Top 25 New Pizzerias
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.
Recent Articles by Peter Reinhart
- Update from Peter Regarding our Heritage Radio Network Audio Podcasts
- Pizza Quest: Chef Mike Friedman’s Pizza and Other Jewish Italian American Tributes in DC
- Pizza Quest: Animal-Free Cheese that Actually Tastes and Melts Like Cheese
- Pizza Quest, with Guests Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler, aka Miller-Butler
- Pizza Quest: Shannon Mangini — Things Can Happen Fast
- Pizza Quest: Anthony Mangieri, with Big News About His New Line of Frozen Pizzas
Add Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Pizza Quest Info
Resources
Vision Statement
Peter’s Books
...and other books by Peter Reinhart, available on Amazon.com
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.
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.
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.
great to see Al Forno on there, very unique and different from the rest
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.