Halloween Pizza Costumes

Still undecided on a Halloween costume? Well here are some pizza related options that will spice up your holiday! Happy Halloween!!

The Pizza Maker



The Pizza Slice



The Zombie Pizza Delivery Boy

 

The Pizza Head

The Sexy Pizza Delivery Woman

... and yes...

The Human Pizza Box

Meet Jim Lahey This Weekend

This Saturday, Jim Lahey, master of the no-knead bread, will be speaking at Broadway Panhandler (65 East 8th Street). At the event, he will demonstrate his basic recipes for both bread and pizza.

You can find more information here.

Paulie Gee's Featured On NYC TV's Food Curated

Earlier this year we shared a great video with you that filmaker Liza De Guia made about Paulie Gee and his passion for pizza (It’s Never Too Late to Make Pizza: Paulie Gee’s). Liza now has her own food show on NYC TV -- Food Curated -- and the clip about was included in the premier episode earlier this month. 

Check out the first 6:30 in the video below, which also shares the stories behind Bacon Marmalade, Widow’s Hole Oyster Farm, and Ben’s Best Delicatessen.

More Press: The NYC Pizza Run

More press clips have trickled in since I originally posted some article links about the NYC Pizza Run following the 9/19 event. I'm particularly excited about two pieces.

The first is from Delish.com and focuses on competitions that involve food and drinks (Dine and Dash: Competitions for Food and Drink Lovers). Did you know there's a beer run in Lake Mills, Wisconsin?

The second is from PMQ Magazine (Eating On The Run) -- awesome graphic of running shoes included! 

Below you can find a comprehensive list of media outlets and blogs that have covered The NYC Pizza Run.

Local & National Media:

Slice of New York: A Pizza Run
The Wall Street Journal

2010 New York City Pizza Run
Always Hungry NY

Photos: NYC Pizza Run
Time Out New York

Eating On The Run
PMQ Magazine

Weekend Highlight Race: NYC Pizza Run
Brooklyn Tri Club

Eating While Running: The New York City Pizza Run
IReallyLikeFood

Dine and Dash: Competitions for Food and Drink Lovers
Delish

Participant Blogs:

NYC Pizza Run
Take A Byte: The Cer té Blog

Pizza Run
Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time

What Did I Learn From The Pizza Run?
Reveries Of An Incoherent Blogger

Di Fara: The Documentary

More than a year ago, I was approached by a graduate film student from the New School. She was new to New York City and was looking to work on a project about pizza. During a few late night brainstorming sessions, I frequently pushed the idea of putting together a documentary about Di Fara -- my favorite pizza place. Truth be told, this was due to selfish reasons. As far as I know, Dom DeMarco has never sat down for an extensive interview on camera. No filmmaker has ever attempted to capture all of the mystique and mystery that surrounds the place. There have been some great fluff pieces about where to get great pizza in New York, but what about a behind the scenes look at Dom's life? Now that's something I would want to see!

Six months later -- and I'm imagine dozens of sleepless nights in the editing room -- amateur filmmaker Margaret Emily Mackenzie released The Best Thing I've Ever Done -- a 17 minute documentary short about Dom DeMarco and the history of Di Fara. What you'll find in the film below is exclusive access and a behind the scenes look at this legendary pizza place. I've been sitting on the footage since earlier this year, but I've just gotten the okay to publish it. So it is with great excitement that I present it to you.

Dim the lights, grab some food (if you watch it on an empty stomach, I guarantee you'll get hungry), and enjoy! Oh, and keep your eye out for a little cameo :)

Celebrities Take Over Greenwich Village Famiglia Location!

Earlier this week, some celebrities took over the Famiglia on Broadway and 8th Street for the day. Crowds swarmed the area and a line to get inside wrapped around the block.

  

Among the familiar faces behind the counter: Lil John, Gary Busey, David Cassidy, Jose Canseco, Mark McGrath, and Richard Hatch. It's like the "Dancing With The Stars" outcasts. All proceeds went to charity and the spectacle was being taped for a future episode of The Apprentice. Slices were $5.00 and pies were $40.00. A celebrity delivery cost $500.

I took particular note of both Jose Canseco's pie making techniques Mark McGrath's work behind the counter.

You can check out these videos I filmed. In the first... an untalkative Canseco works on his pie throwing technique. And in the second, a charasmatic McGrath works the line. "Jose makes a damn good pizza," he tells me.

 

So you're probably wondering how the pizza tasted? Well... it was Famiglia. And thus... it tasted just like Famiglia  Judge for yourselves!

Coupon For Midtown's Previti Pizza

Now through Tuesday, you can get $10 of pizza at Midtown's Previti Pizza for juts $5 on KGB Deals. Click here to purchase!

Domino's Pizza... For Breakfast?

Last month AOL News published an article (which I happened to be featured in!) about Domino's new breakfast pizzas. The pies -- which are only being served at a location in Dayton, Ohio -- contain eggs and cheddar cheese topped with bacon and ham. The article came out great... but in case you're curious about some more thoughts I have about Domino's foray into the breakfast market... here you go!

 Pulino's Breakfast Pie

AOL: What's your take on this thing?

 

Me: We are currently in the midst of a pizza boom like never before. With an increase in competition, it's not surprising that pizza places are trying to find new ways to bring in business and increase their revenue. If the breakfast pizza at Domino's flops, five years from now nobody will remember they ever tried it. But if it's a hit, I think you'll find other chains creating similar offerings. If people don't normally start ordering pies from Domino's until lunchtime, now Domino's can bring in money during the morning hours.

 

AOL: Can a breakfast pizza be done well?

 

Me: Breakfast pizza can absolutely be done well. It's been popping up on menus at pizza places throughout New York City in recent months. Motorino has gotten a lot of attention for their breakfast pies -- especially the Pizza al' Uovo which has fior di latte, farm eggs, pancetta, basil and parmiggiano. The brunch menu at Pulino's boast 15 pies, four of which contain eggs. So there's definitely a market for it. It's just a matter of doing it right. Just as there's a lot of regular pizza out there that's pretty disgusting, it's also easy to mess up a breakfast pie.

 

AOL: Does a breakfast pizza even qualify as a pizza? Or is it something else altogether?

 

Me: Breakfast pizza definitely qualifies as pizza. I have a pretty loose interpretation of what can be classified as pizza though. If it's being cooked in an oven that's typical used to make pizza, that's a good start. And you can really put whatever toppings you'd like on a pizza-like crust. Many people are accustomed to cheese and sauce, but there's no reason you can't crack open an egg and make it a breakfast pie. One of the reasons why pizza is such a universal food is because it's versatile. It can be eaten at anytime of day and there are an infinite number of topping combinations you can put on any given pie.

 

AOL: Everyone knows there's no breakfast food tastier than cold pizza -- why try to fix something that isn't broken? Shouldn't they just serve refrigerated pizza in the morning?

 

Me: I can't see breakfast pizza from Domino's making a dent in the New York market. There are too many places to get better quality pizza. But say you live in suburbia and are craving a slice of cold pizza from last night to cure your hangover. You go to the fridge and it's empty. Domino's is hoping that you pick up the phone and give them a call. It's not that their breakfast pies will necessarily taste better than leftover pizza, but it's another option for when there is no cold pizza around.

A Delicious "A Piece Of The Strip" In Pittsburgh

The final leg of my recent road trip through the Midwest brought me and my friends to Pittsburgh for one night. I had no plans of eating pizza there. Believe it or not, I'd had just about enough pizza throughout the trip after stops at We, The Pizza in Washington DC, Pizza Oven in Canton, OH, and Lou Malnati's, Great Lake, and Spacca Napoli in Chicago, IL. Besides... I didn't think I'd be missing out on much if I were to forgo pizza in Pittsburgh. Less pizza means more Pimanti Bros.

As we made a stop at the famous sandwich stop just before leaving town, my eyes were drawn to a small window serving pizza at 1917 Smallman Street, just across the street from the original Pimanti Bros location at 46 18th Street. It looked like the kind of place that would have been somewhat secretive if not for all of the signage directing traffic to the shop. I had to try it out.

 

Just as it appeared from the street, the shop consisted of one small window through which you could place your order. Slices were $2.00 each and pies ranged from $8.00 for a medium to $14 for an XXL. You'd think with those sizes the place would be selling t-shirts. I'd sure like to see what an XXL pizza looks like, but nobody ordered one while I was there. In fact, nobody ordered much of anything. 

A Piece Of The Strip is located in Pittsburgh's Strip District, historically the area's garment district. Now it serves a variety of clientele. During the day the area is dense with shops - many of which sell food or clothing and are located on Penn Avenue. At night, much of the Strip District appears abandoned although bars and lounges are sporadically situated throughout the neighborhood. Thus, in theory, the pizza place could cater to shoppers during the day and party-goers at night, much like a pizza shop in Chelsea or the Meatpacking District might do.

But unfortunately foot traffic doesn't compare to that in New York City and from my brief conversation with the man behind the counter, it would appear that business is struggling. It's too bad. The slice I had was delicious. And it would have been just as great at 2AM as it was at 2PM.

The pizza reminder me of something I'd get at a typical slice joint in New York -- which says a lot for pizza in Pittsburgh. So many people leave New York and complain that they can't find a slice of pizza that reminds them of the city. Well such a place exists in Pittsburgh. Although the fact that I'd been away from New York for two weeks might have contributed towards my thoughts about this slice, it was a nice break from the more upscale places I'd spent my time trying throughout the trip. This was a no frills spot that got right down to business. You could spice up your slice with ten different toppings; the most interesting were gyro meat and lemon pepper chicken.

There are a couple of tables situated outside of the window, but it is essentially a take-out spot. There's a great painting of the Pittsburgh skyline situated on top of a slice which is visible in the photo below. It's not the signature skyline you'd expect to see on a pizza. But it's a testament to the fact that even in Pittsburgh there is a strong connection with pizza. It just so happens that I got an e-mail from a man named Doug the other day which reads: I live in Pittsburgh and at some point want to bring some authentic NY Pizza here. We have some decent shops but nothing compares to the New York slice. I was happy to respond to Doug with a recommendation that I'll be passing along to anyone looking for a decent slice in The Steel City.

Bourbon Pizza Comes To Kentucky

Kentucky is definitely not a place that comes to mind when most people think about pizza. But a recent e-mail tipped me off to an interesting new type of pie that is currently being served down there: The Four Roses Kentucky Bourbon Hot Brown Pizza. The pie melds two cherished Kentucky classics -- bourbon and a dish known as the Hot Brown (a sandwich that contains turkey and bacon).

Four Roses Bourbon teamed with Louisville’s Impellizzeri’s Pizza to create the pie -- and the final recipe called for bacon soaked in Four Roses bourbon, and the tweaking of a house-made alfredo sauce to emulate the traditional Mornay sauce used in a Hot Brown.

Free Pizza Alert: Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen

At least somebody is celebrating National Pizza Month (other than Sean Taylor, of course)!

Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen is giving away a free slice of cheese pizza to all customers today. Simply "like" them on Facebook, print out a coupon, and head over to one of their stores. There is one in the south wing of Port Authority and another in Times Sqaure (263 West 42nd Street). Enjoy!

Please note that the coupon is under the "Slice Day" tab at the top of their page.

Cowabunga!

I've never dedicated space on this site to Michaelangelo -- an important pizza advocate. So in honor of National Pizza Month, enjoy this little animated image today!

Spacca Napoli: Suprisingly Great Neapolitan Pizza In Chicago

When planning my recent road trip, I knew I wanted to hit three pizza places in Chicago. One was Lou Malnati's (for a classic deep dish pie), and another was Great Lake (which has garnered national media attention and accolades). But there were just too many places to choose from when it came to deciding on a third place. I narrowed it down to Nella, Coalfire, and the spot where we ended up: Spacca Napoli (1769 W Sunnyside Avenue). And it's a good thing we went. They serve some of the best Neapolitan pizza I've had.

The first thing that differentiated Spacca Napoli from Neapolitan places in New York was the space itself. It's located in a neighborhood known as Ravenswood which is mostly residential. Thus, the restaurant has the luxury of a lot of space. It's easily accessible by public transportation and walking isn't out of the question depending on where you're coming from. It's about a 30 minute walk north of Wrigley Field.

On the night we were there, the temperature was in the mid-70s and every table outside was full. The restaurant can seat about 50 patrons outside. The story couldn't have been different inside the restaurant. Three sprawling dining rooms, which seat a total of about 150 people, were nearly empty. It's hard to imagine the place serving so many people, but it would be cool to come back on an evening in the winter when I'm sure the crowds pile in.

After a short wait, our party of four was seated outside. The menu was divided into "bianca" and "roso" pies -- something I've noticed frequently at pizza places in Washington DC, but rarely see in New York. We settled on four pies:

Margherita
(Fior di Latte Mozzarella, Basil)



Funghi
(Fior di Latte Mozzarella, Basil, Mushrooms)



Diavolo
(Mozzarella di Bufala, Spicy Salami, Red Pepper Flakes, Basil)



Fiorentina
(Sauteed Spinach, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Shaved Parmesean)

Each pie was delicious. The crust was cooked to perfection - airy and chewy, just as I like it. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Spacca Napoli produced authentic Neapolitan pies. But then again... they are VPN certified and proudly display that outside of the shop.

The Diavolo pie came most strongly recommended from the waitstaff and the Fiorentina was on the specials menu. Each pie was filling, but parties should definitely order one pie per person. We didn't end up trying any of the pies from the "bianca" part of the menu although I suppose the Fiorentina filled that quota. One pie that I really wanted to try was the Bianco Nero (Pecorino with Black Truffle, Fior di Latte Mozzarella, Porcini Mushrooms, White Truffle Oil).

Had I been in New York City, I wouldn't have flinched at the prices. But as we were in a residential area of Chicago, they seemed a bit high. A Margherita pie was $12.50 (compared with, say, $8.00 at Roberta's and $9.00 at Fornino). I'd expect Brooklyn prices at a place like Spacca Napoli, but we ended up paying Manhattan prices. A Marghrita pie at Keste, for example, is $12.00 and it'll run you $13.00 at Co. But I didn't mind the price given the quality of the pizza. And they do top out at $16.00, while pies at Keste and Co reach $19.00.

Back inside, workers labored away in the restaurant's massive kitchen. But with only one oven, I once again wondered how the place could possibly keep up with orders on a busy night. Although the pies only cook for 90 seconds each, it's going to be a long night if there are 30 orders ahead of yours. Luckily you can soak in the atmosphere at what was a surprising treat in an already strong Chicago pizza scene.

New York Magazine: The Roberta's Timeline

This success of Roberta's has been well chronicled in the press, but nobody has done a better job a providing a chronological history of how it all came together than New York Magazine. Last week's Who Runs New York? issue contained a timeline that should serve an inspiration to any DIY pizza hopeful. What started with a $13,000 deposit turned into what the magazine correctly identifies as... an empire.

You can read the piece here.

Papa John's Opening In... East Village??

As if there weren't enough pizza places opening in the East Village... along comes a shop which we could really use: Papa John's! Not.

Whatever research they did to determine that the East Village was a good place to open a new location could not have been thorough. There are more than a dozen better quality places within two blocks of where they are opening -- on 1st Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street.

I know that sometimes chains open "flagship" stores that lose money or break even. If this is a case of setting up shop simply to get their name out, it's understandable. But with places like Luzzo's and Vinny Vincez's across the street, there's no way that Papa John's will turn a profit.

For more information check out this article from EV Grieve.

Best NYC Pizzerias Near The NYU Campus

Kudos to NYU Local for a recent piece reviewing the best pizzerias near the NYU campus. There are dozens of them around and it can be overwhelming for a new student to pinpoint where to grab a slice on the way home from the bar. Of course any pizza list is bound to evoke emotions (check out the comments section), but at least the list serves as a decent introduction for a newcomer to the NYC pizza scene. For example:

Artichoke: This popular pizza place might always 
have a line down the block, but for good reason.

Vs. 

Cafe Amore:  There might be some health 

code violations. Go at your own risk.

This is important information to know! Nevertheless, if I remember correctly, I wasn't too concerned with where to grab a great slice as an undergrad at NYU... so long as I was eating pizza. As I told The New York Times earlier this year:

“I don’t think a drunk college student cares about whether there’s San Marzano tomatoes on their slice."

Great Lake: Trailblazing Its Way Through The Chicago Pizza Scene

When I was mapping out a recent roadtrip to the Midwest, there was one activity around which I planned our entire itinerary: dinner at Great Lake in Chicago. Since the shop -- located in the Andersonville neighborhood -- is only open Wednesday through Sunday, I wanted to make sure we could squeeze in an outing. In fact, considering what I'd hear about the waits, I wanted to make sure that we'd be able to block out an entire evening to ensure that we were able to try what many people consider some of the best pizza in this country.

As you might have previously read, our trip began with uninspiring stops at We, The Pizza in Washington DC and Pizza Oven in Canton, Ohio. In Chicago, I enjoyed Lou Malnati's for what it was -- a delicious classic deep dish pizza place. But it wasn't what I'd consider pizza of high quality. Great Lake -- on the other hand -- takes quality to a new level.

You might be wondering what accolades could have possibly resulted in Great Lake being a "must see stop" in a city with thousands of pizza places. Three articles I'd read particularly resonated with me. First, a New York Times interview with the shop owners -- Nick Lessins and Lydia Esparza. High quality? Well consider this:

The couple wanted to start a business that reflected their values: a neighborhood shop that purchases top-quality ingredients directly from farmers, makes every pizza by hand and serves great food at affordable prices. They also wanted to make sure their business did not take over their lives. The 14-seat shop is open only four days a week and does not take reservations. Deliveries? Yeah, right.

Fascinating stuff! A few months after that piece ran, Adam from Slice put together a March Madness bracket of 64 pizza places for a feature in Everyday With Rachael Ray. I'm sure you can guess which pizza place made it into the final four from the "Midwest" bracket. There was Great Lake ... alongside heavyweights Motorino, Pizzeria Bianco, and Pizzeria Mozza. That's some impressive company. It's worth noting that the owners used to work with Chris Bianco in Arizona before opening their shop.

Finally, Chicago Magazine recently came out with a list of the 25 best pizzas in Chicago. Number 1? The Cremini Mushroom and Dante Cheese pie at Great Lake. So it was with great anticipation (and expectations) that we set out to see what all the hype was all about.

We decided that our best shot at avoiding a wait would be to go on a Wednesday about one hour before the restaurant opens at 4:30PM. When we arrived, we were the first party in line. But as opening time approached, more people joined the line. At precisely 4:30PM, the doors open and the crowd piled in. All of the restaurant's 14 seats were filled immediately and a number of people placed orders for take-out.

In order to ensure some sense of order, the restaurant allows no parties larger than four people. There's a communal table in the middle of the restaurant which can accommodate up to eight people. And then there are three additional tables for two. Not much wiggle room. You have to walk through the kitchen to find the bathroom.

Like any master pizzaiolo, Lessins takes his time with each and every pie. On this particular night his wife was helping prepare the toppings and his son was waiting tables. Especially given the size of the space, it was nice that the staff moved at a relaxing pace. Nothing about our dining experience felt rushed.

There were a couple of other notable characteristics about the space:

1) One wall contains shelves featuring products for sale. Many are cooking related.

2) The kitchen is open, so you can watch all of the preparation.

3) There are no physical menus. Everything that's available is posted on the wall. Their offerings change frequently.

As you can see, on this particular night there were three pies available. Despite their size (these aren't personal Neapolitan pies we're talking about here!) we had to try them all. First up was a zucchini pie with mona aged cheese and black pepper. It was followed by a more standard pie with tomato, homemade fresh mozzarella, mona aged cheese, herb, and cremini mushrooms. And our final pie contained sweet corn, fresh cream, and fresh garlic.

No other pizza place I've been to has put so much emphasis on the toppings. The focus of each pie was one specific topping by which the pie was characterized. This topping -- whether it was zucchini, mushrooms, or corn -- ruled the pie. There is no skimping at Great Lake.

Aesthetically, the zucchini pie (below) was one of the most beautiful pizzas I've ever seen. It was almost too pretty to eat. You could tell how much care was put into preparing it. I'd also never had zucchini on pizza before -- at least not as the primary topping -- so this was a new experience for me. It turned out to be a good one. This was my favorite pie of our meal.

Next up was the mushroom pie (below). Once again, the main topping captured the essence of the pie as the flavor of mushrooms permeated through my mouth and taste buds. They were fresh and juicy, and served as a nice complement to the mona cheese -- a cow and sheep blend from the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative. All ingredients are from local vendors. And you can even hold the folks at Great Lake to their promise of using ingredients that they purchase directly from farmers. Their suppliers are listed at the bottom of the menu board.

Our final pie was the sweet corn pie. I don't even like corn (I know...) but I really enjoyed this pie. Although the mona cheese provided creamy undertones on the first two pies, the fresh cream provided an even creamier taste to this pie. Corn is another topping I've never seen emphasized so heavily on a single pie. To take so few ingredients and turn them into something so delicious... well, you have to be doing something right.

Blogs have raved about the crust. It was like no other crust I've had before. It was airy, yet thick -- almost like a loaf of bread that happened to have some toppings on it. Between our three pies there were some inconsistencies in the extent that the crust was cooked (ranging from lightly charred to slightly burnt), but it didn't take away from the taste.

The restaurant is BYOB which should help curb some expenses. Our bill came out to $30 per person. Many people might consider that expensive for pizza. But a couple of things to consider. First, we ordered more food than we could eat. Certainly two pies should be sufficient for three people, so had we ordered an appropriate amount of food, our bill would have come out to $20 per person. A bit more reasonable. Then consider that you can drink a bottle of wine for the price you paid at the liquor store down the block and all of a sudden $20 and change doesn't seem so bad for as much delicious pizza as you can stuff down and a few glasses of wine.

One final note regarding the wait. When we left -- around 6:30 -- there were people gathered outside, but it was by no means a madhouse. Reviews on Yelp would indicate that's more the exception than the rule. One reviewer writes, "If you can't serve potential customers due to lack of space/staff/stock, etc., you've failed the principal and practice of business!" Another reviewer didn't even get to try the pizza: "REALLY?!? Are they trying to be a speakeasy? I have never rated any restaurant a 1 in my life, but when you walk in and the doucher behind the counter doesn't even acknowledge you when you say hello (twice), one star at best is my review. I didn't even try the food, I've heard it's good, but I couldn't get past doucher and the smarmy 1hour and 45 minute wait for a table for 2 on an early Thursday night. Even in new York you couldn't get away with this horrible service. I hope the food is good, because if not, their in real trouble."

Clearly, the existence of Great Lake has hit a soft spot for some. Since it opened in February 2008, it has risen to the top of the Chicago pizza scene and even garnered national media attention. And with that comes labels like "pretentious." But one thing is for sure -- the pizza is damn tasty. And damn beautiful too. Our leftover slices were combined into a single pie that was almost too beautiful to eat. Somehow though... it didn't last for long in the refrigerator.