Tito Bravo: Best Place To Grab A Slice In Jerusalem

Last week, I reviewed two of my favorite pizza places in Israel: The Pizza in Tel Aviv and Yeminite Food Bar in Safed. While The Pizza is an upscale artisinal pizza place that churns out pies similar to what you might find at Co and Motorino, Yeminite Food Bar was an old school hole-in-the-wall which looks like it could have dated back to the patriarchal days. But neither of these places are the norm in Israel when it comes to pizza. The most common type of pizza place is the slandered slice joint -- not so different than what you might find in New York City. The problem is that most places serve up inferior slices than their New York brethren. Except for one. But first... here's where not to go for a slice of pizza in Jerusalem!

The first pizza place I tried on my Israel pizza tour was a block from Ben Yehuda Street -- a crowded pedestrian thoroughfare in Jerusalem. It was called Big Apple Pizza (so I already had my doubts before entering) and it did not live up to NYC standards. The slices were bland -- particularly the cheese slice, and I was surprised to find people filling up the place around 7:30 on a Saturday evening. The nice thing is that you can eat your pizza at tables outside (inside it's just a counter), but other than that, there's nothing too special about this place. Overall, it was an unsatisfactory experience.

There's another pizza place about a 10 minute walk from Big Apple Pizza down on Hillel Street named Chili Pizzeria. Although it was better than Big Apple Pizza, it still didn't quite cut it. I tried three different slices there: (1) sun dried tomato, goat cheese, and pesto; (2) cheese; (3) onions and mushrooms. There were also slices of broccoli with almonds and feta on our pie. As noted in other reviews, it's standard for pies in Israel to be made in quarters -- with four different topping combinations each covering two slices on an eight slice pie.

One problem with this is that ingredients from different slices often get mixed together, so when the pie is cut you could be eating a slice that's 3/4th mushrooms and onions but also contains some broccoli. Our particular pie happened to be cut quite accurately. Another problem is that often times different ingredients take slightly longer to cook than others. Despite all this -- the slices here were solid, yet standard. Of note, it is one of the few non kosher pizza places in the area so if you're looking to mix some meat and milk together on your pies, here's your best bet at doing so.

Before I get to my favorite pizza place in Jerusalem, it's worth mentioning one other pizza fail in the area. A few minute ride from Ben Yehuda Street is an area known as Emek Refaim -- The German Colony. It's a cute block lined with upscale restaurants and clothing stores, as well as more basic supermarkets, banks, and shwarma stands. But one thing you can't get at Emek Refaim -- good pizza! Pretty much your only option is a place called Pizza Sababa.

Translated literally, Pizza Sababa means Super Pizza. But the pizza was anything but super. Granted I stopped in around noon on a Sunday -- just as they were opening. But the pizza tasted like it was frozen from the night before and had just been reheated. I had a mushroom slice and a plain slice. So unless you're in desperate need for pizza while you're at Emek Refaim, I suggest staying away. There are much better culinary options around.

This brings us to Tito Bravo -- the best place I found to get a slice in Jerusalem. Tito Bravo is located back at Ben Yehuda, just across the way from Big Apple Pizza. I stopped by on a Saturday evening just as they were opening. I had what they called "a pesto" slice and it was delicious... easily the best slice I had in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, I was too full to try any other slices so my review is based on a limited selection, but I could tell Tito Bravo was something special. The quality of the cheese used on their pies was better than anywhere else around and the ingredients tasted fresh, unlike at other locations. The place was less dingy than it's Jerusalem counterparts and I was surprised to find that it was empty when I was in there. The next time I'm in Israel I will without a doubt return to Tito Bravo to try some of their other offerings. And if you happen to be in Jerusalem and looking to grab a quick slice on the run -- you've now found your new go-to place. Enjoy!

INFORMATION ABOUT EACH PIZZA PLACE (From Jerusalem.com)

Big Apple Pizza
Dorot Rishonim St. 13
City Center/Mamilla
Kosher/Mehadrin
$ (under 40 NIS per person)
Deliveries available
02-625-6252

Chili Pizzeria
Hillel St. 28
City Center/Mamilla
Not Kosher
under 40 NIS per person
Deliveries available
02-625-4040

Pizza Sababa
Emek Rafaim St. 43
German Colony
Kosher/Rabbinate
under 40 NIS per person
Deliveries available
02-561-7734

Tito Bravo
Shammai st. 12
City Center/Mamilla
Kosher/Mehadrin
40-60 NIS per person
02-625-5585

Get Your Super Bowl Beer and Pizza at L'asso

I hereby proclaim 2010 the year of the growler! Yes -- the growler has been back for a while, but don't be surprised if more people show up to your Super Bowl party with growlers than six packs. A New York Times article from last month (The New Old Way to Tote Your Beer) provides a pretty good list of places where you can get your fill on, but today we suggest taking advantage of a great deal at L'asso.

The Soho pizza place is offering customers $5 growlers with the purchase of a large pizza pie today only. The $5 price tag includes the growler itself and the 64 ounces of beer to go with it. They have Southampton Double White, Lighthouse Ale, Oreilly's Stout, and Coors Banquet on tap.

My favorite brewery -- Sixpoint -- will also be pouring six of their beers at Whole Foods on Houston Street from 1PM - 5PM.

Free Pizza On The L.E.S. Each Thursday

Every Thursday from 7PM-9PM, swing by Fontana's on the Lower East Side to show off your knowledge about rock and roll. Four rounds of ten questions each could land you some awesome prizes. There's always free pizza from Rocket Joe's and $3 beers until 8PM [via NYC DAILY DEALS].

RIP: The Pizza Shop; E. Village Pizzeria Now A Bar

Some of you might be familiar with Cabin Down Below. It's essentially a not so secret speakeasy below a pizza shop on Avenue A. When it opened almost a year ago, UrbanDaddy called it a "secret basement bar hidden below a pizzeria." Fair enough. If you happened to stop by the pizza place for a slice, there's a good chance you might miss the entrance to Cabin Down Below. But it wasn't all that secretive. It's just as hidden, as say, PDT.

Fast forward to the present time. UrbanDaddy gives us the scoop that now the pizza place -- The Pizza Shop -- is also being converted into a bar:

Here's what you need to know: it's a bar opening on the hush-hush. It used to be a small, nondescript pizza shop. And it now deals in oysters and burgers and rock and roll. On top of a speakeasy. Rest easy knowing that the speakeasy, Cabin Down Below, is still alive and dealing in hipsters, loud music and strong cocktails. But in place of mozzarella and red sauce, upstairs you'll find exposed brick, tufted black leather banquettes, an old chandelier or two and just enough light to see Agyness Deyn sitting in the corner.

The most inaccurate part of this bizarre description is that apparently The Pizza Shop "used to be a small, nondescript" place. Not so. It was a sizable pizza place in the heart of the East Village that had many distinctive qualities. First and foremost -- they served pizza! The place was filled with NYU students and hipsters until the wee hours of the morning -- a final stop before bed on drunken weekend nights (although I never understood why people didn't just go to Nino's one block north).

So to The Pizza Shop: R.I.P. I can't vouch for the quality of the pizza you served, but I sure hope you end up being a much cooler spot than UrbanDaddy has hyped you up to be.

I Dream Of Pizza Featued In The New Jersey Star Ledger

Perhaps the most all encompassing series of pizza articles I've ever seen -- at least on a regional level -- appeared in last week's New Jersey Star Ledger. I counted 18 -- yes, 18!! -- articles about the New Jersey pizza scene in the newspaper.

Links to each article appear at the bottom of this post. All of these pieces led up to Friday's crown jewel -- Pizza Patrol names best pizza in New Jersey -- in which members of the Pizza Patrol crowned the following six slices as New Jersey's finest:

Best plain pizza
DeLucia's Brick Oven Pizza (3 First Avenue in Raritan)
908-725-1322

Best sausage pizza
De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies (530 Hudson Street in Trenton)
609-695-9534

Best Margherita pizza
La Rustique Cafe (611 Jersey Avenue in Jersey City)
201-222-6886

Best Sicilian pizza
Mr. Bruno's Pizza & Restaurant (439 Valley Broad Road in Lyndhurst)
201-933-1588

Best thin-crust pizza
Star Tavern (400 High Street in Orange)
973-675-3336

Best specialty pizza:
La Sicilia Pizza & Ristorante (155 Washington Avenue in Belleville)
973-751-5726


The highlight for me was being featued in Thursday's article -- Pizza bloggers: They're a saucy bunch. Here is an excerpt:

As is Jason Feirman, the fellow behind I Dream of Pizza.

"Some people collect snow globes," says the 25-year-old Feirman. "Whenever I travel, I stop and try the pizza."

And he writes about it on his blog, which debuted in November 2008. He’s sampled pizza in Argentina ("pizza is huge in Buenos Aires") and Israel, but the pizza scene he knows best is New York City, where he lives. I Dream of Pizza, like the scores of pizza blogs out there, is chock-full of pizza news, views, reviews and assorted musings. And the occasional entry from the pizza Twilight Zone.

A recent post from a New York City pizzeria owner who lost his lease over a dispute with his landlady:

My landlady is telling the people of Red Hook that I have been in prison and jail. She’s right. I was in prison for manufacturing explosives.

And you thought pizza blogs were all sunshine and red sauce?

Feirman even formed a pizza club, which makes monthly trips to local pizzerias. The blog became a place to post the club’s findings — and news about the pizza world in general.

And finally -- for those who really want a full picture of the New Jersey pizza scene. Here are links to all 18 articles that appeared in the Star Ledger last week. Dig in!

The world's most popular food? Pizza!!

Pizza through the ages: A pizza timeline

Best pizza in New Jersey: One nation under cheese

The ABCs of Pizza

Pizza Patrol by the numbers, favorites and worst pizza

Pizza mission nearly impossible

Pizza facts and figures

Pizza Patrol finds strange combos: Taco pizza, baked ziti pies

Worst. Pizza. Ever.

How to make the perfect pizza

Pizza bloggers: They're a saucy bunch

The Pizza Countdown Begins

New Jersey Pizza Hall of Fame

Map of New Jersey's best pizza

Pizza Patrol members on their favorite slices

Best pizza in South Jersey, according to the Pizza Patrol

New Jersey 's Best Pizza Towns

Pizza Patrol names best pizza in New Jersey

Citigroup Employees Just Not That Into Pizza

It appears that Citigroup employees in New York City just aren't that into the pizza being served in their cafeteria. Last week, I went to visit a friend who works at the Citigroup headquarters in Tribeca and I came across a promotional calendar featuring statistics about food purchased by employees in the building cafeteria. In 2009, only 16,723 slices of pizza were purchased. Let's break this down.

The building has 39 floors and according to my friend approximately 200 people work on each floor. That's 7,800 employees in the building. Let's assume that an average pizza lunch would include two slices of pizza. That means that only about 8,361 pizza lunches were consumed by employees last year -- or 1.07 pizza lunches per employee. That's over the entire year! Are there any employees or people who've eaten at the Citigroup cafeteria who might be able to comment on the quality of pizza served there?

Let's look at these numbers another way. There are 260 weekdays in a calendar year and about 250 after you account for national holidays. Assuming there are eight slices in a pie that means that only about 2090 pies were made in 2009. That's 8 pies a day. So of nearly 8,000 people in the building on a given day, only about 32 people (getting 2 slices each) have pizza for lunch. Wow.

How does this compare to other items? Well with 108,320 bottles of soda purchased (14 per employee), 137,935 pieces of fruit (18 per employee), and 95,279 boxes of cereal (12 per employee), it seems that either (a) the pizza at the Citigroup cafeteria isn't so great or (b) Citigroup employees are just not that into their pizza.

Yeminite Food Bar In Safed, Israel: What Is Pizza Anyway?

Last week I began a recap of pizza in Israel. One of my favorite meals of the trip was at Yeminite Food Bar -- a modest food stand in Safed (often spelled Tzfat). It couldn't be more different than the first place I reviewed -- The Pizza in Tel Aviv --- which is a modern two year old upscale artisinal pizza hot spot on the corner of a major intersection. Yeminite Food Bar, on the other hand, is a one man operation on a cobblestone side street in a quaint mystical town located in the hills of northern Israel. While not known for its cuisine, Safed's claim to fame is that it is the home of Jewish mysticism. Sadly, even Britney Spears can trace her roots here.

I'd stumbled upon Yeminite Food Bar on previous trips to Israel, but had never eaten there before. It's hard to miss. The loud and boisterous man behind the counter pleads for your business with catchphrases like "get the best food in Israel right here." I'll be honest. The food was great. Definitely some of the best I've had in Israel. But the question is -- what exactly is this Yeminite man serving and can it even be considered pizza?

Personally, I define pizza broadly. For example, I'd say the mushroom flatbread served at The Redhead can certainly be considered pizza.

But what about a crepe filled with mozzarella, tomato, and basil? The ingredients are the same as in many pizzas, but does folding or wrapping it diminish it's pizza-like status? I'm torn. Certainly if you order your pizza "a libretto" (aka: folded) at Motorino you are still consuming pizza, right?

So using a broad interpretation of the food, I can comfortably say that the pizza at Yeminite Food Bar was, in fact, some of the best food I've eaten in Israel. Prior to being served, the food looks like this:

But when all is said and done... what you end up eating looks like this:

So what exactly is this delcatable treat? The outside is made out of organic spelt (which one can easily make pizza crust from) that is fried on a skillet. The ingredients are added on top of the spelt. The first version I had included zatar, olive oil, tomato, basil, onion, and mozzarella. The second version substituted mushrooms for tomato.

Any trip to the Yeminite Food Bar should include a taste of both. The only complaint is that they are not particularly filling and at 25 shekels ($7.00) each, they are slightly overpriced. Not surprising since Safed is a bit of a tourist trap. I spent a total of $14.00 on my two wraps and was still hungry. Even 20 shekels each would be more reasonable. One wrap is just the right size for a snack, but even two can't quite pass for a meal.

The man who works there said that he'll occasionally try some new recipies depending on what's in season, but that in general these are his two staples. As previously mentioned, one thing that any food establishment in Israel has going for it is the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Yeminite Food Bar was no exception.

As is often the case, some of the best food around is the least filling. But that doesn't mean it's not worth going to. Especially given the lack of quality food options in Safed, it almost seems as if there is some higher mystical power summoning you to this little stand.

It's Not Delivery...

... it's... well... why yes... it is delivery. From DiGiorno? A really funny clip from the folks over at Funnyordie.com landed in my Inbox yesterday. In the video, sketch group The Midnight Show puts a nice spin on the company's famous slogan.

Oh and for our review of DiGiorno, click here.

La Pizza Nustra: Pizza Crackers

Last week, Slice posted a piece about the existence of Pizza Balls -- a zesty cheese flavored snack that may or may not be available in your local drug store.

This posting reminded me of something I found at a gas station in Buenos Aires when I was there back in November: pizza crackers!

And not just any old crackers were these triangular bits of heaven... they were fugazzetta flavored. You may recall that a fugazetta pizza contains double cream cheese, mozzarella, onion and olive oil. So I may have had particularly high expectations for this Argentine snack.

Truth be told, they tasted like any other cracker. But pizza is so popular down there, it's probably not a bad marketing strategy. If it's 3AM, you're dying for some pizza and don't have the means to find any, it's always smart to have some La Pizza Nustra crackers on hand to satisfy your craving.

The Pizza (HaPizza) In Tel Aviv: Fresh & Tasty

I recently returned from Israel where I had the pleasure (or sometimes displeasure) of trying six different pizza places. Some people refer to Israel as the land of milk and honey. Others refer to it as the land of falafel and sharwarma. But Israel will henceforth be known as the land of pizza.

Okay... maybe that's a stretch, but Israel does have a burgeoning pizza scene... one that has a bright future in urban areas like Tel Aviv. Let me break down the three types of pizza places you can find is Israel:

1) Traditional, old school "pizza" places that make you rethink how you define pizza. These people might be found in small shops in the old city of Jerusalem cooking warm pita-like bread on ovens that look like they date back to the patriarchal days. I went to one place like this -- Yeminite Food Bar in Safed.

2) Modern slice joints, similar to what you might find on the street corners of New York City. The main difference is that most of these places are inferior to your average pizza place in the city. They often have tables outside (space is more abundant in Israel and the weather is better) and rather than making pies with a single topping they will cook up pies with four different topping combinations, each relegated to it's own quarter of the pie. Many are also kosher and do not serve meat on any pies. I tried four such places -- Tito Bravo, Big Apple Pizza, Pizza Sababa, and Chili Pizzeria -- all which were located in Jerusalem. Tito Bravo was easily the best. Reviews are also forthcoming.

3) Upscale, artisinal pizza joints that make pies similar to what you might find at Co and Motorino. These are few and far between, but while the first two types of places have been abundant in Israel for decades, the third is just beginning to make it's mark on the Israel pizza scene. It is this category of pizza places that I believe has the most potential to expand its reach throughout urban areas of Israel over the next five years. I tried one such place and it was the best pizza I had in Israel. It was at a modest restaurant in the heart of Tel Aviv simply known as The Pizza (or in Hebrew, HaPizza).

There's little that The Pizza (51 Bograshov) doesn't do right. The majority of the seating -- about 8 tables -- are located outside on the corner of Pinsker and Bograshov Streets. Another 10 people can sit inside -- half on bar stools overlooking the oven. They have a lunch special that runs until 5PM on Sunday-Thursday which can almost be taken advantage of for an early dinner. A mere 51 shekels (that's about $14) will get you a personal pie with two toppings, a juice, and a soup or salad of your choice. But considering their pies only cost 41 shekels to begin with ($11), heading there for dinner won't break the bank either.

The Pizza is always crowded. We went around 3:30 PM on a Thursday afternoon and waited about 15 minutes for a table for five. There are nine pies on the menu and we got four of them. I like the limited menu because it gives them a chance to focus on making each pie exceptional. I've already drawn comparisons to Motorino and Co -- each which have 11 pies on their menu. We ate:

Bianca: Mozzarella, parmesan, feta, olive oil and parsley
Aglio Olio: Olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, and parmesan
Classic: Tomato sauce, white mozzarella, fresh basil
House: Tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, parmesan, parsley, garlic

I always write about the importance of fresh ingredients, but it doesn't get much fresher than at The Pizza. A pizza place in New York might have ingredients shipped from California and Italy. Di Fara even imports their basil directly from Israel! Well Israel has some of the freshest produce I've ever tasted and only a 10 minute walk from the restaurant is Shuk HaCarmel Market -- one of Israel's largest and arguably most well known outdoor markets.

My favorite pie was the Bianca. It was essentially a mix of really flavorful cheeses on bread with a touch of olive oil and parsley -- a tres formaggi of sorts. So simple, yet so delicious. Six of the nine pies on the menu at The Pizza lack tomato sauce and I think they're better off for it. The House pie and Aglio Olio pie, for example, are very similar, but the tomato sauce takes away from many of the other flavors on the House pie.

Bianca
(Mozzarella, parmesan, feta, olive oil and parsley)



Aglio Olio
(Olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, and parmesan)

Classic

(Tomato sauce, white mozzarella, fresh basil - 1/2 with olives)

House
(Tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, parmesan, parsley, garlic)

A noteworthy difference between The Pizza and comparable places in New York City is that that there is no meat served on any of the pies because the restaurant is kosher and regulations don't allow for both meat and dairy items to be served together. As someone who doesn't typically get meat on his pizza, I found this quite accommodating. Anyone who eats pizza with me on a regular basis is certainly accustomed to me asking "...and can you leave the sausage off of that?" No such requests had to be made at The Pizza.

I mentioned how fresh the ingredients were. Well even the condiments on each table were worthy of salivating over. At upscale pizza places in New York, you are still often confronted with a glass shaker of uninspiring garlic, parsley, or pepper. Leave it to The Pizza to present you with what appears to be fresh cut reds and greens for your liking. Whether or not it tasted any different is debatable, but it certainly makes for some nice eye candy.

40 Gut-Busting Restaurant Challenges for Free Food

Coupon Sherpa has compiled a list aptly titled: 40 Gut-Busting Restaurant Challenges for Free Food. The photos on their website are what you might find on a site like thisiswhyyourefat. There are two pizza places that made the list: Pizza Party in California and Beau Jo's Pizza in Colorado.

At Pizza Party here is the challenge: Eat one Belly Buster 20-inch pizza with cheese and two toppings in one hour or less. Unlimited water is included with the pizza, however you may not dip your pizza into the water (or any other drink). You have to keep down all the pizza and clean up your mess if you vomit. Finish and you'll receive your entry fee back (equal to half the cost of the pizza), a T-shirt, your picture on the wall of the restaurant, and a free extra-large pizza every month for a year.

At Beau Jo's Pizza here is the challenge: Finish a Grand Sicilian Pizza made of 12 to 14-pounds of hamburger and sausage on a loaded 16-inch thick crust pizza. You and a friend will have one hour to complete the challenge. If successful, the pizza is free and you'll receive $100 and two free T-shirts.

Okay -- let's start with Pizza Party. Clean up your mess if you vomit? Haha. Yuck! And all you get for downing it is more pizza? Not worth it if you ask me. But I will say that looking at the pizza it doesn't seem so unfathomable that someone would be able to finish it.

At the second place -- Beau Jo's Pizza -- success seems more difficult. Even though you can team up with a friend, that's still about 7 pounds of hamburger and sausage each. Look at the size of this pie! And splitting the winnings will land you with $50, not to mention some clogged arteries.

As much as we like to see people indulge themselves, I Dream Of Pizza kindly advises you to to consider your lifespan before taking part in one of these challenges.

Star Pizza Deliveries

Stars!! Are they just like us? Maybe. Maybe not. But last month US Weekly published a feature of stars delivering pizza to their fans.

First we learn that Lady Gaga (as a former NYUer -- she should know good pizza!) sent $1,000 worth of pies to fans waiting in line for her autograph in L.A., although no pizza photos appear.

Taylor Swift was captured delivering Domino's to fans waiting for her autograph in London. C'mon, Taylor. You're telling me there is no better pizza in London?

And finally, Anne Hathaway made headlines in NYC this summer when she delivered pizza to those waiting in line for tickets to Shakespeare In The Park. At least she opted for Ray's Pizza over a chain. Although take it from me, Anne... there's better pizza in the city! But when you're waiting outside at 3AM... well, just about any pizza would taste good then.