Jeff L

I don't know what a Paco jet is either but meatball sandwiches and STH menu items really aren't in the same league are they? Not speaking for Alcibiades but I think she means that meatball sandwiches by their very nature tend to be a bit pedestrian shall I say, or at the least, quite easily reproduced in ones own home. I suppose the argument could be made that cheesesteaks and roast pork sandwiches can also be made at home but somehow certain restaurant made ones tend to get elevated in these parts as "destination worthy" items.

I must agree with you here!

I'm game, I think

You could really go further and lament the fact that there are too few good restaurants period. I like Conte's for tomato pies and I like Tortugas Mexican Village and finally, I think Masala Grill has passable Indian fare. Forget all the rest, but just outside of Princeton is Tre Pianni which is really the only decent Italian for miles. Only Tre Pianni is not byo.

My house, really. It's a special thing of beauty for me. I usually make dozens of them in my All Clad Stockpot along with my sauce. I've been disappointed with mostly every meatball sandwich I've tried in the Philly area and beyond.

This would be just about impossible for me to order. I suppose I could bring myself to taste a piece of someone else's pie however.

Rich, get to Jo-Jo's. It's worth the trip. What is the deal with mustard pies? Sounds awful to me.

Agree that Jo-Jo's and Top Road pies are excellent but better than Delo Hudson Street? I like both of these pies a lot and also Conti's in Princeton, but none, imho are close to Delorenzo's. I haven't been to Ivy or Champions but didn't much care for the pie at Papa's.

Funny you say that, I just had my last bottle of the Poet yesterday at lunch. This is the reason I was asking about the syrah. The Poet is one of my favorite wines and I'm hoping the syrah will be great too. At 10 bucks, it's surely worth it to find out. Just was curious as to others reactions.

Has anyone tried the Cosentino Syrah that is currently a Chairmans selection? It's flying off the shelves in Newtown and before I go somewhere else I was just wondering if anyone has opinions on the stuff.

I've enjoyed it each of the three times I've been. Good food, nice space and really professional waitstaff. I think your colleagues will like it. Fwiw, I really don't get what the fuss is about with Rats.

Todd, I must say I am sad to hear of your decision to close Mandoline. Along with others on this board, I really enjoyed your food and personal touches very much. I am happy I got to host the DDC dinner there a while back and somehow thought that would go a long way to introduce people to your cuisine. I'm also glad I got to bring my wife in that one Saturday night without reservation! Looking forward to your rebirth at Deuce.

Excellent suggestions all

It is with deep sadness that I report on the passing of one of Trenton's finest pizza men, Chick Delorenzo. He started the venerable Delorenzo's tomato pie over 60 years ago and it still remains the best pie in the state today in many folks opinion(including mine) I had the pleasure of knowing him while he was still turning out those pies in the oven so many years ago. He will be missed but it is heartening to know that both his son-in-law and grandson keep the tradition moving forward.

Bumping up this almost 4 year old thread, I just had lunch in Princeton yesterday at a relatively new place called Magma Pizza. Really bad choice of name but the deal here is that they bake your pizza (and some sandwiches) on a volcanic stone and lava rocks. The kitchen area looks like something from the set of Star Trek featuring a volcano like structure rising from the oven/rotisserie to the ceiling. Peculiar to be sure but the pie was amazingly good. I chatted with the owner, Gabe, who hails from Damascus (who knew Syrians knew about pizza?) and learned that he is looking to open in another similarly densely populated area. I tried to convince him to consider Newtown in Bucks County but he passed. We ordered a large pizza with fresh garlic and fresh basil. It came out in under 5 minutes. The crust was impossibly thin and light and airy but full of crunch and great flavor. They put whole leaf basil on every other piece and sprinkled whole garlic cloves. The pie was inhaled in about the time it took to cook it. Excellent in all respects and a close 2nd to Delorenzo's (Really) It is located a few doors down from the Sam's Club on Nassau Park Blvd just off Route 1 south of Princeton. Here is their website: http://www.magmapizza.com/

No, I'm not sure. This is a link to "Slice" and it's pretty comprehensive although it doesn't answer the tomato pie origination question: http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2005...enzos_toma.html

Jeff, once again beautiful pictures. Here I was excited when the original Joe's Peking Duck House moved out to my area in Langhorne, but this place looks unreal!

You are referring to the Philly style tomato pie which indeed is cheeseless. Many bakeries carry this thing which isn't bad but is not a Trenton style tomato pie, it's not a pizza at all. Trenton, I believe, has coined the word tomato pie which is a thin crust pizza with just a little cheese and a sauce blend of chopped and ground tomato on top with the usual spices. The very best example of this pizza imo is Delorenzo's on Hudson. I am somewhat of a purist and always order a plain tomato pie with just garlic which has roasted garlic pieces embedded in the sauce, quite tasty indeed.

Just some background, that lady is Eileen Amico whose dad, Chick was the founder of the original Delorenzo's along with his brother who now operates Delorenzo's on Hamilton Avenue. Their pie is really good but not as good as Hudson Street. In case you didn't know, the guy making your pizza is Eileen and Gary's son Sammy. He will be moving in to a brand new Delorenzo's slated to open later this year in Robbinsville. I think you better get back again soon cause it's anyone's guess how much longer Gary wants to keep the place going after Sammy's place is running. We should get some folks together and do a friday lunch as that's really the best day and time to go...no wait, pizza piping hot on the table when you arrive. I've been going for almost 40 years!

Rockhopper, that Alfred's pie really looked like Delorenzo's pie down to the spacing of the cheese and tomato vs cheese balance. Next thing you'll tell me is that they cut it with a knife and not a pizza slicer. I would be interested in trying this pie but that thing from Venuto's looked just awful. Really, a bathroom for patrons at Alfreds, what's up with that

That's because you apparently haven't tried Delorenzo's tomato pie in Trenton yet ← I live further from Trenton now than I did before. I may never try Delorenzo's. ← Trust me, it's worth the drive. Better than any pie I've tasted in PA or NJ hands down.

That's because you apparently haven't tried Delorenzo's tomato pie in Trenton yet

Yeah it was. I picked up a 2001 cab from Napa not Alexander Valley. These are going for around $100 per bottle.

Isn't is way overpriced for what it is? ← Let's put it this way, I wouldn't pay the $100 retail price. I picked up a case of the 2001 in NJ for $59 per bottle and think it was worth every penny. I still believe it was mismarked but failed to bring it to anyone's attention

No worries, I have about 6 bottles left. Beautiful wine isn't it?