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America's Best? Pizza


Naftal

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Hello- Have you seen this article on the "best" pizza in each state?......Comments?

 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/best-pizzeria-in-every-state-101712153222.html

"As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex.Except for salami and eggs...Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced"--Alan King (1927-2004)

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"Best" is subjective. I live in NJ and in fact could walk to the named "best" pizza joint, DeLorenzo's. It is excellent thin crust pizza. But if you like a thicker/chewier crust, you wouldn't agree. So how can they say that a specific style/type is superior?

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"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

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"Best" is subjective. I live in NJ and in fact could walk to the named "best" pizza joint, DeLorenzo's. It is excellent thin crust pizza. But if you like a thicker/chewier crust, you wouldn't agree. So how can they say that a specific style/type is superior?

I agree that "best" is subjective .  That is why I am interested in how people feel about the places listed for their areas. 

"As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex.Except for salami and eggs...Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced"--Alan King (1927-2004)

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Subjective or not, Grotto's is not even close to the best pizza in DE.  But it is a state-wide chain with a unique take on pizza - concentric circle of cheese with sauce showing in between - that probably has some big fans.  

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The author got my state (CT.) right, Naftal. Pepe's is the best because of their tomato-free clam pie. But as he suggests, there are an awful lot of close runner-ups, all one one small street near Yale univ. Before they opened a branch in my neighborhood, I would occasionally drive 40 miles for a Pepe's!

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If the choice for California is any indication, this is a silly list. I have nothing against Pizzaiolo in Oakland, and I have recommended this place to others. But Pizzaiolo is not clearly better than a host of other pizzerias that I frequent in the Bay Area, never mind the entire state!

 

Pizzaiolo might qualify for the categories of most trendy, most talked-about, and most overpriced. That doesn't go to the quality of their pizza, of course, which (despite these negatives) is as good as any I've tried. Pizzaiolo also has a country club side. On two occasions I've dropped by for an evening meal, only to find the restaurant closed for a charity event of some kind--sustainable agriculture and organic food issues. Yes, even their charity concerns are high-end.  

 

California has too many great pizzerias to come up with one that is "best." In the Bay Area I like the Cheese Board in Berkeley (probably my fave), Delfina in SF, and Tony Gemignani's. I've eaten some great pizza at the Gather restaurant in downtown Berkeley. I also like a little neighborhood place, Benchmark Pizzeria in Kensington. This list of Bay Area pizzerias from SF Eater is pretty good:

http://sf.eater.com/maps/san-franciscos-25-most-iconic-pizzerias

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If the choice for California is any indication, this is a silly list. I have nothing against Pizzaiolo in Oakland, and I have recommended this place to others. But Pizzaiolo is not clearly better than a host of other pizzerias that I frequent in the Bay Area, never mind the entire state!

[...]

California has too many great pizzerias to come up with one that is "best." In the Bay Area I like the Cheese Board in Berkeley (probably my fave), Delfina in SF, and Tony Gemignani's. I've eaten some great pizza at the Gather restaurant in downtown Berkeley. I also like a little neighborhood place, Benchmark Pizzeria in Kensington. This list of Bay Area pizzerias from SF Eater is pretty good:

http://sf.eater.com/maps/san-franciscos-25-most-iconic-pizzerias

 

And here's what might be a perfect example of preference making a particular pizza "the best."  Cheese Board pizza is beloved by many, attested to by the long lines of people waiting for a slice or a pie.  And I don't like it at all.  However, a shop somewhat further south on Shattuck puts out slices that I love.  Is it great pizza?  Probably not by many contemporary standards, yet I love it because it's truly the closest to a NYC neighborhood "slice joint," which, since I'm from NY, makes the Arinell pie one of my favorites.

 

I'll have to try Benchmark in Kensington.

Edited by Shel_B (log)

 ... Shel


 

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Author missed the boat on Pennsylvania pizza.  Any of the numerous pizzerias in Old Forge should have made the list.  

 

I grew up in Scranton and we went to Old Forge weekly. 

 

It wasn't until I was in college in NY that I saw a round pizza.  I thought, wow, that's different.  

 

See here for story on Old Forge pizza: 

 

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/08/old-forge-pennsylvania-pizza.html

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Hey SylviaLovegren,

 

I've only been to Toronto once, a long, long time ago.

 

Here's a link to an article about Toronto's "top 20 pizza places":  www.nowtoronto.com/food/story.cfm?content=190800

 

This article is dated 1-17-2013.

 

I looked up the first ten on yelp, and Libretto Pizzeria sounded the best to me. Picea 997 and Stradi 24 have closed per yelp. Terroni sounds like it's run by the Pizza Nazi, but might have good food if you can put up with that.

 

I wondered if you had tried any of the restaurants in the article. It seems that such a large metropolis as Toronto would have a lot of options for many cuisines, including Italian.

 

I remember eating very well while I was there, but I'm the type more likely to be impressed by a restaurant recommended by Michael and Jane Stern than my Michelin. :-)

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> ^ . . ^ <

 

 

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Hey SylviaLovegren,

 

I've only been to Toronto once, a long, long time ago.

 

Here's a link to an article about Toronto's "top 20 pizza places":  www.nowtoronto.com/food/story.cfm?content=190800

 

This article is dated 1-17-2013.

 

I looked up the first ten on yelp, and Libretto Pizzeria sounded the best to me. Picea 997 and Stradi 24 have closed per yelp. Terroni sounds like it's run by the Pizza Nazi, but might have good food if you can put up with that.

 

I wondered if you had tried any of the restaurants in the article. It seems that such a large metropolis as Toronto would have a lot of options for many cuisines, including Italian.

 

I remember eating very well while I was there, but I'm the type more likely to be impressed by a restaurant recommended by Michael and Jane Stern than my Michelin. :-)

 

 

No, I hadn't seen that, thank you!  Libretto and Terroni sound the best to me, too, and Libretto isn't terribly far away, so good chance.  The thing is, most of the places in the article are "fancy" pizza, which is fine.  But when you're watching football or coming in after a hard day's raking,  I don't want fancy pizza.  I want a traditional NJ/NY style pie with either a thick or thin crust, some nice tomato sauce and some cheese.  Don't give me all the dang toppings!  OK, half mushroom and they better be canned...:) 

 

A place opened up near us with a wood burning pizza oven but the result is very meh. Expensive and meh.

 

There are LOTS of good restaurants in Toronto.  But casual pizza joints, at least in my neighborhood, are pretty bad.   Pineapple pizza is common and one chain offers "garlic sauce" (looks like mayo with stuff) to dip the pizza in!  The horror. 

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Author missed the boat on Pennsylvania pizza.  Any of the numerous pizzerias in Old Forge should have made the list.  

 

I grew up in Scranton and we went to Old Forge weekly. 

 

It wasn't until I was in college in NY that I saw a round pizza.  I thought, wow, that's different.  

 

See here for story on Old Forge pizza: 

 

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/08/old-forge-pennsylvania-pizza.html

Old Forge pizza?  An upstate aberration. 

 

Pennsylvania really is two states. The SE 4 or 5 counties and the rest of  the Penn State-rooting, inbreeding, possum-eating backwoods pizza-mutating folk.

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.......inbreeding, possum-eating backwoods pizza-mutating folk.

 

 

Yep, that's us.  :biggrin:

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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