44 replies to this topic

[Lippy]

Has anyone had pizza recently in New Haven? Which place do you think is best at the moment?

[omnivorette]

Modern, from hard core folks I trust.

[Lippy]

That's what I'd heard, too.

[fantasty]

As recently as December they had Long Trail Ale on tap, which is a nice plus.

[bushey]

Sally's.

We were there last weekend and it was every bit as good as I remember. I think both the crust and the sauce are more flavorful than Modern, though in all fairness they both have that great smokey, char. It's true that the beer selection at Sally's is pitiful, but I don't go there to drink :~).

Pepe's is a far distant third.

[Lippy]

We decided on the Modern and arrived about 5:10 p.m. and were seated at one of the last avilable tables. We ordered a 16" pie with sausage and mushrooms. The pizza was served on a metal tray, with a piece of parchmenty paper that absorbed a lot of the excess oil and helped keep the bottom of the crust from getting too soggy. The sausage was in the form of bite-sized lumps, distributed evenly and the mushrooms were fresh, of course. The tomato sauce was also very fresh and tomato-y, not like a long-cooked tomato sauce. The pie was round, not misshapen as the menu warned it might be, due to the high heat of the pizza oven. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any fresh basil, which I've come to really like on pizza. This one was very good, but not necessarily better than the best...except for the lightly charred crust, which may have surpassed any I've ever had. By the time we left, there was a long line of people waiting outside.

Unlike most New York pizza lovers, my touchstone for excellence is not DiFaro's (which I love), but the pies of my youth, at DeLorenzo's on Hudson Street, in Trenton, when they were made in the old coke oven before it was replaced after a fire. Sausage and mushroom was my favorite combo there and what I try to choose when trying a new place. DeLorenzo's sausage was better than the Modern and of course, it had the character of that oven contributing something that cannot be duplicated. I recognize that sweet memory plays a large part in my evaluation.

[omnivorette]

You can go home again!

http://www.pizzajoin...Pizza1033142892

Eyebrows and I went about 4 years ago, when we were driving back from Philly. It was very good.

[Lippy]

I ate there after the coke oven was gone, and, as good as it is now, it was better then.

[Rebecca]

I am so jealous. This is simple memories. Best pizza I ever had was in New Haven. Brick/coke oven? But the secret was in the mozarella that was different from everyplace else.

[omnivorette]

I grew up in New Haven. The mozzarella is not what's different. It's the crusts. And good sauce too.

[Rebecca]

Ok. It might've been Hamden. We went to three places. All wonderful. Was the cheese.

[omnivorette]

Actually I grew up in North Haven, which is right next to Hamden. Two pizzerias of note in Hamden, and neither of them use/d any mozzarella other than the same type of stuff they ALL use, all made from commercial curd. And none of them use "fresh" mozzarella on their regular pies. It ain't about the cheese. And none of the pizzerias in North Haven or Hamden come close to Spot, Pepe's, Sally's, Modern.

If the cheese really stood out - you were not eating a southern CT typical pie.

[TrishCT]

Just got around to reading this thread. I've had pizza from the big three in New Haven, but not recently. As to which is best, I think it comes down to your own personal pizza preference.

There are fans who are loyal to each of the three and will argue ad infinitum if you let them as to why theirs is the best. Just like New York City pizza wars.

I've had the pizza at Roseland (Derby) and Jerry's (Middletown), two other touted places, and I think they aren't in the same league as the New Haven joints. Personally, I think Roseland's strength is the Italian specials on the chalkboard. I am lost as to Jerry's special allure. But if I was in the neighborhood of either one, I'd stop for sure.

In Norwalk there are two places I think are worth mentioning. The first is Letizia's, a hole in the wall joint, near the Wilton border on Route 7. They make good pizza. Not New Haven style. But very good, and their toppings, like sausage, are nice quality. It also has one of the nicest counter guys you'll ever meet.

The second is Fat Cat Pie Company which has a fun clubby atmosphere. It touts its pies as having organic and natural ingredients. The end result is New Havenesque to some degree. Good pies, but not the best I've ever had either.

In Newtown there is Carminuccio's which does a nice job with pizza. They have a lot of topping choices. Stop by sometime for lunch.

In Bethel, there is Lauretano's (it's in a shopping complex across from the famous Sycamore Diner, which is a cool place). The pizza is very similar to New Haven style and pretty darn good, if a little pricey. Thumbs up. Possibly a destination place for New Yorkers taking a ride.

We like First & Last Cafe in Danbury for our standard "takeout place near home" pizza. Sometimes it is heavenly, other times just eh. It's thin crust cooked in a wood-fired oven. The fresh mozz isn't runny, it's practically bonded to the crust. This kind of pie suffers as it cools. Gotta eat it hot asap.

[mitchells]

The second is Fat Cat Pie Company which has a fun clubby atmosphere. It touts its pies as having organic and natural ingredients. The end result is New Havenesque to some degree. Good pies, but not the best I've ever had either.

I'm a fan of the Fat Cat Pie Company but I can't agree with your assessment that it is somewhat "New Havenesque." No coal oven, no burnt cornmeal on the bottom, no clams. The Fat Pie Pies are the epitome of bar pizza. Small pizzas serving 1 or 2 and are styled after the bar pizzas at the Colony Grill in Stamford which the Fat Cat owners are fond of. Their take on bar pizza with better ingredients. Anyone expecting a New Haven experience would be disappointed.

[fantasty]

We like First & Last Cafe in Danbury for our standard "takeout place near home" pizza. Sometimes it is heavenly, other times just eh. It's thin crust cooked in a wood-fired oven. The fresh mozz isn't runny, it's practically bonded to the crust. This kind of pie suffers as it cools. Gotta eat it hot asap.

Is that the place near the New Fairfield town line?