giannone

Don't expect much beach on the Redneck Riviera unless you are going to hit the Florida Panhandle. And whatever you do, don't bother with Galvaston. It is the ugliest beach that I have ever seen. And I've been to beaches in Staten Island. Good food in Houston though. There's a neat little place in The Galleria area called the Amazon Grill. It's sorta cafeteria style. If you are going to visit a casino, the nicest place in Mississippi is The Beau Rivage. The other places don't come close. I didn't eat there though.

Fat Guy, Great post. I would imagine that you are gonna hit New Orleans soon. If you got there latter in the month you could have hit The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In addition to eleven stages and about seventy acts a day in one place, they have about fifty food booths. . Seven days over two weekends. Have you ever attended? For those of you interested, here's the link: www.nojazzfest.com Here's a link directly to the food portion of the site: www.nojazzfest.com/food Bon Voyage and Buon Appetite

Yes, I've been to Sciortino's a couple of times and enjoyed their pies. I didn't think they stood up to Grimaldi's though.

Steve Plotnicki, All I know is that I had a hell of a steak on February 9th at Christo's and the next week I had a hell of a steak at Peter Luger's. Also had one at PL in the middle of January. That steak at Christos was seemed just as tender and although slightly different in flavor, just as tasty. Someone indicated to me that Christo's recently changed hands. Perhaps there's doing something different, perhaps I hit them on a good night or perhaps I got an exceptionally good steak for Christos. I've been there many times in the past few years and although this particular steak stuck out a little above the rest, the difference was neglegible. Maybe you should go back. And if it isn't up to your standards you could always blame me for wasting your money.

If anyone is interested in very good white clam pizza in New Jersey, you can venture down to the Chambersburg section of Trenton and try it at "Delorenzo's Tomato Pies" on HAMILTON ST. The white clam pies at the Hudson street establishment of the same name (I think it's the same family, but not the same business) is not as good.

And my response to Mr. Shaw:Fat Guy, "...but I'd have to hear more from you about why you like some pizzerias better than others." There is a special quality of the crust at Totonnos that I find unique and rustic. When you examine the bottom of a slice there is sort of an uneven, slightly charred, slightly powdery "landscape". Although it is not the thinnest crust, it's texture acts very favorably on my palette. The only way to describe it is to compare it to the bottom of a bialy, which the outter crust in general reminds me of. Being of Italian and Jewish heritage, perhaps that is why I am partial to it. When I go to Totonnos I usually eat a whole pie, but I only eat two thirds of each slice, bringing home the crusts and a bit of the slices that have sauce and cheese. I stick them in the toaster oven in the morning to have for breakfast. Joel has suggested breaking the crust into smaller pieces and frying it up with eggs, but I have yet to try that. As I had indicated and you have acknowledged, I do strongly prefer fresh mozzarella, which I find especially tasty at Grimaldi's as well as Totonnos. As with L&B, Totonno also sprinkles on a small amount of grated cheese of some kind that contrasts well with the sweetness of the sauce. I have spoken with Joel about the freshness and high quality of the tomatoes that he grinds each day and I think that his attention in that area has added to the quality of the pie. Although the crust at Grimaldi's is not quite as "rustic", I enjoy the pies there almost as much as Totonno's because they have a very fresh taste. I especially enjoy the considerable amount of fresh basil used by Sean in Hoboken. "...what were the defects you think you detected in the Sally's pie you had?" I did enjoy the uneven presentation, but the cheese wasn't to my liking. Again a fundemental difference in preference. And although it has nothing to do with the quality of the pie, the wait was quite intolerable. When I have to wait two hours beyond being hungry, when I finally sit down I am full of stress from the lack of food that no meal can easily tame. "What causes you to rate Grimaldi's ahead of Patsy's?" Freshness of the cheese and sauce. Although I request the fresh mozzarella at Patsy's, it does not seem to be as fresh as either Totonno's or Grimaldis. In addition the sauce seems a little "pastie". The sauce in my Holy Trinity appears to simply be ground San Marzano tomatoes. That again could be a matter of taste, but I much prefer the "Al Naturale" approach. BTW, I always order my pies with no topping.

Here's Mr. Shaw's reply:Paul, who told you about my pizza-and-drinking problem? I've been trying to keep that a secret! There is internal consistent logic to your opinions, and I mean that as a compliment. You know what you like, and you know what you don't like, and I think your pizzeria recommendations follow those preferences. I think I just happen to disagree with you fundamentally about what makes pizza good. I think the original East Harlem Patsy's stands head and shoulders abouve the other NYC thin crust joints and I think the pizza there is better if you get it without the fresh mozzarella. Likewise, as you know, I think Sally's is a lot better than Patsy's, and therefore better by a longshot than anything in New York. I doubt either one of us is being biased by inconsistency. I've been to all these places enough to be comfortable with my conclusions, and it sounds as though the same is true of you for the most part. There's not much more I can say without wholesale repetition of what I've written already on fat-guy.com. I'd like to get to the bottom of our fundamental disagreement, but I'd have to hear more from you about why you like some pizzerias better than others. For example, what were the defects you think you detected in the Sally's pie you had? What causes you to rate Grimaldi's ahead of Patsy's? The one thing I can definitely get from your conclusions is that you like fresh mozzarella on pizza. That's a starting-point for a disagreement: I thing low-moisture mozzarella is often better in this particular application. Taking it one day at a time . . . -------------- Steven A. Shaw Fat-Guy.com eGullet Community Coordinator, New York "You ring. We bring."

There were some posts I made in another forum that have some relavance here so I am copying them here. I hope that is not against Message Board etiquette. Here's the first:Fat Guy, I sent you the email below prior to realizing you had a message board associated with your site. I have included the email below so others can read it as well. I have been reading your reviews for a number of years now and have have tried and come to love some of your recommendations. In particular, I headed up to Briarcliff Manor and checked out the steak at The Flame. Although I was rushed because I arrived so late, I did enjoy the steak and the after dinner grappa (gratus). More importantly, I have been going to Christos Hasapos-Taverna quite often with various friends and loved ones and have never gone wrong. I visited there a few weeks ago sandwiched in between visits to Peter Luger and those visits didn't pale the flavor and tenderness of Christo's porterhouse. And if I knew how to properly cook a steak I would go there with a cooler to stock up on the incredibly reasonably priced dry-aged porterhouse. How can you go wrong at $11.99 a pound. Peter Luger sells them for $133 plus $29.95 overnight shipping (only option in the drop down box) for two 38 oz steaks. Now that I have gotten your attention, I have to ask you to lay off the vino before you go out on your pizza parlor visits. I have been going to most, if not all of the coal oven pizzerias in the tri-state area for the past few years. One thing that I have noticed is that they have been, contrary to your opinion, pretty consistent. Although I agree whole-heartedly with you about the inferior quality of the East Side Totonnos, I continue to frequent the Coney Island original and have never been disappointed. I don't get it. Perhaps Joel and Cookie go out of their way to make your visit unpleasant. You certainly wouldn't be the first or last to experience that kind of treatment. The other place that has remained top-notch is Grimaldi's. The pies are always delicious to me. And if you haven't had the please to experience the wonderful Irish hospitality of Sean and Bernadette at the Hoboken branch (perhaps you didn't mention it because it's in Jersey), you should get youf "Fat" behind out there in a hurry. Just as good and consistent. Although the cheese isn't quite the same as Totonno's or Grimaldi's, I have also regularly enjoyed the pies at Lombardi's. I also visit Patsy's occasionally on my way to Yankee games and although their pies are very good, they certainly don't belong on the top of the list. Especially if you don't get the fresh mozzarella. Now the topper was the detour I took with my family to New Haven strictly on your recommendation on my way back from Boston, to visit Sally's. Although the pizza was better than most, no way was it as good as my Holy Trinity (Totonno's, Grimaldi's Brooklyn and Hoboken). And it certainly wasn't worth the two hour wait that we endured before we finally got to get served at 10 PM (Granted, It was a Saturday night.). BTW, if you are ever up in Boston, and would like to sample the best fried calamari on the planet (I haved had it in Sicily, The Isle of Capri and Genoa), try the Daily Catch on Hanover and Prince. It is an amazing little (and I do mean little) Sicilian Seafood restaurant. I can't vouch for their other two locations though. Now back to pizza. Although your updated pizza reviews really rubbed me the wrong way, my faith in your opinion was greatly restored when I read your review on the Sicilian slices at L&B. I've been going there for thirty years (I think). Truly a great Sicilian slice in a class by itself. And the rainbow spumoni ices are a unique treasure as well. Regards, Paul Giannone, Warren, NJ (By way of The Borough of Churches)

The relationship between the Brooklyn and Hoboken Grimaldi's is this; Sean McHugh built the oven for Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and was asked by the owner if he wanted to join in business with him in a place in Hoboken (Since it is against regulations to build a new coal oven in Manhattan).

Fat Guy, "...but I'd have to hear more from you about why you like some pizzerias better than others." There is a special quality of the crust at Totonnos that I find unique and rustic. When you examine the bottom of a slice there is sort of an uneven, slightly charred, slightly powdery "landscape". Although it is not the thinnest crust, it's texture acts very favorably on my palette. The only way to describe it is to compare it to the bottom of a bialy, which the outter crust in general reminds me of. Being of Italian and Jewish heritage, perhaps that is why I am partial to it. When I go to Totonnos I usually eat a whole pie, but I only eat two thirds of each slice, bringing home the crusts and a bit of the slices that have sauce and cheese. I stick them in the toaster oven in the morning to have for breakfast. Joel has suggested breaking the crust into smaller pieces and frying it up with eggs, but I have yet to try that. As I had indicated and you have acknowledged, I do strongly prefer fresh mozzarella, which I find especially tasty at Grimaldi's as well as Totonnos. As with L&B, Totonno also sprinkles on a small amount of grated cheese of some kind that contrasts well with the sweetness of the sauce. I have spoken with Joel about the freshness and high quality of the tomatoes that he grinds each day and I think that his attention in that area has added to the quality of the pie. Although the crust at Grimaldi's is not quite as "rustic", I enjoy the pies there almost as much as Totonno's because they have a very fresh taste. I especially enjoy the considerable amount of fresh basil used by Sean in Hoboken. "...what were the defects you think you detected in the Sally's pie you had?" I did enjoy the uneven presentation, but the cheese wasn't to my liking. Again a fundemental difference in preference. And although it has nothing to do with the quality of the pie, the wait was quite intolerable. When I have to wait two hours beyond being hungry, when I finally sit down I am full of stress from the lack of food that no meal can easily tame. "What causes you to rate Grimaldi's ahead of Patsy's?" Freshness of the cheese and sauce. Although I request the fresh mozzarella at Patsy's, it does not seem to be as fresh as either Totonno's or Grimaldis. In addition the sauce seems a little "pastie". The sauce in my Holy Trinity appears to simply be ground San Marzano tomatoes. That again could be a matter of taste, but I much prefer the "Al Naturale" approach. BTW, I always order my pies with no topping.

I too am a Peter Luger fan. Although I haven't been to the other New York Steakhouses, I choose to believe what most others say when they indicate that I'm not going to top that Williamsburg classic. I have discovered, thanks to The Fat Guy, an excellent Greek Restaurant in Astoria that serves up a dry-aged porterhouse for two that's pretty close to the Peter Luger version in terns of tenderness and flavor. The name of the place is Christos Hasapos-Taverna (Butcher Shop and Tavern). The Greek food is excellent, the lemon potatoes rival Luger's home fries as a steak accompniment and the steak for two is about $20 less. And you can buy dry-aged proterhouse on the way out for $11.99 a pound. Try it. You'll like it.

BTW, you can get an excellent white clam pizza in the Chambersburg section of Trenton at a place called Delorenzo's Tomato Pie's on HAMILTON ST. I prefer it to the one on Hudson St. Same family but not the same business or recipes.

Fat Guy, I sent you the email below prior to realizing you had a message board associated with your site. I have included the email below so others can read it as well. I have been reading your reviews for a number of years now and have have tried and come to love some of your recommendations. In particular, I headed up to Briarcliff Manor and checked out the steak at The Flame. Although I was rushed because I arrived so late, I did enjoy the steak and the after dinner grappa (gratus). More importantly, I have been going to Christos Hasapos-Taverna quite often with various friends and loved ones and have never gone wrong. I visited there a few weeks ago sandwiched in between visits to Peter Luger and those visits didn't pale the flavor and tenderness of Christo's porterhouse. And if I knew how to properly cook a steak I would go there with a cooler to stock up on the incredibly reasonably priced dry-aged porterhouse. How can you go wrong at $11.99 a pound. Peter Luger sells them for $133 plus $29.95 overnight shipping (only option in the drop down box) for two 38 oz steaks. Now that I have gotten your attention, I have to ask you to lay off the vino before you go out on your pizza parlor visits. I have been going to most, if not all of the coal oven pizzerias in the tri-state area for the past few years. One thing that I have noticed is that they have been, contrary to your opinion, pretty consistent. Although I agree whole-heartedly with you about the inferior quality of the East Side Totonnos, I continue to frequent the Coney Island original and have never been disappointed. I don't get it. Perhaps Joel and Cookie go out of their way to make your visit unpleasant. You certainly wouldn't be the first or last to experience that kind of treatment. The other place that has remained top-notch is Grimaldi's. The pies are always delicious to me. And if you haven't had the please to experience the wonderful Irish hospitality of Sean and Bernadette at the Hoboken branch (perhaps you didn't mention it because it's in Jersey), you should get youf "Fat" behind out there in a hurry. Just as good and consistent. Although the cheese isn't quite the same as Totonno's or Grimaldi's, I have also regularly enjoyed the pies at Lombardi's. I also visit Patsy's occasionally on my way to Yankee games and although their pies are very good, they certainly don't belong on the top of the list. Especially if you don't get the fresh mozzarella. Now the topper was the detour I took with my family to New Haven strictly on your recommendation on my way back from Boston, to visit Sally's. Although the pizza was better than most, no way was it as good as my Holy Trinity (Totonno's, Grimaldi's Brooklyn and Hoboken). And it certainly wasn't worth the two hour wait that we endured before we finally got to get served at 10 PM (Granted, It was a Saturday night.). BTW, if you are ever up in Boston, and would like to sample the best fried calamari on the planet (I haved had it in Sicily, The Isle of Capri and Genoa), try the Daily Catch on Hanover and Prince. It is an amazing little (and I do mean little) Sicilian Seafood restaurant. I can't vouch for their other two locations though. Now back to pizza. Although your updated pizza reviews really rubbed me the wrong way, my faith in your opinion was greatly restored when I read your review on the Sicilian slices at L&B. I've been going there for thirty years (I think). Truly a great Sicilian slice in a class by itself. And the rainbow spumoni ices are a unique treasure as well. Regards, Paul Giannone, Warren, NJ (By way of The Borough of Churches)