The Italian Market, the famous stretch of 9th Street in South Philadelphia, just celebrated its 100th Anniversary. Philly.com published a nice article HERE detailing its history and current state.
On a recent warm spring day, we walked the entire stretch - from Pat's & Geno's (tourist cheesesteaks) at Passyunk Avenue on its southern edge to Sarcone's Deli on the northern terminus.
 |
| Rocky's famous run through the 1970's Italian Market |
In that general area of South Philly, one can find a lot of worthy pizza places. Santucci's (briefly reviewed HERE for its appearance at the South Philly Pizza Olympics), the hipster spot Birra, the old-school red gravy restaurant Marra's, and the widely-known corner shop Lorenzo's Pizza, at 9th and Christian Streets.
I've walked past Lorenzo's on several occasions, with little to indicate that it might be worth a visit. Online reviews are mixed, but I decided that I finally needed to experience this pizza. We stopped in and sampled a plain cheese slice.
The friendly counterman popped a few slices into the oven and they were quickly ready. Perhaps a little too quick, because the pizza was somewhere between warm and hot. It was a big slice for its modest $2 price.
My expectations, too, were modest. We were delighted, then, to find that this thin-crust pizza had an almost ideal balance of crisped edge bottom and a sturdy chewiness as well. The sauce was sweet and lively, and the standard mozzarella cheese blended into that mottled orange that characterizes most pizza.
A look at the nicely charred undercarriage revealed that this was not a mass-sourced dough, and that there is some skill in the preparation. Great crust, punchy sauce, and cheese as a role player. This was a true throwback slice, and a reminder that at one point many decades ago it was easy to find a genuine slice of good New York style pizza.
Lorenzo's in the Italian Market is a gem of a find, and a grand bargain for a two-buck slice. We're at a stage in the nationwide pizza renaissance that you can find a decent Neapolitan pie in almost any major city, but a good slice remains a rarity, even in New York. Simple, elegant, classic. We loved this pizza.
I've walked past Lorenzo's on several occasions, with little to indicate that it might be worth a visit. Online reviews are mixed, but I decided that I finally needed to experience this pizza. We stopped in and sampled a plain cheese slice.
The friendly counterman popped a few slices into the oven and they were quickly ready. Perhaps a little too quick, because the pizza was somewhere between warm and hot. It was a big slice for its modest $2 price.
My expectations, too, were modest. We were delighted, then, to find that this thin-crust pizza had an almost ideal balance of crisped edge bottom and a sturdy chewiness as well. The sauce was sweet and lively, and the standard mozzarella cheese blended into that mottled orange that characterizes most pizza.
A look at the nicely charred undercarriage revealed that this was not a mass-sourced dough, and that there is some skill in the preparation. Great crust, punchy sauce, and cheese as a role player. This was a true throwback slice, and a reminder that at one point many decades ago it was easy to find a genuine slice of good New York style pizza.
Lorenzo's in the Italian Market is a gem of a find, and a grand bargain for a two-buck slice. We're at a stage in the nationwide pizza renaissance that you can find a decent Neapolitan pie in almost any major city, but a good slice remains a rarity, even in New York. Simple, elegant, classic. We loved this pizza.
No comments:
Post a Comment