Pizza A Casa Opens On The Lower East Side

Earlier this month, Pizza A Casa opened on the Lower East Side to much fanfare. It's a one-stop shop for all things pizza -- a pizza self sufficiency center of sorts. Pizzerias have been popping up in droves over the past few years so it was only a matter of time before a place targeted at home cookers set foot down in NYC. Not only will Pizza A Casa owner Mark Bello be offering intimate pizza making classes three times a week, but in the front of the shop all sorts of pizza equipment will be sold. That's right -- look no further for pizza stones, pizza peels, and other contraptions to suit your pizza making needs.

I took a class from Mark earlier this year when Pizza A Casa was still being run out of his Chinatown apartment [Pizza A Casa: Making Pizza At Home]. I was amazed at how well the new shop recreates the welcoming environment of his home. In fact, some of the items in the shop came directly from his place.

Below are some photos from a little pre-opening pizza tasting I attended. The pies are as delicious as those served at any pizzeria in the city -- and now you can learn how to make them yourself.

Free Pizza @ Standings Tonight + Good Beer!

Although Standings (43 East 7th Street) usually gives away free pizza on Friday nights, tonight there's a special event taking place there -- they'll be serving up four brews from Founders Brewery in Grand Rapids, MI: Centennial IPA, Imperial IPA, Dirty Bastard, and Porter.

And, of course, there will also be free pizza at 8PM (until it lasts!).

Details here. Enjoy!

A Pizza How-To From Chow.com

Recently Chow.com posted some quick video tips from World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani, in which he shares some secrets on getting the perfect slice at home…

How and Why to Toss a Pizza
How to Stretch Pizza Dough
How to Use a Pizza Peel

Once you've mastered these, you can rewatch the video recipes we posted last week from Rouxbe.com [Rouxbe: Pizza Recipes & Instructional Videos].

It’s Never Too Late to Make Pizza: Paulie Gee’s (VIDEO)

In case you can't get enough of Paulie Gee's after reading my review of the place last Friday, check out a great video about Paulie Gee and his passion for pizza by Liza de Guia:

I want it to be an experience that people remember

- Paulie

Alan Richman Ventures To New Jersey For Pizza

Last week at Motorino's Williamsburg location, I ran into legendary food critic Alan Richman - such a nice guy! I guess you know you're into food when you start recognizing food critics. The last time I linked up to a Richman piece was last year when he wrote about the top 25 pizza places in America [GQ Lists Top 25 Pizzas In America]. The piece stirred up a lot of talk about how someone could actually narrow down all the pizza place in America to so few places, but I think Richman did a fair job, noting the following:

In essence, a beloved pizzeria is almost always about memories. From friends I heard such claims as “Taking the first bite is to know perfection”…“Every bite is a party in your mouth”…“It has Italian authenticity”…“It is blissful in its crunchiness and perfect chew”… And so it went. There is no way of dealing with such devotion, so I decided to answer all demands that I visit an adored pizzeria with the same irrefutable (if unjust) reply: “No, I am not going to your pizzeria. Your pizzeria is no good.” In fact, on the few occasions when I was so badgered by a friend that I went to one of them, it was no good. Not one prepared a commendable crust.

In essence, he is saying that everyone has their favorite pizza places... and they're entitled to their own opinons... which is why any list that doesn't include their favorite places is going to be controversial. Oh well!

Last week, Richman, who lives in Westchester, headed to Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza in Elizabeth, New Jersey. You can read about his experience here.

Santillo’s is a fabulous pizzeria. I’ve never been to another quite like it. It’s attached to the house where Al grew up, and he makes every shape, size, and style of pie you can imagine, with names never before seen, and he does it without varying from the norm.

Paulie Gee's: An Instant Classic Rises In Greenpoint

I'll start off this write up by getting right to the point: Paulie Gee makes some of the best pizza I've ever had. And the fact that he's now serving it in a beautiful new restaurant in Greenpoint is reason to celebrate. In fact, nearly every time I've been there since it opened in March, somebody has been celebrating something. If you're looking for a cozy, unpretentious place to mark a birthday, anniversary or just hang out with friends and enjoy a quality meal, this is your spot. And it doesn't hurt that the pizza happens to be pretty amazing.

First though... a bit of background. Around a year ago, I began to see articles popping up online about a dude from Warren, New Jersey (that'd be Paulie!) who would occasionally invite guests over for some pizza from the small wood-fired oven in his backyard. Although I never made it out there, after a slew of raving reviews, I knew something special was going on. Slice even gave Paulie a nickname: Pizza Madman.

Flash forward to this fall, when word started to spread that Paulie would be opening his own pizza place in Greenpoint, Brooklyn -- a neighborhood which lacked a quality pizza place. By early 2010, Paulie was firing up his custom built oven (shipped from Italy), as workers were putting the finishing touches on the space -- a dimly lit, 60-seat pizza paradise. Diners enter the restaurant through sprawling wood doors, where they can grab a seat at the four stool bar (which also contains the restaurant's only booth). Or they can make their way into the back room where all the action take place. I've quickly learned that the best seat in the house all the way in the back of the restaurant where you can watch Paulie work his magic, one pie at a time.

The pizza itself is more filling that I thought it would be and quite reasonably priced for the quality of what you're getting. The most expensive pie on the menus is $16 -- similar to somewhere like Motorino, but cheaper than places like Co, Keste, and Pulino's where pies reach the $19-$20 range. The crust is some of the best I've ever had -- airy, puffy, soft and slightly charred. And the combination of fresh ingredients are always distributed graciously.

It's nice to know how much care Paulie puts into every single pie. He wants everything to be perfect and anything less is unacceptable. In some sense I'd compare the Paulie Gee experience to that of Di Fara. At least for the time being, when you arrive at the restaurant -- you know exactly what to expect. There in the back you'll see Paulie and his side kicks (including son Derek) hard at work. It's not uncommon to see Paulie stop by tables to check in on individual diners and make sure they're enjoying their food. On a Saturday evening last month, a large birthday party was eager to have him join their group photo. It's this kind of personal touch, which makes the experience stand out.

The regular menu currently lists ten pies -- some which boast quite comical names. In my opinion the best pie on the regular menu also happens to have the best name: Arugula Shmoogala. Italian tomatoes, baby arugula, olive oil, sea salt, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano all mix together to melt in your mouth. Greatness! But no trip to Paulie Gee's is complete without trying at least one pie on the "Specials" board -- a rotating selection of specialty pies. There are typically three to choose from. On a recent trip there, I fell in love with one. Her name is Cherry Jones and she consists of a perfect ratio of fior di latte, gorgonzola, dried bing cherries, and proscuitto di parma. If you see that this pie is available, get it!

Other specials to keep your eyes out for include: Off the Hook (with tomatoes, fior di latte, italian sausage, and mushrooms), E & O (with fior di latte, kale, and guanciale), and The Kuban (with sausage, fior di latte, and onions).

Every time I've been to Paulie Gee's, the place has been full, but not overflowing. Only time will tell whether or not the crowds flock to Greenpoint and Paulie Gee's develops the type of cult following that some other notables places have. But for now, it's nice to know that you can drop in on a Saturday evening without making reservations a month in advance.

It should also be noted, that I've never felt rushed at Paulie Gee's. When there's a line of 30 people outside of Motorino, it's only natural that you feel the need to stuff your face and get going. For the time being, that's not the case at Paulie Gee's. Which goes back to the notion that dining there is about more than just the delicious pizza. It's an experience... and one I hope anyone who reads this is able to partake in soon.

* I know Paulie has high standards when it comes to photographs of his pies. In the event that the shots below don't due them justice, you can click here, here, or here.

Regina

fior di latte, Italian tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, fresh basil



The Mootz
fior di latte, chopped fresh garlic, Percorino Romano, sea salt



Parma D'or:
fior di latte, baby arugula, olive oil, fresh lemon juice,
prosciutto di Parma, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano



Delboy
fior di latte, Italian tomatoes,
soppressata picante, Parmigiano-Reggiano



Marianna
Italian tomatoes, chopped fresh garlic,
Pecorino Romano, sea salt



Spectacle
fior di latte, speck, sliced red onion, Pecorino Romano



Cherry Jones
fior di latte, gorgonzola,
dried bing cherries, and proscuitto di parma



The Arugula Shmoogala
Italian tomatoes, baby arugula, olive oil,
sea salt, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano



Moby Grape
fior di latte, grape tomatoes,
coarse sea salt, fresh garlic, and basil

Bottomless Mimosas & Breakfast Pies @ 57 Napoli

Last weekend, 57 Napoli Pizza e Vino launched it's weekend brunch menu which includes brunch pizzas, omelettes and... yes... bottomless mimosas. There are 4 pies on the menu, each which cost $14-$15 -- very reasonable, especially if you down a few drinks.

CARNE two eggs, any style, Italian meats, mozzarella, no sauce (15)
VERDE two eggs, any style, fresh grilled vegetables, mozzarella, no sauce (14)
CLASSIC NY BRUNCH bacon, egg, cheese, no sauce (15)
BLT bacon, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, no cheese (14)

It should be noted that they might want to run their menu through spell check. "Tomatoes" are spelled "tomatos" and "omelets" are spelled "omelettes". Maybe it's an Italian thing?

Not sure I'll ever make it out to this, but if anyone does, let me know how it is. The Verde sounds particularly delicious!

Co's Jim Lahey Breaks Down The New Domino's Pizza

Check out a great video below of Co owner Jim Lahey tasting the new Domino's pizza recipe. He even pops it into his restaurant's oven -- blasphemy! Lahey's overall conclusion: Maybe the thing that I'm least bothered by is the tomatoes.

Overall, he notes: there is no improvement whatsoever... give me back the old Domino's any f'in day!

Rouxbe: Pizza Recipes & Instructional Videos

I recently came across some pizza recipes on Rouxbe -- the web’s first online cooking school. They have instructions on how to make four different pies from scratch: caramelized onions and goat cheese, lemon and cheese, serrano ham and fontina, and a margarita. The best part about the site is that it features seven instructional videos that take you through every step of the process -- from making the dough (which includes a wheat and gluten lesson!) to how to chiffonade (a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables like basil are cut into long, thin strips). You can check out all of the action (plus some great non-pizza recipes!) on their site.

High & Outside: The Pizza Box Strike Zone

Last week, my softball season kicked off. It's a pretty serious New York City league -- competitive games on some of the city's nicest fields officiated by real umpires. Pretty much everything you'd expect from a top notch league. Well as it just so happens, there was one thing missing on opening day. We had uniforms, balls, bats, bases, mitts, and everything else we needed to play... except for... home plate. As you might have guessed, this was problematic.

The only white, somewhat pentagon-like item we could muster up was a pizza box. So although the strike zone might have a little bit larger than regulation size, it still sufficed. Which leads me to think that they should do away with home plates in my league and use pizza boxes each week.

East River Park. 04.14.10

Pulino's: Lighting Up The Bowery

I often write about how over hyped new pizza places are. After all, it's just pizza. But the opening of Pulino's took pizza coverage to a whole new level. Eater was the biggest culprit, publishing no fewer than a dozen Pulino's related postings before the place even opened. Most were not what I'd call newsworthy (Huge Signage Goes UP as Pulino's Creeps Closer To Opening), while others were just straight up ridiculous (The Epic Pulino's Bathroom Reveal You've All Been Waiting For). Needless to say, Pulino's opened to much fanfare.

I suppose that comes with the territory when Keith McNally - one of the city’s leading restaurateurs - joins forces with Nate Appleman - last year's award winner for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef. The restaurant has only been open for a few weeks and while I haven't heard much about the food, nearly every day I read about celebrity sightings there. In fact, as we were leaving, Lorne Michaels was sitting down to dinner. Heck, there have even been sightings of a bouncer there (At Pulino's, A Security Guard For Pizza).

I decided that the best way to review the place would be to try every single pizza on the menu. So I summoned Pizza Club members to work through the menu with me. But first I had to secure a reservation for 12 which was no small feat. I had to sign a contract which had a number of standard stipulations such as:

The reservation will be held for 15 minutes only. The entire party must be present within this 15-minute period.... A fee of $20.00 per person will be charged to your credit card only if this cancellation policy is not adhered to.
When I arrived at 6:30PM on a Thursday evening, the place was packed. A walk-in for two people was a 45 minute wait and crowds were spilling out the front entrance onto the Bowery. The nicest thing about the restaurant's layout is the floor to ceiling panels which open up onto the street. It was in the 70s on this particular evening and once the sun set, the restaurant literally illuminated the entire surrounding area. This set up takes the notion of "to see and be seen" to an all new level.

As you can see above, there is really no rhyme or reason to how the restaurant is laid out. There are some booths on the side, but other than that it feels as if tables are randomly thrown together. Waiters and waitresses strategically weave themselves in and out of the pathways, as pizzas are rushed out of the kitchen, where up to a dozen staff can be seen cooking away, including Appleman.

Some notes about the pizza itself:

The pizza is not particularly filling. We tried all 12 of the pies on the menu except for the Bianca ("it just tastes like bread," our waitress told us). We also tried a Bianca Tradizionale without pork strutto and a Salsiccia pie without sausage, meaning that the 12 of us tried a total of 13 pies. We had absolutely no problem finishing them. So although the pies look sizable, they are really thin. Any of the pies on the menu can be finished by a one person.

Few vegetarian options. Pulino's is not vegetarian friendly, as only four of the 12 pies on the menu lack meat (one of those is the "Bianca"). All of the pies can be made without a particular topping, but they won't do half and half (for example, you can't get a funghi pie with pancetta on only half of it). There are some pies that make sense to order without meat -- like the funghi -- but others would be completely altered without their meat topping.

The pizza is sliced oddly. When I first saw the way in which Pulino's pizzas were sliced I thought it was pretty cool. Two parallel cuts one way and two parallel cuts the other way yield nine slices. But when it came time to eat the pizza, I realized that this was possibly the worst way to slice a pie (hence why other places don't slice their pies like this). Each slice was square-ish and held together well, but there is only one slice in each pie that contains no crust and that was the slice everyone fought over. Especially given the uneven distribution of toppings, there was little consistency among slices. Take the pizza below, for example. Which of the nine slices would you go for?

Another example of the uneven topping distribution can be seen in the Salsiccia pie below (tomato, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, chiles & pecorino with no sausage). There are a couple of slices that don't contain any toppings.

My favorite pie was the Margherita, followed by the Salsiccia (without sausage), and Quattro Formaggi. General consensus was also that the Bianca Tradizionale pie tasted better without the pork strutto (although the crust of the one with pork strutto was partially burnt). The Salame Piccante and Salsiccia had the most kick to them -- the latter contained flavorful chiles. Our group wasn't thrilled with the sauce meaning that the Marinara and Gamberi left something to be desired.

The pies range from $13 - $19 (other than the $8 Bianca) and five of them are $18 or $19. Including tax and tip, you're spending about $25 for most pies which is a little pricey for what you're getting. Certainly, they're still working out kinks and I'm hopeful that things will improve over time.

But a hot spot is a hot spot and I have no doubt that Pulino's will be packed on a nightly basis for years to come. There are better pizza places within a few blocks, but how can you not check out Pulino's... if only to see what the hype is all about.

Below you'll find photos and a description of every pizza on the menu:

Bianca Tradizionale

mozzarella, pecorino, black pepper & pork strutto



Margherita
tomato, mozzarella, grana & basil



Salame Piccante
salame piccante, tomato, mozzarella, olives, oregano & chiles



Acciughe
anchovies, tomato, mozzarella, capers, garlic & basil



Quattro Formaggi
mozzarella, grana, fontina, gorgonzola & roasted red onion



Gamberi
rock shrimp, speck, tomato, garlic & oregano



Funghi
mushrooms, tomato, mozzarella, pancetta & grana



Salsiccia
sausage, tomato, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, chiles & pecorino



Marinara
tomato, garlic, and oregano



Polpettine
beef meatball, tomato, mozzarella, grana, pickled chiles & basil



Porchetta
porchetta, tomato, red onion, mozzarella & pecorino

Pizza Fusion Earth Day Video Contest

In honor of Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary, Pizza Fusion has launched a nationwide search for the greenest, most eco-friendly pizza recipe in the country with the Pizza Fusion Earth Day Video Contest. Prizes include a trip for Two to an Organic and Sustainable Vineyard and an “Eco-Design” bike from Trek Bikes.

Check out the video below for information on how to sign up and visit http://earthdaycontest.com for all the details.

Eating Pizza -- And Only Pizza -- For An Entire Month

April is almost half way over which means it's time for a posting about Nick Sherman from Pizza Rules! For the past few years Nick has been undertaking a different pizza challange each April, but this year he is stepping it up a notch. For 30 days, Nick's goal is to eat pizza and only pizza.

The first thing I thought of when I heard about this was Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me, although I'm torn as to which challenge is more difficult. One on hand, there's plenty of possibly variations when it comes to McDonald's, although few items have much nutritional value. Although pizza probably isn't a dietitian's favorite food, it is possible to get plenty of vegetables via pizza toppings. On the other hand -- at heart -- pizza is just bread that's usually paired with some sauce and cheese. That's not easy to live off of.

I commend Nick on undertaking this challenge, and after sharing some pizza together at Pulino's last week, I'm quite sure he'll successfully finish the challenge.

Follow all of the excitement at Pizza Rules!

Bravo Pizza (Union Square) Update

Back in November, we reported that Bravo Pizza was coming to Union Square [Union Square's Newest Pizza Place]. More than five months later, it appears as if the shop will be opening soon. Last week a sign went up outside...

... and a sneak peak inside looks like things are coming together nicely.

For the past six weeks, there's also been a sign up for workers which was still posted yesterday.

As previously noted, Union Square proper has lacked a quality pizza place. Sure, if you venture a few blocks over to the East Village there are plenty of great options. But sometimes, a five minute walk is just a bit too long when you're stumbling to the subway at 3AM. Although Bravo isn't quite first rate, it's definitely a step up from Cafe Amore and will be a welcomed addition to Union Square (which now also features a Chipotle).

Matzah Pizza Porn? (Thank God There Are 51 Weeks Until Next Passover)

Passover has come and gone once again, and I survived without pizza for an entire week, as seems to be the case every year. That's not to say I didn't try to get my pizza fill from matzah pizza. The truth is, pretty much any establishment that serves matzah pizza isn't really Kosher For Passover. As I try to keep this holiday pretty strictly, my best bet was to crank up the oven and put my pizza making skills to the test.

Many people go back and forth as to whether the most important part of a pie is the crust or the toppings (including cheese & sauce). Well, considering that the crust of matzah pizza is a crunchy cracker-like material that tastes more like cardboard than bread... I focused my energy on the toppings.

I made two pies, each of which I started off with some chunks of mozzarella (I used Trader Joe's Fresh Mozzarella Medallions). On pie number one I added some tomatoes and mushrooms, topping the pie off with some scoops of tomato sauce. On pie number two, I added some mushrooms, some orange peppers, and some spinach leaves.

I popped them in the oven for about 10 minutes each at 500 degrees and they came out looking like this:

I liked pie one (with sauce) a bit better than pie two. The problem is that it's a complete mess. The matzah got soggy and it fell apart as I tried to eat it. It wasn't that the ingredients were particularly heavy, but the matzah lost it's crunchiness in the oven. Pie two stayed together better but there were not enough ingredients to completely cover up the taste of the matzah. I guess the goal of matzah pizza should be to put so many ingredients on the matzah that you can't taste the matzah.

When I replicated pie one later in the week, I made a matzah pizza sandwich. It helped with consistency, but adding a piece of matzah took away from the taste a bit. Apparently, it's a no win situation when it comes to matzah pizza.

Luckily, I don't have to eat it again for 51 weeks.

K! Pizzacone: "Pizza" On The Go

K! Pizzacone (325 5th Avenue) is a quirky -- and perhaps slightly over hyped -- new spot in Midtown that serves pizza in a cone. It's opening last month was covered by the likes of nearly every NYC food blog (see Slice, Midtown Lunch, Gothamist, Grub Street and Eater). Was all of the attention warranted? Probably not. But it's not surprising given that the opening of every new eating establishment is treated like the birth of a first born child.

Here's the thing with K! Pizzacone -- it's pretty tasty, but I don't really consider it pizza. It's more like cheese in a breaded cone. I typically have a very lenient definition of pizza (i.e. a crepe with tomato, mozzarella, and basil), but I can't seem to convince myself that what K! Pizzacone actually serves is a form of pizza. But definitions aside, here's what I thought of whatever it was that I actually ate:

1) The space is very tiny. There's almost nowhere to sit inside. So it essentially acts as a takeout place. There are a few stools, but during lunch when it's crowded it can't possibly be comfortable to sit there.

2) They are slow. This is both good and bad. On one hand, it's nice that every cone is made to order. But on the other hand, you encounter a very long wait -- not fun in such close quarters. Ideally they'd find a way to speed up the process while still maintaining the quality of their product. After all, nobody wants to eat a reheated pizza cone.

3) It's a little pricey. Two small pizza cones are required to fill a moderate appetite and one large pizza cone doesn't quite do the trick (while two large cones might be over doing it). Two small cones with a soda + tax comes out to about $9.00. Although this isn't so expensive for a filling lunch, it is expensive for pizza. Elsewhere you can get two slices and a soda for about half that price, so it is a bit of a splurge.

4) The eco-friendly aspect. Well there really isn't one. Each cone comes individually boxed with more wrapping than a Christmas present. While the presentation is great, it's a complete waste. And since nearly every cone is ordered to go, I can't imagine how much packaging they go through in a day. Maybe if they get rid of the packaging, they can cut their prices a little and everyone will go home happy.

The food itself was good. All of the ingredients are very fresh and you can watch your cone made which is pretty cool. But I wouldn't rush back there. It did satisfy my lunch needs on a given Tuesday though.

I ordered a one plain tomato and mozzarella cone and one with mushrooms. I will say that they could have gone a little heavier on the mushrooms. They were spread few and far between throughout my cone. Not only would I like to have seen more mushrooms cooked into the cheese, but some sauteed mushrooms on top of my cone (which is inverted or concave, rather than convex) would have been nice. That is, the cheese doesn't come out of the cone, but rather there is room between the cheese and the top of the cone for a topping.

The cones are less messy to eat than a greasy slice of pizza. But not necessarily less messy than a slice that's held together well. Picture a pizza cone like an ice cream cone. If you bite into an ice cream cone, sometimes the ice cream starts to drip out. Same with the pizza cone. A bite might result in some cheese leaking out. My friend also noted that the cheese at the bottom of his cone was scolding hot when he got to it. I didn't notice that on mine, but I guess hot cheese in a cone doesn't allow for the same cooling process as an exposed slice.

Bottom line: A little pricey. But still tasty. If you want something that is a cool spin on pizza, check it out. If you like it, go back. But if not, you're better off a few blocks away at Pizza 33 (489 3rd Avenue).