Best. Birthday. Dinner. Ever.
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So this was really an exceptional treat. I got two pies from Zupp's and one each from Modern and Pepe's. Had Sally's not been closed I would have gotten one from them also; I did not include BAR because I did not trust that it would hold up well enough for takeout.
Zupp's: one Fresh Clam (white), one "The Special" (house-made sausage and mushroom, red)
Modern: artichoke and eggplant, red pie, light mozz
Pepe's: Meatball, mozz, ricotta (red)
I ordered all of them around noon, for dinner time pick-up 15 minutes apart. Specified all of them to be uncut.
Started at Zupp's, which had the best system for takeout of the three. You can park in their lot and they call you on your cell when your pizza is ready. Then you pull in front of the restaurant, where they have cones creating a lane right in front. Waitress comes out, with face mask, and hands you your pies. The only glitch is that they don't do payment over the phone; you have to pay there, which means signing credit card, etc. But easy peasy if you have disinfectant handy. Zupp's offered a "part-bake" for us to finish in the oven at home. Although that has worked well with Bufalina, I think I would have them finish it next time and just keep it uncut, as it was hard to get the full char on at home. Excellent pies though.
Modern frequently undercooks their pies for my tastes, so I didn't add "well done" to my order this time, and it turned out perfectly after reheating at home. They have their usual pickup spot, but they have added a plastic divider. As long as only one person is picking up at a time, it's fine. They also have you pay in person.
After hearing mention from others that they might prefer the new Pepe's pie cooked a little more, I decided to just order it as is, figuring that we would finish it off at home as well. They do take payment over the phone, but you still have to go in and pick it up. They only awkwardness is if people are walking out as you are walking it, which happened to me with a succession of three different people, each of whom assumed I was holding the door for them, and they each stepped way too close for comfort imo. Love the new pie though.
Hit the entrance ramp after Pepe's and was home in less than 20 minutes (loving this no-traffic thing). Ovens were ready and we were eating less than ten minutes later. Mrs. 8893 made a nice arugula salad to accompany.
I've never had the chance to sample multiple places side-by-side like this before, and it was awesome. I truly believed that each pie was the best while I was eating it, only to change my mind when I started eating the next slice from a different pie. Each one was A+ and I couldn't possibly rank them because they were all glorious. The only thing I can say with certainty is that I like Zupp's white clam pie better than Pepe's. Even though I didn't have the Pepe's clam yesterday, I've had it recently enough to recall it, and I think Zupp's is simply better for my tastes. I also thought that the Modern crust held up the best of the three, but the kids thought Pepe's crust was best.
Yep, Best. Birthday. Dinner. Ever.
And soon to be the best lunch....
