Denino's Pizza Place In Aberdeen - Another Great Jersey Spot

I've had nothing, but good experiences at pizza places in New Jersey over the past few years. Some of the highlight of my pizza eating adventures there have included meals at Santillo's in Elizabeth (639 South Broad Street), Star Tavern in Orange (400 Hight Street), and Ah' Pizz in Montclair (7 N. Willow Street), Federici's in Freehold (14 East Main Street), and A Mano in Ridgewood (24 Franklin Avenue). Today, I have another spot to add to my list of New Jersey favorites: Denino's Pizza Place in Aberdeen (1077F Highway 34).

It should be noted that this Denino's location is an outpost of the original Denino's Pizzeria & Tavern on Staten Island, which has been serving some of the boroughs most delicious pies since 1951. I ate there a couple of years ago, before this blog started, and have always remembered how tasty it was. Had the pizza at this outpost not lived up to the pizza at the original location, I wouldn't be posting about it on this site. But I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the pizza was in Aberdeen.

Walk into the place and you feel like you're transported to New York City, just 20 miles away. A line of booths alongside the kitchen are located in the front of the restaurant. Head to the back and you'll find space for about 50 people. It was full when I was there and I hear that's a common occurrence.

Small pies run between $10.45 and 12.45, large pies between $16.45 and $18.45 (other than a plain pie which costs $8.25 and $11.45). There are 14 pies on the menu. Our party of four had a tough time finishing three large pies, although they are quite thin. We ordered one regular pie, one vodka pie, and one M.O.R pie featuring meatballs, whole milk ricotta, and onions. All were equally fantastic. The crunchy crust was charred to perfection. Not burnt, but crispy, especially around the edges.

I've had a hard time finding vodka pies on menus in New York City, and when I have, I've often been disappointed. The vodka pie at Denino's is simple and tasty, featuring just mozzarella and vodka sauce. But first time visitors must kick things off with a regular pie. It's a classic New York style thin crust pizza, and is as good as you'll find anywhere in the city.

The reason a Denino's outpost landed in Central Jersey is because one of the Denino sons - Michael - wanted to open an outpost in his hometown. I can only hope that down the road, future generations of of Deninos continue to open new locations. Everyone deserves to have a place like this in their hometown.

M.O.R

Vodka Pie

Regular Pie

A List Of New Reviews In 2011

Over the past few weeks I've been looking back at some of the best pizza I ate in 2011. Curious about ALL the pizza I ate during the year? Here is a list of  the 31 reviews that were new to IDOP throughout the year:

900 Degrees (West Village, Manhattan)
00100 Pizza - (Rome, Italy)
Al Passatore (Barcelona, Spain)
Apizza Scholls (Portland Oregon)
Artichoke Basille's (Manhattan)
BarcelonaReykjavik (Barcelona, Spain)
Da Michele - (Naples, Italy)
Dar Poeta - (Rome, Italy)
Di Matteo - (Naples, Italy)
Fratelli La Bufala (Miami, Florida)
Forcella (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Forno Marco Roscioli - (Rome, Italy)
Giuseppe Pizza (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Green Door Pizza Bakery (Jerusalem, Israel)
Gusto (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Joe Squared (Baltimore, Maryland)
John's Pizzeria (Elmhurst, Queens)
Ken's Artisan Pizza (Portland, Oregon)
Ledo Pizza (Rockville, Maryland)
New Park Pizza (Howard Beach, Queens)
Pequod's Pizza (Chicago, Illionis)
Pizza Barn (Accord, New York)
Pizzeria Brandi - (Naples, Italy) 
Pizzeria Pellone - (Naples, Italy)
Pizzeria Starita - (Naples, Italy)
Pizza Hacker (San Francisco, California)
Salvo - (Naples, Italy)
Saraghina (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)
Sorbillo - (Naples, Italy)
Stella Rossa (Santa Monica, California)
Tacconelli's (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Taste Of Tagliare (Queens, New York)

The Most Anticipated NYC Pizza Openings Of 2012

Last month I took a look back at some of the best pizza I ate in New York City in 2011. Now it's time to look forward to a few notable openings this year. Although some people might think the New York City pizza market is over-saturated, there are a number notable spots that will be opening their doors in early 2012. I have extremely high expectations for all of these places. And here's why:

3) VIA TRIBUNALI - Ludlow Street & Rivington Street

In 2009, I stopped by this Neapolitan spot in Seattle's Capital Hill district and loved the pies there (Via Tribunali: Stellar Pizza In Seattle, Washington). So it goes without saying that I was excited when an e-mail landed in my Inbox back in November from owner Elizabeth Werner announcing that they'd be opening a New York outpost on the Lower East Side.

Via Tribunali sign is up (via www.thelowdownny.com)

2) NICOLLETTA - 2nd Avenue & 10th Street

Michelin star chef Michael White has made his mark on New York City with restaurants like Marea, Osteria Morini and Ai Fiori. In early 2012 he'll be making his first foray into pizza with this East Village spot. Don't expect traditional Neapolitan pies to be served. He recently told GrubStreet that the pizza would be "crispy, chewy, not too thick and not too thin." Whatever the style is, I'm sure it will be delicious.

Chef Michael White (via www.nydailynews.com)

1) DON ANTONIO - West 50th Street & 9th Avenue

During my trip to Italy last year I ate a lot of good pizza. But there was one spot that absolutely blew my mind: Pizzeria Starita in Naples. In just a few weeks you won't have to travel all the way to Italy to eat the incredible pies they serve. Owner and pizza maker Anotonia Starita is teaming up with Keste's Roberto Caporuscio to open a pizzeria in Hell's Kitchen. With such an all-star cast on board, anything less than spectacular selection of pies will be disapointing.

Scott Weiner, Antonio Starita, and me at Pizzeria Starita

Five Best Pizza Places Outside Of NYC In 2011

Last week, I took a look back at the best New York City pizza places I ate at in 2011. Believe it or not, nearly four times as many pizzerias featured on IDOP throughout the year were located outside of New York. And today, I present my list of the five best. Although the places below didn't necessarily open their doors this past year, they are all spots that I ate at for the first time:

5) Green Door Pizza Bakery (Jerusalem, Israel)
Easily the most unique pizza place I've ever eaten at, this hidden spot in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter features a cigarette smoking man cooking pies out of a hole in the ground.

4) Salvo - (Naples, Italy) 
Few tourists make it out to the suburbs of Naples, but following a trip to the Caputo Flour Mill, a stop at this highly recommended spot resulted in some of the best pies I ate during my trip to Italy.

3) Pizza Hacker (San Francisco, CA)
A Bay Area pizza enthusiastic churns out delectable pies from a makeshift Weber Charcoal Grill. It's some of the best pizza I've ever had from a mobile pizza vendor.

2) Ken's Artisan Pizza (Portland, OR)
A summer vacation down the West Coast kicked off here and their Spring Onion pie was one of the culinary highlights of the trip.

1) Pizzeria Starita - (Naples, Italy) 
During my trip to Italy in February, this spot featured my favorite pies. Operated by famed pizzaiolo Antonio Starita, the highlight of my meal there was the Pizza Del Papa featuring butternut squash, smoked mozzarella, peppers, and zucchini.

Five Best NYC Pizza Places In 2011

As 2011 comes to a close, it's time to look back at some of the best pizza places I visited in 2011. Today, I'll be presenting my list of the five best pizza places I ate at in New York City in 2011. Although the places below didn't necessarily open their doors this past year, they are all spots that I ate at for the first time:

5) John's Pizzeria (Elmhurst, Queens)
Although this pizzeria has been around for 45 years, this female-fronted shop serves a solid, classic New York slice.

4) New Park Pizza (Howard Beach, Queens)
Not to be outdone by John's, this standalone shop opened its doors in 1956 and serves simple square and regular slices that hit the spot.

3) Saraghina (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)
This rustic restaurant is revitalizing the dining scene in this once dangerous Brooklyn neighborhood and it's Neapolitan style pies are worth the trip out there.

2) 900 Degrees (West Village, Manhattan)
In what was perhaps this most disappointing pizza news in 2011, this innovative restaurant which served four styles of pies (Napoletana, Americana, Romana, and Siciliana) shuttered after just three months.

1) Forcella (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Hands down my favorite New York pizza place to open in 2011, Forcella has the potential to become the city's first "mini-chain" with busy outposts in Williamsburg and NoHo already.

Pizza With Pears

Did you know it was National Pear Month? Neither did I. Until I came across this recipe on Blue Kitchen. It features blue cheese and bacon... and if the photo below is any indication... I'm guessing it's pretty tasty. Here's the thinking behind the pie:

The Intertubes thought so too. Search pear cheese pizza on Google and you’ll get roughly a bazillion results. Many of them, however, take you in a dessert or vaguely sweet appetizer direction, some calling for sugar, brown sugar and even cinnamon. I wanted to go savory with this. And I wanted it to be a serious meal. So I started with blue cheese, a sharp, salty, big-personality cheese. You could also use Gouda, goat cheese or even the pizza classic, mozzarella, but I think blue cheese plays well against the sweetness of the pear. I added onion to further separate this pizza from the dessert course. And as a final big hit of savory/umami, I added bacon. If you want to go vegetarian, you can skip the bacon, but I think it really anchored this pizza as main course fare.

Forcella: Filling The Void In Williamsburg (And Much More)

When Motorino's Brooklyn location was permanently shuttered by the Department of Health this summer because of structural damages to its building, there was an immediate void in the Williamsburg pizza scene. Luckily, right around that time, a new Neapolitan spot was firing up its oven for the first time just a few blocks away.

The place? Forcella. The pizza? Awesome.

I've visited Forcella (485 Lorimer Street) multiple times in recent months and I've been incredibly impressed with the quality and authenticity of their pizza every time I'm there. It's even better than the pizza I've had at Motorino. 

For starters, there is a large selection of pies - more than 20 in total. At first glance, one might wonder how a place can make each pie taste so good. In truth, many of Forcella's pies share similar characteristics and ingredients. There are at least a half dozen takes on the Margherita including the Materdei (with hot salami), Sanita (with mushrooms), and Port' Alba (with anchovies). All these pies are the same except for one topping.

One pie I can't get enough of is the San Gregorio (mozzarella, pesto, truffle, and tomato). Pesto isn't used enough on pizza in New York City and this pie gets it right. Other menu standouts include the Montanara which is prepared by deep frying the crust, tossing it in a pan, topping it and only then putting it in a wood fired oven. And finally, the Fuorigrotta which is the only pizza I've ever had with lemon slices on it.

The menu is organized well -- a section of eight Pizze Rosse pies (red), followed by Pizze Bianche pies (white), and finally three Pizze Fritte (fried). Everytime I've been there, they have also had specials, the best which was a white pie featuring gorgonzola, mozzarella, figs, and prosciutto.

In a market with so many pizza places, Forcella has marketed itself aggressively. For starters, they offered a very generous discount on Groupon right after they opened. Generally, businesses with good products don't offer discounts right off the bat. But Forcella is counting on those customers returning. With pizza this good, it's hard not to come back.

Another tactic, which I've never seen used before was as follows: I'd made a reservation at Forcella over the phone the first time I went there. A couple of weeks later, they left me a voicemail thanking me for coming in and offering me a discount if I decided to dine with them again.

Finally, and more traditionally, they've maintained an active Twitter page through which they promote specials like a recent one for $10 pies on Tuesdays.

With all of this discounting, you might think you are getting an inferior product. But the pizza speaks for itself. Forcella just opened a location in Manhattan and if things go well, I wouldn't be surprised if we see New York City's first chain of Neapolitan pizzerias. The space in Williamsburg has an ambiance that can be easily recreated and it would seem that the book on Forcella should read "to be continued."

Here are some of the pies I've tried at Forcella:

 Fuorigrotta

 Mozzerella, Lemon, Pecornio, Arugala

 Montanara

 Lightly Fried & Baked Pizza Margherita

 Margherita

Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Basil

 Decumani

Mozzarella, Arugula, Truffle, Pecornio

 Mergellina

Porcini Mushrooms, Bufala, Pesto

 Margherita Regina

Margherita W/ Bufala, Cherry Tomatoes

 White Special

Gorgonzola, Figs, Prosciutto

Where Pizza Was Really Invented

You may have thought that pizza was invented in Italy... but according to this recent "mockumentary" short that landed in my Inbox... pizza actually is rooted somewhere you'd never expect. Watch the clip below to find out where.

Hard Rock Pizza: Anthrax Make Some Respectable Picks

I knew that Anthrax's Scott Ian and Charlie Benanate can write some solid guitar riffs and heavy metal songs, but who knew these two rockers were such pizza experts. In the clip below -- originally featured on NoiseCreep.com -- they namedrop Joe's, John's, Patsy's... and even Pizzeria Mozza out in L.A. Check out their recommendations here:

NYC Pizza Run: The Green Factor

It's been about five months since The NYC Pizza Run... which means it's almost time to start planning next year's event. In the meantime, you can check out an article that Jennifer Wright (who works for the company that produces eco-friendly pizza box company Greenbox) recently wrote about the environmental aspects of the race.

Did you know that all of the pizza boxes used at the race are recycled? Didn't think so!

Stay tuned for information about the 2012 race.

Stella Rossa: Tasty Pies in Santa Monica, CA

The final stop on my summer road trip down the west coast was Los Angeles. And while there are many foods that the city is known for, pizza is not one of them. In fact, Los Angeles is known for having particularly bad pizza. Ask any New York transplant (or east coast transplant, for that matter) and they'll tell you that nothing in Los Angeles remotely compares to what they've had back at home. Although I've heard over and over again about the lack of a real pizza scene in Los Angeles, I had no doubt that there would be some decent pizza to find there.

About a month before visiting Los Angeles, I was in the midst of my pizza research for the trip when I came across an article on The Huffington Post that grabbed my attention. As I'd noted in a posting back in July, the author (a food writer, mind you) claimed to have found a place in Santa Monica that serves the best pizzas in the world. He wrote:

Were these the best pizzas I have ever eaten? Yes, they were. I have had pizzas all over the world, including its birthplace in Naples, and none has ever matched these pies for thin crispness, freshness of ingredients, delicious blackened crust... all in all a flavorful wonder. As I said, it's all a matter of taste and timing. Tonight, in a little place in Santa Monica, I finally had an epiphany. It is possible to be the best at something!

After reading such a adamant review of this place, there was no way I was going to step foot and Los Angeles and not visit the place. Stella Rossa Pizza Bar (2000 Main Street) landed itself on the top of my list of "must visit" pizza places. On a Tuesday evening, I met up with five dining companions to find out what the fuss was all about.

The place has a modern feel to it -- almost like you're at a lounge -- fitting for its location in Santa Monica. Unlike in New York City, where you might have to wind your way to the back of a restaurant to be seated, Stella Rossa is essentially a large box. There's a bar in the middle and tables around it; the open kitchen is in the back. The restaurant was full, although there didn't appear to be much of a wait the evening we were there.

The menu (which also features some salads and starters) is divided between white pies and red pies. Although there were six red pies and only three white pies on the menu, the white pies sounded more interesting, so we ended up getting two white pies and two red pies. One of the highlights was the Bloomsdale Spinach pie which featured purple kale -- a food item (and color!) you don't usually find on pizza. The Shaved Mushroom pie was solid and rather than your typical pizza greens (basil, arugula, etc) the pie was topped with rosemary, thyme, and torn parsley. The Margherta was tasty, although nothing extraordinary. The same can be said for the Sausage pie.

What really differentiates the pies at Stella Rossa, other than some of the more unusual toppings, is the crust. What might be considered a personal pie by diameter actually ends up being an adequate meal for two people, as the dough is thick and chewy. In fact, once you work your way through the toppings, you're left with a daunting amount of crust to finish. I'd even say it's a bit too much.

One of our diners, who will remain anonymous, ended up with a plate like this. A new term was coined that night: a crust graveyard.

So was this the best pizza I'd ever had? Not a chance. Would I recommend checking it out? Absolutely. I had little time to visit any other pizza establishments in Los Angeles, but I was impressed with Stella Rossa. That's not to say it's a place I'd frequent if it was located in New York City. But for a city where it's hard to find a good pie, Stella Rossa has you covered.

Here are the pies we ate:

Bloomsdale Spinach

(crispy purple kale, young pecorino,

cracked black peppercorn, organic extra virgin olive oil)

Shaved Mushroom

(gruyère, melted onions, black truffle,
torn parsley, rosemary, thyme)

 

Housemade Organic Sausage

(tomato, fresh mozzarella,
hand-picked oregano, fennel pollen)

Margherita

(tomato, fresh mozzarella, sweet basil,
organic extra virgin olive oil)

$7 Pizzas At Fornino All Week

Fornino (187 Bedford Avenue) is celebrating its 7th birthday with $7 Margarita pies through October 27th. Swing by for a bite!