Nothing better to do on a long weekend. Decided to check out the lauded pizza scene in New Haven, CT. Google maps says 75 miles from Manhattan - piece of cake right? Ends up being a nightmare 3 hr drive ala LA to Newport Beach on a weekday rush hour pre-Covid .
Anyway first stop Frank Pepe. Ordered the classic clam pizza with bacon. A bit too charred on the edges. Center is soft like a Neapolitan style pizza. Legit fresh from shell clams! A touch dry, felt it was missing some moisture in the form of oil or more cheese. Check out the coal fired brick oven and the world record longest pizza paddle! Rated #1 on the Daily meal 101 best pizza in America. Wait was not too bad ~ 50mins.
Next stop Sally’s, got in line however it was a 3 hour wait! Ugh, had to pass. Seems like a lot of hardcore fans. A group ahead of me was on their annual pilgrimage to Sally’s. Note to self, seems legit and need to plan ahead in the future.
Final stop in New Haven. Modern Apizza. Seems like a thing in New Haven, the additional ‘A’ in pizza… anyone know why? Another old school brick oven, most likely coal fired too. The recommended pizza is the Italian bomb, it’s like a meat lovers pizza. Unfortunately I think due to the quantity of ingredients, crust came out a bit soggy and undercooked. I’d recommend doing a single/simpler topping combo. Lots of regulars and relatively short wait - 15mins.
Dang this was excellent, crust was perfectly browned with just a hint of char at the edges. Excellent undercrust color too. I think they use a low-mo mootz… Nice moisture level. Crust thickness is perfect and no droopy wet center. Perfect combo of light crisp on the outside and slightly chewy interior.
Personally I’ve concluded NYC style pizza is my favorite. Perfect crust texture and thickness for a foldable slice. So far Lucali, Juliana, Prince St, John’s of Bleecker have been the standouts in a city littered with great pizza.
This claims it’s Neapolitan dialect, but that doesn’t make much sense, since the immigrants who started making pizza in New York were also from Naples. I can’t find any evidence that the word is used there.
Glad you got to try Lucali and that it was a great experience! I’ve never tried Juliana or Prince Street so have that on my list for my next NYC trip (whenever that will be… )
So many great pizza joints to try! Definitely do try to check out Juliana and Prince St. next time you make it out to NYC. Pizza is one of the Covid-era friendly food categories .
Honestly its actually not a bad time to visit the city, no tourist. No crowds in the museum or streets. Try taking this shot of the Rockefeller center pre-covid. Just avoid tall office buildings, congested workspaces.
I’ll never forget my trip to New Haven . 8 years old . 1964 . Uncle Fritz picked us up from the airport in what looks like the convertible above . Wind in the face . I believe Fritz said were heading for the best pizza .I believe it was Pepe pizza. Anchovie was the best
Off to the was World’s Fair .
As a middle class kid, I remember being disappointed that these were considered the best restaurants that New Haven had to offer. And yet I still remember and crave the taste of that white clam pizza.
This thread made me go back to watch this First We Feast mini-documentary on Mark Iacono, a fantastic pizza-maker and all-around great neighborhood guy.
My first trip back to this site in years and I see this stale thread and I have to weigh in.
Though I live in NY, I spend a lot of time in CT as I have a house there. I’ve been to the pizza places you went to. You missed what I actually think is the best.
First, why is it called apizza? The story I have been told by locals goes something like this. A NYer walks into apizza place and asks why do you call it apizza? The owner says well what did you come here for? The NYers says a pizza. rim shot. True? Probably not, but its an amusing story.
Sgee, your observation about Pepe’s is spot on. I think they live more on hype than reality. Pizza crust is almost always burnt. They’ve convinced people its supposed to be that way. Its not bad, just not as good as you have been led to expect. There’s always a long line at Pepe’s and Sally’s and I’ve found its not ever worth the wait when you can head a few minutes to East Rock and go to Modern. More likely to find locals there too. Just don’t go for lunch on Sundays. They don’t open until 3. If you do happen to be there on Sunday at lunch time, Michelina’s just down State has some pretty inventive pizza.
You wonder what the best is? A white clam pie at Zuppardi’s in West Haven. It’s pricey and takes a while to come but that’s because there must be 3 dozen freshly shucked little necks on it. Clammy perfection on an evenly browned crust. No coal fired brick oven here. But they do a phenomenal job. Just wish they would open up the dining room so I can eat on site. Still doing take out only as of two weeks ago.
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