Well Fed Network

Posted by Sarah Caron on Well Fed on the Town

If you are a regular reader of Sweetnicks, then you know that Well Fed’s owner, Cate O’Malley, is on the hunt for the best pizza in New Jersey. She and her kids have visited many hot spots, finding some great pies along the way. In thinking about her quest, I was struck with how pizza varies from city to city and region to region …

Growing up in New York, I took for granted that most pizza was of the ultra-thin crust variety, with a flavorful sauce and plenty of cheese. Sometimes it would come with pepperoni or some vegetable combination, but when you ordered pizza, you knew what you were getting. The one major variation was how greasy it was (and honestly, when I was younger I thought the greasier the better).

Sure, there was the Sicilian style pizza too, square and a little thicker. My favorite pies like that came from Aloy’s Pizza in Poughkeepsie, NY. The taste was simply unmatchable. But woe to the pizzeria that made a Sicilian style pizza too thick … It just didn’t jive.

Then along came Pizzaria Uno, which introduced the world to their version of Chicago-style pizza. With a thick but crusty dough and a softer interior, they piled toppings high. It was so different than the traditional New York-style, and yet it was also so delicious. Certainly, that style can never take the place of the pizza I grew up on, but it is good in its own right.I don’t mention the Pizza Huts, Little Caesar’s and Domino’s of the world. Those chain restaurants provide a reliable source of their interpretation of pizza is. You always know what it’s going to taste like whether you are in London, England, or middle America. (And yes, I know–I once ate Pizza Hut in London at the request of a homesick friend.) They are a faulty imitation of what pizza should be like. Bready, thick, chewy … not at all like the ultra thin pies that make me salivate just thinking about them.

So, there you have it. I have a solid understanding of what pizza should taste like. It’s not a chain, cookie-cutter thing (although Uno’s is rather tasty), it’s an ultra-thin crust, just enough sauce and cheese that strains to stretch when you take a bite.

Going back to my mention of regional differences, about 10 years ago I lived in Arizona for a short time while studying environmental science at a program there. The differences in life between Arizona and New York were nothing short of stark. Everything was different, and that made me crave home so much. After a few months, all I wanted was a good slice of pizza. Perhaps it’s New York-centric of me, but I never imagined that I wouldn’t be able to locate one.

My roommates and I headed over to a place called Cowboy Pizza that was near where we lived. Yes, that name should have been a red flag. Seriously. So there we are, in this pizzeria, the only customers besides a group of rowdy regulars. The abrupt waitress took our order and brought us our watered-down drinks and a pie …

It didn’t look like the pizza we were expecting. It didn’t taste like the pizza we were expecting either.

The pie was thick, along the lines of Pizza Hut, but without infusion of a heavy dose of oregano that that chain favors. It wasn’t just doughy, it was bready and it didn’t have the crunch layer on the outside. I asked my Arizona-native roommate if this was what pizza in that area was always like … she said yes. All my hope for a taste of home just about ran down the proverbial drain.

I didn’t eat pizza again while in Arizona. I am sure that I could have located a reasonable pie at some chain establishment (and there were so many!), but I didn’t want to. I just wanted to wait until I could order a good slice closer to home.

So tell me, what is good pizza to you? There are so many variations — ones that use fresh mozzarella and vibrant sauces like Carminuccio’s in Newtown, Conn., ones that are famous for their clam pies like Pepe’s and Sally’s in New Haven, Conn. Or is it more doughy? More bready? Sicilian? Chicago-style?

And I am curious, what was the pizza that you grew up on … is that still your ideal?

Photo credit: dzz from morguefile.com