Hungry Travels

First Stop on the New Haven Pizza Tour

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Yalies are a lucky bunch. Not only do they go to one of the best colleges in the country, but when the mood strikes, they can go out for some of the best friggin’ pizza in the country too. Forget the Freshman 15 — for Yalies it must be more like the Freshman 50.

My friend Veronica, a New Haven resident and serious foodie, ranks New Haven’s top four pizza joints in the following order:

1. BAR
2. Modern Pizza
3. Frank Pepe
4. Sally’s Apizza

Last night she took me to BAR for my first taste of this wondrous New Haven pizza I’ve been hearing so much about.

BAR’s a brewpub/nightclub/restaurant packed with an eclectic crowd — I figured it’d be a bunch of preppy Yalies, but in fact there were people of all ages, from all walks of life. The wait for dinner was 45 minutes, so we decided to order our pizza and eat it at the bar.

We ordered two small pies so that we could try one red (with sauce) and one white (without sauce). I can’t verify if this a New Haven invention, but BAR offers a white pizza with mashed potatoes as a topping. Oh, my.

Veronica disappeared to get the pizzas and came back with an absolutely humongous tray:

How exceptional does that look? The red pie had sizzling pieces of sausage and peppers baked in. The white had garlic, oregano, mashed potatoes and… hold on, is that bacon?

(I can’t remember now if we actually talked about getting bacon, or if Veronica sneakily slipped it into the order. Regardless, best… decision… ever.)

Bacon and creamy mashed potatoes go together like Tina Fey and Sarah Palin. If there’s a better combination, it escapes me. It’s killer. But the crust defines the New Haven pizza — blackened on the edges from the brick oven, it’s thin and crispy and chewy all at the same time.

“Ohhh, that is sooo good,” I gushed between mouthfuls.

Veronica agreed. ”I know, isn’t it?”

Since I have no frame of reference, I can’t say if BAR’s pizza is indeed New Haven’s best. After I sample from Modern, Frank Pepe and Sally’s Apizza, I’ll give you a verdict. But the bar has been set high, no pun intended.

(Final note: Veronica and her husband [a Yale dean] are having dinner in a few weeks at Per Se with nine Yale undergrads as part of a cultural field trip. Per Se!! Did I mention Yalies are a lucky bunch?)

BAR
254 Crown St.
New Haven, CT 06511
203-495-8924

Hot Oil and Sausage at Colony Grill

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

One of the best parts of doing endurance sports is that short window after a race when you feel completely justified in eating whatever you want, whenever you want it. “Who cares, I just burned a few thousand calories!” you say to yourself, while scarfing down fattening food without a second thought. The window doesn’t last very long — maybe a few of days — but during that time… oh, it’s on, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

So what does a person eat after finishing the Westchester Triathlon? Hint: It ain’t salad (unless we’re talking potato salad).

This was my plate, thanks to the Team in Training post-race party. Doesn’t it look good? I was ecstatic to eat a cheeseburger, and up top you can see the beautiful hot dog (with sauerkraut!). A perfect way to end a great day. Congratulations to everyone who finished the race!

Afterwards I came home and took a much needed nap. By late afternoon, my stomach started growling again. I immediately knew what I wanted: pizza. Not a slice, but a whole pie. Not topped with veggies, but meat. I texted Jose — “Want to go get some pizza?” He called right back — I guess he was in the pizza mood too. ”Let’s go to Colony Grill,” I said.

According to most Connecticut residents, the state’s pizza discussion begins and ends in New Haven (Connecticutans will argue to the death that New Haven pizza is the best in the land. They’re so damn adamant about the issue that I’m inclined to believe them). Stamford’s a cut below New Haven, but Colony Grill gets a lot of pub for being the real deal.

Jose and I had barely sat down when a server crouched down at our table. ”So are you ready order?”

“We could use some menus,” Jose said nicely.

“We only serve pizza.” She rattled off the different toppings; my ears perked up when she told us their specialty was hot oil with sausage.

“What are the sizes?” I asked.

“There’s only one. They’re individual-sized.”

Could this place make things any easier? They serve one dish and they’re all the same size! I liked the simplicity.

Jose ordered a pie with extra cheese and hot oil. I got half meatball and half sausage with hot oil (I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted meat).

I’m guessing this was about a 14″ pie. The crust is super-thin and crispy, but there’s no puffed up edge like a regular pizza — it’s uniform in thickness throughout. And amazingly, even with the toppings (and hot oil) loaded on, it stays crispy, as if somehow the toppings don’t penetrate the crust. The jalapeno and hot oil gave off a fragrant warmth and made my lips tingle.

“Damn, this is oily. I feel like I’m going to break out,” Jose said. I nodded in agreement as hot oil dripped down and completely enveloped my right hand. This was a good pizza… a five napkin pizza.

I’m not embarrassed to say that I ate the whole thing. Hey, I’m allowed to, I just did a race. At least, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself through Tuesday.

GRADE: A-

Colony Grill
172 Myrtle Ave.
Stamford, CT 06902
203-359-2184

Slice America Names the Best Pizza in the U.S.

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Check out this review of Pizzeria Bianco by “DJ Bubbles”. I might need to take a trip out to Phoenix!

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/sliceamerica/8380/the-best-pizza-in-the-u-s

Sal’s: The Best Pizza in Westchester?

Sunday, June 8th, 2008

When I lived in Boston, a good bagel was hard to find. I love Boston to death, but jeez, we just can’t hack it when it comes to bagels. New York rules. Now that I’ve lived in Westchester for a few years, I’m starting to feel the same way about pizza. I’ve read about the “best pizza” in Westchester, but to me, “best” is relative. I’ve yet to find a slice that compares to the best Manhattan or Brooklyn has to offer.

For example, I love the coal-oven pies you get at a place in the city like Patsy’s: thin, crispy crust that’s blistered and blackened on the bottom, a layer of tasty sauce, fresh mozzarella and a sprinkling of basil leaves. Simple and light. So light you could eat a whole pie all by yourself. Umm, not that I’ve tried.

Sal’s in Mamaroneck gets a lot of press as one of the best pizza joints in Westchester. I’d eaten there a few years ago, and to be honest it didn’t make much of an impression. But since so many people rave about it, I figured I’d give it another shot.

Don’t expect much atmosphere at Sal’s. It’s a casual place with a bunch of gruff guys working the counter. Not that atmosphere matters if the pizza is good. I ordered two slices: a slice of mushroom and a plain Sicilian slice.

The verdict? Ehh (shrug). Decent, but I don’t see what the fuss is about. The crust on the mushroom slice was nicely crisp and thin, and it wasn’t overloaded with cheese. But the sauce was bland — could have used more salt. Also, the mushrooms were thrown on at the last minute before the slice was re-heated. Since they weren’t baked into the pizza they didn’t add or absorb any flavor. An okay slice, but nothing to write home about.

The Sicilian? I guess I’m just not a huge fan of Sicilian pizza. Sal’s is thinner than others I’ve had, and that’s a good thing. But it’s still too doughy for my taste — and without flavorful sauce, well, that’s a whole lot of dough.

Then again, the line at Sal’s is consistently long, so what do I know. You could do far worse than Sal’s, but give me Patsy’s any day.

GRADE: B-

Sal’s Pizzeria
316 Mamaroneck Ave.
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
914-381-2022

Eating Italian on Arthur Ave.

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

You can’t beat a Saturday afternoon on Arthur Ave. in the Bronx. My friend Danielle suggested taking a drive down there and I jumped at the idea. Here’s a photo tour of our visit:

Teitel Brothers is a popular place for all kinds of Italian-American groceries.