.</p> <p>Establishment: 23/30 <br />Pizza: 20/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 7.0/10 <br />Large Cheese: $13.00</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1260434/restaurant/Stamford/Post-Corner-Pizza-Darien"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Post Corner Pizza on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1260434/minilogo.gif" /></a></p> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-3144841239935308862010-02-12T14:29:00.003-05:002010-02-12T14:31:42.748-05:00Sally’s Apizza – New Haven, CT<p>We went to Pepe’s shortly after we concluded our tour of Stamford, we ate at Modern shortly after that, and then—inexplicably—we waited another six months to tackle the final piece of New Haven’s holy pizza triumvirate, Sally’s. Yes, we finally braved the arctic winds waiting in yet another out-on-the-street New Haven line to round out our tour of the city’s heaviest hitters.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S3WsGyx1BDI/AAAAAAAAAYY/D9FwJry9_MQ/s1600-h/IMG_3931%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border: 0px none; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="IMG_3931" alt="IMG_3931" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S3WsHVzdy-I/AAAAAAAAAYc/5EP-RFIdfC0/IMG_3931_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" align="left" border="0" height="144" width="244" /></a> Establishment.</strong> As it turns out, New Haven pizzerias are all kind of the same: minimal parking, old coal-fired ovens, and long lines in the street (which can be charming on a summer evening, but painful and borderline infuriating in the dead of winter). Sally’s is no exception, with its requisite long, dimly lit, wood-paneled, ceramic-tiled, drop-ceilinged dining room spattered with pictures and articles attesting to its fame and/or Italian-ness (apparently, Ol’ Blue Eyes was a big fan of the place).</p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0bZqvaHXKi7UjOPxGG5IoX5N5pSLLaFAGjb8XsjYG_hei2fjPm-Je5exX5Rx6ai4kuCWg9GNCRb_L0gde_cnRPVilnDdIAl6sBkl1saHDA1oryztM0kwXI2VOQCXLydGlM4ydSBnxgI6/s1600-h/large_Frank-Sinatra%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="large_Frank-Sinatra" alt="large_Frank-Sinatra" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S3WsImrCh5I/AAAAAAAAAYk/BTxskGgsypc/large_Frank-Sinatra_thumb%5B9%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="268" width="364" /></a><em>(sorry for the lack of photos, the garish, stained glass “PIZZA” bar lamps blew out all of our good interior shots).</em></p> <p>Once we found our way inside, thawed, and were seated (no small feat in its own right) we waited a good 10 minutes to be helped, and another 35 or so to be served. In this time, we witnessed an obvious regular strut in and feed his family of six, a family of eight leave in absolute disgust after their one hour wait yielded no pizza whatsoever, and the brazen neglect of the time-honored “I’ll be with you in a sec” promise about 40 times over. But Sally’s (and the rest of the city in general) isn’t known for its kindly interest and goodwill, especially toward newbies like us; we never expected much. The menu is more or less a list of toppings, among which are the New Haven-specific white clam pie and an extraordinary emphasis on mozzarella being considered a topping. Oh, New Haven, you and your disconcerting ways.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Once we absorbed the horrible one-two punch of waiting and terrible, impersonal service, we sunk our teeth into a medium mozz (“<em>mootz”</em>) pie topped with sausage. That’s two toppings if you’re keeping track.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_AJDDHb7xrpLuN5WcioDJDLB-FSHHsVBCRDcxyE84WIWaWxX51S5do4BPs2839kuRQ2rVTnde7ackldBOFpAN7Cpy1dht9Ux5SZs4u5iL09uwBKeIohkWgaMI3BoOHKmlr9tAtU7ScS1/s1600-h/IMG_3932%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3932" alt="IMG_3932" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S3WsJjcxqdI/AAAAAAAAAYs/Ccw_6ZfxFf0/IMG_3932_thumb%5B9%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" height="232" width="364" /></a> </p> <p>The crust was less chewy than expected, but it was super thin, yeasty, and blistered with a hearty New Haven char in places (and burnt to a friggin’ crisp in others), making for a markedly unique taste and fingers resembling those of a chimney sweep. Crust aside, the sauce was the true crown jewel of this pizza with a strong, well-seasoned tanginess and the chunky texture of whole crushed tomatoes. The mozzarella, while somewhat of a outcast in New Haven, was superbly creamy and stringy. Further, it brought the pie together both physically and in terms of flavor, mellowing the sharp flavors of the sauce and making us wonder why it’s so much of an afterthought in these parts—without it, this is just a big cracker with sauce.</p> <p>We weren’t particularly crazy about the sausage topping as Sally’s uses sliced sausage rather than crumbled, which tends to shrivel into little grease-filled cups in the oven. Plus, it tasted pretty bad. Also, as is the case with ultra thin pies like these, it cools ultra fast; even when you put it away with ravenous Pizza Tour speed, your last slice is just south of tepid. That said, we can see how Sally’s simple core product keeps people coming back, especially favored regulars that can traipse right in and throw back a few well-rounded, iconic pies while suckers like us play the waiting game on the street.</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> Sally’s certainly earns its reputation as one of the big three with a clean, textbook New Haven pie, but the unwritten rules here will leave you scratching your head.</p> <p>Establishment: 13/30 <br />Pizza: 21/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 5.0/10 <br />Large Cheese: $15.80 (18")</p> <p><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/48/955919/restaurant/Hartford/Sallys-Apizza-New-Haven"><img style="border-style: none; width: 104px; height: 15px;" alt="Sally's Apizza on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/955919/minilogo.gif" /></a></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-83020598287647339242010-01-22T15:10:00.001-05:002010-01-22T15:10:23.001-05:00Nonna’s Brick Oven Pizzeria & Restaurant<p>Nonna’s has been taunting us for months to the point that we even tried to hold off on the <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/search/label/Pizza%20Tournament" target="_blank">Stamford Pizza Tournament</a> back in July until they opened, but to no avail. While they may have not made our summer deadline, Nonna’s is now open and serving pizza. And where there is pizza to be eaten, so too is the Stamford Pizza Tour.</p> <p><strong>Establishment.</strong> Nonna’s is a pretty by-the-book pizzeria, sporting a takeout counter, a display case full of specialty heat-to-order slices, and a pretty sizeable dining area for eat-in parties as well. The atmosphere is a bit hackneyed and confusing, melding the otherwise unfamiliar themes of classy Italian plates and artwork hanging from the walls and Hewey Lewis and the News blaring out of the speakers above them, but we were comfortable nonetheless. </p> <p>Seating was ample and almost excessively private due to the cubicle-styled divider splitting the dining room in half. As a result, we felt just short of neglected, staring into our empty drink glasses as our waitress went sprinting by, stopping only to take our order (she dropped the bill in full stride). Nonna’s menu is very broad, featuring Italian specialties, pasta specials, dinner specials (countless iterations of chicken, eggplant, veal, and seafood dishes), soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps. Interestingly enough, conspicuously absent from the first menu we received was pizza, but rest assured, Nonna’s carries it in the form of traditional, gourmet, and Sicilian-style pies complemented by a charming offering of calzones and other dough-rolled, pizza-like delicacies.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> For all the knocks we had on this establishment, the pizza itself is pretty good. Our pies of choice, a plain pizza and a gourmet spicy chicken (sauceless, topped with chicken breast and sautéed hot cherry peppers) came out screaming hot (albeit not at the same time…which was weird) and were considerably larger than advertised.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S1oGKISeFdI/AAAAAAAAAYE/BEG1TZGNwLM/s1600-h/12302009078%5B8%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="12302009079" border="0" alt="12302009079" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S1oGKUI5p7I/AAAAAAAAAYI/Kj94eE3iPg4/12302009079%5B20%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="354" height="227" /> </a></p> <p>The crust was dense, chewy, and flavorful with an excellent crispy bite and surprisingly faint brick oven char. We were pretty split on the sauce, as it had the clean natural sweetness and tang we’ve come to expect and was portioned almost perfectly, but it was starkly underseasoned and couldn’t exactly wow us with its bright subtleties. As advertised on the door, Nonna’s uses a healthy amount of Grande brand mozzarella cheese which, with its a creamy flavor and stringy snap, complemented this pie very well. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S1oGKISeFdI/AAAAAAAAAYM/D6ISPNxwceY/s1600-h/12302009078%5B12%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="12302009078" border="0" alt="12302009078" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S1oGLatj_gI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/c7B1HPm1VVA/12302009078_thumb%5B16%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="354" height="226" /></a></p> <p>Nonna’s really sets itself apart with its dedication to freakishly overtopping its pizzas with excellent gourmet toppings to the point that it’s almost comical but still greatly appreciated. Every square inch of our spicy chicken pie was covered with chicken and red peppers, and was packed to the brim with amazing flavor for a slow, spicy burn in conjunction with the smooth, creamy cheese. All in all, a very good pie.</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> If you can get past the inherent strangeness of the service atmosphere as a whole, Nonna’s certainly delivers with a very big, very good pizza, and very flavorful gourmet topping options.</p> <p>Establishment: 19/30 <br />Pizza: 23/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 7.8/10 <br />Large Cheese: $12.95</p> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1499130/restaurant/Nonnas-Brick-Oven-Pizzeria-Restaurant-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Nonna's Brick Oven Pizzeria & Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1499130/minilogo.gif" /></a> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-53107066855635735472010-01-07T16:17:00.001-05:002010-01-08T16:20:28.542-05:00Coalhouse Pizza<p>Flying their unmistakable neon banner over Bull’s Head, Coalhouse Pizza is one of the newest pizza establishments in Stamford and the subject of many, many requests; some glowing recommendations, some just out of curiosity.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknWfBN8XN7NxqTVflfRQQBhG64G7G4FaMH91MRq0cTwu1IboRxM3tVFPu3eFmLAZlfDVQ1F3J9U8Z32S3RIHpU8l1wxOKJxpmlHO19EpBUUBgUfUQaNpRr4qY-1gyTfBITsmSFVOP7pfb/s1600-h/coalhouse1%5B8%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="coalhouse1" border="0" alt="coalhouse1" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S0ZPRRTG8EI/AAAAAAAAAXo/EsTCsg2uLi0/coalhouse1_thumb%5B13%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="101" /></a></p> <p>The Pizza Tour returned to Stamford with a vengeance on our excursion to Coalhouse, toting along an absurd number of guest judges including fellow Stamford bloggers, JR of <a href="http://streetsofstamford.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Streets of Stamford</a> and Kate of <a href="http://www.stamfordnotes.com/" target="_blank">Stamford Notes</a>, as well as about six other disciples of the Tour clawing themselves back onto the bandwagon.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkOJ3NO1LggKCgVKE7cU93I1oe87y21wU1gQzKWvACe5dsGU68Dc0ZL1CphO_-yRiwNEg1I_1AmJN2ysaHrgGS7cemJmRuQmpzFkaEYSb9n1Eq6zylEOAiS2ZXSIdxpr2PovhdAZSXaZ_/s1600-h/pizza4%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="Coalhouse establishment - Reaves is a real attention whore" border="0" alt="Coalhouse establishment - Reaves is a real attention whore" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S0ZPSeTndQI/AAAAAAAAAXw/KFtqjR1CyJM/pizza4_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="254" height="166" /></a> Establishment.</strong> Coalhouse Pizza sports a snazzy blues- and jazz-inspired feel that, once you get over how wildly out of place it is in Stamford, is rather unique and charming, albeit approaching obnoxious levels of trendiness. Prints of blues and jazz icons dot the walls and cover the tables while their sounds flood the warmly lit restaurant for some top-notch ambiance. Unfortunately for us (and fortunately for them) the place was absolutely jam-packed, so we had to wait outside in the Arctic tundra and take what we could get table-wise (which is mostly our fault for not realizing that the triumphant return of the Stamford Pizza Tour would draw such a crowd of guest judges). That said, Coalhouse is set up well enough for moderately large crowds and was very accommodating to our stupidly large party, equipped with a couple outdoor propane heaters and serving us rather quickly once we got inside. The menu at Coalhouse includes hearty salads, a limited selection of pasta dishes and sandwiches, and a conversely extensive selection of ribs and chicken wings in addition to a very wide spectrum of specialty pizza offerings and high-quality, gourmet topping options.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Once we got settled, we ordered a large Blue Skies (marinara, mozzarella, basil, olive oil—a margarita pie) and a large Freight Train (margarita + crumbled sweet Italian sausage, onions, and mixed peppers).</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S0ZPTHpU_uI/AAAAAAAAAX0/96CLYp6UZf8/s1600-h/pizza2%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="pizza2" border="0" alt="pizza2" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S0ZPTrVUaNI/AAAAAAAAAX4/4nCnkAVcyog/pizza2_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="242" /></a></p> <p>As expected, the pies were extremely thin and unfortunately, considerably smaller than their 16" billing would lead us to believe. The crust had a distinct yeasty flavor, a surprisingly slight char, and very little bite relative to the coal-fired pies we’ve sampled in New Haven. The sauce was in rather short supply on such a delicate pizza, but had the natural tang and sweetness of crushed tomatoes and was very well-seasoned. As for the cheese: what cheese? While Coalhouse prides itself on their use of “preservative-free, <em>fior di latte mozzarella</em>” (cow mozzarella for us laymen), and while it tasted very fresh and delicious, there wasn’t nearly enough of it on any of our pies to make a difference. The biggest knock we could find on this pie (and it’s pretty big) was the texture. This pizza was pretty floppy and insubstantial, especially for a coal-fired pie, lacking the characteristic crispness and char that we’ve come to expect from such pizzas.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S0ZPUIrUbII/AAAAAAAAAX8/gErQKmeZG7U/s1600-h/pizza1_0%5B8%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="pizza1_0" border="0" alt="pizza1_0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/S0ZPUxUcp4I/AAAAAAAAAYA/BUj9ao0XtMo/pizza1_0_thumb%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="354" height="195" /></a></p> <p>As such, this pizza absolutely <em>needs</em> toppings, but boy do they deliver with some top-shelf ingredients. We were very happy with our sausage, pepper, and onion number featuring delicious, bright, and fresh flavors that set this pie (and to an extent, this restaurant) apart from other, less ingredient-conscious ones. </p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> Coalhouse Pizza, the trendy new kid in town, clearly has the best of intentions with its use of quality ingredients and close attention to detail, but has yet to work out all of the kinks and live up to its neon-soaked hype.</p> <p>Establishment: 22/30 <br />Pizza: 19/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 5.4/10 <br />Large Cheese: $12.75</p> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1489555/restaurant/Coalhouse-Pizza-Stamford"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Coalhouse Pizza on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1489555/minilogo.gif" /></a> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-89050727646113639762009-12-08T15:36:00.001-05:002009-12-08T15:36:48.636-05:00Pizza Factory – Greenwich, CT<p>Located in the heart of Greenwich on fancy pants Greenwich Ave., Pizza Factory is a comfortable eatery amidst couture shops, high-end jewelers, and purveyors of luxury stemware, as well as countless other places where people who are better than us buy things. This restaurant also serves as somewhat of a teen hangout during the week (which pisses off said fancy pantses) and allegedly cranks out good pizzas by the gross. Ideally, pies would all come out on a conveyor belt and be assembled by robots, but it’s not that kind of factory. </p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/Sx64rdt5rWI/AAAAAAAAAW4/1nddR5rfPy0/s1600-h/11132009070%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="11132009070" border="0" alt="11132009070" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jWzDFCYN_eVcdHAMJ9TS7zJCDRme2_9K1ah19-qb35YTUB8g8by94X_5mj_3a6rgZng-cNR9odeR_bBQE8Xrt1iMVKJIXdY4CPW_YF2AR0n6lfy-WrdqXJ_67hVsnZ0TWuNZw-8kmlgX/?imgmax=800" width="304" height="229" /></a> Establishment.</strong> What struck us first upon entering Pizza Factory is the incredibly eclectic decor, seemingly in spite of the overwhelming stuffiness that usually comes with being on Greenwich Ave. Decked out in antique road signage and promotional tin doodads, this restaurant comes across as a comfortable little nook complete with paneled walls, creaky wooden furniture, and plenty of low-hanging tavern lights. Our server was quick to take our order, extra personable, and very helpful with suggestions, but the food came out slower than usual (which we’d normally attribute to the crowd, but this place was <em>dead</em>).</p> <p>Being a pizza factory and all, the menu carries but a few non-pizza options ranging from hearty, cheese-filled salads to sandwiches (paninis and traditional wedges) and not a whole lot else. The menu’s crown jewel is, quite unsurprisingly, the litany of pizza options including a huge list of specialty pies (less traditional Mexican, Chicken Burrito, and Hawaiian, for instance), gourmet pies (classic margarita, pesto-having, and other Italian-sounding options), a virtual arsenal of unique, one-off toppings, and the unique (at least around these parts) offering of either deep dish or thin crust.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Our pie du jour was Pizza Factory’s CBT, or chicken, bacon, and fresh, sliced tomato in it’s thin crust incarnation.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/Sx64shMymGI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/ES-sCa_U0CY/s1600-h/11132009068%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="11132009068" border="0" alt="11132009068" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/Sx64tQUnLYI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Vv6JWE72jgg/11132009068_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="389" height="256" /></a></p> <p>How about that? Founded on a crispy, pan-style thin crust, this pie had an overwhelmingly chalky, breadstick-like texture with a muted yeasty flavor to match. The crispness was welcome, however, and a stark contrast to the creamy, stringy, subtle presence of the delicious mozzarella provided by our good friends in Wisconsin at Grande cheese. The sauce was underwhelming for the most part and clearly under proportioned but seemed a bit bland when isolated. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if this lackluster profile was intentional as this restaurant doesn’t seem too keen on serving plain pies.</p> <p>Pizza Factory clearly thrives on its toppings and specialty offerings, and for good reason. Our CBT came with a healthy amount of chicken—breaded, seasoned, thinly sliced cutlet strips, to be specific—as well as plenty of crispy, salty bacon pieces and the fresh tang of sliced tomatoes (which were surprisingly bright and flavorful considering it’s December). This combination was clearly thought out (take notice, everyone who puts every available meat on a pie and calls it “special”) and very complementary to the overall flavor of the pie. That said, the pizza staples that we hold near and dear—cheese, sauce, and crust—were solid, but nothing extraordinary. They act as a vehicle to hold the pizza together, carry specialty toppings into your gullet, and little else.</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> Pizza Factory is just that, a quirkily decorated establishment that bangs out all sorts of specialty pies,  flavorful ingredients, and unique combinations that act as accessories on a solid, but underwhelming core of a pizza.</p> <p>Establishment: 16/30 <br />Pizza: 18/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 5.7/10 <br />Large Cheese: $14.49</p> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1260702/restaurant/Stamford/Pizza-Factory-Incorporated-Greenwich"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Pizza Factory Incorporated on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1260702/minilogo.gif" /></a> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-58184153820998462502009-11-25T21:38:00.001-05:002009-11-25T21:42:42.170-05:00Pizza Post – Greenwich, CT<p>Located on <strike>the Post Road</strike> E. Putnam Ave. in Greenwich, CT, Pizza Post has been around forever (or since 1972). Tucked away behind the fluorescent wonderland that is Gofer Ice Cream, this little pizzeria carries a following evidenced by its fiery clientele. In fact, we ran into someone there who readily admitted that her Friday night pizza run was the fourth time she’d ordered from Pizza Post that week and that the pie was nothing shy of the best. Yet, as we do with all blind loyalties, we’re determined to find out if this claim is the real deal or just Colony-grade hooey.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/Sw3qK5qG7CI/AAAAAAAAAWk/Jqj0vKj1VmI/s1600-h/111320090676.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="11132009067" border="0" alt="11132009067" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQ5n-yXI-joxNn87JIifwCfWlcE5uUYUrri6RKrRgt7rW1nOws67a_qPrx9k8z2Ksu4hdor4-dZHEvbyzLc5w2Ul2vrgLwOtL0LKGP8RZz7Ix03tJUqlgxVLnEx_D3dcq0OxoXH8pUmMc/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> Establishment.</strong> Pizza Post is a very tiny dine-in establishment with all of the low-lit, hardcover menu wielding class of a fancy restaurant and about an eighth of the space that its oven really needs to keep from sweating everybody out. In fact, we had to remodel the place a bit—our table was inexplicably jammed right up against the adjacent diners’ backs—just to sit down. Even then, we were pretty uncomfortably situated back-to-back with the restaurant’s diehard patrons who couldn’t bring themselves to order to-go. That said, the wait staff seems to have a very good rapport with these regular customers, unfortunately we can’t say the same for new customers carrying scorecards like ourselves, as we were flat out ignored for a good 10 minutes after sitting ourselves down and service was nothing short of sporadic throughout the rest of the meal. Aside from that battery of unpleasantness, we can say that this undersized eatery was very clean (likely because it can’t take more than 3 minutes to tidy up) and the menu was lengthy with traditional Italian appetizers, dinners, soups, and salads, as well as a selection of traditional wedge-style sandwiches, regionally-named panini specialty sandwiches, and the unspeakably lame offering of what Pizza Post dubs “pastabilities.” Of course, this restaurant also offers an array of traditional and specialty pizzas, offered with both traditional and “extra thick” crust variations as well as a healthy selection of toppings.</p> <p><strong>Pizza.</strong> Our pie of choice for the evening was the “Dante’s Inferno” pie topped with hot cherry peppers, fried chicken, mozzarella, and tomato sauce—for the most part, a pizza with chicken and peppers on it.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="11132009065" border="0" alt="11132009065" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/Sw3qLkUnIeI/AAAAAAAAAWs/ds2y8svbebQ/11132009065_thumb%5B14%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="248" /></p> <p>The crust was puffy but superbly crisp and dense, achieving an excellent balance of bite and texture with a good yeasty flavor. The sauce, while a bit scarce, was simple but good, combining the slight bitterness and natural sweetness of the tomato with minimal seasoning for a subtle taste that didn’t overpower (or overly impress). The cheese was nothing short of fantastic, with a smooth, silky texture and satisfying snap that complemented its creamy, salty profile very well and had us grabbing for the strings that each piping hot slice left in its wake. Unfortunately, the pie itself was thrown off a bit by the relatively dry edges and unwarranted lack of sauce and cheese across the pizza, making each slice less and less palatable as one nears the inch-wide, cheeseless abyss waiting the each end. Additionally, the ingredients were spattered almost haphazardly across the pie (one slice had no more than a single piece of chicken on it) and added very little to the overall taste. That being said, this was a very good pizza with only but a few deal breaking flaws.</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> This restaurant’s fervent following is somewhat warranted, as their product is a very good one; however, that unfortunately comes hand-in-hand with lukewarm service and a hotter-than-hell dining room that left us torn on the place as a whole.</p> <p>Establishment: 18/30 <br />Pizza: 21/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 7.0/10 <br />Large Cheese: $12.25</p> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1260704/restaurant/Stamford/Pizza-Post-Greenwich"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Pizza Post on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1260704/minilogo.gif" /></a> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319569369667171627.post-84392988579206836292009-11-12T19:54:00.000-05:002009-11-12T19:55:04.858-05:00Letizia’s Pizza – Norwalk, CT<p>Norwalk hasn’t really been a friend to the Pizza Tour; it’s given us <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/08/fat-cat-pie-co-norwalk-ct.html">gross crackery pies</a>, <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/08/pinocchio-pizza-new-canaan-ct.html">puffy sauce-laden monstrosities</a>, and <a href="http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/2009/10/johns-best-pizza-norwalk-ct.html">70s era garbage</a>, that have made it very difficult to justify coming back into town. According to Jane and Michael Stern of <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2006/06/slicecapades" rel="nofollow">Gourmet Magazine</a>, Letizia’s is the light at the end of the tunnel, boasting three generations of pizza prowess dating back to 1937 that crank out pies that Gourmet mentions in the same breath as New Haven’s big boys. The Sterns also call Colony Grill’s pie “about a foot-and-a-half in diameter” and “excellent,” so we’re out to see if they really know what the hell they’re talking about with all of the Letizia’s gushing.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/SvyuY7-cQwI/AAAAAAAAAWU/42mGIRvZbZA/s1600-h/IMG_38167.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3816" border="0" alt="IMG_3816" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/SvyuZdcO8gI/AAAAAAAAAWY/aRh7tJxxGsw/IMG_3816_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> Establishment.</strong> Letizia’s is pretty devoid of bells and whistles, with an interior consisting of no more than a few small tables, a counter, and some Snapple coolers for a bare bones, purely utilitarian look helped along by the flour footprint-kissed industrial carpeting. Still, plastered along the walls are plenty of horn-tooting newspaper articles and awards that set the bar pretty high for a restaurant with such a clear following while making the establishment feel less like a stark white hospital. Service was as one would expect of a counter-serve establishment (read: quick, terse), albeit with a bit more tact and friendliness than we’ve come across even compared to some sit-down locales. Evidenced by the standard issue map of Italy on the wall, Letizia’s menu consists primarily of Italian specialties ranging from hearty pasta dishes, salads, and grinder-style sandwiches to their ever-present specialty and traditional pizza offerings including a “garbage” pie packed high with tons of meaty toppings.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/SvyuZj7YtZI/AAAAAAAAAWc/c1dyu7HM8BI/s1600-h/IMG_381532.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_3815" border="0" alt="IMG_3815" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JZkY1QSVVrQ/SvyuaFcOXeI/AAAAAAAAAWg/TX5w_j5pP84/IMG_3815_thumb34.jpg?imgmax=800" width="264" height="190" /></a> Pizza.</strong> After sampling countless different pizzas over the past year, we can say that Letizia’s makes a very unique pie both in taste and in texture. This pizza is founded on a super thin and uniquely dense, lifeless crust that is hardly crisp, but flavorful nonetheless. Slathered virtually to the edge is a uniquely sharp and tangy sauce, with slightly metallic notes reminiscent of The Varsity Club’s party room pie (we realize that this is a very obscure reference that only about a half generation of Stamford kids will understand, but suffice it to say—this is not a particularly good thing). Cutting through this faint taste of rusty buffalo nickels was just the right amount of creamy, delicious cheese with a perfect springy snap cooked to a golden-brown, gooey consistency. Atop this Pie of One Thousand Tastes was our topping of choice, half-steak and half-a virtual swimming pool of oil that would make even the least health conscious of diners consider a napkin mop-up job before digging in (this seemed to be exclusive to the slices that we specified to be half-cheese, so we’ll chalk that up as an aspect of their plain pie). All of that said, the toppings were absolutely delicious: the steak was tender and moist, the oil was heart-stoppingly indulgent. As you may have gathered from our take on the crust, we were less than enthusiastic about this pizza’s floppy, cumbersome, ingredient slip-prone texture that had us reaching for a knife and fork from the beginning—probably the biggest knock on yet another decisively below average pie.</p> <p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> While this pie was immensely flavorful, most of it’s flavor is derived from a strong, gaudy, sub-par sauce that overwhelms an otherwise thin and incoherent pizza that is nothing like <em>anything</em> we’ve ever tasted—and not in a good way.</p> <p>Establishment: 18/30 <br />Pizza: 15/30 <br />Hits the Spot: 6.3/10 <br />Large Cheese: $11.75</p> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1261254/restaurant/Stamford/Letizias-Pizza-I-Norwalk"><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; width: 104px; border-top-style: none; height: 15px; border-left-style: none" alt="Letizia's Pizza I on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1261254/minilogo.gif" /></a> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14491516074249078616noreply@blogger.com1