Breakfast Pizza

After last week's "egg pizza" posting [Pizza al' Uovo - Eggs & Pizza], we came across this photo on thisiswhyyourefat.com. Labled as a breakfast pizza, it's actually a sausage pie with bacon and eggs, topped with mozzarella cheese and country gravy as sauce.

Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Saag Paneer Pizza?

Still salivating over yesterday's post about pizza with eggs? We'll perhaps you can wash that delectable slice down with some... saag paneer pizza? Hmmm...

Midtown Lunch reported on this crazy concoction earlier this week and gave it surprisingly positive reviews.

It’s actually not as weird as you would think. You can get pizza topped with spinach at a regular pizza place, why not pizza topped with Indian spiced spinach. And since saag usually comes with paneer (Indian cheese), it worked pretty well with the cheese on the pizza. A tasty treat!

Pizza al' Uovo - Eggs & Pizza

One topping I've never had on pizza is eggs. But if Blondie & Brownie's photos (and review) are any indication, this is something I need to try ASAP. There are some toppings, in my opinion, that sound delicious on pizza -- like pineapples. But it never translates, or at least not in my experience with pineapple as a pizza topping. But eggs... now that's another story.

So Motorino brunch... I will see you soon!

Washington, DC Pizza Doesn't Cut It: A Review Of Pizza Paradiso

For the first time since I started this blog (and chronicling many of my pizza adventures), I went home to the Washington, DC area to visit my family. As tempting as my mother's home cooked meals sounded, one thing was for sure: I was going to eat some pizza.

I spent last Thursday wandering around DC and had lunch at Spike Mendelsohn's Good Stuff Eatery. Definitely one of the best burgers I've ever had and the french fries were great too. The burgers are more meaty than Shake Shack or Blue 9, but not quite as heavy as at Fatburger or Fudruckers. Just the right size. Just the right amount of flavoring. I'm no burger expert, but this came close to a perfect burger. Rumors are Spike will be opening a pizza place next door and you can be sure I'll be trying it when I'm back home again [Good Pizza Coming To DC?].

After a mandatory beer at Brickskeller, I met up with my family and we headed to Pizza Paradiso in Dupont Circle. The pizzeria, which opened in 1991, has consistently ranked among the best pizza places in the area. At around 9:00PM on a Thursday evening there was about an hour wait, not surprising given that restaurant only seats about 35 people (although they are expanding soon). We ordered five pies, none of which blew me away:

Quattro Formaggi - Four Cheeses, Parsley, Garlic
Margherita - Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella
Genovese - Potato, Pesto, Parmesan
Bosco - Tomato, Mushrooms, Spinach, Red Onion, Mozzarella
Gorgonzola - Tomato, Gorgonzola

The Genovese was downright awful although I do enjoy the occasional pesto pie without potatoes. Others at the table, however, had more positive things to say about it. The Gorgonzola, which was a "special," had potential, but would have tasted better without the tomato on the top. Perhaps another veggie could be substituted for it. The Margherita and Quattro Formaggi were solid, but standard. The standout pie of the bunch was the Bosco -- and with fresh veggies donned at just the right proportion, it seemed to be overwhelming popular with the family.

Pizza Paradiso would not fall in my top tier of New York pizza places. I'm not all too familiar with the Washington pizza scene, but this very well may be one of the better pizzerias to go to. That being said, it's probably not worth the wait unless you are craving pizza and there is no where else to go. I imagine Pizza Paradiso has built up a loyal following over the years and for that they deserve much credit. There's a lot to be said for a restaurant that has been open for 20 years and is still drawing crowds like it does.

The inside was noisy and a tad cramped though, and as I gobbled down slices 200 miles south of my pizza mecca, I wondered if any diners around me were dreaming about New York City pizza too.

Margherita



Bosco



Quattro Formaggi



Gorgonzola



Genovese



Kitchen



Tables

Welcome...

... to everyone who has been redirected here from our link on Grub Street this morning. Just wanted to say hello and thanks for stopping by. Come back again for anything and everything about New York City and pizza!

~ Jason

Cone Pizza In Queens - Innovative But "Rancid"

As you may recall, earlier this year we featured a pizza cone on this site from thisiswhyyourfat.com. The concept of a pizza cone is kind of fascinating to me. I'm a fan of anything innovative when it comes to pizza. As long as it tastes good, that is.

We'll I was slightly excited to learn that a new pizza place serving pizza cones opened in Queens and we passed by it on our way back from Studio Square this weekend. Since we were on a bar crawl and I needed to save all available space inside my body for beer, I opted to pass on this pizza eating opportunity, but my good friend Jason Pickar decided to chance this crazy pizza concoction.

As fate would have it, Cone Pizza was featured on Grub Street on Monday [Brazilian Pizza in a Cone Comes to Queens], but sadly their "tipsters failed to photograph or sample it." So Jason has provided us with the first known review of Cone Pizza... and first ever I Dream Of Pizza guest review:

Pizza in a cone. It sounds delicious, especially as you're passing it after a few liters of beer at the nearby Studio Square beer garden. I abandoned my group in hopes of the convenience of an ice cream cone mixed with the deliciousness of pizza.

Unfortunately, that's not what I got. Instead, after a five minute wait, I was handed some previously frozen cone-shaped crust, filled with bland pepperoni and a glob of cheese that can only be described as tasting worse than the worst kosher mozzarella I've ever had. It was near rancid, almost tofu-cheese bad. For some inexplicable reason there were bits of onion mixed throughout the cheese (I hate onions on my pizza when they're not red or caramelized), and the sauce was pooled at the bottom, a la the nice chocolate bit at the bottom of a King Cone.

God how I wanted to love pizza in a cone. The couple who seemed to own the place were so friendly. I wanted to write glorious things about the greatest way to eat a slice since it was put in the form of a miniature frozen roll. It was so bad that I almost didn't finish it. Almost.

Edible Pursuits Quiz-Off at Roberta's

Where was the first pizza sold in New York?

You'll find out the answer to that and many more NYC-food related questions at Edible Pursuits first ever East Coast quiz-off. It takes place at Roberta's (261 Moore St. between White Street and Bogart Street) this Wednesday. The event is being promoted as a night of "picnic table feasting and food-related trivia" which includes Roberta's "praise-worthy brick-oven pizza."

I'll be there and so should you. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

UPDATE: THIS HAS BEEN POSTPONDED

New Motorino Location Opening Mucho Pronto

According to Eater.com, Motorino plans on opening their new location in the former Una Pizza Napoletana space by the first week of September. Sweet!

Lucali: Decent Pizza At A Decent Price (Sans Toppings...)

Lucali.

It'd been at the top of my 'to try' list for a long time.

Two recent acclamations bestowed upon the Carroll Garden pizzeria significantly heightened my expectations of the joint. In May, Alan Richman from GQ Magazine ranked Lucali's plain pie as the 2nd best pizza in the entire country (the best is in Chicago). Not that GQ is some renowned pizza publication, but you have to assume after eating 386 pizzas at 109 pizzerias that Richman would have some perspective on what a good pizza should taste like.

And in a move that surprised even myself, Zagat recently crowned Lucali the best pizza place in New York dethroning longtime champ Di Fara. As anyone who regularly reads this blog knows, Di Fara is my absolute favorite pizza place and I can confidently say that Dom DeMaco's pies are the best thing I've ever eaten. So how could I not sit down at Lucali with incredibly high expectations?

Pizza Club visited Lucali on a Sunday evening in early August. We arrived more than a hour before the pizzeria opened at 6PM (okay, I'd thought it opened at 5PM), but it's a good thing our party of nine arrived so early. By 5:45, crowds had congregated outside, and I'd have to imagine that a party our size would have had to wait for hours if we'd shown up later. But the line was expected. Many Yelp reviews touch on the fact that the wait can be unbearable: We were told at 7PM tonight to expect a 1 hour wait. 2 1/2 hours later we gave up, writes one Yelper.

We sat down at a long table by the window just after 6PM and put in our orders for three large pies (1) plain (2) pepperoni (3) mushrooms, peppers, and onions. We also ordered two large calzones -- one plain and one with artichokes.

The pies are priced at $24 each with toppings costing $3 each. This makes it easy for a single pie with three toppings to run you about $40 after tax and tip. That breaks down to $5.00 a slice. A tad pricey, but what I like is that Lucali makes large pies. Three to four slices are more than enough to fill you up. That being said, it's hard to spend more than $20.00 per person (each of us spent $18.00). I'm not a fan of how nearly every upscale pizza joint across the city to open recently (Co, Keste, San Marazno) plunks down an puny personal pie in front of you for $15-$18 that leaves you wanting more. Or maybe that's the idea. But the nine of us definitely left Lucali full... with a doggy bag in hand.

The pizza itself was solid. Definitely not the second best pizza in the country or nearly as good as Di Fara, but it was tasty. Pizza Club members gave it an average rating of 8.4 -- not quite as good as Di Fara, but significant better than Co (7.7).

Would I go back there? Undecided.

If I'm going to trek out to Brooklyn and wait in line for a couple of hours I'm of course going to go to Di Fara (do I sound like a broken record yet?), but if I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd be able to avoid the lines, I don't see why I wouldn't return. Decent pizza at a decent price... if you take it easy on the toppings, that is.

(Dim Lighting = poor iPhone photos. Sorry!)

Plain Pie



Mushrooms, Peppers, and Onions



Pepperoni


Calzone

I'd like to invite you to...

... a video pizza party!

Q&A With Co's Jim Lahey

Click here to read a good Q&A with Co's Jim Lahey that I came across last month.

So you didn't feel betrayed when the Devil couldn't procure Company a better review from the Times?

I don’t feel betrayed in any way, shape or form by the laudatory review written by Bruni – I feel like it was ground breaking [sick] in that it was the first time in the history of the New York Times, or at least for as long as I can remember, that a pizza joint ever got reviewed as a restaurant.

Organic Pizza? Try Roberta's In Brooklyn?

I've never been out to Roberta's in Bushwick, but I hear great things. In response to a question about "food that tastes good and won’t kill me or the planet but that’s served without a side of virtuousness," The New York Times thinks just like I would -- pizza, pizza, pizza:

... you should think pizza. Not Franny’s, which is great but perhaps too pious for you. Roberta’s in Bushwick not only serves good pizza and innovative dishes like tongue with lemon puree or a good old giant T-bone for two, but it also grows the ingredients on top of a shipping container outside and gets its meats through the small-farm friend Heritage Foods USA. But it doesn’t promote this, so the only way you’d know is if you stepped outside to smoke. (Those people in the shipping container are broadcasting for Heritage Radio, which might be a little too loco-vore for your taste.)

This does bring up an interesting discussion about how places now promote "organic" food. There's a fine line between keeping it a secret and plastering it all over your website, windows, menu, etc. I have no problem with restaurants promoting the quality of their food, but the issue is that consumers are unable to know the difference between, say, the organic meat at Chipotle and the organic meat at Back Forty. There's no rating system. No standards across the board that are easy for diners to understand.

As my friends know, I'm the last person to care about calorie counts, organic meat, or knowing anything about where my food comes from. But part of this apathy is due to the fact that I'm not really sure who to trust. How can a restaurant guarantee that what I'm eating is organic? For this reason, I feel like a lot of establishments have turned to language like "locally grown." Pizza hasn't come under much scrutiny, which isn't surprising given it's basic ingredients.

But perhaps the world is ready for organic pizza? A quick Google search shows that Pizza Fusion in Florida is the country's first organic pizza chain. Are they just trying to capitalize on a trend or is this something that people will really buy into?

From Uno's To Co

Mona's Apple has a fun, well written write-up of Co!

The bottom line: if you're looking for the freshest ingredients and some creative pies, Co. is your place. My only gripe is community tables are not for everyone and the bar is small, make that non-existent. They would benefit from enhancing the bar area so more people could actually sit and eat there.

Read her whole review here.

"Giving Pizza A Chance" In Portland

As I mentioned yesterday, I took my first ever trip to the Pacific Northwest last month and will be reporting on my pizza findings this week. When I landed in Portland the first thing I did was head over to Give Pizza A Chance -- a food truck I'd read about in The New York Times (Frugal Portland).

Today, there are almost 400 carts around Portland, most of them clustered into “pods” that ring parking lots, and thanks to low start-up costs and Multnomah County’s straightforward licensing and inspection regime, aspiring chefs can make their names without major investments. As a New Yorker I was jealous; as the Frugal Traveler, overjoyed at what I could find within a single pod. The slices ($2 to $3) at Give Pizza a Chance were excellent, with a thin inner crust, a thicker, chewy outer crust and fresh, brightly flavored toppings (like the tomatoes, basil, artichokes and onions on the “Compost” slice).

I also wanted to save room for some empanadas from the Cara Quena truck (see below), so I only had one slice with roasted vegetables. It was tasty. The toppings were grilled to perfection. And the price was right at $3.

Definitely the best pizza I've had from a truck. Had I been in Portland for more than 48 hours I would have made it back here to try some other slices. The girl serving the pies was as friendly as can be and they even make their own soda (free samples too!). There was nobody else there when we went (Saturday morning), but I hear it gets pretty packed on the weekdays during lunch.

Cute concept. Cute name. New York could use some trucks like this.

Roasted Veggie Pizza

Some other offerings I didn't get to try

Empanadas from Cara Quena

Via Tribunali: Stellar Pizza In Seattle, Washington

Last month, I took my first ever trip to the Pacific Northwest. We started off in Portland and headed north to Seattle and Vancouver. Overall, I was quite impressed with the food in these three cities and I made sure to try pizza in each place. Over the next few days I'll be reporting on my findings.

Of the four pizza places I tried, one really stood out of the pack: Via Tribunali in Seattle. They currently have five locations in the city and we went to the one in Capitol Hill. I'd been warned about pizza in Seattle and many online reviews would have disclaimers like "It's great... for Seattle, that is." As someone who has had more than his share of New York pizza, I must say that Via Tribunali was as good as, if not better, than many of the upscale artisanal pizza places that have been opening here recently.

We tried three pies:

VIA TRIBUNALI - Tomato, Buffalo Milk Mozzarella, Tomato, Ricotta, Smoked Provola
FUNGHI - Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Mushroom
QUATTRO FORMAGGI - Gorgonzola, Provola, Grana Padano, Fior Di Latte Mozzarella

All three were stellar. My favorite was the Quattro Formaggi, which I was told was new to their menu. Next, I liked the Via Tribunali. And the Funghi was also tasty.

It's interesting to note that me and my two fellow diners, Shyam and Kajal, were equally enthusiastic about the pies but ranked them differently (Shyam = Via Tribunali, Funghi, Quattro Formaggi; Kajal = Funghi, Quattro Formaggi, Via Tribunali).

While I haven't heard any rumblings about a burgeoning pizza scene in Seattle, it's no surprise that this little chain has been able to open five locations given the high quality pizzas they churn out. I didn't have time to try any other pizza in Seattle, but I hope more places like this continue to turn this beautiful city into a destination for pizza.

QUATTRO FORMAGGI



VIA TRIBUNALI



FUNGHI

I Love Pizza. And I Love Football.

And I hate hate hate the Dallas Cowboys. So perhaps I take joy in yesterday's announcement that a pizza in suites at the team's new stadium will run you $90 a pie (although some reports are claiming pies will only be $60). Unless they are personally flying in Dom Demarco and the pie comes with a happy ending, I'm going to have to call "rip off" on this one.

Just another reason to hate the Cowboys.

La Pizza Fresca On AlwaysHungryNY

Although the photos on AlwaysHungryNY look delicious, La Pizza Fresca was quite disappointing according to the site.

... the amount of praise that La Pizza Fresca’s pies has garnered is staggering—most recently including mention in New York Magazine’s Top 20 Pies of the Moment. It makes our negative experience there all the more puzzling.

Read more here.

Review: Luna Rossa in Carroll Gardens Leaves Something To Be Desired

Earlier this month, Pizza Club was suppose to hit up Lucali but it kind of burned down... a little at least (Fire at Lucali; Pizzeria Closed Possibly One to Two Weeks). After some swift decision making, I thought it'd be nice to give another local Carroll Gardens establishment a try: Luna Rossa. This was especially timely given Frank Bruni's nice mention of the restaurant in his New York Times pizza article (Crust Is a Canvas for Pizza’s New Wave) which was published the week before:

Indeed, the wave of ostensibly principled pizza restaurants since 2004 has produced a mixed bag. Along the broad middle stretch of the spectrum, between undistinguished and outstanding, I’d place L’Asso, in NoLIta; Tonda, the East Village redo of the restaurant the E.U.; Toby’s Public House, in Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, which has fine tap beers and a pubby warmth; and Luna Rossa, in Carroll Gardens, whose pies are the best in this little bunch.

Although their pizza was comparable to Tonda, I definitely didn't think Luna Rossa stood out of the pack. Don't get me wrong -- I had a very enjoyable dining experience -- but the pizza left something to be desired. They get huge points for good service, their adorable outdoor garden, and the diverse selection of pies they offer.

Their menu boasts 18 pies -- quite a hefty selection -- and we tried more than half of them. And yes... part of me wants to applaud them for coming up with 18 different pizzas they feel confident serving. But another part of me wishes they'd cut the menu in half and focus on perfecting a handful of pies. All of them had potential to be great.

Most of the pies are about $11 or $12 which is slightly cheaper than comparable places in Manhattan. I thought the Marinara ($8.95) was better than expected for a pie so plain, and the Vegetariana ($11.95) and Braccio de Ferro ($11.95) held up well. There was no overwhelming consensus on a particular pie that stood out more than the others. On the other hand, there wasn't a pie that got a general thumbs down. Everything was tasty, but not necessarily enough to warrant a trip back out here. But for those who live in the neighborhood and don't want to brave the lines at Lucali -- you have a great local pizza joint to check out.

Margherita (mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil)


Quattro Formaggi (mozzarella, parrmigiano, fontina and gorgonzola)


Diavola (mozzarella, tomato sauce, hot sausage and chilli peppers )


Luna Rossa (ricotta, mozzarella, salame and black pepper )


Siciliana (mozzarella, tomato sauce and grilled eggplant)


Marinara (tomato sauce, fresh garlic, oregano)


Vegetariana (mozzarella, tomato sauce, grilled vegetables)


Braccio de Ferro (mozzarella, ricotta and spinach)


Quattro Stagioni (mozzarella, tomato sauce, mushrooms, ham and artichokes)


Puttanesca (mozzarella, tomato sauce, anchovies, capers and black olives)