The Thirteen Breakout Pizzas of 2013

As another year comes to a close, let's look back at our top findings. These are not (necessarily) the best pies of all time - just the best ones discovered in 2013.  We found great pies, and just as importantly, a wonderful trend. 

Spatola's Pizza, Paoli PA

Don't neglect our Twelve Breakout Pies of 2012 - link HERE.

I had to omit some truly excellent pizza (Ramagi in Brooklyn, New Park Pizza in Queens, Spatola's in Paoli PA, Pieous in Austin TX) to get down to my Top Thirteen pizza discoveries of 2013. What a wonderful world of pizza!

More people = more varieties to try

All of these (with one technical exception) are pizzas I've never had before. And remarkably, my list of places to try continues to grow. Part of this is just growing awareness, and part is that we're still in a pizza renaissance, with new and distinctive pie places opening across the nation.

Apprentice pizza tasters

Good pizza = true happiness

At Pieous, Austin TX

Even as I discovered some old-school pies, particularly in the Midwest, I also found some new pizza that isn't marching to the Neapolitan beat. Let's count down the thirteen top discoveries of 2013:

13. Domenica, New Orleans. Domenica is a full-service Italian restaurant, not just a pizza place. It is owned and operated by celebrity chef John Besh, and everything about our meal - including the Neapolitan pizza - was superb. You can't get a bad meal anywhere in NOLA, really. You can read the full review HERE.

The smoked pork pizza at Domenica. Click to enlarge!

12. Roberta's, Brooklyn (Bushwick). This was simply a near-perfect rendering of a Neapolitan crust in a friendly hipster setting. Opened in 2009, it's the kind of frontier outpost that is helping transform an ugly industrial zone into a hip neighborhood. Full review HERE.

Margherita with pork sausage at Roberta's.

11. Pane Bianco, Phoenix AZ. Same owner (Chris Bianco) as Pizzeria Bianco, many of the same Neapolitan pizzas that many consider world-class, with none of the crowds and lines. One dining partner declared their Margherita to be the best he's found. Full review HERE.
 

The "Rosa" at Pane Bianco

10. Apizza Scholls, Portland OR. Even though Portland is a very hip town, it's not the place I would expect to find a classic New Haven style apizza. But there is it, and it is thin-crisp crust wonderful. Genuine old-school pie in an entirely new-school setting. A revelation - and worth enduring the crowds. Full review HERE.

An East-coast pie out on the west coast at Apizza Scholls

9. Zuppardi's, West Haven CT. Two New Haven style pies in a row here! In New Haven, Pepe's and Sally's and Modern get all the love. Happily, we didn't overlook Zuppardi's in nearby West Haven. We tried several pies there, and all were a delight - but the real draw is the fresh-shucked clam pie. A work of art, and no crowds and lines as found at the big-name New Haven pie slingers. Priceless neighborhood gem. Full review HERE.

Zuppardi's clam pie

8. La Villa, Morrisville PA. 2013 saw the final steps in Trenton's vanishing status as the capitol city of pizza. Not one of its legendary pie makers remains. The good news is that DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies and Papa's Tomato Pies are still being made, only now in nearby Robbinsville NJ. 

Even more good news is the number of seriously good tomato pies now being made in the suburbs of Trenton. Bordentown, Hamilton, Ewing, Pennington, Morrisville. We tried and enjoyed Palermo's in Ewing NJ, but the true star is at La Villa, right across the river in Morrisville. The square tomato pie was a revelation - one might compare it to DeLorenzo's, the highest possible praise. Destination pie, big comfortable dining room, modest prices. LOVED it.  Full review HERE.

Square tomato pie at La Villa

7. DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies, Robbinsville, NJ. Speaking of DeLorenzo's, this is the one pie we've had before - at the restaurant on Hudson Street in Trenton before it closed (full review HERE) and as takeout from the Robbinsville location. But until this year, the swarms of pie seekers have prevented us from the sit-down dining experience in Robbinsville. We arrived early on a Saturday, still waited 45 minutes, and enjoyed some classic DeLorenzo's tomato pies. 

I must concede that the pies have lost just a bit of the magic, and I think it is because the production volume is up. The restaurant is perhaps three times the size of the old Trenton location, parking is easy, and crowds unrelenting. A lot more hands are now crafting these pies. But even slipping a few points, DeLorenzo's remains my #1 pie. For sure, the competitors have closed the gap. More good news - progress on a Pennsylvania location, targeted for Newtown in Bucks County. Full review HERE.

Sausage pie at DeLorenzo's

6. Sally's Apizza, New Haven CT. Volumes have been written about the relative merits of Frank Pepe's and Sally's Apizza in New Haven. Both are superb, I can't imagine anyone who likes one and spurns the other. Sally's is firing on all eight cylinders - thin crust old school pie in an old-school setting. What better pizza eating event than one your grandfather might have experienced in a near-identical fashion? I'm normally pretty conservative with pizza toppings, sticking to the cured meats, but here we also tried and loved the potato pizza.  Full review HERE.

Huge pies at Sally's

The potato apizza

5. Pizzeria Delfina, San Francisco CA. This sweet spot draws crowds for its hybrid Neapolitan pizzas. The crust alone bursts with flavor, and it stands above most other Neapolitans because it is crisp, rigid, and not wet in the center. Masterfully crafted pies where the toppings keep up with the brilliant crust. Full review HERE.

Salsiccia pie at Delfina

Try THAT with any other Neapolitan!

4. Tacconelli's Pizzeria, Philadelphia PA. I've wanted to try this legendary pie for more than a decade, but its location outside center city and its "reserve your dough the day before" protocol kept me at bay until this year. Finally got there on a Friday night with a large group, which afforded the opportunity to try several pies, including the regular, the white, and several toppings. Wafer thin yet crisp, rigid, and an ideal base for the high-octane red sauce. If I were in the kitchen, I'd use a little more cheese and a little less sauce, but this is remarkable, one of a kind pizza. Many claim it's Philly's best.  Full review HERE. 

Tacconelli's pie - thin and rigid!

The highly-sauced pie at Tacconelli's

3. (TIE) Vito and Nick's, Chicago, IL and Rubino's, Columbus OH. Cheating a bit here to get 14 pizzas into our list of 13, but perhaps it's a jump start to 2014. This is the year I discovered the super-thin crust Midwestern pie, typically given the "party cut" into small squares. There's a lot of overlap with an east-coast "bar pie." Both depend more on the skill of the pizzaiolo and the technique than on high-end artisanal ingredients. Completely old-school, bursting with salty tangy flavor and perfected with oven char. Easy to eat a lot of this thin light stuff. Full review of Rubino's HERE, and full review of Vito and Nick's HERE. 

Sausage pie at Vito and Nick's on Chicago's south side

Pepperoni pie at Rubino's in Columbus OH

2. Gennaro's Tomato Pies, Philadelphia PA. This eye opener was a delightful surprise: a brand-new pizza place, serving old-school Trenton-style tomato pie in the heart of South Philly. The crust alone was a thin, rigid, flavor-packed delight, and it was the perfect base for artisanal toppings with bright and zesty crushed tomato. If I had this side-by-side with DeLorenzo's, it could challenge for the top spot. Full review HERE.

Tomato pie perfection at Gennaro's in South Philly

Pesto pie at Gennaro's

1. Pizza Brain, Philadelphia PA. As we noted, 2013 was a great step forward for pizza, with new destination spots opening all over. Most of these are still Neapolitan, but some are fantastic Neapolitan hybrids. Most remarkable of all, though, was Pizza Brain in Philly's evolving Fishtown section. Here we found a brand-new rendering of an absolutely classic American pie. 

Too firm to be Neapolitan, too crisp to be a New York pizza, too thick to be a Trenton tomato pie or New Haven apizza. This pie was inventive, balanced, nuanced, and yet not pretentious even as the funky space swarmed with hipsters. In our review, we wrote that "If you care at all about pizza, this is a stop you have to make." It's destination pie, worth the trip, and I'm hoping it spawns a host of imitators. 

Kudos, Pizza Brain - our top find for 2013.  
Full review HERE.

The "Forbes Waggensense" at Pizza Brain

Slice close-up at Pizza Brain

In summary, our top 13 (14, actually) includes 3 Trenton style tomato pies, 3 New Haven style apizzas, 3 Neapolitans and 1 Neapolitan hybrid, 3 wafer thin crust old-school pies, and 1 (our champion) American classic. It's a great time for pizza in America. Mangia!

Review: Roberta's, Brooklyn (Bushwick) NY

On the Hipster Frontier

A few months back, we visited Pizza Brain (full review HERE) in Philly's Fishtown section. Fishtown is an old working-class neighborhood with moderate urban blight, rapidly transforming into a hipster destination for young people with pea coats and scarves, beards and scooters, skinny jeans, tats, and knit caps. The neighborhood still looked a tad rough and unfinished to my suburban eye, but the energy and buzz were palpable there.

Margherita pie. Click any pic to see full size resolution

Roberta's in Bushwick is another cutting-edge eatery in a transitional neighborhood. Bushwick is benefiting from the rising property values in trendy Williamsburg, its western border. People priced out of Park Slope and Willliamsburg are finding relative value in Bushwick. There's plenty of troublesome history with high crime rates, but Bushwick is making the turn. Much of it remains industrial ugly; it makes Philly's Fishtown look like Rittenhouse Square by comparison.

Roberta's, 261 Moore Street

Roberta's opened in 2009 in a cinder block garage, and its exterior does nothing to remake its former purpose. It's an ugly building on an ugly street - but on the day of my visit, two artists were working on a large mural just a few doors down.

Scooters; gotta be hipsters nearby!

Despite the foreboding exterior, there was a swarm of hipsters and foodies descended upon Roberta's at lunch time on a warm December Sunday. Folks were waiting for tables, but as a solo diner I was able to grab a spot at the small bar in the rear, which features a full menu.

Interior, view from the front door

The interior, abuzz with bustling waitresses and happy groups of diners, was warm, cozy, inviting. Plenty of that hipster vibe, but welcoming to all types. There was (on this sunny day) a good mix of natural and artificial lighting falling on the rough wood community tables, exposed rafters, and painted white cinder block walls.

There is also a large outside patio/garden dining area, which would have been a great spot for this unseasonably warm Sunday.

Bar is in the back (photo from robertaspizza.com)

View from the bar, looking toward the front dining room

The chalkboard at the bar offered about a half dozen craft beers on tap, good wines, and intriguing cocktails. I choose a pint of lager for $6, and it was served in a fat jelly jar glass. 

My margherita pizza with pork sausage

Roberta's has a reputation for inventive food beyond the pizza, but this lunch visit was all about the pie. I chose a margherita pie ($12 - large personal size) and added pork sausage topping for $3 more. I was very tempted by some of the other inventive options, especially speck, my favorite kind of prosciutto.

The base pizzas here are Neapolitan, with a soft puffy crust and fresh (house-made) mozzarella.The pie arrived swiftly, and looked to be cooked to near perfection. Excellent leopard char spots, and even some browning on the cheese.

Because Neapolitan pies are typically cooked briefly (2 minutes) at very high heat, the cheese and sauce do not yield much of their moisture and then meld to the crust as you might find in the best old-school American pies at places like Totonno's in Coney Island or Sally's Apizza in New Haven. Hence, the pies are pretty "wet" on top and the challenge for a Neapolitan pizzaiolo is to prevent that moisture from seeping into the crust and making it soggy.

Ideal char under the hood

For the most part, this pie succeeded on that measure. I did need to eat the first bite of each slice with a knife and fork, but the sauce and cheese were applied judiciously. After that, I could pick up and eat the remainder with only a slight crease to improve handling.

Chili flakes and chili oil

The crust was thin in the center and puffy at the edges, tender, al dente chewy, and best of all - flavorful on its own. Surely one of the best Neapolitan crusts I've found - perhaps behind Pane Bianco in Phoenix, but memorable and remarkable. Others describe it as salty, in a good way, and I concur.

The sauce was thin and merely a role player. Roberta's uses drained San Marzano tomatoes, and like the pizzaioli of Trenton tomato pies (and my own home method), does not cook the tomatoes before assembling the pie. I'm not sure why this sauce was unremarkable, other than a guess that the short oven time does not permit the sauce to cook down and concentrate the tomato flavors. 

Moore Street, home to Roberta's

New York Magazine reported a similar reaction to the sauce:

Can two hip musicians versed in punky blues rock find fulfillment as artisanal pizza-makers in Bushwick? Owned by Chris Parachini (on bass) and Brandon Hoy (on keyboards), the pizzeria is in a forlorn part of Brooklyn filled with gritty factories, warehouses, and lofts. The restaurant, housed in a former garage, has wood-paneled walls, elongated wood tables, and mismatched captain’s chairs. Out back is a patio with additional seating and a rusting Mercedes-Benz sedan studded with flowerpots. The pizza, made in a wood-burning oven, is Neapolitan in inspiration and technique. The crusts are admirably airy and crispy, and the mozzarella homemade—but the tomato sauce could be richer and more assertive. There are nearly two dozen toppings, with unusual choices like taleggio cheese, capers, and speck.

The cheese was wonderful - and I generally prefer the less delicate flavor of traditional aged mozzarella. There was a saltiness, and it worked well the pork sausage. The sausage was good, not "wow" and left me thinking again that the speck might have been a better choice.

A block or two away - urban renewal

The bartender - friendly and attentive - brought me a shaker of chili pepper flakes and a bottle of chili oil with the pie. I used the oil for dipping the cornicione, and it was a delightful touch for anyone who enjoys that spicy punch.

The crust here earns a 9.5, the cheese a 9, the sauce a 6, the sausage a 6. Ambiance 9, service 10. Overall, this was a 9 pizza experience and clearly destination pie. Roberta's has devoted fans and a lot of critics too; put your trust in the fans. This place deserves the buzz. I'd return often - for the pies and the rest of the menu - if I lived nearby.

Ranking the Philly Style Tomato Pies

The Internet is awash in pizza rankings. Some are expert, some are clumsy, some are downright pointless. Here we attempt, instead, to offer some guide to the best Philly Style Tomato Pies.

First, we have to define tomato pie. We've done so extensively HERE. For this ranking, we are talking about the Philadelphia/Conshohocken style of tomato pie, which is a big rectangle with a thick airy crust (much like a Sicilian pizza), a signature tomato sauce, and little or no cheese. These are found in a bakery as often as in a pizzeria, and are frequently enjoyed at room temperature. Hence, this comparison does not include the Trenton tomato pie or the New Haven version.

Note: I've dubbed it Philly/Conshohocken style, but this thick-crust scant-cheese room-temp bakery-sourced pie is also common in other parts of the northeast.

Let's meet the contenders (click on any one for the full review) :

• Carlino's Specialty Foods, West Chester PA
• La Sicilia, Belleville NJ
• L&B Spumoni Gardens, Brooklyn NY
• Corropolese Bakery, Norristown, PA
• Limoncello, West Chester PA
• Morabito's, Norristown, PA
• Tony Roni's, Willow Grove, PA
• Wegman's, Downingtown PA

Of course, there are many other tomato pies in the Philly region. I did get to sample some at the South Philly Pizza Olympics, but I didn't gather enough info to fully and fairly evaluate the pies from Aversa, Cacia, and Santucci's.

Now, before the judgement, some disclaimers. My heartfelt pizza love is for the Trenton/New Haven tomato pie, then thin-crust bar pie, then Neapolitan and New York style. The Philly tomato pies and Sicilian pizzas rank considerably behind those (but still ahead of Chicago style pizza casserole). That helps explain why I haven't sampled the dozens of other tomato pie purveyors in the Delaware Valley. If you know a great one, please post it in the comments.

Because the crust is thick, puffy, and often lacking the flavor and character of a great Trenton or Neapolitan pie, and further because it typically has little or no cheese, a Philly tomato pie can best be evaluated on the strength of the tomato sauce.

Tony Roni's

Coming in at Number Three is Tony Roni's. In our review we noted that, of all the "tomato pie I've eaten, this was the first one that sold me on the room temperature approach." Notably, even though finishing third in this mini-contest, Tony Roni's wins the Philly region prize - read on to see why.

L&B Spumoni Gardens

Our Number Two finisher is L&B Spumoni Gardens, near Coney Island in Brooklyn. Famous to New Yorkers and to pizza congnoscenti everywhere, L&B is not known by Philly area residents, and it certainly doesn't call its product "tomato pie." It's known as "square" or "Sicilian" or both. I could not detect, on my visits there, the cheese alleged to be under the sauce. Whatever you call it, it is the only tomato pie I've tasted where the crust could be the star. "Ethereal" is not hyperbole for this thick, part airy and part dense crust. It took me several visits to fully appreciate it - but I finally understand what makes L&B a legendary pizza stop.

La Sicilia

Number One is La Sicilia, in Belleville, NJ. On my visit, I rated the sauce a perfect 10. I can't do better than to repeat what I wrote after my visit: 

"The tomato sauce, which is mostly chunks, was as delicious as any I can remember. Such balance, such vibrant flavors! This is not a pizza or a granma pie; it is a tomato pie and a wonderful one. The crust was simply a palette, and a crisply durable one, to convey this awesome red tomato topping. I sat in a lot of crappy traffic to get this pie and I'm VERY glad I did. Usually, tomato pie is improved by the addition of some cheese, but this time I preferred the slices that had none."

On balance, even though many revere the Philly style tomato pie, there's plenty of room for improvement. Baked in a pan, the pie begins at a disadvantage, but that shouldn't mean that the crust has little character. Dom DiMarco makes a fabulous square pie in a pan at Brooklyn's DiFara (well, sure, he uses a pint of olive oil for each pie). 

Square pie at Di Fara

Too often, the tomato pie crust lacks flavor and texture, tasting as though it had come from a supermarket. Imagine an L&B crust with that La Sicilia sauce!  Still, is the thick crust too much to overcome? Could it ever deliver the satisfying snap of an al taglio Roman slice? Share your thoughts!

Roman pizza

Review: Carlino's, West Chester PA

In 2009, I moved from Bucks County PA (close to Trenton, NJ) to West Chester, PA. Less than an hour west, but a world away in terms of pizza. My early and futile attempts to find a West Chester pizza "worth the calories" was a Quixotic Quest and led to the creation of this blog to chronicle my findings.

Many locals advised me to try the pizza at Carlino's Specialty Foods, a gourmet grocer on Market Street in the heart of downtown West Chester. 

Carlino's is a treasure of often-decadent gourmet foods, much of it Italian-themed. Upon entering, you first encounter a dizzying set of salumi choices, both domestic and imported, and then the cheeses.

The pasta selection is likewise superb, and Carlino's also features a nice olive oil bar where you can taste before you buy - a heady mix of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I was especially enamored of the Israeli olive oil and its peppery finish.

All of this comes at a price, but it's still a great value to have this high quality and great selection all in one place, and staffed by friendly and informed workers who truly care about the products.

I had visited Carlino's before, but had not been inspired by the visuals of the pizza offerings in their prepared foods section. However, on a recent trip there buying holiday provisions, I decided it was finally time to sample the pizza. Being the best pizza in West Chester is still a pretty low bar; Carlino's seemed a good candidate to claim that prize.

I opted for two (huge) slices of tomato pie and one triangle of conventional pizza with pepperoni toppings. The pizza was sold by the slice ($2.50) and the tomato pie by the pound (which worked out to about $2.75 per rectangle). I took them home and gave them my standard oven re-heat on a perforated pan.

Let's dispense with the conventional pizza; it was forgettable. The crust was limp, it had been baked on a screen (cardinal sin), and nothing was distinctive about the sauce, cheese, or pepperoni. Was it better than DiGiorno?  Sorry to say, it was not. Not worth the calories and not worthy to be offered alongside all of the truly excellent fare otherwise found in Carlino's.

The tomato pie was not the Trenton variety (thin crisp crust, cheese first, then crushed tomato, served hot). It was the Philly/Conshohocken/bakery style, which is a thick, airy, almost-Sicilian crust, topped with a chunky sauce and seasonings and no cheese (frequently served at room temperature).

This tomato pie was a very nice rendition. The crust had an excellent crisp and airy texture, but came up a bit short on flavor when compared to the best tomato pies, such as the ones at Corropolese. The star was clearly the sauce. It was a brilliant red, and its bright, fresh, tangy flavor delivered on the promise made by its color. Not quite a destination tomato pie, but worth a repeat for any regular visitor.

Wonderful pizza has recently come to the area - Stella Rossa in Downingtown, Anthony's Coal-Fired in Exton, and La Porta in Media. But West Chester remains uncharted pizza territory.

I love Carlino's, and I'm very glad to have it nearby. These people know food and they know customer service. I think they have an opportunity to build on this very good tomato pie (and take it to great) and figure out how to bring destination pizza to a foodie town that still lacks a signature pie.

Robbinsville, NJ: Pizza Capital of the World?

When regular people talk about the best pizza cities in America or in the world, we typically hear about New York, Naples, Chicago, Rome.

The pizza cognoscenti go a little deeper, and can make good arguments for San Francisco, Trenton NJ, and New Haven CT. Those arguments are stronger if you calculate a ratio of great pizza joints to number of residents.

A slice from Denino's, Staten Island NYC

We can quickly toss out Chicago from being a candidate. Maybe Chicago is the best city for pizza-flavored casseroles. Trenton, too, is scratched from contention because it is no longer home to any of its legendary tomato pie slingers.

Blasphemy, but I strike Naples from the list because Neapolitan pie, in its overall appeal, ranks below American pie (defined HERE.)

Pizza marinara, Rome

It's hard to argue against Rome or New York, and I won't. And New York, especially, has so many pizza joints that it's difficult to discern the exact count of how many qualify as destination pizza. This makes it difficult or impossible to calculate the ratio of great pies to residents.

So I turn my focus to New Haven, CT. This small city has 130,000 residents and three legendary pizza joints - Frank Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern Apizza. I've been to all three and verified that they are superb pizza. So New Haven has one great pizza for every 43,333 residents. Not bad.

Big pies at Sally's in New Haven

We talked about how Trenton has lost every single one of its great pizza/tomato pie places: DeLorenzo's (Hudson St), the other DeLorenzo's (Hamilton Ave), Papa's, Joe's, Maruca's, Sam's Roma, Pica's, Hudson Beer Gardens. All gone.

However, two of them moved to nearby Robbinsville, NJ - the Hudson St. DeLorenzo's, and Papa's Tomato Pies. The new locations are walking distance from each other, and doing a booming business.

Sausage pie at DeLorenzo's, Robbinsville

Robbinsville, even after a period of rapid growth, had 13,642 citizens as of the 2010 census. So in Robbinsville, there is one great tomato pie joint for every 6821 residents. I doubt that Rome or even NYC could match that.

Robbinsville, NJ - pizza capital of the world?