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Pizza Partying in Road Warrior Style
July 19, 2012 | Permalink
Pizza may have Italian origins (Neapolitan origins, to be specific), but it was perfected in the good old USA. Since we Americans are less formal than Italians, we have thoroughly embraced the pizza-eating lifestyle. Italians are very picky about when and how they eat their pizza. For them, it is strictly supper fare, and it is strictly eaten with silverware. We, of course, being the make-our-own-rules upstarts that we are, eat pizza whenever and however we please—cold in the morning, scorching hot after a night at the bar, etc. And we almost always eat it with our hands. Pizza is American food—as much as some Italians would want to dispute that. It has been so radically modified in America as to be at most a third cousin to Neapolitan pizza. The following are some primo pizza places in America, which I highly advise any Road Warrior to visit at least once.
This is ground zero for Chicago-style pizza. Opened in 1955 by the same folks who started Pizzeria Uno, which in the 1980s went national with a vengeance, Pizzeria Due serves the best example of Chicago-style pizza you will find anywhere, bar none. (For those of you who don’t know—and if you don’t, I suggest you remedy that soon— Chicago-style pizza is like a greasier, tastier version of what is on the East Coast called Sicilian pizza.)
For carnivores, I recommend Pizzeria Due’s sausage pizza. The sausage is baked on the pizza for the its whole forty-five-minute cooking time, letting free all of its fennel-infused juices. For vegetarians, I recommend the spinach pizza. This little piece of heaven is topped with three cheeses, the flavors of which blend perfectly with the spinach. Rather than overpowering its flavor, they bring out colors in the spinach you never knew it had.
Brooklyn, New York’s, Lucali
Lucali is not nearly as old as Pizzeria Due—though it tries to look like it is. Not to worry, though—the pizza tastes like it comes from a recipe that has been perfected by many generations of pizza-stone toilers. Lucali gets the highest of pizza praise: Their cheese pie—just sauce and cheese, no toppings—is really all you need. In fact, I’d go so far as to say, because of the freshness of the ingredients and the perfection of their proportions, the cheese pie is Lucali’s best pizza. It is a revelation—a revelation of how mouth-wateringly tasty simplicity can be when it is done right.
San Francisco’s Pizzeria Delfina
Delfina takes what is good about genuine Neapolitan pizza, combines it with what is great about East Coast American pizza, and produces great offspring. It you’re a crust-lover, then this is your place. I’ve never seen any other pizza chefs work as hard on crust as the chefs do at Delfina. They purposefully squeeze every air bubble into the dough—creating just the right proportion of smooth crust to bubbled crust. And here’s the real kicker: Delfina’s artisanal pizza is remarkably affordable. You can get a plain personal pie for just $10.75. Count me in!
After noshing on America’s best pizza, you’re surely going to want to head to America’s best hotel—Extended Stay Hotels—for a casual night in. Once you check in, you don’t need to leave for anything. All the rooms have their own kitchens and free Wi-Fi.
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Comments
I have to agree that Pizza is now eaten as fast food in the USA, however it still should be regarded and produced as in Italy as good wholesome food with fresh ingredients. We live in Italy and see the passion in making Pizza and really notice the difference. Its important to taste the ingredients don't slap on the sauces. Sometimes simple is better with quality cheese and fresh olive oil.
Posted by: Gary Upton | Aug 18, 2012 5:04:01 AM
