Top 25 New Pizzerias

Monday, 28 February 2011 17:46

Hi Again,
If you are a regular here then it's probable that you all have your own list of favorite pizzerias. So here's a little fuel for the forno, a link to a recent Huffington Post posting of Food and Wine.com's Top 25 pizzerias. Bear in mind, this list represents what they call "New Guard" pizzerias, not the venerable oldie but goodies like Frank Pepe's or DiFara's. After you read about them, I hope you will then comment below on whether you agree or disagree with their choices.

Personally, I haven't been to them all, but I have been to many of them. A notable pattern in the list is the recognition of the use of local ingredients from sustainable farms, even by restaurants making classic or traditional pizzas. But really, isn't this the real hallmark of authentic Italian food? This is the the good news uber trend--we're getting back to how it's supposed to be done, not imitative (well sure, to some extent everything is imitative) but, as our guest columnists often point out, by doing it the right way not the copycat way. Looks like we've tipped over folks--the "pizza renaissance" is in full flower and it's nice to be along for the ride. Enjoy reading about these places and let us know who should have been on the list if you disagree. I'm sure there many more than these 25 who ought to be listed and I now have a few new ones to hunt down in this unrelenting, yet joyful journey we call our pizza quest.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-wine/food-and-wine-best-pizza-in-us_b_827096.html#s240077&title=New_York_City

Comments

#1 B-ry 2011-03-01 13:39

Thanks for the excellent article. Can't wait to try these new places. I would be interested to see how you rank the ones you have been to.

I have only been to Ken's Artisan Pizza in Portland, OR, 2 Amy's in DC and Motorino's in NY. I plan to visit Apizza Scholl's (this week), Co. (next month) and Delfina (May) soon.

Here is how I would rank them:
1. Ken's Artisan Pizza
2. Motorino
3. 2 Amy's

I find myself going back to Ken's every time I visit Portland, OR.

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#2 Caleb Schiff 2011-03-01 19:39

The "locavore" was born in Italy. Italians are amazingly passionate about local food and most would probably laugh at US pizzerias trying to recreate everything from Campania. Great post Peter.

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#3 Caleb Schiff 2011-03-01 19:44

Might I also recommend Alan Richman's article in GQ in 2009 ( http://www.gq.com/food-travel/alan-richman/200905/pizza-american-pie-25-best). His list might be a bit outdated now, but his discussion of american's love of pizza (relative to Italians) and our recent Neapolitan awakening is great reading.

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#4 Jesse 2011-03-03 14:49

great to see Al Forno on there, very unique and different from the rest

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#5 Peter Reinhart 2011-03-06 05:58

I love Ken's too, as well as Apizza Scholls--they are my two go-to places in Portland now. I'd love to hear from others about their top ranked places. I'll eventually post something about the places on the article's list that I've been to, but I'd love to hear from more of you before I chime in.

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#6 Jesse 2011-03-10 20:31

Seeing as how I'm in Canada, I haven't yet been to most of the top pizzerias in the States. However, I went to New Haven recently and was blown away. Modern, Pepe's, Sally's, Bar.. they're all incredible.

Next on my list of places to check out are Pizzeria Bianco, Apizza Scholls, and Di Fara.

I hear there's some pretty good pizza down in Charlotte too now, I'm sure Peter can speak to that.

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#7 Peter Reinhart 2011-03-12 16:22

Jesse, you are in for the ride of your life. Keep us informed as you check off your wish list. Also, tell us about the great places in Canada too.

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#8 B-ry 2011-05-02 12:12

I finally made it to Apizza Scholls in Portland, OR. The pizza is very good. Very close to NY style pizza that I grew up with, but better. Lighter and with better ingredients. But...

There is something about Ken's Artisan that has me coming back time after time after time. Their pizza is perfect. Flavorful, slightly crispy and topped simply, with a few high quality ingredients. Not only is the pizza great, but the entire vibe is something that is hard to explain. The wood fired oven centers the restaurant and it's impossible not to be mesmerized by how the pizzaiola's and staff care so much about pizza. Especially the pizzaiola's. They act as if there is nothing more important on earth. You can tell they enjoy their craft as they sling pizza's, rock to hip music and make for an incredible atmosphere. It is one of my favorite restaurants. Period.

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#9 B-ry 2011-05-10 15:41

I was on vacation last week in Napa / San Fransisco and I made sure to make time to visit Delfina. The pizza was incredible!! The crust was perfect. It was chewy and slightly crispy on the bottom. It was topped with incredible ingredients. In comparison to Ken's Artisan Pizza, it was topped with much more ingredients (more sauce and more cheese), but I don't necessarily view that as a good/bad thing. It is really hard to compare the two because they are so different, but right now they are tied for my top 2 favorite pizza's. My new ranking is now:

1. Ken's Artisan Pizza
1. Pizzeria Delfina
3. Motorino
4. Apizza Scholls
5. 2 Amy's

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#10 B-ry 2011-06-15 05:03

I went to Pizzeria Basta in Boulder, Colorado and got to see Kelly Whitaker make some of this amazing pizzas. I had the daisy, which is tomato sauce, hand stretched mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil. It ranks right up there with one of the best pizzas I've had. May be the best sauce. I really liked this pizza was mostly sauce and lightly topped with mozzarella. It was as good as Delfina and Motorino. Can't wait to go back!

I am going to try newly opened (jan '11) Pizzeria Locale tonight from the same people that run Frasca Food and Wine. They brought in the state's first Stefano Ferrara "mobile" oven.

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Pizza Quest is a site dedicated to the exploration of artisanship in all forms, wherever we find it, but especially through the literal and metaphorical image of pizza. As we share our own quest for the perfect pizza we invite all of you to join us and share your journeys too. We have discovered that you never know what engaging roads and side paths will reveal themselves on this quest, but we do know that there are many kindred spirits out there, passionate artisans, doing all sorts of amazing things. These are the stories we want to discover, and we invite you to jump on the proverbial bus and join us on this, our never ending pizza quest.