Category Archives: news & comment
Syracuse Style Pizza?
Here’s an interesting article that mentions some of the history of Twin Trees, Shuffles Pizza, and the love-it-or-hate-it square “West Side” cut: http://blog.syracuse.com/cny/2011/03/shuffles_pizza_is_that_the_model_for_syracuse-style_pizza.html
Pan-baked pizza (NOT deep dish, but thin pizza baked on a basically flat pan) is pretty common around these parts. So, should we call it “Syracuse Style” pizza?
Wegmans (James Street) Pizza Opens March 26
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The Pizza Geek was granted special preview access to the new Pizza & Sub shop at Wegmans James Street (or, he secretly sneaked through the plastic and popped off a couple of pictures – you decide which!).
A sign in front of the plastic indicates that a special opening celebration will be held on Saturday, March 26. It’s a fair bet that there will be special prices, and some free samples available. Although you can barely make it out in the picture, a sign on the wall indicates that operating hours for the new Pizza & Sub shop will be 10am to 9pm, 7 days a week.
The oven is the new style which has been appearing at various other Wegmans recently, although designed for a little bit lower volume of production with 3 bays instead of the 5 in DeWitt. It looks like warming ovens to the left of the main oven.
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Many people (like me) shop at the Wegmans James Street because it is smaller, and quicker and easier to navigate than the gigantic stores. Now we will be faced with the prospect of walking past (and smelling) the pizza each time we enter the store. Even if the pizza isn’t very good, the temptation will be strong.
Don’t shop while hungry!
Wegmans Thin Crust Pizza – Coming Soon to James St., Syracuse
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For a number of months, Wegmans on James St. (near Thompson Rd.) has been remodeling. It is one of the smaller stores in the chain, but I would guess its sales per square foot is one of the highest. I like it because you can get everything you need with a small number of steps, rather than going on a major hike like you’re forced into in DeWitt and other large stores.
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Anyway, the smaller format has meant that Wegmans James St. did not have much space for eating. You could buy a sub or $6 meal at the deli counter, but there was no seating. Once the current phase of remodeling is finished, there will be subs, PIZZA, and lots of seating. Ever since the “coming soon” signs went up, I’ve wondered whether this store would be getting the new thin crust pizzza, or leftover conveyor ovens from one of the larger store remodels.
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Today that question was answered by the large thin crust sign. It has been long enough (closing in on 3 months, if I recall correctly) since the remodel began that I have to think they’re nearly done. Part of the plywood wall was removed today, and hopefully the rest isn’t far behind.
I know, I’ve already reviewed Wegmans Pizza and found it lacking, why would I be excited by its arrival at my “regular” store? Maybe I’m a pizza optimist. Maybe I’m hoping that they will “get it right” this time. One thing is certain, though. Since the Pizza Geek is in this store all the time, a review is inevitable. Stay tuned.
Geeks Testing Pizza in San Francisco
I wish I could think of a way to organize a large group pizza “taste-off” competition. Until I do, it is fun to read about others who have tried variations on that theme: Geeks Testing Pizza in San Francisco
What Exactly Is “Pizza Brain?”
This link comes to me from one of my sons, who went to school in Syracuse with Brian Dwyer. Learn about “Pizza Brain.”
Google’s Breakthrough Into Pizza Market: Pure Genius or Insanity?
You KNOW it will happen someday, if it hasn’t already: http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/googlepizza-video/
Adventures in Pizza – Gianni’s Pizza Margherita
I heard a rumor that Gianni’s (full name: NY Gianni’s Bronx Style Pizza) has added Pizza Margherita to the menu. Based on several previous excellent adventures into Gianni’s menu, my wife and I were eager to sample it, so we stopped in recently for a fresh pie.
What is Pizza Margherita? The story goes that in 1889, Italy’s Queen Margherita of Savoy traveled to Naples to escape a cholera epidemic, and there she was served a pizza that was made to resemble the colors of Italy’s flag: red – tomato, green – basil, and white – mozzarella. She loved the pizza and wrote to the chef to thank him. He decided to name it “Pizza Margherita” in her honor.
Today, there appear to be numerous variations on how Pizza Margherita is prepared. The tomato can be fresh slices, diced tomatoes, or sauce. More often than not, the cheese is slices or cubes of fresh mozzarella (although I suppose regular shredded mozzarella could be used, it wouldn’t really be any different than a standard cheese pizza). Typically the amount of cheese is much less than would be used on a traditional cheese pizza, which tilts the balance of flavors toward the sauce and crust. The basil can be whole, shredded, or cut, but it should be fresh – and applied AFTER the baking.
I have very little experience with Pizza Margherita, so I can’t fully compare Gianni’s version to others. Gianni uses the same thin crust as his NY style pizza, but the sauce is much different – more of it, bold tomato flavor, stiffer, sweeter, and with a medium-to-strong spice load (it’s the same sauce as he uses on his tomato pie). There is also a good deal of saltiness from grated parmesan. The smooth and delicious fresh mozzarella was in thin slices approximately 2 inches in diameter. Basil was fresh, cut into strips, and applied just before serving.
The taste? My wife and I both LOVED it. Thin crust pizza with a smaller amount of cheese has a very light and delicate texture. It is also less filling, so you can typically eat your way through much more of it – and we WANTED to! The sauce is fairly thick by comparison to regular pizza, with much less cheese, so it has a rather moist mouth feel. The overall flavor was very complex, with heavy sweet, salty and spicy notes. Instead of cheese in every bite, the cheese was more of a topping in the sense that pepperoni or mushrooms usually are. Different from the “norm,” but very tasty and satisfying. Highly recommended!
2010 Best of Syracuse
One of my kids had a fascination with knowing what your “favorite” was. He would ask, “Who is your favorite comic book character? What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite TV show? Who is your favorite musical group?”, and so on. I had a pat answer most of the time, “I like several of them, I don’t have a favorite.”
He wasn’t the only one asking those questions. The yearly ritual of the “Best of Syracuse,” hosted by the Syracuse New Times, has come to a conclusion for 2010. Some of the categories are logical and useful, some are obviously just for the entertainment value (Best pothole? Best guess at Mayor Miner’s height?) In the context of this blog, “Best Pizza” is most relevant – and the winner again is: Patsy’s Pizza.
If you’ve read my review of Patsy’s Pizza, you know that it is pretty good, but not “the best.” Looking around at some of the other results, there are several I agree with: Best Steakhouse (Delmonico’s), Best Ice Cream (Gannon’s Isle) – and several I don’t: Best Burger (Blarney Stone – I’d vote for Kelley’s on Velasko), and best TV News Hottie (Chris Brandolino – I’d vote for…well, my wife reads this so I’m hesitant to say).
I guess such polls are worth what we paid for them. Obviously, we’ll never be able to definitively settle the “who is best?” question, because everyone has their own unique preferences. I’m working hard to answer that question from MY point of view – now it is time for YOU to get out there, sample some pizza, think about what you are tasting, and what you do or do not like about it. Then, come back here and tell us all about it! This blog is at its best when readers talk back!
Oh – one more thing. I mentioned that Blarney Stone was voted “Best Burger.” The same issue that announced the results also carried an add from Blarney Stone. It said, “If you think the Blarney Burger is the best, wait ’til you try our pizza!” Saying something like that within the hearing of the Pizza Geek is like calling Marty McFly “chicken!” I *must* respond! I’ll have to figure out how to sample both the Blarney Burger and their pizza in the same visit! Stay tuned…
One Year of Pizza
May 5
Posted by pizzageek
I just realized that the Pizza Geek blog has reached its first anniversary! There is still a lot of work left to do, so as long as they keep making pizza, I’ll keep eating it and writing about it.
The early blog days saw relatively little traffic, which is to be expected. The single biggest event which drove traffic to these pages was the opening of CiCi’s Pizza on Erie Boulevard. Several thousand searches for CiCi’s (or some variation of the spelling) have been logged. Another popular search is for Extreme Pizza in Eastwood – I’m not sure why that particular shop gets so many searches. Another popular search that lands here is for “pizzageek.com,” even though that isn’t my domain! Some of the funniest things to show up on my search terms report are items like “don’t trust the pizza geek” and “who is the pizza geek”! At any rate, the current blog traffic averages 150 views per day.
Before I head out to celebrate this anniversary with – what else – pizza, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions:
Q. Why did you start the blog?
A. Like most people, I’ve tried lots of different pizza restaurants, and have been disappointed by many of them. While searching online for more pizza shops on a snowy Saturday afternoon, I stumbled on to the Rochester pizza blog, and decided to do the same for Syracuse. If I get you to stop and think about what you’re eating, and become a more discriminating pizza lover, then I’ll be happy!
Q. Why do you think you can pass judgement on someone else’s vision of pizza? What makes you such an authority?
A. I’m no authority. Whenever I do extensive reading about pizza, it becomes very apparent just how much I DON’T know. My goal is simply to get you thinking about what makes a good pizza, to pay attention to what you’re eating, and how it could be better. I try to describe the pizza accurately so you can decide if you want to try it.
Q. Do you have a financial or family relationship to any restaurant?
A. No, not in the slightest. Although I enjoy cooking (especially pizza), I’m an engineer to the core and don’t have any relationship to any restaurant.
Q. How do you choose which places to review?
A. Convenience (location) is a big factor. Some places were suggested by blog readers. Either way, it’s mostly an impulse related to what is going on that day, and where I am.
Q. Is it fair to judge a pizza restaurant by a single, stale slice? Shouldn’t you always buy a fresh pie?
A. Sure, when possible. But out of respect for my wallet and my waistline, I go with slices quite often. Time is also a factor. I believe that even when it has cooled off and dried out, you can generally tell whether the slice “had anything going on” in the first place. Finally, who wants to have whole pies of mediocre pizza sitting around after a bad review?
Q. Do you ever get “busted” or discovered while doing a review?
A. That has happened a couple of times. The giveaway is usually when I’m too obvious while taking pictures, so I’ve been making extra effort to be discreet. Once in a great while, after sampling excellent pizza, I’ve informed the restaurant personnel that I was reviewing the pizza and liked it.
Q. Have you gotten angry reactions from pizza shops when you gave them a negative review?
A. Oh yeah! Some of them can be seen in the comments to the reviews, others have been sent directly to me in e-mail. Human nature being what it is, we like our work to be praised, and anything short of an effusive, glowing review is considered “negative” by many restaurants. One shop owner was a fan of the blog, eager for me to eventually review their location. When I did, they were upset about my review and probably don’t read the blog anymore.
Q. What will happen when you run out of pizza shops to review?
A. That will take a LONG time in this area. According to UrbanSpoon.com, there are over 300 restaurants in the greater Syracuse area that serve pizza. Soon, I’ll start revisiting places to try other varieties, make more comparisons, etc.
Q. What’s your favorite, or “go to” pizza place?
A. There are 4 or 5 places on my “short list.” For reasons of quality, friendliness and convenient location, I most often get my non-review pizza from Gianni’s.
Thank you for reading the blog! I hope you’ll join me as I keep searching for great pizza in the Syracuse area!
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