Happiness is working in New Haven. Company had Modern for lunch on Christmas Eve.
On the subject of Christmas Eve, I got curious and took a 7:15 driving tour which revealed that - in order - Olde World, Grimaldi's, Dayton Street, Ernie's, Sally's, Pepe's, Zeneli's, Nolo, Da Legna, Modern, Next Door, and One6Three were all closed.
My last remaining hope was what I'd have bet was the best possibility to be open, and, sure enough, I picked up a bacon & cheese from BAR that was much better that a shockingly disappointing pie from mid-summer. I'll be back there next Saturday with a group and there should be more variety and a better chance to assess its current state.
Tonight, after a busted sunset bike ride to the Festival of Lights had me in Morris Cove, I made my first return stop to Fire & Slice since its early months when the misguided choice of a smoked brisket pizza resulted in epic heartburn and had me wary of the BBQ-Pizza hybrid. I opted for a pulled pork sandwich, which had a nice, smoky flavor that was complemented by cole slaw and BBQ sauce on the side.
In curiosity, I also ordered a plain cheese slice, and they gave me a second gratis: thin, simple, foldable, non-floppy, light char, smoky and surprisingly good. At $1.95, it's a terrific value, and they also offer a $2.50 slice with a topping of the day. I'd now trust them to make me a full pie.
Their business is largely take-out, and I'm now imagining them as a better choice for the Pardee-Morris summer concert series than the otherwise good enough slices from the Abate's truck that is usually there.