101 Ocean Pizza Lauderdale by the Sea
It was Christmas day and we were bored so we took a ride south on A1A. There weren’t many places open to eat at, so when we got near A1A and Commercial Blvd. we stopped to eat since there was some action. I originally wanted to eat at a place across the street from 101 Ocean, but my wife thought that 101 Ocean looked nicer and pushed me to eat there instead.
101 Ocean in Lauderdale by the Sea was a pretty decent looking place. There was a nice looking bar to the right, which was packed with locals and French Canadians. We sat down and got greeted by a server who seemed sweet, but not really interested in discussing the menu with us.
(more…)
Send Your Kids To School With a Healthy Lunch: Pizza
Actually, this is great for adult lunches too. Most people don’t think of pizza as “healthy” because most associate it with either the greasy fried version at fast food restaurants or the frozen pie variety they often serve as school lunches. How about this twist on tow traditional favorites, instead?
Pizza and PB&J.
Kids love pizza. Kids love peanut butter and jelly. Why not combine them?
(more…)
Romney and Mrs. Obama Sit Down for Pizza
Not together, of course. The Republican candidate for presidential nomination was in New Hampshire while the First Lady was in Hawaii. Interestingly, she had all-natural, farm-to-table pizza while he had Hawaiian.
Romney was with his wife in Newport, NH on his bus tour to Iowa when he stopped for pizza at Village Pizza, established in 1975. He ordered a small Hawaiian with olives and helped deliver pizza orders to tables around the restaurant as he stumped for votes.
(more…)
PieZano’s Pizza Boca Raton, FL
Those in Boca Raton, are in for a treat. A new pizza place opened up in the eastern part of Boca Raton named PieZano’s and it definitely a place worth trying. After trying it once, I went back a second time and third time just to make sure I tried all the varieties of pizza that PieZano’s serves. Initially I got a Brooklyn Mozz Sicilian Slice, so I needed to make sure that I tried the plain regular and Sicilian offers here as well. The first visit was great, and I was hopeful the follow up visits would be equally as impressive.
On my second journey to PieZano’s in Boca Raton, I got a regular slice and a Sicilian slice, so although I also tried many other slices, I will focus on these two, and leave out the Brooklyn Mozz slice which is made with cooking sauce from the kitchen, the Paper Thin Pizza (which is a like a Long Island bar pie) that comes in whole wheat crust and tasted amazing, the spaghetti pizza (made purely of spaghetti and no crust), the BBQ Chicken pie, and a couple of others. Needless to say, I enjoyed PieZano’s and think it is worth trying all the pies that grace their glass display of slices to choose from.
(more…)
Bortolami’s Pizzeria! Vancouver, WA
We came to learn about Bortolami’s Pizzeria from a fellow peron on Yelp. Never been to Bortolami’s Pizza before, but since we were driving through the Vancouver, WA area, I decided to give it a shot since I had a car load of people who were hungry. My passengers had varying concerns when it came to the pizza (gluten free, vegetarian, and me – garbage-atarian) (I eat anything), and luckily enough the menu offered something for everyone.
Do not expect to get a bargain at Bortolami’s Pizzeria, as the three small pies and a Greek salad put me back $61, which was a little pricey, I thought.
Bortolami’s Pizzeria is an unassuming place in a small strip mall in Vancouver, WA; the decor is “neo-bicycle”, with bikes, accessories, and racing shirts hung from the walls and ceiling. A flat screen plays sports channels. I cannot say whether or not the motif adds to “ambiance,” so let’s just call it a theme, that carries through to the menu, with specialty pies having bike-oriented names.
The crust is Boboli-like. Puffy, with a crusty bottom, chewy and doughy. It’s a quality crust, if your preference leans towards this type of thickness.
(more…)
Sir Pizza Key Biscayne, Miami
While down in Key Biscayne for the New Years holiday, I decided to venture away from our hotel, to try some of the local places that would be open on New Years Day. We stumbled upon Sir Pizza not to far from our accommodations, and although there was a heck of a line, we decided to go in and check it out. I couldn’t be sure if this was busy because it was one of the few places open, or there were so many tourists in town. Turns out the crazy long line is something that Sir Pizza in Key Biscayne regularly has. Sir Pizza is quite popular amongst the locals who live in this section of paradise.
Once inside Sir Pizza, I noticed that they appear to be using one of those cheapy conveyor belt oven contraptions, you know the kind you find at a Pizza Hut and the like. Not something you would find at a local mom and pop pizza place. So between the line, and the look of the oven, it should have been enough to make me turn around and go across the street to the other pizza place in this section of Key Biscayne, which was completely empty.
(more…)
Pupatella Neopolitan Pizzeria and Friggitoria
On the recommendations of a friend and a few best pizza lists, My wife and I checked out Pupatella in Arlington, VA. Just outside DC, this authentic VPN (Verace Pizza Napoleta) and DOC certified casual restaurant has been said to pop out some of the best pies in town! With humble beginnings as a pizza cart at a nearby metro station, Pupatella had made a lot of fans before its doors even opened in mid 2010.
Going in I wasn’t sure what a Friggitoria was, but I now assume it’s because this food is “friggin” amazing. This oak wood fired pizzeria has an oven made from the ashes of Mt Vesuvius. At 1000 degrees, five pies at a time are cooked for one minute each until they reach a perfect char on each pliable delicious crust. Ingredients are first rate with their heirloom San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella imported from Naples. I must admit that I almost didn’t even have enough space to order some pies after filling my stomach with their amazing Arancini from their Friggitoria menu. These fried risotto balls are stuffed with sausage or eggplant and absolutely blew away the “supply y telephono” risotto balls I’ve had at other great restaurants in the area. Nonetheless, I had to try the pies and ordered a red and a white.
These 12 inch pizzas had the best crusts I’ve found in DC. They were perfectly charred yet bendable without spilling. The DOC and VPN certified Margherita pizza had delicious tomatoes and cheese and was topped with basil. Unlike other top area pizzerias, the basil seemed to be cooked onto the pie rather than added after it came out of the oven which took a tiny bit of kick from it. This is the only thing that keeps me from putting this in the same class with the areas 4 best Neopolitan pie sauces, Seventh Hill, 2 Amys, Pizza CS, and Mia’s. It was darned close though! The incredible crust, however, was better than any of these places. The white Spinach pizza was covered in an Italian cream, pine nuts, feta, and red pepper. It was fresh and tasty but not quite as good as the tomato sauce based pie in my opinion.
Pupatella is a casual dining experience. Each diner grabs their own utensils, picks their own table, orders at a counter, drinks from a bottled soda, beer, or wine, and clears their own table. No reservations are accepted so expect a wait if you come during peak hours. Believe me though, it’s worth the wait!
Papa Murhpy’s Take and Bake Pizza
If you go back to my earlier days, you know way before they even had big national chains that served Take and Bake (TNB) pizza, we had just one local joint in my home town that that offered it. Although I do not recall the name of the Take and Bake pizza place that was there, I do know that it solely sold soda by the case, and had a plethora of flavors with their own label on it.
It seems almost weekly I get Papa Murphy’s Pizza coupons in the mail, they usually arrive on Tuesdays with some other flyers about stuff I really have no interest in. They are usually a better deal than any of the other chains, today it was $10 for a large 5 meat stuffed pie.
(more…)
New Menu Items Scuola Vecchia Pizza e Vino in Delray Beach
Along with some of the finest authentic wood fired Neapolitan pizzas in Florida, Scuola Vecchia just informed me that they will offer customers some new pastas choices as well. Pastas will include meat lasagna, vegetable lasagna eggplant parmigiana and homemade meatballs.
Just like their pizzas, the new pasta dishes are “old school” (which is what Scuola Vecchia means in English) recipes from Italy. On Sunday, January 8th. they will launch the new menu along with a special guest pizza maker, Roberto Caporuscio (Pontinia, Italy) President of the American Chapter of the APN (Association Pizzaiuoli Napolentani).
(more…)
Pete’s Apizza Washington DC
A few years ago, Washington DC finally got its first good “New Haven” style pizzeria. Knowing that no less than Frank Sinatra used to have a “New Haven” style pie delivered when he was in nearby New York City made me very excited to see what this Connecticut inspired pizza was all about. With three locations (Friendship Heights (DC near MD), Clarendon (VA), and Columbia Heights (DC) this popular local destination was a must try!
Pete’s Apizza prides itself on a casual dining experience with excellent healthy pies and good pastas and desserts to promise myself to try “next time”. With pies this good, I may never get around to trying anything else on the menu. The aroma of pizza sauce is overwhelming as you walk through the doors.
(more…)
