PIZZA CLUB 2006

[KatieLoeb]

Katie or Holly -- can you put this on the eG Calendar?

I'm way ahead of you darlin'. It's been there since early this week.

[Rich Pawlak]

I'm in.

[MarketStEl]

Ouch!

I now find myself with a schedule conflict, and am asking you all for either advice or forebearance.

This Saturday, one of our English professors and her students are running a "backstage with Shakespeare" workshop for Chester and Ridley Township school children. The kids will be able to try on costumes, learn about special effects and try out lines from Shakespeare. (The Ridley kids will also act out a scene from one of his plays.)

One of the Delaware County weeklies wants to run a photo from the event, which we will supply.

We have no freelance photographers--we take the pictures as well as write the releases and pitches. Which means I've got to be in Chester for at least part of the time between 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

I'm thinking I can get some good shots from the first hour, catch the 3 pm bus back to Swarthmore, return to Philly at 4 and meet everyone at 4:30.

Would any of you have problems with kicking off the tour at 4:30?

If so, do you all want to carry on without me and I'll catch up with you?

[jwjon1]

Would any of you have problems with kicking off the tour at 4:30?

If so, do you all want to carry on without me and I'll catch up with you? 

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do i hear a door of opportunity opening? I mentioned that my schedule doesn't allow me to participate on the 22nd. Is it possible that with this possible change of events the Pizza Club might consider starting on the 23rd... or 29th? Just throwing it out there... I have always enjoyed Shakespeare, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my appreciation of him spread to pizza as well

[KatieLoeb]

Ouch!

I now find myself with a schedule conflict, and am asking you all for either advice or forebearance.

This Saturday, one of our English professors and her students are running a "backstage with Shakespeare" workshop for Chester and Ridley Township school children. The kids will be able to try on costumes, learn about special effects and try out lines from Shakespeare. (The Ridley kids will also act out a scene from one of his plays.)

One of the Delaware County weeklies wants to run a photo from the event, which we will supply.

We have no freelance photographers--we take the pictures as well as write the releases and pitches.  Which means I've got to be in Chester for at least part of the time between 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

I'm thinking I can get some good shots from the first hour, catch the 3 pm bus back to Swarthmore, return to Philly at 4 and meet everyone at 4:30.

Would any of you have problems with kicking off the tour at 4:30?

If so, do you all want to carry on without me and I'll catch up with you? 

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Sandy:

I'm perfectly happy to go later if that works for you, our host for this outing. Or go Sunday the 23rd instead. I'd just like to know sooner rather than later so I can plan the rest of my weekend.

Might I suggest we all PM Sandy with our availabilities and preferences from here forward and then he can post an announcement for all of us when the votes have been tallied.

[MarketStEl]

Might I suggest we all PM Sandy with our availabilities and preferences from here forward and then he can post an announcement for all of us when the votes have been tallied.

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Sounds like a good idea to me.

So far, I've gotten one vote for Sunday instead, and a post with similar sentiments here.

If any of the rest of you who are planning on coming Saturday can do Sunday, let me know via PM asap. Or let me know if you prefer a late start on Saturday. I'd be inclined towards moving to Sunday, but am flexible.

[MarketStEl]

Okay, the votes are in, and it looks like everyone is okay with moving this event to Sunday the 23rd.

In order to get things going before the post-game crowds hit, let's meet at Marra's at 2:30 p.m.

See you then. I'll call Marra's to make sure we have space for our large brood. (Edited to add: As of now, I count at least 6 confirmed or available.)

Edited April 19, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[Mummer]

Now that we're scheduled (again,) count me in!

[aaronwcpa]

I have been busy and not reading this board regularly but I would have liked to join this pizza adventure. Unfortunately we are having dinner to celebrate a family birthday at Chinatown Cafe. I still hope to make it to a pizza event one day.

[herbacidal]

Can't make it, have to work.

Although, if I understand the thrust of the thread correctly,

it's going to be Marra's and Celebre's, so I may have to stop by the second one.

[jwjon1]

will weather be influencing this outing, or is it rain or shine? I'm in either way, but would like to know either way so as to plan my afternoon. looking forward to it!

[Rich Pawlak]

I'm out, guys. The twins have colds and it's all hands on deck here. Sigh. I miss good pizza.

[Kobi]

So, how'd it go? Any pictures??

[MarketStEl]

So, how'd it go?  Any pictures?? 

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Later this evening. I need to recharge a bit after my foodblog.

[MarketStEl]

Now for the illustrated version. As part of our mission is to determine whether these "Best of Philly" pizza joints still turn out pizza worthy of the honor, I propose that each review end with a general conclusion: Still Worthy or No Longer Worthy.

I got off the 23 bus a block ahead of where I needed to, just to make sure that Fiore's--one of the other Best of Philly winners along this stretch of East Passyunk--was well and truly out of business.

It was. So on down Passyunk, which wears its faded glory well, but also shows signs of new life:

to our first stop.

Some things never change, and Marra's is one of them.

Present for the kickoff of the 2006 Pizza Club Best of Philly Review Tour were Katie Loeb, Charlie (Mummer), and two newcomers, Amanda and Jason Jones, who came up from Wilmington for the event.

As we were a small group, we decided to order only two pizzas--the standard red-sauce-and-cheese "control pie" and a white specialty pie, the Alla Bianca, which was topped with sharp provolone, sausage, broccoli rabe and sun-dried tomatoes.

Our waitress delivered the red pie first:

Both the cheese and the crust were nicely charred, the crust just lightly:

The cheese pie had perfectly balanced flavors--not too much garlic and only a hint of sweetness in the sauce, a crust that was thick but light--not doughy at all, and a cheese blend that played off well against the sauce.

But that was only the warmup. The best was yet to come:

We were a little confused at first when the Alla Bianca arrived, for we found on evidence at all of the sun-dried tomatoes promised on the menu. Our waitress explained that the guy who created this pizza learned to bury the tomatoes beneath the cheese; otherwise, the tomatoes would burn. Upon closer inspection, we found them, peeking out from under a blanket of sharp Provolone:

This was a truly superlative pie. Again, the crust had good char:

and the mix of ingredients--all fresh--combined to produce a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. The sharp Provolone was eye-opening, but the broccoli rabe and the sausage--real slices of Italian sausage, not that crumbled pizza stuff--stood up to the cheese.

The chef whose creation it was let me see the vintage brick oven from which all Marra's pizzas emerge.

I must confess at this point that we are a wimpy bunch. The five of us failed to polish off all of the two large--and we mean large: 18 inches in diameter--pizzas, and we ended up each carrying home slices of each pie. We also concluded that we probably didn't have the stomach to take in three pizza places in this one sitting. So Celebre's--whose white pie was singled out for praise in a couple of the Best of Philly awards it won--will have to await a future trip.

The verdict on Marra's? Still Worthy, in spades.

Next stop was La Rosa, just a few doors down from Broad and Snyder. I must apologize for the oversight of omitting an exterior shot, but as this place is blink-and-you'll-miss-it small, and has no seating whatsoever, there wasn't much to photograph on the outside.

Inside, the five of us nearly took up all the available space, and Katie is convinced--and I'm inclined to agree--that our motley crew probably left them scratching their heads after we left.

Comparing La Rosa, which is a square-pie establishment, to Marra's is like comparing apples to oranges, we concluded. We did not order any of the red pies here:

but went straight for a variation on the pie that won La Rosa a Best of Philly, their white pie topped with potatoes. We decided that potatoes weren't enough and went for the fully loaded white pizza with vegetables.

After a few minutes, our pie went into their turbocharged pizza oven.

I'm sure there are other places with convection pizza ovens, but this is the first one I've run across. The constantly circulating air produces a crust that is not charred, but rather evenly browned:

Atop this sturdy crust is piled a heap o' veggies--chopped raw tomatoes (they will also slice them if you prefer, sliced onions, sweet peppers and potatoes, all on a mozzarella base. The sweet peppers were an interesting change of pace, as were the potatoes, which came out with the crunch and flavor you might expect from an unsalted potato chip.

We decided that this pie was sui generis and judged it Still Worthy. The staff apparently think so too, for they all wore T-shirts with big "#1" ribbons emblazoned on them.

While we waited for our pie, we tried to figure out what Mediterranean or Adriatic coastal town the mural was supposed to depict:

None of us knew, nor did any of the staff. Do any of you?

In place of Celebre's, we finished with water ice at Rita's, one block down at Jackson Street, partly in response to a request from a reader of my foodblog.

There were some interesting flavors on the menu today:

I decided to go with the passion fruit, and after she tasted it, Katie followed suit.

Jason went with the lemon, which was flecked with bits of peel.

Herb caught up with us here and ordered chocolate.

Cath also came around and chatted with us for a while. After that, we returned to our respective points of origin.

Rich: I'm sorry I didn't check out the thread before departing--you were missed and I wasn't aware that you had your hands full of sick children until I got back.

Two down, 40-some to go.

Edited to add a shot of the LaRosa pie fresh from the oven.

Edited April 25, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Marra's is indeed still quite worthy. Their pizza is excellent. It's that brick oven thing that Marra's and Tacconelli's both have going on that does something to the crust. Whereas Tac's has a thin crisp crust, Marra's is thicker and doughier, yet surprisingly not as leaden as one might imagine hearing it described as "doughy". It's doughy in a good way. And the real toppings make all the difference.

I confess I'd never even truly noticed our second stop, La Rosa until yesterday. I'm usually not a fan of the square Sicilian style pie but this one was really quite good. The sweet peppers and the thin slices of potato were delicious, and the nice even char on the crust that the convection oven created was great. Next time less toppings, but all in all a very fine example of the square pie genre.

I decided to go with the passion fruit, and after she tasted it, Katie followed suit.

I was planning to get the mango so we'd have a colorful array of different cups to show you all that aren't familiar with wooder ice, but once I tasted the passionfruit, I simply had to get it. It's delicious and one of the best Rita's flavors I've tasted.

[mrbigjas]

what's up with all the spoon usage? you don't eat water ice with a spoon...

[MarketStEl]

what's up with all the spoon usage?  you don't eat water ice with a spoon...

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If I lick or chow down too fast, I get a severe brain freeze.

Looking back at the categories I've established, I wonder whether we might encounter a pie that would deserve a third rating: Didn't Deserve the Honor to Begin With.

I can think of at least one candidate pie for this rating without even having been to the offending establishment yet.

[KatieLoeb]

Looking back at the categories I've established, I wonder whether we might encounter a pie that would deserve a third rating: Didn't Deserve the Honor to Begin With.

I can think of at least one candidate pie for this rating without even having been to the offending establishment yet.

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This is why I think there are several establishments, that while they may still be in business, won't necessarily be getting Pizza Club's business. Some of those winners were clearly not-even-also-rans that were given the honors so it didn't look like a pre-determined contest.

Pizza Hut? Really? I'm thinking not even on a good day...

Definitely in the Never Worthy category.

[mizducky]

Somebody put Pizza Smut on a "Best of Philly Pizza" list?!?!?!?!?

That's just sick and wrong.

[MarketStEl]

Somebody put Pizza Smut on a "Best of Philly Pizza" list?!?!?!?!?

That's just sick and wrong.

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In 1982, the year the Philadelphia "Best of Philly" editors focused on the 'burbs.

One might be inclined to say that this was actually a subtle thumbing of the editors' nose at the 'burbs, except:

1) We all know of places in the 'burbs that serve decent pizza (e.g., Rizzo's in Glenside);

2) there were other categories in which I think anyone could agree with their assessment of the winner as "Best of the 'Burbs";

3) in their sidebar for diehard city-lovers, the Best Pizza honors went to Pizzeria Uno, which, while admittedly several notches above Pizza Hut, is far from the best pizza in Philly and another possible candidate for the Didn't Deserve the Honor to Begin With rating.

Edited April 25, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

what's up with all the spoon usage?  you don't eat water ice with a spoon...

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This may be a silly question, but if that's the case, how does one eat the water ice that your tongue can't reach?

ETA: I may have been able to pull it off when I was much younger, but I think my face is now a little too big to get inside that cup.

Edited April 25, 2006 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[mrbigjas]

what's up with all the spoon usage?  you don't eat water ice with a spoon...

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This may be a silly question, but if that's the case, how does one eat the water ice that your tongue can't reach?

ETA: I may have been able to pull it off when I was much younger, but I think my face is now a little too big to get inside that cup.

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you squeeze the cup. by the time you're down to the very bottom it's mostly melted anyway and you can kinda drink it.

[mrbigjas]

One might be inclined to say that this was actually a subtle thumbing of the editors' nose at the 'burbs, except:

1) We all know of places in the 'burbs that serve decent pizza (e.g., Rizzo's in Glenside);

2) there were other categories in which I think anyone could agree with their assessment of the winner as "Best of the 'Burbs";

3) in their sidebar for diehard city-lovers, the Best Pizza honors went to Pizzeria Uno, which, while admittedly several notches above Pizza Hut, is far from the best pizza in Philly and another possible candidate for the Didn't Deserve the Honor to Begin With rating.

and 4) philadelphia magazine is written by and for suburbanites

[Kobi]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing!