Domino's Pizza: Saving Lives

Ever think that ordering a pizza from Domino's every single day could be a life saver?

Well according to this article, a Domino's employee became suspicious when an elderly woman who'd placed a daily order from the Memphis shop for three years hadn't been heard from. The employee went to the customer's house and called 911 after nobody answered the door.

According to the article, the customer -- Jean Wilson -- had fallen and couldn't get over to a telephone to call for help. Investigators said it's possible that her pizza-only diet may have saved her life!

Pizza Adventures In Italy (Part 1): Introduction

It's a mild Saturday evening in late January, just past 9PM. Motocycles weave through the dimly lit alleyways of Naples, Italy as throngs of locals begin to flood toward the city's historic district. And 150 miles north, tourists can be found navigating maps and posing for photos in Rome's sprawling piazzas as they make their way to dinner.

While all of this is taking place, there is simple yet unassuming force at play -- a force so strong that it breaks all language barriers, cultural differences, and class divisions. And it is never as evident as it is on a Saturday evening in two of Italy's most vibrant cities. This force, of course, is the force of pizza.

Having written extensivly about pizza for the past three years, I decided it was about time I took a trip over to where this saucy, cheesy food was created. Although there are many cities and countries that have strong associations with pizza, there is no spot on the planet with which pizza is more inextricably linked than Italy.

Over the course of ten days in January, I set out on an ambitious pizza adventure. Not only did I dine at a diverse group of pizza places in both Rome and Naples, but I attempted to delve deeper into the pizza making process by paying visits to a flour mill and bufflo mozzarella farm.

Over the next few months, I will be publishing an 13 part series that will provide an in depth look at the current state of pizza in Italy. There will, of course, be extensive reviews and mouth watering photos which you've become accustomed to finding on this website. But a special emphasis will be placed on how historically significant pizzerias are maintaining their allure in the 21st century. And don't worry -- you'll also find out where to grab the most authentic pie in Naples!

So sit back, relax, and join me for a pizza journey to the homeland.

The above piece is the 1st article in a 13-part series about my pizza adventures in Italy (January 2011 - February 2011). You can access the other parts of the series here:


Introduction (Part 1)
Da Michele - Naples (Part 2)
Pizzeria Brandi - Naples (Part 3)
Caputo Flour Mill - Naples - (Part 4)
Salvo - Naples (Part 5)
Pizzeria Starita - Naples (Part 6)
Buffalo Mozzarella Tour - Caserta (Part 7)
Di Matteo - Naples (Part 8)
Sorbillo - Naples (Part 9)
Dar Poeta - Rome (Part 10)
Forno Marco Roscioli - Rome (Part 11)
00100 Pizza - Rome (Part 12)
Pizzeria Pellone - Naples (Part 13)

Pizza Porn: San Marzano

It's been a while since our last installment of Pizza Porn! One place that I feel has always flown under the NYC pizza radar is San Marzano on the Lower East Side. I'd gone there with Pizza Club in early 2009 and really loved their pies. So I was excited when Sean Taylor asked me if I wanted to join him there for Pizza Month (to celebrate, Sean eats at a different pizza place each day in October). I was glad that it was just as delicious as I remembered it being. Here's what we ordered:

Margherita

(fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, 

basil, extra virgin olive oil)

Garden Vegetable

(tomato sauce, shitake mushrooms,
caramelized onions, oven-roasted bell
peppers, extra virgin olive oil)

Caprino (left)

(fontina, goat cheese, caramelized onions, shitake and 

button mushrooms, roasted garlic, thyme, white truffle oil)

and

Bianco (right)

(fontina, gorgonzola, speck prosciutto,
caramelized onions)

Lego Pizza?

There's a great book that hit shelves last year -- I LEGO N.Y. -- featuring some funny New York images represented in lego form. By far my favorite image in the book is this one. Simple... yet telling.

Fratelli La Bufala: Miami's Underwhelming Tourist Trap

I recently spent a weekend down in Miami, Florida and wanted to hit up at least one pizza place while down there. After a bit of research (including the Miami Herald's Pie In The Sky and Slice's The United States Of Pizza: Florida), I decided that Fratelli La Bufala (437 Washington Avenue) would be a good place to try. I knew that it was in the heart of South Beach and would most likely be a tourist trap, but I'd heard some decent reviews and figured if it's not Miami's best... at least it's one of the city's most popular pizza places.

I'd read online that if you check in on Foursquare - which I don't typically do -- you get a free bottle of wine. Some nice incentive to stop in. I'd also read a lot about the quality of the cheese they use there. Our waiter told us that the cheese on our pie had just arrived yesterday from Italy. I couldn't help but think that was simply a gimmick. It might impress a typical tourist... but not me!

My parents and I decided to split two pies. One was a Margherita ($11.00). The other one wasn't on the menu. When I asked the waiter what his favorite pie was, he told me it was called Alla Caprese ($17.00). Essentially it's a Margherita pizza, but after it comes out of the oven, additional mozzarella is added along with tomatoes. The enthusiastic recommendation convinced me to go with that, depsite it's similarity to the Margherita.

While our pies were being made, we ate a Mediterraneo salad which contained greens, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Unfortunately, some of these same ingredients didn't transfer over to the pizza as well.

The primary problem with the pies was the crust. It was impossible to pick up a slice without everything falling off. It was incredibly soggy and it was tough to eat without a knife and fork. I never use utensils with pizza, but I was left with no choice. And that was just with the Margherita. The Alla Caprese pie had even more toppings on it, making it even heavier (i.e. more impossible to eat). The pies didn't look bad on our table, as you can see below. But when it was time to dig in, it was a cheesy and saucy mess. (It may have made a slight difference had our pie been cut into six slices instead of four)

I was especially disappointed with the Alla Caprese. The extra mozzarella and tomatoes didn't add any new flavors or kick to the pie. They just made it less convenient to eat. It's a good thing it's not on the menu. The tomatoes in our salad -- which were quite tasty -- were bright red and flavorful. The tomatoes on the Alla Caprese looked discolored and were of much lower quality.

Fratelli La Bufala isn't somewhere I'd suggest people go for pizza. Perhaps you'd have better luck with some of their other items though, as they do serve a full Italian menu. They have many other locations around the world, although the Miami spot is their first within the USA. Among dozens of locations in Italy, there are restaurants in Barcelona, Dubai, and Istanbul. It's the only Neapolitan pizza chain that comes to mind.

But perhaps there's a reason for that though. The bigger you get, the less quality control there is. And what I ate at Fratelli La Bufala was definitely not quality pizza.

The Best Pizza Places In Israel (So Far...)

As you're reading this, I'm probably wandering my way through the street of Jerusalem looking for a decent slice. Although this is my ninth trip to Israel, it wasn't until a trip in 2010 that I started to explore Israel's surprisingly dense pizza scene.

To recap... I believe that most pizza places in Israel fall into three categories:

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

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

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

Below are photos from each place I tried last year. Although I don't anticipate getting to as many places on this trip, hopefully I'll have time to squeeze in a slice or two.

HaPizza (Tel Aviv)

Yeminite Food Bar (Safed) 

Tito Bravo (Jerusalem) 

Big Apple Pizza (Jerusalem)

Chili Pizzeria (Jerusalem)

Pizza Sababa (Jerusalem)

Happy Valentine's Day! Celebrate With Pizza!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know many of you will be treating yourselves (and your loved ones!) to a heart shaped pizza today.

Tip #1: Top it off with something sweet. I feel strongly about honey.

Tip #2: A heart shaped pizza is best eaten whole. Otherwise, it might end up looking like this:

More On Butternut Squash Pizza

As I mentioned in Wednesday posting, I'm pretty obsessed with butternut squash and have been making butternut squash pies at home. But I recently came across a butternut squash pizza recipe that looks mind blowing. It's not from some renowned food blog either. It's from the Broward/Palm Beach New Times website. And apparently if you follow the instructions well, your pie will look like this:

The pie contains sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese -- two ingredients I have yet to use on my butternut squash pies. There's also onions, mozzerella, and a whole lot of other delicious toppings. You can check out the recipe here: Putting Your Pizza Stone to Work: Whole Wheat Butternut Squash Pizza

Making A Butternut Squash Pizza At Home

One of my favorite vegetables is butternut squash. And since my favorite food is pizza, it only makes sense that I love a good butternut squash pizza. In fact, I think that butternut squash is very underrepresented as a pizza topping. In can be a great substitute for a sauce... or simply add some extra flavor to other ingredients. I've tried making butternut squash pies in my home oven on multiple occasions and they've turned out great:

On separate occasions, I've combined it with both ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. I actually prefer it with mozzarella. Another key ingredient I use it a tad of sage butter (melt butter in a sauce pan and add a teaspoon of sage) which I lightly drizzle over the pie before it's served. I make a delicious butternut squash ravioli with that sauce and wanted to maintain some of that flavor on my pizza.

But I recently came across a butternut squash recipe that is accompanied by photos that look even yummier than mine. Check back on Friday to see what that's all about!

Sorbillo: A Day Four Nightcap

Day four in Italy ended with a stop at the highly reccomended Sorbillo. The sight outside of the restaurant on a Saturday evening is absolutely insane. Motocycles whiz by, as hungry locals wait eagely by the entrance. We ordered a plain  Marghrita pie and one with artichokes. All was delicious.

Day 4: Mount Vesuvius

Day 4 in Naples, I went off the pizza trail... to climb Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano!

Di Matteo: Pizza & Fried Goods In Naples

Our our third evening in Naples we went to Di Matteo on Via Tribunali -- a no frills, bi-level pizza haven in the heart of the city where Bill Clinton famously paid a visit. They´re known not only for their delicious pizza, but also for their fried goods like arincini and zeppoles. Dig in when they´re fresh and the sensation is indescribable. We ordered two pizzas -- Margherita and Ortolana (fior di latte, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, vegetables, peppers, oil, cheese, and basil). That's a whole lotta toppings! Although it held together well, it wasn't quite as good as the more simple pie.