We schlepped all over creation in van with a giant wienie on top.. We tried a lot of pizza -- some bad, some better, some pretty good. Yet after promising to bring us to Star Tavern, Pete Genovese turned out to be some kind of pizza tease. He's promising a rematch, but it's going to take a lot to regain my trust.
What I did like: Caffe Capri in East Rutherford and its thin-crust pies with cheese you could finally taste (everywhere we went sauce was overly dominant). I preferred the fried calzones to the slices at Pizzatown USA, which was close enough for Baristavillians in Elmwood Park.
The last stop was at Al Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza. If there was ever prohibition for pizza, Santillo's is like a speakeasy for pies, where you go in the alley behind the house and whisper "give me a 1957" (all the pies are by year here, the year the style debuted). The only negative: it's over in Elizabeth, a bit of a hike for pizza. But don't listen to my review -- get a load of this satisfied Santillo's customer who wants to give his wife some cooking lessons (caution profanity ahead)...
Digg
Delicious
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Comments (18)
So who stuck the "BV" sticker on the Munchmobile? And tell me, what was it like to ride around NJ with that marvelous phallic symbol on top of your vehicle... :)?
Also interesting, two of my favorites are Star and Reservoir; so I am anxious to see what the "heavy hitters" have to say.
Best Pizza I have had lives at Kinchley's Tavern in Ramsey.
Amen on Kinchley's.
Resvoir Room in South Orange is hands down the best. Don't forget to get a Tony Salad for 2 with your yummy thin crust.
I wanted to post "Kinchley's" as the best but was beaten to the punch. Kinchley's is great!
(But bring cash, they don't take cards)
My #1 is Star Tavern / Pizza
#2 is Village Trottoria in Maplewood Center
#3 is Reservor in South Orange Center
All the rest are okay to good pizza, while the 3 above are sensational.
The food at #2 above is also to die for.
Pizzatown USA pizza is nothing to write home about, although it's not bad. The most appealing feature of Pizzatown is that they are open until 1am during the week, and 2 or 3am on the weekends, so they're a good alternative to diners for the late nite munchies.
The decor is...well, there is none. Their "dining area" is four picnic-type tables in what is essentially an enclosed patio. They do have birch beer, tho, and you can get calzones, parm sandwiches, and a few other things. And zeppoli. Gotta love a place where you can get zeppoli at midnight.
Bravo, Liz, for calling out the main problem with Jersey pizza: sauce that’s too sweet. Yes, you put some sugar in your gravy, but you need to balance it with vinegar. Many NJ pizzarias don’t. Combine that with the frozen dough you get in a lot of places and you might as well order Pizza Hut.
Full disclosure: I’m a thin crust guy and I’m a well-done guy. If that cheese hasn’t started to turn brown, put it down. If the slices don’t snap, it’s bound to be crap. And I like my cheese tangy enough to leave an aftertaste. Oh, and lots of oregano.
One stop on the tour did awaken some old memories: Al Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza.
I spent a couple of post-college years in New Haven, Connecticut, which — sorry NJ — may be the pizza capitol of the world. Among the best (and certainly the cheapest) was sold out of a back door at a little house in East Haven. No license, no health inspection, just a little old lady baking pies in an old wood-fired kitchen oven.
I never experienced these wonders of which you speak. I only know that the best pizza in Montclair is Janney's.
come on, no Patsy's Tavern in Paterson? What, was the neighborhood too scary for you?
It's been a few years, for either of these...
but the food at Village Trattoria in Maplewood was quite good!
Marzullo's here in Mtclr has a chef who does broiled fish very nicely.
Have you tried Janney's?
Does anyone know where Scarlotto's (from Willowbrook Mall before the food court) has moved? I heard they were in Wayne using a new name.
Who puts sugar in their sauce? Sacrilege! Tomatoes, good vine ripened (yes, even in cans) tomatoes have all the sweetness and acidity needed for an excellent sauce. Sugar NEVER!
Hmmm. I didn't know there was a Reservoir Pizza in South Orange. I was talking about the Resevoir Tavern in Parsippany, overlooking the Jersey City reservoir...
Reservor Pizza, South Orange Center next to the EXXON has terrific pies, they began like 50 years ago in Newark.
Better is Village Trattoria in Maplewood Center. They will make it however you wish. Crispy crust, soft crust, spicy, mild, alot of chesse, little cheese, whatever and their full menu of Italian food is fantastic. Long wait, made fresh to order. Way Yummy. Definately #2, surpassed only by Star Tavern's Ceasar Salad, Pizza and old fashioned draft Royal Crown Cola. Why Star is #1.
Where is Janney's?
The Reservoir Tavern is actually in Boonton. I've gone there many times. It's OK. The most delectable pizza that I recall was from Pete & Elda's in Neptune. In fact, it blew me away. The thin crust, like a cracker, but not the crunch, had a perfect balance of tomatoe and cheese that really complimented each other. It still resounds in my mind when eating pizzas from around here.