Pizzicato-Good Not Great

Decided to look for a new pizza restaurant somewhere near Old Town tonight.  Went to a wonderful production of "It's A Wonderful Life" presented as an original live radio broadcast.  We were looking for pizza before the play.  I went online and decided to check out Yelp for a new idea.  I came across a place that sounded promising.   What I found was Pizzicato on 5th Avenue and Laurel.

Mary had a little Pie.

Pizzicato is a chain of "gourmet pizza" shops that originated in Portland and has made it's way to San Diego.  They have about 20 locations up and down the coast.

The Yelp reviews overstated the place.  It was good but not great.  Crust was "just ok". It was thin and crunchy, not bad.   Sauce was a bit bland.  The sausage was lackluster.  Better than most in San Diego, but not great.   Not cheap either.  I wouldn't hesitate to stop in for a slice if was in the area and hungry.  But With Bronx, Bruno, Urbn and Basic all in the same area it wouldn't be my first choice.

No Pizza!

I've been unable to get out for pizza for the past two weeks.  I had plans for this past weekend, but they fell through.  On a positive note, I've dropped the 5 lbs I added since visiting New Haven in October and then starting on this quest.

Urbn Do-over

Finally made it to Urbn in North Park last night. Ended my diet, having having had no Pizza since Bronx last Tursday. Well, that's if you don't count the leftovers on Wednesday and Thursday.

Urbn in North Park is striking in the difference to its sister store in Vista.  First of all North Park is much more "upscale". There was  more going on than just a pizzeria.  There was an interesting  mixture of young bar goers and family diners. The North Park location is large, 5000 square feet. You walk in and it is more of a bar scene than a pizza joint. There is a huge bar area with W Hotel style couches for lounging. There's one Big Ass fan on the ceiling. No kidding it's the size of a large airplane propeller and the actual name on it is Big Ass Fan.

So the place has a bar scene feel.  It's dark, music is playing, though just short of blasting.  Most of the patrons at this time, 6:30 pm on a Sunday night, were hanging out at the bar. We were seated near the back of the cavernous dining area by a friendly host.

I saw a few tables with customers enjoying their pizzas as we were seated. Strangely though the smell of pizza wafting through the air was missing.

Our waitress was vey nice. She brought us drinks and took our order, which is about the time things went a bit south in North Park. We ordered a large sausage, cheese and fresh tomato pie, as well s a small white pizza with clams.  It took quite a while for our pizza to be served.  I was starting to wonder what happened to our order when it finally arrived.  Our waitress delivered our prizes and was off to tend to other tables.  By now the restaurant was beginning to fill with new patrons.

I took a couple of pictures and they looked great.  Check out the crust on the cheese pie.  Looks yummy.  I tried the clam pizza first.  Uh oh...not hot, not even really warm.  Nearly Cold.  It tasted pretty good.  I haven't had a clam pizza in years.   I know this was the real thing.  I spoke to Jon Mangini, the owner, last week and he mentioned that he has the clams imported from New England.  It tasted great, but again it was verging on being cold.  Then I tried the sausage, fresh tomato and cheese pizza.  Slight warmer, but it had obviously been sitting in it's own juices for much too long and it was pretty soggy.  Again, tasted very good, but all in all not nearly as satisfying as I'd hoped.

When the waitress came back she asked how everything was.  Without making much eye contact we sheepishly said it tasted really good.  As soon as she walked away we commiserated that we should have spoken up because otherwise, they would never know.  A few minutes later the host came by to ask how it was and we told him that it tasted really good, but we were disappointed because it wasn't hot.  He was genuine in his concern and asked what he could do to make it up.  We asked for nothing saying it was ok.

Feeling better about our confession, we ate a few more slices before asking for a "to-go" box, figuring it might taste better coming hot out of the toaster oven than it did when it was delivered to our table.

We finished up our beer, wine and two Foxon Park birch beers.    The waitress brought us our check.....and here was the best part of the evening.  The check showed a deduction of $40.00 for the cost of the 2 pizzas.  Of course it was great to not have to pay, but what was really gratifying was the way the manager handled this situation.  Sometimes in this world of "business as usual",  great customer service just kinda smacks you in the face.  The pizza wasn't what we expected, but the way the manager took care of us had us leaving with a great feeling about the place and a desire to come back and give them another chance.  Oh yeah, the guy we told about the pizza being cold turned out to be the manager, Nick.

So we will being conducting a do-over in the near future.   In the meantime we've been getting additional recommendations so in the spirit of the hunt we will be happy to check them out.  So far though, my favorite, and the closest thing in town to the authentic New Haven style pizza we are looking for remains Urbn in Vista.

Mid-Week Snack....

Not quite half-way to the weekend, found myself near Mission Valley last night.  My mother-in-law was treating me to a performance of the new musical opening at the Lyceum Theater, Storeytown. It's the story of the redlight district and and the birth of jazz in New Orleans in the early 1900s.

We decided to make a quick stop at Bronx Pizza on 3rd Avenue in Hillcrest for a bite before the play.  Bronx, you may recall, has been our favorite Pizza spot in town for the last 10 years.  Ever since we discovered it, it's been the only place in town I would go for good east coast pizza.  That is until my recent quest for the best New Haven style pizza.

Bronx is a funky hole in the wall with an attitude.  It's all business.  Better know what you want when you step up to the counter to order.  The restaurant is a no frills joint.  The walls are lined with old boxing and NY Yankees photos.   The case at the counter is filled with all kinds of pizzas.  They do a huge "slice" business.  People walk in off the street, and order a few slices right out of the counter.  All the while they are pumping out fresh pies out of the brick ovens behind them.

Here's a little bit about the crew from their website:

Some of the lifetime accomplishments of the Bronx Pizza crew:

• a handful of college degrees
• a few felony convictions
• several years of attendance in twelve-step programs
• dozens of tattoos
• too many burns to count

We ordered a cheese pie with sausage.  Unlike the New Haven pizza pie where the sausage is crumbled and spread all over the pizza, at Bronx the sausage was sliced like  pepperoni.

The pizza was delicious.  Just as it always is.  Since I've been searching for and tasting New Haven style pizzas recently, it was easy to tell the difference.  Bronx Pizza is thin crusted with a wonderful crunchy dough and crust.  But.....it's not quite as thin as what you would get in Connecticut, or at Urbn.  And it is missing that slightly burnt quality that you would also find in a Pepe's or Sally's apizza.

The two of us were only able to finish half, so I brought it home and we heated it up and polished it off for lunch today.  Again, it tasted great, but it didn't quite match up to the pizza from Urbn.

Every thing about Bronx Pizza is fun, funky and delicious.  The only negatives are; parking can be an difficult and their beverage selection is minimal.  They only serve fountain sodas.  There is a liquor deli next door, so you can go there to have your other needs met.  I'm not sure if you can bring a beer in to the restaurant.

We will be heading for Urbn again this weekend.  Plans changed, so we are going early Saturday evening instead of Friday.  I'll be dieting heavily until then.

News Flash:The Real Deal- Authentic New Haven Style Pizza Discovered in Vista, California

Preview of next week's review.  I was watching the San Diego Gulls 16under AAA hockey team play LA Hockey Club (Gulls ranked 24th nationally out of 150 teams, beat #7 ranked LAHC 5-3) in Escondido today.  When the game was over, I  realized I was pretty close to Vista, so I looked up the address of Urbn Pizza.  I know we just visited Bruno's and pizza once a week is probably more than enough.  We were planning to go to the Urban Restaurant in North Park next week but I was starving and the Vista location was only 10 minutes away.  What the heck.

The picture is of the "chuck-a-puck" contest between the 2nd and 3rd period, in case you were wondering.

Thank you fellow San Diegan/West Haven High School mate and my sister's friend; Marcia Mickiewicz Dufour for pointing me to Urbn Pizza in Vista.

This will report is going to just be a preview since we are planning on going back to this location next Friday before the Gulls Jr. A game.   I could tell as I walked in the door I was in for something special.  There were only 2 or 3 tables occupied, but I could see from the partially eaten pizzas that they held promise.   I ordered a large half mootz with sausage and fresh tomatoes on the other half.   The menu had lots of scrumptious sounding choices including clams...mama mia!!!

I told the chef what I was doing, about my quest for a New Haven style pizza in San Diego.  He mentioned, as did my friend Marsha, that the owner is from New Haven.  He was not in today...he was down visiting one of the other restaurants.

I'll keep this short, but my experience of being in Urbn bordered on being sacred.  There is something authentic and kinda cool about being in a real pizzeria where real pizza is being created.  Kinda like being at a great old hockey rink, or a dance studio or maybe a church...it just felt like something original was going on there.

I ordered my pie...ate 2 slices right there and then drove home where over two hours later we put the pizza in the toaster oven.  It is said that pizza isn't as good at home as it served fresh out of the oven at the restaurant.  True.  Which is why I wolfed down the 1st 2 slices right there.  However, just a couple of minutes in the toaster oven and they were brought back to life.  A bit soggier than the fresh slices, but still delicious, crunchy crust and all.  They would have even been good cold out of the fridge, which will be the case for one of us to get the left over slice.

Also, Urbn serves a Connecticut traditon; Foxon Park Original sodas including White Birch Beer.  That's it there..the clear one in the middle.

When it comes to pizza it comes down to just one thing and that is the crust....and the sauce....and the cheese....   Well, that's three things.  But really it's one because it's the proper combination of these 3 elements that result in a good pie.  Urbn gets it.  I've found a pizza in San Diego, well Vista, that equals the experience of a pizza from New Haven.

We will be going back on Friday at about 6pm before the Gulls game if anyone wants to join us.  I'm looking forward to eating the whole thing fresh out of that great oven, accompanied by a few friends.   Love to see you there.

For Pepe's and Sally's Lovers

Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven
http://yeschefnochef.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-haven-pizza-pepes-and-sallys.html

First Stop-Pizzeria Bruno

http://pizzeriabrunosd.com/

Well, we decided on Pizzeria Bruno in Normal Heights for tonight's pizza quest.  Lovely little establishment in Normal Heights on Park near El Cajon Blvd.  The first thing I noticed after walking in the front door was the large man behind the counter wearing a Detroit Red Wings cap and the authentic brick oven directly behind him.  He was working hard whipping up pizzas as the orders came in from the waiters.   The Red Wings cap was not a good sign when one is looking for New Haven style apizza pie!   But the fact that he was large was a testament to the prospects that the pizza must be pretty darned good.

We sat down and were greeted by our friendly waiter.  We ordered a couple of glasses of Stella on tap.  I walked over to the counter where the large man was making pizzas and asked if I could take a picture of his oven.  All of a sudden he and I recognized each other.  Turns out he is the owner, Pete Lutz.  Pete and I used to play hockey in the San Diego senior league over a decade ago.  He was a great goalie.  He made some amazing saves that still amaze me when I recall them.  For a big man, he could move quickly.

Pete told me that he opened the restaurant a year ago.  He's married to a girl from Naples and the brick oven was bought in Naples and shipped over.  The restaurant won the "Frugal Fork" award which is, I'm told, unheard of for a pizza restaurant.

We decided on 2 pizzas(for 3 of us).  All the pizzas on the menu are one size, 12".  My wife ordered the Campania which comes with tomato sauce, fennel sausage, mozzarella cheese, cremini mushrooms and roasted onions.  I ordered a Margherita.  It was the closest thing I could order to a Mootz/Muutz(Mozzeralla) or cheese pie.  In addition to the basic cheese and sauce it had olive oil and basil.

The Campania was served first.  It looked great, smelled great, tasted wonderful.  Great sauce.  Perfect amount of cheese.  A little light on the sausage.  But we could tell the moment it was served that as good as it looked and tasted, it was not what we were looking or hoping for.  It fell short of our expectations when it came to the texture and feel of the crust.  It was wet, even soggy.  Not the crispy slightly burnt crust we would have liked.  The crust was doughy and chewy. Most of all, it lacked "foldability".  A bit disappointing.  Don't get me wrong.  It was one of the best pizzas I've ever had in San Diego and I would easily recommend this to friends.  It's just that it fell short of the New Haven style Apizza we are searching for.

For now, I place Pizzeria Bruno at number 2 behind Bronx Pizza for my favorite San Diego Pizza.

Next week we will head for Urbn Pizza to see if they can meet the crust test.

Here's How They Do it in Naples

http://www.passion-4-pizza.com/vera-pizza-napoletana.html

Vera Pizza---authentic Napoletana.

Our Quest-Finding the Best Pizza in San Diego

Having just returned from a trip to New England, I was once again reminded that it is hard to find really good pizza in San Diego.  I grew up outside of New Haven, Connecticut; the home of Pepe's, Sally's, Modern and others including Zuppardi's Apizzeria in my hometown of West Haven.

There is something unmistakably unique to New Haven pizza.  There is the age old debate between New York and Chicago, thin crust and deep dish, etc...but anyone who's tasted pizza from this part of New England will tell you it's the best.  Some will say it's better in Naples, birthplace of the pizza.  I have no personal experience with pizza from Italy, so I'll just have to trust those who have told me how good it is.  In the meantime, I've decided to go on a hunt in the San Diego area for anything that can approximate the taste of these:
Frank Pepe's Apizzaria
http://www.pepespizzeria.com/history.php

 

Sally's Apizzaria
http://temp.sallysapizzanet.officelive.com/default.aspx

Zupparidi'a Apizzaria

http://www.zuppardisapizza.com/

Modern Pizzeria
http://www.modernapizza.com/

I put out the question my facebook page and I've gotten some recommendations.

The best pizza I've found so far (in my 31 years living in San Diego), coming the closest to the east coast style flavor I crave, has been Bronx Pizza.
http://www.bronxpizza.com/
I will be including Bronx in our hunt.  I've been referred to:
Pizza on Pearl in La Jolla
http://pizzaonpearl.com/
Urbn Pizza in Vista ( the owners are FROM New Haven!)
http://www.urbnpizza.com/index.html 

I found Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano doing an online search.  This will be our first stop on Friday night.
http://pizzeriabrunosd.com/