Review: Tony Roni's Tomato Pie (Willow Grove, PA)

We've written several times about the definition of "tomato pie."  In Trenton NJ and New Haven CT, it means "pizza" with a thin crisp crust, with more emphasis on a chunky tomato sauce and less emphasis on the cheese.  But in the suburbs west of Philly (and in Philly, too) it often means a bakery-sourced square crust, light and airy, with a thick application of often-sweet tomato sauce, and no cheese or a mere dusting of Parmesan. That sounds like the square slice from Brooklyn's L&B Spumoni Gardens, except that tomato pie is often served at room temperature.


Click any pic to enlarge

I have really enjoyed the good tomato pies I've tried (Corropolese, Conshy Bakery, Wegman's, Morabito's from Costco), but I typically want to add cheese and heat them, essentially creating a terrific slice of Sicilian or the NY "Granma" slice.  Anyhow, the twitterverse has been buzzing about the tomato pie from Tony Roni's, so on a trip eastward, I had occasion to exit the PA turnpike to Easton Rd (611) in Willow Grove.  I swung by Tony Roni's to get some slices to go.

Tony Roni's is a small local chain, with 7 locations around Philly. The first one was "Tony A's" in Conshohocken. The Willow Grove location is in a converted gas station. I've seen such a re-purposing before when a Starbucks took over a closed gas station; somehow that old-style architecture works nicely with a modern restaurant.

I was in a hurry, so I asked the friendly counterman for some tomato pie to go. There were only two slices ready -- one plain, one with a couple of slabs of fresh mozz and a sprinkle of fresh basil. I took them both -- total of $4.75 -- and continued on my journey.


Nice browning underneath

Later that night, I ate the slice with cheese at room temperature (even though the counterman had offered to heat them for me).  The crust was both thinner and denser than other tomato pies I've had. It sported a beautiful raised cornicione that reminded me of Greek pizza. Its texture was solid, and it provided a sturdy foundation for the excellent sauce. The sweet-ish sauce had a nice dusting of oregano, and I could taste the garlic and basil in the sauce. I ate it in a hurry.


The plain slice

It was not until the next night that I ate the plain slice. This one, I heated in the toaster oven. While I enjoyed the pizza-like quality that heating brought, it lost something. The delicate crust seemed somehow less in balance with the sweet sauce. This was no shortcoming of the pie, but a failure of my method; I think perhaps too much moisture was cooked out of it in my oven.

Every pizza maker claims that "our pie is the best" but few can offer any credible reasons why. Founder Tony Altomare not only tells you the details about his sauce and crust, he shows you. This YouTube video is a good investment of three minutes: Tony Crafts a Tomato Pie. Tony Roni's is putting out some superb signature tomato pie, and next time, I will try the pizza. What is remarkable for me is that, despite all the world-class tomato pie I've eaten, this was the first one that really sold me on the room temperature approach. No wonder it is so popular for Eagles football tailgate parties. Destination pie? I can't say that for sure until I've had the pizza. There is a passion behind this pie; make sure you try it.

Review: Pizza by Elizabeths (updated)

We made our first trip to Pizza by Elizabeths (Greenville, DE) in July of 2011. It was a quick stop for a takeout order that was re-heated at home, several hours after purchase. We liked it a lot and you can read our review here: P-B-E Review, July 2011 .

"The Montgomery" from our first visit

Because it's such an elegant dining spot (especially for a pizza-focused menu), we wanted to get back there and enjoy the dine-in experience. That opportunity came and we arrived at lunchtime. The place was busy but not full; we were seated promptly near a window in this large space. Our young server was attentive and helpful.

Rather than ordering one of the specialty pies on the menu (each named for a famous Elizabeth), we chose to custom-order our own pies. For PQ (Pizza Quixote), the toppings included conventional mozzarella, Italian sausage, and the chunky version of their red sauce. For EPBAC (eats pizza but avoids cheese), we got a bit more creative and ordered it with traditional red sauce, crab, and artichoke.

The view from our table. Click to enlarge

While we waited for the pizza, the server brought our drinks (cherry coke and mango iced tea) and a salad that we shared -- fresh field greens with curried/candied toasted pecans and a creamy balsamic dressing. Thumbs up to all of that!

Both pizzas had a wonderful crust, and this experience reinforces the Pizza Quixote Rule that pizza is defined by the crust. This crust was crisp and charred on the bottom, but softer and chewier throughout. It was neither Trenton/NY style nor Neapolitan, but probably closer to Neapolitan. In addition to its excellent texture, it had a nice yeasty flavor and of course there were no pizza bones left behind.

Mozzarella, sausage, chunky tomato, basil

The crab-artichoke pie?  This experience reinforced another Pizza Quixote Rule: when you define a pizza by its toppings, failure is likely. The crust on this one was cooked a tad darker, likely because it did not have the heavy cheese and chunky tomatoes to absorb the heat. We actually loved the crust. The red sauce was thinly applied, and probably was a bad choice to go with the other ingredients. I love fresh artichoke, and I enjoy canned artichoke in a salad, but this pie had big quarters of artichoke piled on, and it did not click at all. I pulled them off and ate them as a side dish.

The underside of the crust

From now on, if I want artichoke on my pizza, I will go to Artichoke Basille in NYC; see my reviews here: First visit to Artichoke Basille and here: Second visit to Artichoke Basille. The crab was another mistake. If seafood is going onto a pizza, it better be in a well-considered recipe that the pizza maker has created, as we found with the lobster-mascarpone pie at Cambridge 1, reviewed here: Cambridge 1 (MA) Pizza. This pizza was a failure, but it was my fault.

We brought home three slices of the experimental pie after eating the artichoke and crab toppings.  At home, I added some cheese and some soppressata slices before heating it in the toaster oven, and it was delicious.

My sausage pie was terrific; beyond the crust, the bright red chunky tomatoes were a highlight, bursting with a sweet/salty flavor. The sausage was good if not quite memorable. The cheese was a role player. There was a bit too much, and it had not developed any browning or bubbling on top. I rate the crust an 8.5, the tomatoes a 9, the cheese a 5, the sausage a 6. Overall, this pie comes in at 7.5. Not quite destination pie, but the combo of the lovely upscale space, good service, good sides, and very good pizza is powerful. One important suggestion: how about a Betty Draper pie?!

Review: Morabito Tomato Pie

Tomato pie has a few differing definitions. In Trenton NJ and New Haven CT, pie makers use it to describe their crust-tomatoes-cheese product. It is distinctly different than other pizzas that use (typically) more cheese and less chunky tomatoes or sauce, but still clearly pizza. In the close Western suburbs of Philadelphia, tomato pie comes most often from a bakery, not a pizzeria, and it has no cheese or a mere dusting of Parmesan. The sauce is applied thickly, and it’s often sweeter than normal. Its crust is rectangular, thick like a Sicilian pie, but generally light and airy. And it is most often served and eaten at room temperature. The square slice at the fabled L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn is, essentially, tomato pie served hot from the oven (and a great slice).

Before cooking and doctoring. Click to enlarge!

The epicenter for cheeseless tomato pie is Norristown/Conshohocken. We’ve had the tomato pie from Conshohocken Italian Bakery (Conshy Bakery) and it’s very good; the tomato pie from Corropolese in Norristown is ethereal and made the list of our 41 best pies to date. All of this is background for my delightful surprise when, last weekend in Costco (Wilmington DE), we found a big stack of tomato pies from Morabito’s in Norristown. A huge rectangle pie was $6.99 and naturally, I had to have it. 

We’re fans in general of the gigantic slices of hot soft Americanized pizza you can get in-store, as well as the take-and-bake variety. Finding a more authentic product from a local bakery was a delightful surprise, and I wonder how far it is distributed?  Nice to see a local bakery get a slot selling in Costco, and nice to expose the masses to better pizza-like products.

For context, it’s good to know that I like tomato pie for its simplicity – good bread with good sauce. A slice from Corropolese or L&B is heavenly. “Having said that,” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgd2w0SQEYI), I sometimes think of tomato pie as a Sicilian pizza without the cheese. So I typically doctor it up and turn it into pizza. While at Costco, I purchased a ball of fresh mozzarella and twin sticks of soppressata and hard salami. 

Doctored up, pre-bake

When it was time to eat this pie, I covered it in half-moons of dense hard salami slices (sort of like non-spicy pepperoni). I did the same thing with slices of the fresh mozzarella, but I left about a quarter of the pie cheeseless for two reasons – I wanted to try it as the bakers intended (albeit heated), and EPBAC (eats pizza but avoids cheese) likes any pizza better when the cheese is reduced/eliminated.

Out of the oven

It went into my conventional gas oven at 375 degrees, directly on the center rack (no pan). I baked it for 10 minutes, then switched to broil for 4 minutes or so until the cheese began to brown and bubble. The broil technique is great for the last few minutes of any pizza in the oven, whether home-made, fresh-made, or reheating. Gets that nice sizzly taste and texture on top without burning the bottom crust.

Browning of the cheese

When it came out, I sprinkled the top with grated Romano Locatelli cheese and dried basil. Time for the taste test!

The sauce was sweetly delicious, and it was the star element of this tomato pie. The cheese and salami from Costco were high quality, and these salty/savory ingredients worked really well with the sweet tomato sauce. The crust was medium thickness and more dense than the airy stuff from Corropolese; that may be by design, or it may be compaction from sitting for 3 days in my refrigerator with all that sauce riding on top. It had a good moisture balance and a satisfying crispness, although it was uniform in texture and color. On this tomato pie, the crust is a bit of a role player. Tasty, but not a standout. I had one of the no-cheese slices and that does give you the chance to appreciate the simple purity of crust and sauce (even though I had added salami slices).

The understated underside

Morabito Bakery take-home tomato pie from Costco is a winner, and a bargain. The crust gets a 6, the sauce gets an 8.5. You may well enjoy it best as it’s meant to be eaten. Overall, it comes in at 7.5 and we expect to eat this on a regular basis. Kudos (again) to Costco and congrats to Norristown’s own Morabito Bakery. 

Review: California Pizza Kitchen

We are generally disdainful of chain pizza. Actually, we avoid BIG chain anything, with the possible exception of Taco Bell. But a thorough pizza blog must occasionally visit the chains, big and small, to see if their convenience offerings have merit. And in fact we’ve been astounded by the pizza at Bertucci’s (Jersey City) and the sublime Anthony’s Coal-Fired (reviewed recently at http://mainlinepizzaquest.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-anthonys-coal-fired-pizza-wayne.html). We’re also fond of the tiny 4-store chain Jules Thin Crust.

Click any pic to enlarge

We’re highly tolerant of the commodity pie at Costco (http://mainlinepizzaquest.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-costco-pizza.html) and their take-and-bake version (http://mainlinepizzaquest.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-costco-take-and-bake-artisan.html). On the other hand, we avoid Domino’s and Pizza Hut. And when we tried Papa John’s, it was distressingly bad pizza (http://mainlinepizzaquest.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-papa-johns-pizza.html).

Inside CPK

But we’ve heard some generally positive comments about the pie at California Pizza Kitchen, especially the thin-crust version. I avoided the versions I’ve seen in airports and turnpike rest stops, but on a recent trip to Wilmington DE, EPBAC (eats pizza but avoids cheese) and I missed an opportunity to stop at the inventive Pizza by Elizabeths (http://mainlinepizzaquest.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-pizza-by-elizabeths-3801-kennett.html) and instead landed at the Christiana Mall when we were hungry. There we found a full-service sit down CPK restaurant; it was time to find out about this chain.

Wok-seared shrimp for the lettuce wraps

Inside, we found a cheery, bright, casual (if a tad generic) interior. We choose a booth and our friendly server took our order. Beyond the pizza, the appetizer menu seems inspired by P.F. Chang’s. We decided to go with the flow – we order lettuce wraps (shrimp wok-seared with Shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts and scallions, served with spicy soy-ginger sauce), Korean BBQ beef tacos (Korean steak, Napa cabbage, Romaine, onions, scallions and cilantro on corn tortillas, topped with spicy chili sauce and sesame seeds.), and a pepperoni pizza. All of the pizzas are a generous “personal” size.

EPBAC with lettuce wrap appetizer

The lettuce wraps were a generous sized appetizer, fresh and delicious, even if not very original. We also enjoyed the Korean BBQ tacos, but the order was two quite tiny tacos, and the seasoning was too restrained; obviously tuned for a timid American palate. 

Korean BBQ taco

But EPBAC and I enjoyed them about equally.

The pepperoni pizza

The pizza did not have a promising look to it; small and thin, it had a disturbing resemblance to that wretched Papa John’s pizza we had recently.   Happily, eating it proved to be quite a better experience. The cheese, sauce, and pepperoni were all solid, but unremarkable. Honestly, they were about the same as you get when you buy a better-quality frozen pizza like Wolfgang Puck. 

One beautiful crust!

The merits of this pie are found entirely in its crust. It was extremely thin, and it had a delectable crispness, but also a dense chewiness. Just a look at the lovely underside, uneven in texture and color, revealed that a good breadmaker is behind this recipe.

 

California Pizza Kitchen is not destination pie, and it’s not bargain pie. But it is miles ahead of the other big chains. CPK earns a 6 for ambience, 7 for the appetizers, 5 for the cheese, 5 for the sauce, 5 for the pepperoni, and an 8 for the crust. Overall, 6.5. That is measurably better than the Sysco slop slung up by the typical mom and pop shop. If I am stuck eating at a mall again, I could do lots worse than CPK.