Question Of The Day #17

What is your favorite style of pizza? Why? And, what pizzeria best exemplifies it?

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Honestly, I like traditional margherita pizza with the very thin crust, fresh mozzarella, thick tomato sauce, and basil. I haven't found anywhere locally to get it, but it's pretty much everywhere in Italy.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Okay, it must first be said that my wife is a self-described pizza slut: She has never met a pizza she didn't like, and grew up (in Illinois) with something called 'taco pizza' which is every bit as gross as it sounds. So that's the environment in which my pizza consumption exists.

When I'm being critical - like, when I want good pizza - I'm super traditional: Margherita all the way. If I deviate, I don't like to have more than three toppings. (All three of those toppings can be meat, btw.)

It has to be a thin crust - I will cut any one of you em effers who even attempt to suggest that deep dish is pizza. I will happily eat deep dish, which can be crazy delicious. But it is comprehensively NOT PIZZA.

If I just want something for quick delivery, I'm happy getting from a variety of places. But expectations are in check, and in those instances, I will also deviate from the three topping rule depending on the source. I also maintain that Little Caesar's makes the best cold leftover/breakfast pizza. In college, we would order an extra pie just to cover the next morning. (Two slices stacked, top to top.... pizza sandwich!)

Favorite pizza ever? Margherita from the wood fired oven at Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco. They only make like six dozen pies a day, and it's amazeballs.

bradtg

How can one pick?!? More importantly, why? Next to the Mission Style burrito (SF local, here), it is the world's second perfect food. As such, it merits every regional and personal touch available. With my pizza, I tend to abide by the "when in Rome" standard. When in NYC? I fold it over. When in CHI? You better believe I go in elbow deep with fork and knife. When reminiscing about childhood days or just feeling lazy? I slice a loaf of french bread in half, slather on some marinara and mozzarella, bake, and call it good. Rather than siding with a single type, learn to appreciate, expect, and compare apples to apples based specific levels of quality that a "good" pizza of the genre at hand should be judged against.

Seth_Ratner_91225

Big, fluffy crust. I actually really like the new Dominos formula, which I know the purists cringe at. But I like bread. Oh well

tshewman

Thin crust margherita and roasted garlic or a simple pepperoni pizza. For the Margherita, the one I make myself is as close as I can get to what I really like locally (Columbus sucks for pizza). Paris (a bit of a commute) and Milan (go figure) are the two places I've had it where it was exceptional. For pepperoni, Rocco's (brooklyn?) or.........near university pl (don't recall the name but could drive there if I was in the area :-)..) in Seattle (University hang out and LOTS of cheese which use to be my ultimate guilt meal) or New York style thin crust pepperoni.

robmcquarrie

Neapolitan, www.famoso.ca or for non chain http://www.pizzeriarosso109.com/

Not sure why, I like the minimal and quality toppings and chewy crust maybe.

Dean_Medico_1611

www.pizzaluca.com

interim17

Pizza should have a thin, lightly charred, and crispy crust under a moderately sauced, tender and yet chewy crumb, that is no thicker than 4 cm. The pie should be ringed by leopard spotted bubbles, but high contrast photogenic crusts are not worth underbaking the pie. Even browning is worth it for crispyness and to avoid floppy slices and doughy interiors. I recuse myself from naming a favorite pizzeria. Pizza forever.

michaelnatkin

Joe is being modest in recusing himself, because he is the maestro of Team ChefSteps' favorite pizzeria: http://www.theindiepizzeria.com/ - and just thinking about his pie is making me extremely hungry right now.

Nicolas_55626

Neapolitan, perfect balance between the crust and the tooping .

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Difficult topic for me, in Sweden Pizza has become a subculture of originally small shops opened by turkish immigrants, a really nice thin dough and then anything goes as for topping.

My favorites would be the Swedish Style Calzone, possibly the steak and bearnaise but I also really need the cabbage salad we always eat...

And no, I don't really dig any American style pies.

Swedish style calzone - https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sNy2UKPsRjA/UPjElMRjwGI/AAAAAAAAM9Q/qoG4tjtPBzY/w1040-h1392-no/IMG_4267.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fXtJPjtNYFY/UqKG1pPW07I/AAAAAAAAgYg/1mnrhkcKDrg/w1043-h1392-no/13%2B-%2B3

Cabbage salad https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ak4g3nn4qio/UqKG1hW0ODI/AAAAAAAAgZQ/PUt95iDb-Is/w1043-h1392-no/13%2B-%2B4

http://gawker.com/5919906/dear-sweden-what-the-hell-are-you-putting-on-your-pizza

Jess_Voelker_90708

Could not agree more with this. I miss East Coast pizza horribly out here in Seattle, but I do get to eat good thin-crust Neapolitan-ish pizza all the time—and I'd miss the great pizza here if I moved. To me they are completely distinct from one another, and should all be embraced. That said, I have yet to try a Chicago-style I loved. Will keep trying.

Brendan_Lee_56950

The kind in my belly. I have an affinity for traditional neapolitan style but honestly i'd eat any slice of pizza put in front of me

Brendan_Lee_56950

Floppy Slices, that would be a great band name

DiggingDogFarm_65362

One name, vastly different styles.

I have a lot of favorites, but New York style tops the list.

Puffy open-crumb outer crust tapering down to a very thin, crisply bottomed center crust...never doughy....somewhat charred....perfectly foldable.

Lightly sauced with the a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness.......full-fat mozzarella.

Heaven when done right.

robert.c.brown15

I'm really enjoying a hot oil pizza from a place called Rico's (or Colony Pizza) here in CT. Super thin crust, like a cracker, sauce, cheese, and then they rub a jalapeno oil over all of it. Really hard to describe honestly as it is pretty unique, but really good.

Jack_Mayer_85396

Ha Ha B, years ago there was a cool house band in Austin named "Rotel and the Hot Totamoes" They were pretty good

michaelnatkin

Whoah that's different!

robert.c.brown15

Yeah, here is a link I found about it.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/how-to-make-hot-chile-infused-olive-oil-for-pizza.html

It is actually Colony grill. Interesting story actually. Apparently former workers at Colony Grill left years ago and went to Rico's pizza. They took the recipe with him so now Colony Grill and Rico's sell literally the exact same pizzas. You couldn't tell them apart if you tried.

Matt_67991

AH! DOPPELGAENGER

ttpoker

Virtually everything Americans think of when they ponder the topic of pizza is wrong, instead of looking to NY, Chicago or CT as the Mecca of pizza; aficionados should look to Naples, Italy for the real deal. Its an incredibly lite yet complex experience that purists will flock to.

Tim_Sutherland_52834

The best pizza I had was a few weeks ago at Next in Chicago. It was the size of your thumb nail and tasted of the cheapest, nastiest, microwaved reheated, left over pizza - it was so good, served on a pin, eaten with tweezers.

Image 2 on the link shows it. I will have to wait for the recipe ebook to come out to see how they made it.

Scott_Callender_34706

Pizzeria da Michele in Naples. Una Pizza Napoletana in SF. Done.

ttpoker

Places in the USA that do a close facsimile are those that are licensed vera pizza napoletana. Chris Bianco's in Phoenix. Settebello. Even the current pizza posterboy for aping various styles of pizza makes a solid fascimalie albeit he is not vera pizza napolitana licensed --- Tony Gemignani's Tony's Pizza Napoletana and Pizza Rock are both solid even though they are not the real deal - provided we are only discussing his Napolitana MARGHERITA 17 (and nothing else).

jason.r.whitworth

Have they come out with any more of those ebooks? I have the first one and it seems like they stopped doing it.

Tim_Sutherland_52834

There are only two, Paris 1906 and Tour of Thailand. They update the site and it shows Trio, which is their current menu, so one can hope Next will get more ebooks out.

Preston_Ogden_111330

Pompieri Pizza in Durham, N.C. The best Neapolitan style pizza restaurant in North Carolina. They make everything from scratch, including the mozzarella cheese.

jason.r.whitworth

Thanks!

Nick_14981

I believe it's basically "neoplolitan style", thin crust, light tomato sauce minimal, but very good ingredients, baked hot and fast. There's a place here in Minneapolis called Punch Pizza that does a great example the style I'm talking about.

Tony_Scardino_35048

As I true pizza lover and lifetime Pizzaiolo I could never just pick one style of pizza. If your wanting an outlet to truly go off the pizza deep end look no further than The Pizza Bible. Author Tony Gemignani gives you 1,000 pages of pizza bliss. All of my favorites are covered. Neapolitan (my professional background/fav in country: Una Pizza Neapolitana), Sicilian/Grandma: Di Faras, Chicago Deep Dish: Pequads. The list goes on and on. Check out some of the Sicilian/Grandma Pizzas I've been concepting at the Rational Corporate Kitchen.

Tony_Scardino_35048

More from the Rational Kitchen. Steam works wonders on pizza!