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Pizza Crawl











Jan. 20th, 2007 09:45 pm (UTC)
Pizza crawl logistics
Hello Mr. Martin, et al.,

I've lived in the New Haven area for five years or so after having lived in New York for the previous five years, and here's the best objective take I have on New Haven pizza.

First off, New Haven is blessed by being a town of real eaters; there are many, many people around here who like to go out to eat, and are willing to spend money on and wait in line for good food. This has resulted in an unusually large and good selection of restaurants for a city its size, and frankly, it's one of the reasons that I live here. I like to eat; I like to talk about eating; I like to eat while I talk, and talk while I eat; and I like to talk about eating while eating.

Whether you decide New Haven pizza is the best pizza you've ever had or just too thin with slightly burnt crust, it is a species of pizza distinct from other pizza I've had--distinct enough that New Haven pizza joints call their pizza "apizza," not "pizza." (Don't everyone get all excited. I'm just saying that's the way we spell it around here. I won't defend it, or apologize for it.) Apizza has different priorities from New York pizza. New Haveners like to point out that New Haven apizza places were using brick ovens in the 1920s, well before it became fashionable in New York to do so, but that's neither here nor there. The key differences I've noticed between New Haven apizza and New York pizza, as characterized by Di Fara, Grimaldi's, Totonno's, and John's, as well as the generally good pizza joints you might find in Brooklyn or Queens:

1. Apizza is considerably thinner and wider than is NYC pizza.
2. Greater emphasis on sauce in New Haven, versus a greater emphasis on cheese in New York. Some hardcore New Haveners consider mozzarella to be an abomination unto pizza, and stick to straight-up grated parmesan. (Sally's, for example, can look askance at those who don't order "red pies," meaning pies with just sauce and no cheese.)
3. Different crust: aside from being thinner than New York pizza, apizza is also crunchier and perhaps a tad sweeter. Because of the infernal heat of the aforementioned brick ovens, the crust can get pretty toasty, which some people like and some don't.

Sally's and Pepe's duke it out for most famous in New Haven due to the generally accepted excellence of their pies, but the wait at these places can be really long--two hours is not unusual. Modern, as far as I can tell, wins the New Haven Advocate's poll for best pizza because the pizza there is deemed as good as it is at Sally's and Pepe's, but the wait isn't remotely as long and the service is considered slightly better. There may also be a generational factor in play: Baby boomers seem to prefer Sally's or Pepe's, whereas younger folks gravitate toward Modern. Make of that what you will; really, my evidence for this last point is so anecdotal that it's kind of irresponsible of me to bring it up.

All three places--Sally's, Pepe's, and Modern, have been around for longer than most people have been alive, so that tells you something right there. They're all good. Lately, a newcomer named Bar has been serving New Haven-style apizza, and most people around here feel that they make a good pie, too.

The one thing I would say about the pizza crawl idea--other than that it's awesome--is that it'll be hard to do unless you have a couple people with you. First of all, none of the three big places in New Haven serves pizza by the slice. Second, the waits at Sally's and Pepe's really can be long (or not; it's kind of like traffic in Los Angeles). You could, of course, not eat all of the pizza that you order; and perhaps the waits at Sally's and Pepe's will be long enough that by the time you get your pizza at the second place, you'll be hungry again anyway. Or, if you're here overnight, you could eat one in one night and then save the other two for the next day. But the waits are a factor, and should be considered. I'd allot two hours of wait each for Sally's and Pepe's, and forty-five minutes for Modern, though if you go during the day, the waits will likely be a lot shorter.

Finally, I might be able to join you for at least one of these pies. How would I get a hold of you to coordinate?

Thanks--and I hope this was helpful.

Brian Slattery

Jan. 20th, 2007 10:30 pm (UTC)
Re: Pizza crawl logistics
Great write up Brian! I would give you 5/5stars if I could rate posts.

-Zen Blade


George R.R. Martin
George R. R. Martin

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