The Pizza Shop (Warrensburg, NY)
Meat Lovers: Pepperoni, Sausage, Bacon, Meatball and Ham ∙
Arugula & Prosciutto: Imported Italian Prosciutto, Fresh baby Arugula, Olive Oil and Shredded Parmesan ∙
Chicken Basil Pesto: White Base, Basil Pesto, Chicken, Fresh Spinach, Tomato (did I eat this?) ∙
Best of the region for a reason!
Meat – the fat from the prosciutto, pep and sausage make the entire slice very tender. The crust is structured but almost melts away while you chew. The crust is delicious – light, airy, and disintegrates with each bite. The cheese is basically an accent. The sauce is flavorful and delicate, with no bite….almost a non event, a nice accent.
Arugula prosciutto – the cheese and prosciutto hits you immediately. Totally different flow. No fat, toppings tap. The taste is the prosciutto reheated (changes the flavor profile). The natural pie is excellent. Just like the slices from Panini Bakery in Oregon. In crust we trust. The sauce is delightful, cheese is fresh.
I don’t believe I tried the chicken pesto pie. I’m not much one for the white slices! Give me all the red sauce I can handle.
Right Coast Pizza (Denver, CO)
The Sunnyside slice is mind-blowing. The yolk breaks over the pizza, mixing with the bacon and chilies to give you the warm and fuzzies of every morning you ever wanted. No surprise it is the staff favorite!!
The basil pesto on the Tillie slice is some of the best I’ve ever had….an umami blast combined with the mushrooms and onion on the pizza. Not really my style, but a pleasant surprise after requesting the server choose her favorite slice for me.
The Brooklyn slice was fire…as expected. The cheese balance felt different than the other slices…but I wasn’t paying enough attention to see if that was on purpose. Still a good slice.
The cheese slice was light and airy, with some tiny holes in it. The crust is amazing – super light – cracks like a cracker…it’s thinner like NY style, with more crack and less pull. Nice color on the bottom as well. I would say its a thinner comparison to Joe’s slice in NYC.
Awesome Denver pizza shop you can’t miss!
Slices:
Sunnyside: This staff favorite starts with red sauce, followed up with bacon, house roasted green chilies, and topped with a fried egg ∙
Tillie: Basil pesto sauce, chicken, spinach, garlic, onions and mushrooms ∙
Brooklyn: Red sauce, homemade meatballs and fresh jalapeños
Anthony's On The Hill (Richmond, VA)
Detroit Pan Pizzas: Three Meat (Sausage, Pepperoni, Prosciutto) & Pepperoni ∙
Gooey spongy greasy goodness. Like a savory sponge cake of cheesy tomato sex. I preferred the pepperoni pie over the meat pie because it was more well done. However, the prosciutto on the meat pie was delicious! I actually liked it better the next morning reheated in the oven, accentuating the caramelized cheese on that fluffy crust, which soaked up more grease. While this wasn’t a true Detroit pie, it was very good. I lean towards thin crust on the spectrum, but this is a devilishly filling treat! I categorize this as deep dish because I can (pan pizza is just a shallower dish with a topping vs filling approach…Sicilian pizza is different….I do what I want…oh so YOU’RE the one reading this)
Fox's Pizza Den (Front Royal, VA)
Fox’s Pizza Den is every hometown need you ever had. Imagine sitting on the rolling hills of Shenandoah Valley, enjoying the delicate sounds of nature. Then a dude in a coupe drives up with two steaming pies. Where on Earth did you come from?
I’ve had many great pies delivered to a friend’s house from Fox’s Pizza Den. This is a blessing. The dynamic of desolate nature with the accessibility of delivered pizzas is incomparable. Embrace it.
Featuring my personal favorite custom topping combination: jalapeño, bacon, and onion
Pupatella (Arlington, VA)
Margherita DOC: Neopolitan buffalo mozzarella, basil, olive oil ∙
Diavola: Spicy salami, fresh mozzarella, basil ∙
Spawned from a successful food cart, the first restaurant opened in Arlington, VA in 2010. Pupatella is certified by the Assozione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), which dictates strict traditional rules of pizza preparation.
First, lets talk about their Margherita DOC. From their website:
“The toppings for the D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) pizza may only include sauce made of San Marzano tomatoes grown in Italy, fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella made with buffalo milk or fior di latte, sea salt, fresh basil and olive oil.”
Do I need to say, incredible? How could you possibly NOT visit this place if you were in town? Don’t worry, they are expanding in the region quickly. I’m fortunate to live close to the original location.
So, the Diavola. It’s the first pie I had when my eyes were finally opened sometime in 2015. Spicy salami and Neapolitan pizza go together. It is one of the most flavorful I’ve ever had, which is no surprise considering Pizzaiolo Enzo’s passion.
It’s no surprise that 2016 Foursquare data showed it was the best pizza in all of Virginia!
Angelina's Pizzeria (Key West, FL)
Cheese Slices ∙
Revisit from 2016 — the supremo late night slice following a long night on Duval Street. Crust is a pretty good NY style imitation, the sauce has a light spicy note after you eat it, the cheese is balanced and cooked well. Fire za in the Rick’s Complex satisfying your late night slice needs in the southernmost point.
Pizzeria Lola (Minneapolis, MN)
Margherita ∙
Very similar to the Zelo pie, but with a bit more sauce – maybe some herbs included… very soft and delicate, but flavorful cheese, great crust – light, not too burnt. The red pie with gluten free crust was solid as well (saying a lot IMO). This might have been my favorite margherita in Minneapolis (sounds like a love song, doesn’t it?). Not surprising that it is another gem from the lovely Chef Ann Kim. I did not expect to be this in love with Minneapolis pizza. You can’t visit without going to one of her many shops.
Pizza Luce (Minneapolis, MN)
Half Classic (Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, black olives and mozzarella on red sauce) ∙ Half Luce (Italian sausage, fresh garlic, onion and extra mozzarella on red sauce) ∙
The only comparison to the classic is a good frozen pizza. The Luce should not be the namesake pie of the shop. Its okay…little to note on any side. Unsure how this place competes in this market…it’s basically a local spot comparable to a chain. Not trying to be harsh, but it displays the spectrum of MSPZA.
Zelo (Minneapolis, MN)
Margherita ∙
Sauce is sweet and delicate. Puréed tomatoes… wonderfully balanced and light. The mozz drops are solid. Not too rubbery, and a very light flavor. Stripped basil before firing. Crust is good, has solid structure… no extreme flop. Light taste to it, a bit salty and good. Not quite cracker thin. Strong details in the subtle balance of fresh quality ingredients. This is the perfect example of a simple, textbook, back to basics margherita. Nothing stands out aside from the delicate simplicity. Each aspect is very well done. Well expected from a white tablecloth, high end Italian spot. Would recommend any day to a friend.
Salvation Pizza (Austin, TX)
Meat slice: pepperoni, bacon, fresh jalapeno ∙
Cheese was eh… didn’t taste old, but we got the last 2 slices left at closing at 2AM…..so who am I to judge?? Jalapeños were money. Crust was well structured, with a little flop action at the end. Sauce was pretty good. Fresh jalapeño made for a solid late night slice in the Domain.
