OT: Best Pizza in CT

[upstater]

I had never heard of Bobby’s Apizza until a friend recommended it to me recently when I visited Caius Farm Brewery, a couple of miles away. Very solid pie. Good char. I wouldn’t drive out of the way for it, but quality was good.

A lot of people talk about Caius, but I've been there 3 times and each time, I was one of 4 or 5 people. Great beer, I wonder why it's not packed.

 

[karstenkibbe]

A lot of people talk about Caius, but I've been there 3 times and each time, I was one of 4 or 5 people. Great beer, I wonder why it's not packed.

It has zero hype in the craft beer world. His beers keep improving, literally every style. But craft beer is driven these days by hype and location. With all due respect to North Branford… people aren’t going to drive there. He also has paid for promoted Instagram posts. I think that makes craft beer nerds question Caius.

 

[jibsey]

Ummm. It doesn’t look or sound better than Pepe’s.

How would you know? You didn’t taste it. Pepe’s I had 2 pieces of pepperoni per slice, they are stingy. Ernie’s was good but not much better.

 

[Matrim55]

View attachment 104960

I'd have done the same.

 

[superjohn]

How would you know? You didn’t taste it. Pepe’s I had 2 pieces of pepperoni per slice, they are stingy. Ernie’s was good but not much better.

Because you aren't cooking it in a 100 year old coal oven and you're using Mama Cozzi's ingredients.

 

[jibsey]

Because you aren't cooking it in a 100 year old coal oven and you're using Mama Cozzi's ingredients.

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.

 

[Deepster]

How would you know? You didn’t taste it. Pepe’s I had 2 pieces of pepperoni per slice, they are stingy. Ernie’s was good but not much better.

I didn’t say I tasted it.

I said it doesn’t look or sound better than Pepe’s.

I’m going to doubt your dough was better than Pepe’s. No mention of anything special on your sauce, god forbid it’s a jar sauce. It sounds below average and looks like a sloppy mess. Sorry.

 

[jibsey]

I didn’t say I tasted it.

I said it doesn’t look or sound better than Pepe’s.

I’m going to doubt your dough was better than Pepe’s. No mention of anything special on your sauce, god forbid it’s a jar sauce. It sounds below average and looks like a sloppy mess. Sorry.

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.

 

[Huskybass]

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.

Ernie's just isn't all that good despite the cult like following. I went there twice and left very underwhelmed both times. I have several friends who make far better pizza at home. Yours looks very good from the photo.

 

[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.