Review: Capofitto - Philadelphia PA

Note: Capofitto closed its doors in December, 2018.

For a long time, Philadelphia had only one notable pizza place - the legendary Tacconelli's in the Port Richmond section. Philly was all about the cheesesteak and the pretzels.

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Fast forward to 2015, and Philly is one of the best pizza towns in America. The renaissance may have started when Stephen Starr opened Stella in Head House Square, bringing an authentic Neapolitan to town. Another pioneer was Marc Vetri, who offered even better Neapolitans at Osteria and later opened Pizzeria Vetri. Zavino and Nomad also offer up world-class Neapolitan pies.

But unlike most cities where Neapolitan pies are popping up all over, Philly has gained some traditional American pies (thin, crisp, sturdy crust) at places like Beddia, Pizza Brain, SLiCE, and Rustica. Philly is rich in great pizza.

Is there room for one more? Stephanie & John Reitano are known in Philly for Capogiro and its excellent gelato. Their newest venture Capofitto offers that same gelato. It is also a full-service Italian restaurant featuring a daily pasta, a fascinating assortment of appetizers, a few calzones, and many 12" pizzas, priced from $12 - $19. Despite the glut of Neapolitan pizzas in town, food critic Craig Laban awarded two bells to Capofitto, and that put it on my radar.

I arrived on a Wednesday as the 11:30 lunch service was beginning. I ordered the Calabrese pizza, which features Mozzarella di Bufala, Piennolo tomatoes (from Vesuvius), N’duja salame, pecorino Romano, Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil. 

In the rear dining room

My server asked if I wanted the pie cut (Medigan style) or not (Neapolitan style). I was advised that the traditional way to eat this wet-center pie is with knife and fork. I probably should have done so, but I asked for mine to be cut.

Perfect char underneath

Neapolitan pies cook rapidly, and mine arrived swiftly. It was cut into four generous slices, and it had immense eye appeal. The crust was about ideal for a Neapolitan. The center was thin and delicate, and yes, wet. Wet, but not soggy. I can't say the moisture enhanced the first bites of each slice, but it didn't ruin it. And for me, this was the first time I felt the wet center was perhaps right and proper.

The cornicione was big, puffy but dense, and nicely chewy. Underneath, the crust sported just enough spotting to give it a touch of crispness and a boatload of character.

The excellent tomatoes were crushed but seemed almost whole. The N’duja salame was small bits of spicy and savory sausage. Each bite of this pie delivered a perfectly balanced flavor burst and ideal texture. The cheese was so white that it looked like egg whites while adding the right note of piquancy. 

The olive oil was a finishing touch that added yet more flavor and some welcome moisture beyond the pie center. I also had some nice hot pepper seasoning that I used judiciously.

This was a nearly perfect rendition of a Neapolitan pizza. I began wondering, is it the best in the region? It certainly takes a back seat to none. The owners are serious about the dough; this philosophy is shared on their website: 

There is a “Pizza Evolution” happening in Naples. A handful of pizzaioli are taking this art to another level. The dough is paramount. A highly hydrated dough with a long fermentation and careful handling results in a light, airy, tender crust. Everything on a pizza should enhance and exalt the dough. This is the pizza that is making its way to the tables of the Napoletani. This is what we are striving for.

The wood-fired oven, where pies cook in 90n seconds

This is world-class pizza. I liked the setting, and service was superb. I recommend visiting in a large group, to be able to sample many pies and some of the appetizers that I had to pass up. Capofitto is destination pie, and I wish I had time and belly space for the gelato - but I will surely be back.

Review: Pete's Pizza - Columbus Farmers Market Pizza, Part Two

The Columbus Farmer's Market, just a little bit south of Trenton, is a dinosaur; an old style hybrid of junk shops, flea market, and farm market. On a sunny Saturday in November, I targeted Kate & Al's Pizza, located within the market. You can learn more about the market and see my review of Kate & Al's HERE.

A slice at Kate and Al's. Click any pic to enlarge.

A slice at Pete's Pizza

The indoor stores are arranged in a large U shape. Kate & Al's Pizza Pies anchors the Southern end. I happened to enter at the North side and saw Pete's Pizza, buzzing with customers. I went first to Kate & Al's, then returned to Pete's to sample a slice there.

Pete's, like Kate & Al's, sells rectangular pizza, baked in pan, whole or by the slice. In fact, both places seem to have a single origin. One web reviewer reports that this style of pizza has been served at Columbus Market for more than fifty years. Apparently Pete's Pizza preceded - and led to - Kate & Al's:

Pete came from Hungary and wanted to start a business. A pizza restaurant seemed the only thing he could afford, but he did not know how to make pizza. So, he just started experimenting and kept notes on everything he did. He said, “The secret to great pie is to experiment, keep notes and develop a feel for the dough and the sauce. A recipe only gets you so far. To make outstanding pizza you need passion.”   

Pete was a perfectionist and a very friendly guy. He started selling pizzas at Columbus Market in the 1950s and later sold the business to a relative who re-named it Kate & Al’s. Pete taught several customers that were active in their churches how to make pizza so they would have something good for the teens. In the 1960s Pete opened up again at the other end of the market.

And I found that the pizza in both places was quite similar, with a few noteworthy differences. On both, the amount of sauce was double or triple you'd find on a Sicilian pizza or a Detroit-style pie. The cheese, however, was less than half of the typical pizza amount. 

The slices at Kate & Al's featured modest amounts of mozzarella. I think there was some mozz on the slice at Pete's, but what stood out was a heavy cover of grated Parmesan (or similar) aged Italian cheese.

Pete's Pizza

The crust at Kate & Al's was a little pale on the bottom, but it had a nice crispness to it and was surprisingly light in the body. The crust at Pete's was darker, crunchier, and sturdier. Both had excellent flavor. Of the two, Pete's was the better crust, but not by a big margin.

Underside of a slice at Pete's

At Kate & Al's, the deep sea of sauce was the star. Vibrantly red, with fresh tomato flavor to match. Like the wonderful deep-dish pie at Louisa's just south of Chicago, this sauce was delightful. The sauce at Pete's was both sweeter and saltier. The salty taste may have come from the heavy dusting of aged cheese. It was terrific, but I preferred the sauce at Kate & Al's.

It's easy to understand why these places are so popular, because this is good old-style pizza that has changed very little over 50 years. Even though Pete's has a better crust, I give a slight nod to the slices at Kate & Al's, due to its lively red sauce. I can't imagine anyone who would enjoy one and not the other.

The busy U-shaped counter at Pete's

The Columbus Market is a step back in time, mostly in a good way, and the pies there are destination pizza - worth the trip. Try both Pete's Pizza and Kate & Al's when you visit.

Review: Kate & Al's Pizza Pies - Columbus Farmers Market Pizza, Part One

In the parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania near Philadelphia, there remain some large shopping complexes that are - more or less - the precursor to malls. They are an old-fashioned concept, combining farmers' market, flea market, and independent shops selling cheap goods or repair services. One of the biggest was the Pennsauken Mart, which closed several years ago.

A slice at Kate and Al's. Click any pic to enlarge.

One of the best remaining is Roots Country Market in Lancaster County, which is also home to the fantastic Norma's Pizza. Delaware County is home to Booth's Corner Farmer's Market, which has a wonderful counterspace spot called Cajun Kate's. All of these places feature long, narrow buildings typically built from cinder block. You'll find an antique dealer next to an Amish bakery next to a vacuum repair shop next to a fried chicken stand next to a store full of date-expired foods.

From www.ColumbusFarmersMarket.com

The Produce Building

One of the biggest is Columbus Farmer's Market, just a little bit south of Trenton, but clearly in a part of South Jersey that remains rural. I last visited there in the 1970s, but I have a distinct memory of enjoying a rectangular slice of pizza there. I had been hearing a lot of good things about Kate & Al's, so I found a sunny Saturday in November to pay a visit.

Scenes inside the Columbus Market

The indoor stores are arranged in a large U shape. Kate & Al's Pizza Pies anchors the Southern end, and Pete's Pizza is the bookend to the North. Both offer similar thick square slices; we'll talk about Pete's in Part Two. Also at this end, I saw a huge line of people at Stoltzfus BBQ.

Queueing up for Stoltzfus BBQ

Happily, when I got to Kate & Al's, I did not face any line; I understand they do get very busy on Sundays. They sell whole pies and half pies with a variety of toppings, but only the plain cheese pie can be ordered by the slice. I got two of these for $2.25 each, and they came on two undersized paper plates.

Like most rectangular pies, the slices here are baked in pans. The amount of sauce was double or triple you'd find on a Sicilian pizza or a Detroit-style pie. The cheese, however, was less than half of the typical pizza amount. Structurally, then, this pie had something in common with a Philly style tomato pie, except that it is served hot and has a modest amount of mozzarella. The closest comparison I can make is the square pie at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn.

Two slices

The crust, a little pale on the bottom, nonetheless had a nice crispness to it and was suprisingly light in the body. Despite that, it held up nicely under the sea of sauce. I can't remember a slice of pizza that had more sauce than this. It was a huge positive, though, because the sauce was bursting with fresh tomato flavor. It was messy to eat, but delightful.  There was just enough cheese to keep it interesting.

I was probably the only patron there who doesn't eat this stuff regularly. Just hanging around for 10 minutes, I heard a lot of happy anticipation from others placing orders. This pie defies categorization, but it was a delightful throwback. It can't match the balance of L&B square pie, or the artistry of the Detroit pies from Norma, but I loved it. 

One web reviewer reports that this style of pizza has been served at Columbus Market for more than fifity years. Apparently Pete's Pizza preceded - and led to - Kate & Al's:

Pete came from Hungary and wanted to start a business. A pizza restaurant seemed the only thing he could afford, but he did not know how to make pizza. So, he just started experimenting and kept notes on everything he did. He said, “The secret to great pie is to experiment, keep notes and develop a feel for the dough and the sauce. A recipe only gets you so far. To make outstanding pizza you need passion.”  Pete was a perfectionist and a very friendly guy. He started selling pizzas at Columbus Market in the 1950s and later sold the business to a relative who re-named it Kate & Al’s. Pete taught several customers that were active in their churches how to make pizza so they would have something good for the teens. In the 1960s Pete opened up again at the other end of the market.

Kate & Al's Pizza Pies is a tradition, and a grand one. When you sell your pies for fifty years, you are doing something right. Absolutely worth the trip to Columbus, which is really a trip back in time.

Review: Louisa's Pizza & Pasta - Crestwood (Chicago) IL

Growing up in New Jersey, I developed a natural affinity for pizza with a thin, crisp, and sturdy crust. Sometimes, a puffy thick-crusted Sicilian pie would be a nice variation. Years later, I had my first taste of Chicago-style deep dish, first at Armand's in Washington DC, then at Pizzeria Uno (or Due) in Chicago. I loved it, because hey, pizza!

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I confess though, as years rolled by, I became an east-coast pizza snob and particularly scornful of Chicago deep-dish. That was likely due to the generally insipid rendering of deep-dish pie by Pizzeria Uno, which had grown into a national chain. And in hindsight, that would be like sampling Pizza Hut and declaring that NY pizza is second-rate. The big chains cannot fairly represent any one style of pizza, even as the current version of Uno deep-dish is really not bad (see THIS review).

I loved Jon Stewart's rant about Chicago deep-dish, in which he tabbed it "tomato soup in a bread bowl." I did get a chance to sample a slice of Giordano's pizza that a family member brought back from Chicago, and it was wretched. My anti-deep-dish bias was confirmed.

A slice at Louisa's

With an occasional need to travel to central Illinois, I've found myself coming in to Midway and renting a car to drive south. In Bloomington, I had good thin-crust pie from Monical's and decent stuff from Rosati's (both local chains). I had spectacular party-cut bar pie at Lucca Grill, too. Closer to Midway, I had best-of-class bar pie at Vito & Nick's. On my latest pass through the South end of Chicago, I felt it was time to once again try deep-dish.

I've always trusted the writers at Seriouseats.com, and I found Daniel Zeman's review of Louisa's Pizza & Pasta in Crestwood, 10 miles south of Midway Airport. His endorsement was reason enough to make that slight detour en route from Normal to Midway.

Small deep-dish from Louisa's

Due to time restraints, I called ahead to get a small deep-dish with sausage for takeout. I was advised that it would take 40 minutes, so this was not a pre-made deep-dish; a good sign. Loiusa's is housed in an unremarkable modern building along the unremarkable commercial strip of Route 50 in Crestwood. You know you are close to Chicago, because half of the restaurants are hot dog joints. Wish I had time and belly space to have tried one of those, too!

Inside Louisa's Pizza and Pasta, Crestwood IL

Inside, Louisa's looked cozy and comfortable - the kind of place you'd love to have in your neighborhood. The staff was especially friendly, and made sure that my take-out pizza was cut when I asked for a plastic knife and fork. I was planning to eat this small pie ($15.15) at the airport, but out of hunger and a desire to sample the pie fresh from the oven, I tackled one slice right there in the front seat of my rental car. 

The vibrant red sauce was the most immediate sensation. In its simplicity and freshness and brilliant color, this crushed tomato sauce was one the best I've experienced on any pizza, thin or thick. Zemans described it as "neither tangy nor sweet... simply chunks of juicy tomatoes seasoned with herbs that are grown in back of the restaurant." I think I detected an onion flavor to the sauce too. Scrumptious.

The crust was buttery, dense throughout but almost flaky on the cornicione. It was crisp on the bottom but not crunchy, with no soggy spots. Lots of grease soaked out of this crust into the cardboard container.

On a thin pizza, you can sometimes compare the crust to Italian bread, or breadsticks, or even crackers. This crust had an almost biscuit-like quality. Beyond its texture, it had its own distinct flavor. Zemans noted that he'd eat this crust without any toppings. Me too. 

Some biscuit-like qualities to the crust

The cheese? There was a generous layer under the sauce which added gravitas and a nice chewiness, but its flavor got lost. In my ideal pizza world, you'd find a way to get the cheese on top for some oven browning on a deep-dish pie.

Zemans felt that there was not enough cheese or sauce on this pie, but I found all the ingredients to be in about ideal proportion.  This was a huge belly bomb, but somehow it felt balanced.

The sausage was excellent, but not quite the garlic and fennel magic you'd get on a Trenton tomato pie. Like the cheese, I'd have liked it better with some oven browning, but it added great texture and flavor even as it was buried under the sauce.

About 90 minutes after I picked up this pizza, I had returned the rental car, taken the shuttle bus to Midway, passed through security, and found a few moments near my gate to address the three remaining slices, which were room temperature by this time.

Philly-style square slice at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn

Much like a Philadelphia tomato pie - a distant thick-crust cousin - this stuff was terrific at room temperature. The crust was still crisp and there was no sogginess in any section. Perhaps that buried layer of cheese prevents the sauce from seeping into the crust?

That slice was so good that I quickly finished the final two. I don't want to think about the calories, but this pizza was a delightful experience. I'm done arguing over NY vs. Chicago pizza; they are just different animals. This thick pie had little in common with even a Detroit-style pie. No matter how you label it, it's authentically delicious. This is superb deep dish at Louisa's, and easily one of my top 2015 pizza experiences.

Here's some excellent detail from Chicago's Steve Dolinsky regarding Louisa's: "a sturdy, slightly rich, buttery crust, the result of Ceresota unbleached flour, and a resting period of at least a day. Along the bottom, Wisconsin part-skim mozzarella, extra large hunks of cooked Anichini sausage they’ve been getting for 34 years, and a bright-and-chunky tomato sauce on the top, the product of California vine-ripened tomatoes (Saporito brand)."

UPDATE, MAY 2017:  After a visit to downtown Chicago, I was able to sample three other highly regarded deep-dish pizzas. While the pan pizza at Pequods (review here) was disappointing, I loved the traditional deep-dish at Pizano's (review here) and the hybrid version at Exchequer (review here), where a huge mass of molten cheese sits atop the pie. But Louisa's is the clear winner. For all the deep dish I've eaten, Louisa's is the benchmark pie.

 

Review: Trader Joe's Pizza Dough - Garlic & Herb

Trader Joe's is a great store for many reasons, but primarily for the gourmet offerings at discount pricing. 

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I've heard good reports about their ready-to-bake pizza dough, so I recently bought two packages (16 ounces each). I put the regular dough into my freezer, and selected the Garlic and Herb variety to make the first pizza.

The package advised to take the dough out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before use, but I let it sit all day at room temp. And, rather than bake at 425 per instructions, I baked it for about 8-9 minutes at 550 degrees on my Baking Steel.

On top, I added a ball of fresh mozzarella, one thinly sliced jalapeno pepper, and some Hormel pepperoni. For the sauce, I used a can of diced tomatoes (drained) mixed with thin slices of fresh garlic.

Pre-bake

The crust had a greenish tint from the garlic/herb flavoring, but otherwise the pie baked up to a beautifully puffy and browned appearance, with some nice char underneath. However, I was disappointed in both the flavor and texture.

Out of the oven

The crust lacked substance, in the same way as supermarket "Italian" bread. It was short on flavor, and it was too soft on the interior, without any al dente chew. It was not as good as the crust on the "Trader Giotto" frozen pies also available at Trader Joe's.

For price and convenience, this dough is a decent value. But after that first pizza, I was left feeling that if you are feeding kids or folks who are happy with chain pie, then Trader Joe dough is a good choice. Otherwise, if you are attempting to make a great pizza at home, make your own dough. 

Two weeks later, I took the second dough out of the freezer 24 hours before planning to use it. It spent one night in the fridge, then it sat at room temperature until time to make the pizza.

A slice of the breakfast pizza

This time, I decided to use this dough to make two smaller pies with very thin crusts. I followed the excellent recipe from Andris Lagsdin for Roman Pizza on the Baking Steel. After dividing the dough in half, I used a rolling pin to make amoeba-shaped pies about 12 inches across.

On the first pie, I attempted a breakfast style pizza. I added inexpensive shredded "Italian blend" cheese, slices of fully cooked sausage, and some chopped red onion. After pre-heating the baking steel to 550, I set my oven to broil and cooked the pie for 2 minutes.

Beautiful underside of the breakfast pizza

Then I rotated the pizza 180 degrees, added three eggs (too many, they almost ran off the pie), and baked 2 minutes longer at 550 (no longer broiling). I found out that 2 minutes did not cook the eggs enough, but 3 minutes left them slightly overcooked. Two and half, next time!

Trenton tomato pie

Other than the overcooked eggs, this pie was brilliant. The crust was perfect, thin and crisp outside with a wonderful al dente chew and some noteworthy hole structure at the cornicione despite the rolling pin treatment. Even with inexpensive cheese and sausage, the flavors were great with the egg after adding a touch of salt.

The second pie was more conventional, but I made it Trenton tomato pie style. The same cheese, onion, and sausage, but instead of egg I spooned on a mixture of diced Brandywine tomato (the last from my summer garden) with garlic, olive oil, dried basil, and oregano.

This pie had substantially more flavor than the first, but the volume of sausage and wet tomato mix made the tip of each slice droopy - but not soggy. This kind of result reinforces my appreciation for those pizza makers who always get the balance right - enough sauce and cheese and toppings to make the flavor sing, but not too much to overwhelm the structural integrity of the crust. 

I'm not sure if these pizzas were better than the garlic-herb dough pies because of the dough, or because of the technique, but I suspect it was the technique. 

I must confess that the pizza from the Trader Joe's dough is just as good as when I make the dough from scratch, even when I use imported Italian "00" flour. I'm so glad I bought two doughs, because my first effort was discouraging. This dough made a much better pie when rolled out very thinly.