OT: Best Pizza in CT

[upstater]

LOL. My pizza paddle is coming today. They cook at 800 degrees so I don’t have that but I will preheat my stone to 500. That is 90% of it to get the crunch.
I’ve had pizza in Italy made from the expensive fine 00 flour and from Ooni. Don’t like it, too light, no give to it.
I will make sauce from San marzanos that’s next but Mama Cozzi has the thinnest sliced pepperoni I’ve had and it gets perfectly crisp.
Pizza snobbery is quite amusing.

Everyone's situation with making pizza is different. Oven, humidity, etc., I'm always surprised how big a difference the weather makes as I have to change things up every summer.

I use any kind of flour, bread flour, 00, All-Purpose, it doesn't matter, I get similar results.

I have found some California tomatoes are better than San Marzanos. For instance, Alta Cucina.

I have a pizza stone and a steel block that are now in permanent storage as I'm using cast iron pizza pan made by Lodge. Its done a much better job than anything else I've ever used.

The weather up here in Buffalo is still mild so I'm still using my Weber Grill for making pizza.

My only tricks are high hydration and mixing half an IPA with my water. I'm not a master chef and I agree that making pizza dough is not very difficult. On the other hand, it is very, very, very evident that a lot of people fail at it. They don't mix it properly, that don't let it sit, they don't proof it, they don't refrigerate it for 24 hours, they don't take it out to bring it back to room temperature. So you'd be surprised. Obviously the ratios of ingredients are important as well, and that takes trial and error.

 

[jibsey]

Everyone's situation with making pizza is different. Oven, humidity, etc., I'm always surprised how big a difference the weather makes as I have to change things up every summer.

I use any kind of flour, bread flour, 00, All-Purpose, it doesn't matter, I get similar results.

I have found some California tomatoes are better than San Marzanos. For instance, Alta Cucina.

I have a pizza stone and a steel block that are now in permanent storage as I'm using cast iron pizza pan made by Lodge. Its done a much better job than anything else I've ever used.

The weather up here in Buffalo is still mild so I'm still using my Weber Grill for making pizza.

My only tricks are high hydration and mixing half an IPA with my water. I'm not a master chef and I agree that making pizza dough is not very difficult. On the other hand, it is very, very, very evident that a lot of people fail at it. They don't mix it properly, that don't let it sit, they don't proof it, they don't refrigerate it for 24 hours, they don't take it out to bring it back to room temperature. So you'd be surprised. Obviously the ratios of ingredients are important as well, and that takes trial and error.

Thanks for the tip on the Alta cucina. Could those work well in Marinara?

 

[Deepster]

Dough is flour, water, salt and yeast. That’s it. It’s not culinary institute. Yeah like you could tell from a pic. Funny. I just had Ernie’s in New Haven and this was as good. My dough was NYT recipe pizza dough.

LOL. Okaaaaay. I guess any monkey can dump four things in a bowl and get the same quality product as a pizza place recognized nationally as a top ten spot. My bad.

Listen. If you want to post that awful picture of your weird looking pizza fishing for “yummy!!!” replies. Sorry.

 

[Waquoit]

 

[jibsey]

LOL. Okaaaaay. I guess any monkey can dump four things in a bowl and get the same quality product as a pizza place recognized nationally as a top ten spot. My bad.

Listen. If you want to post that awful picture of your weird looking pizza fishing for “yummy!!!” replies. Sorry.

Some of the “nationally recognized top ten” spots are good and some are rep. and disappointing.
I wasn’t trying to win a beauty pizza contest with photo but I personally like crisp not burnt which is what is sold at these top ten places these days, coal fired pieces of charcoal, but each to their own.
Go ahead, keep buying $30 pizza by all means.

 

[upstater]

Thanks for the tip on the Alta cucina. Could those work well in Marinara?

Yes, absolutely. They are plum tomatoes like the San Marzanos. Same type of tomato. Bianco di Napoli is the 1 lb version you can get off Amazon, Alta Cucina comes in 6 lb cans. Same pricing. Both are better than, for instance, Cento San Marzanos. We did a blind taste test with many people at my home. It wasn't even close. Im not saying California > than Italian San Marzanos. But I am saying they are much better than the San Marzanos available in the USA.

 

[Deepster]

Some of the “nationally recognized top ten” spots are good and some are rep. and disappointing.
I wasn’t trying to win a beauty pizza contest with photo but I personally like crisp not burnt which is what is sold at these top ten places these days, coal fired pieces of charcoal, but each to their own.
Go ahead, keep buying $30 pizza by all means.

It's not "burnt". It's abeetz, noob.

 

[jibsey]

It's not "burnt". It's abeetz, noob.

Right, but it tastes burnt.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Yes, been to both. The Pepe's was fine. Didn't notice any difference from Chestnut Hill. It's in a little outdoor lifestyle shopping center.

Haven't been to Sally's in Woburn in almost a year. One, I don't like that they put very little cheese on their pizza. And two, they pissed me off that they charge about 20% more than Pepe's because they're now owned by a money grabbing company. So not going again is my middle finger to them.

It’s sad now that the Sally’s conglomerate has been living off it’s name the past several years.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Dough is flour, water, salt and yeast. That’s it. It’s not culinary institute. Yeah like you could tell from a pic. Funny. I just had Ernie’s in New Haven and this was as good. My dough was NYT recipe pizza dough.

Make sure the dough you’re using has sufficient gluten, if not you could be eating 12 inch pancakes with tomatoe sauce on it.

 

[jibsey]

Make sure the dough you’re using has sufficient gluten, if not you could be eating 12 inch pancakes with tomatoe sauce on it.

Of course, I use flour with gluten. There are differences in cheeses too, I’m researching mozzarella, Italy had better mozz. Don’t like the fresh on pizza, I know some do.

 

[superjohn]

Right, but it tastes burnt.

You sound like you're from Arkansas.

 

[Deepster]

Of course, I use flour with gluten. There are differences in cheeses too, I’m researching mozzarella, Italy had better mozz. Don’t like the fresh on pizza, I know some do.

I'm sure that bag of Sargento shredded really put it over the top. Married nicely with the Prego "homestyle".

 

[jibsey]

You sound like you're from Arkansas.

I lived in Memphis right next door for a time and you wouldn’t recognize their speech in AK as English.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Of course, I use flour with gluten. There are differences in cheeses too, I’m researching mozzarella, Italy had better mozz. Don’t like the fresh on pizza, I know some do.

Dollops of fresh mozz work well in a super hot oven, on pizza margarita pies w/ fresh basil. New Haven style, not so much. Scamutz or Scamorza is the better and traditional mozz for New Haven style.

 

[upstater]

It’s sad now that the Sally’s conglomerate has been living off it’s name the past several years.

I still go there all the time. It's still excellent pizza. I even saw the old pizzamaker there when I went.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Don’t know why it took me so long, but we loved Joe’s Pizza last night in New Canaan. Margarita pies were one of the best I’ve had in a long time.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I still go there all the time. It's still excellent pizza. I even saw the old pizzamaker there when I went.

The original Sally’s yes, they have to with Modern, Pepe’s, and Zuppardis being close by, but in my experience so far at these satellite places up and down the East Coast the quality is iffy at best. I’ve had crappy pizza’s in Danbury Pepe’s, Stamford Sally’s, Ansonia Zupp’s, and the prices aren’t any less than what they charge now in New Haven. On a side note the Ansonia Zupp’s is closing down, I think because they can’t closely monitor how the quality compares to Union Ave. I will say that the Fairfield Pepe’s makes terrific pies, and that’s probably the oldest satellite one out there, opened for business almost 20 years ago, but that’s an exception not the rule. The other beef I have with New Haven pizza is the prices have risen in recent years at an unfair rate.

 

[huskymedic]

… On a side note the Ansonia Zupp’s is closing down, I think because they can’t closely monitor how the quality compares to Union Ave.

Zuppardi’s is not closing their Ansonia location - it is their satellite spot that was located in the The Hops Company brewery in Derby and it wasn’t for quality control. The Hops is changing its operation/mission.

Zuppardi's Announces 'Bittersweet' Closing Of Derby Pizzeria Location

The popular pizzeria announced its satellite location at The Hops Company in Derby will close to the public at the end of the year.

patch.com

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Zuppardi’s is not closing their Ansonia location - it is their satellite spot that was located in the The Hops Company brewery in Derby and it wasn’t for quality control. The Hops is changing its operation/mission.

Zuppardi's Announces 'Bittersweet' Closing Of Derby Pizzeria Location

The popular pizzeria announced its satellite location at The Hops Company in Derby will close to the public at the end of the year.

patch.com

Thanks for the welcome info, sorry for confusing Derby with Ansonia. Lol

 

[huskymedic]

-> No matter how much national exposure New Haven apizza gets, though, one local specialty always plays third fiddle to the well-known white clam pie and tomato pie: potato pie. <-

 

[huskymedic]

-> Two Roads posted about the new menu addition to its Two Roads Food Hall earlier this month. The brewery said it now offers a few Zuppardi staples and some Two Roads exclusives. The brewery now offers classic mozzarella and pepperoni pies, along with Zupp’s special, which features sausage, mushrooms, and mozzarella. It also introduces exclusive hot oil, alfredo, and alla vodka pies.<-

 

[uconnfan68]

Dough is flour, water, salt and yeast. That’s it. It’s not culinary institute. Yeah like you could tell from a pic. Funny. I just had Ernie’s in New Haven and this was as good. My dough was NYT recipe pizza dough.

Yeah, there’s a lot more to dough than the ingredient list. I have issues with smell and taste going back to childhood, but even I can tell good dough from dough.

 

[imno1]

Yeah, there’s a lot more to dough than the ingredient list. I have issues with smell and taste going back to childhood, but even I can tell good dough from dough.

I may be misremembering but in YouTube doc the owner of Modern said they use live cultures (I think) instead of yeast.

 

[nashusky109]

Dough is flour, water, salt and yeast. That’s it. It’s not culinary institute. Yeah like you could tell from a pic. Funny. I just had Ernie’s in New Haven and this was as good. My dough was NYT recipe pizza dough.

If it’s that easy why isn’t every pizza good? You know it’s a lot more nuanced than that. Salt content, hydration, type of flour, fermentation time, proof time, type of pizza you’re trying to make? Anybody can make dough, pizza was always an affordable food to make and eat from the beginning of time so it doesn’t have to be a culinary institute but dough is the most important part of any pizza so yeah it’s flour water salt and yeast and sometimes olive oil but it’s way more than just the ingredients

 

[jibsey]

If it’s that easy why isn’t every pizza good? You know it’s a lot more nuanced than that. Salt content, hydration, type of flour, fermentation time, proof time, type of pizza you’re trying to make? Anybody can make dough, pizza was always an affordable food to make and eat from the beginning of time so it doesn’t have to be a culinary institute but dough is the most important part of any pizza so yeah it’s flour water salt and yeast and sometimes olive oil but it’s way more than just the ingredients

It’s become not that affordable anymore with smaller sizes and raised prices. Ovens are important as are the quality of the cheese and sauce ingredients but in most cases like ones Portnoy tastes there’s less than $3 worth on a $25 pie. Why do you think there’s a shop every block in cities? And a pizza is approaching the price of some high end entrees in good restaurants.
I do agree that some do it better than others in both quality and price.

 

[Waquoit]

You never can tell from just a photo but I'm pretty sure I would enjoy that pizza.

 

[mauconnfan]

You never can tell from just a photo but I'm pretty sure I would enjoy that pizza.

Oh you would their sausage pie one of the best.

I will say this about Zuppardis, I wouldn’t recommend ordering their online frozen pizzas shipped to you. They’re like a small size with an awful crust to pizza ratio. Not awful just not up to expectations.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Oh you would their sausage pie one of the best.

I will say this about Zuppardis, I wouldn’t recommend ordering their online frozen pizzas shipped to you. They’re like a small size with an awful crust to pizza ratio. Not awful just not up to expectations.

You can buy those frozen 12 inch Zuppardis pie’s at Shop Rite, Caraluzzi’s, and a few other supermarkets. Certainly one of the best frozen pies I’ve ever had, but nothing like the real deal.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Oh you would their sausage pie one of the best.

I will say this about Zuppardis, I wouldn’t recommend ordering their online frozen pizzas shipped to you. They’re like a small size with an awful crust to pizza ratio. Not awful just not up to expectations.

I think Zupp’s was at one time the only place in the state that made their own sausage. Their sausage & mushroom pie has always been my single favorite pie anywhere.