OT: Best Pizza in CT

[zyron]

There was a place called J&G in Hartford or maybe East Hartford back ages ago, they made a greek pie which was pretty darn good

Paradise Pizza in Stratford makes Greek pizza and is very good. They have been there for like 50 years.

 

[Huskieforlife]

can someone offically pin this thread.

 

[Dove]

Little Rendezvous in Meriden is pretty good. Declined a bit when it switched owners a couple years back.

Great crusts but man, they use canned tomatoes and mushrooms.

 

[Dove]

Dominos?

OMG. I can't even believe someone mentioned them. Even as a joke.

Pizza Hut is way better.

Does Pizza Hut still make that Priazzo? mmmmmmmmm.

 

[ctchamps]

I had this encounter at Sals Pizza:

The hostess of Sals, probably the owners wife, rudely put us in a booth. I sat down with my back to one other booth. Just before sitting down, I recognized the face of the gal in the booth behind me. When my wife and son were seated I asked my wife to pay attention and let me know if the gal was Busty.

I couldn't be certain who the gal at Sals was because I saw Busty only one other time. My wife and I went with 3 other couples to a Red Sox - Yankees game at Fenway and sat quite high up between first and the right field fence. So I brought binoculars. About the fifth inning we noticed all the Yankee players looking in the stands over their dugout. We thought it was a fight and since I had the only binoculars, everyone asked me to check what was happening. So I panned to the opposite side of the stadium and saw about 300-400 guys (ages 15 to guys with one step in a casket) following this gal. Obviously within milliseconds I saw she was wearing a halter top and heading back to her seat. The beach balls were bouncing tremendously within those very flimsy restraints as she progressed down the stairs to her seat.

When one is preoccupied one doesn't realize what comes out of the mouth and, as loud as cheering a home run, I shouted HOLY !!!! Immediately my wife grabs the binoculars out of my hands and looks. She echoed my statement and the person next to her grabbed them away from her. The problem was the strap was still around my neck. Everyone had a chance to check Busty out and I got the binoculars back. By that time she was in her seat. I relocated her because there was still a large crowd around her trying to get autographs. Before finally getting back to the game I decided to see if the face was an asset as well. I got a pretty decent look and I realized, she was cute, but she needed the other two assets to make a statement.

Anyways flash forward to Sals. Busty is very short, probably under five feet. So when we sat down, and I looked at her in the booth, her beach balls were located below the table top, not visible to my gaze. All I could see was her neck and face. But I remembered that face from five years earlier. That's saying something because I have horrible name and face recognition and, as I pointed out, the two assets I would have had no trouble remembering were hidden from view.

My wife confirmed her identity a little while later. But before that happened I overheard the conversations with her agent and didn't need the heads up. Meanwhile my three year old was playing with one of those cars that, after you rotate the wheels in reverse, you let the car go and it shoots forward until the gear unwinds. Well my kid let the toy go and it goes under my booth into Busty's booth.

Now my wife, who still hadn't got a fix on who the gal was, tells me to go get the car. I said no way. I didn't want to go there because I knew they wouldn't believe it was my kid who sent the car into their booth. So while my wife and I were preoccupied discussing the issue, Busty comes to our booth and brings the car. I wish I had a recording of my kid as his head slowly looks up and with each quarter inch his head raises his lower jaw moves a quarter inch until his mouth was as wide open as I've ever seen on the kid. Funny how young we can be and have the capacity to recognize things that are disproportionate.

Busty gives the kid the car back. Actually he wouldn't take it so she hands it to me. Hardest thing I ever had to do. My wife is staring at me from across the table, and I'm trying my best to do three things. Not let my mouth go agape like my kid, not to stare at the obvious, but get a look without being obvious, and most importantly to grab the car without touching the obvious, the last thing harder than those who haven't seen Busty up close can understand.

Busty leaves us and goes through the restaurant taking pictures with the chefs. Now I understand why the hostess was in a bad mood. Before she leaves she comes back to our booth and asks if my kid would like a picture with her.

He didn't want one. But I was determined. I had a discussion with some people the day before about a guy who seemed to act like he was in a shell and needed to do something crazy once in his life. Two gals suggested we should all take him to see Busty at a strip club. We all laughed not knowing I would run into her the next day. I had to get the picture because I knew when I explained the encounter they would have thought I was making up a tall tail!!!

 

[TheRogers]

Lena's Stuffed Meat pizza with extra sauce....hmmmmm....

 

[HooperScooper]

Does anyone remember a place I think called Lanteris Pizza in downtown Hartford in the 70s??? They only made sheet pizza that was dough, sauce and cheese. Serious childhood memories of my dad bringing that home.

Yup, ate lots of that stuff growing up. I wouldn't call it real pizza though. Was more of a snack food.

 

[Hoophound]

Pizza Post in Greenwich is excellent.

 

[jleves]

Yup, ate lots of that stuff growing up. I wouldn't call it real pizza though. Was more of a snack food.

OK - if you remember that, do you remember a place downtown that had hot dogs with an amazing chili on them? I cannot remember the name. Something like Pops comes to mind but doesn't sound right.

 

[TRest]

OK - if you remember that, do you remember a place downtown that had hot dogs with an amazing chili on them? I cannot remember the name. Something like Pops comes to mind but doesn't sound right.

Scottys Coney Island?

 

[8893]

I'll have to try the light cheese & well done for Modern because I had just about given up with them. As for Sally's, are you kidding? The lines are still there or that would be my 1st choice (as well as the wait once seated). That is the sole reason why I don't go there as much anymore. I have to disagree as the quality of their pizza has not waned and looking into the kitchen the same guys are still making all of them.

The Sally's line situation is based on my observation driving up Wooster Street during prime dinner hours several times a month. It is one of the ways that I access I-95 N on my way home, so I drive up it often. It is only weeknights I'm talking about though, but they used to have a line every night, and now is seems that they usually don't. In fairness, I haven't been there in years, so I can't speak to the quality or cleanliness myself. But when I asked around about my observation that they don't appear to be as busy, several independent sources all said that the quality had dropped in their opinion, and most notably, all commented on the lack of cleanliness--including a guy who lived across the street from it for several years, who also said he rarely saw a line there for the entire time he lived there.

Now I'm thinking I should try it again.

 

[Huskies320]

Harry's, West Hartford for me

 

[jleves]

Scottys Coney Island?

Doesn't sound right.

 

[Gurleyman]

If we work the Shady Glen cheeseburger into this, we could make a run at one of the longest threads in years. Or at least since the maker's muppet one that was bumped for months.

 

[8893]

Paradise Pizza in Stratford makes Greek pizza and is very good. They have been there for like 50 years.

I grew up in Stratford. Not a huge fan of Greek style, but gotta agree that Paradise was the best Greek style I've had. Good enough that it became my family's go-to place for take-out pizza--and we are generally a family of Neapolitan-style pizza fans.

Jerry's Shakespeare Pizza was notable back in the day for their Sicilian-style pizza. No idea if they are still there, but that was the first place I ever had it, and it was always a treat as a kid. Don't think I'd like it much now though.

 

[8893]

Harry's, West Hartford for me

Hawaiian pie with jalapeno. Shrimp and bacon (white) with jalapeno. Salad.

 

[61cygni]

I had this encounter at Sals Pizza:

The hostess of Sals, probably the owners wife, rudely put us in a booth. I sat down with my back to one other booth. Just before sitting down, I recognized the face of the gal in the booth behind me. When my wife and son were seated I asked my wife to pay attention and let me know if the gal was Busty.

I couldn't be certain who the gal at Sals was because I saw Busty only one other time. My wife and I went with 3 other couples to a Red Sox - Yankees game at Fenway and sat quite high up between first and the right field fence. So I brought binoculars. About the fifth inning we noticed all the Yankee players looking in the stands over their dugout. We thought it was a fight and since I had the only binoculars, everyone asked me to check what was happening. So I panned to the opposite side of the stadium and saw about 300-400 guys (ages 15 to guys with one step in a casket) following this gal. Obviously within milliseconds I saw she was wearing a halter top and heading back to her seat. The beach balls were bouncing tremendously within those very flimsy restraints as she progressed down the stairs to her seat.

When one is preoccupied one doesn't realize what comes out of the mouth and, as loud as cheering a home run, I shouted HOLY !!!! Immediately my wife grabs the binoculars out of my hands and looks. She echoed my statement and the person next to her grabbed them away from her. The problem was the strap was still around my neck. Everyone had a chance to check Busty out and I got the binoculars back. By that time she was in her seat. I relocated her because there was still a large crowd around her trying to get autographs. Before finally getting back to the game I decided to see if the face was an asset as well. I got a pretty decent look and I realized, she was cute, but she needed the other two assets to make a statement.

Anyways flash forward to Sals. Busty is very short, probably under five feet. So when we sat down, and I looked at her in the booth, her beach balls were located below the table top, not visible to my gaze. All I could see was her neck and face. But I remembered that face from five years earlier. That's saying something because I have horrible name and face recognition and, as I pointed out, the two assets I would have had no trouble remembering were hidden from view.

My wife confirmed her identity a little while later. But before that happened I overheard the conversations with her agent and didn't need the heads up. Meanwhile my three year old was playing with one of those cars that, after you rotate the wheels in reverse, you let the car go and it shoots forward until the gear unwinds. Well my kid let the toy go and it goes under my booth into Busty's booth.

Now my wife, who still hadn't got a fix on who the gal was, tells me to go get the car. I said no way. I didn't want to go there because I knew they wouldn't believe it was my kid who sent the car into their booth. So while my wife and I were preoccupied discussing the issue, Busty comes to our booth and brings the car. I wish I had a recording of my kid as his head slowly looks up and with each quarter inch his head raises his lower jaw moves a quarter inch until his mouth was as wide open as I've ever seen on the kid. Funny how young we can be and have the capacity to recognize things that are disproportionate.

Busty gives the kid the car back. Actually he wouldn't take it so she hands it to me. Hardest thing I ever had to do. My wife is staring at me from across the table, and I'm trying my best to do three things. Not let my mouth go agape like my kid, not to stare at the obvious, but get a look without being obvious, and most importantly to grab the car without touching the obvious, the last thing harder than those who haven't seen Busty up close can understand.

Busty leaves us and goes through the restaurant taking pictures with the chefs. Now I understand why the hostess was in a bad mood. Before she leaves she comes back to our booth and asks if my kid would like a picture with her.

He didn't want one. But I was determined. I had a discussion with some people the day before about a guy who seemed to act like he was in a shell and needed to do something crazy once in his life. Two gals suggested we should all take him to see Busty at a strip club. We all laughed not knowing I would run into her the next day. I had to get the picture because I knew when I explained the encounter they would have thought I was making up a tall tail!!!

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Gurleyman]

We could also discuss grinders. I assume Nutmeggers still call them grinders, but perhaps there was a "sub" infiltration from the south into Fairfield County.

Plus I grew up pronouncing the u in aunt and get heckled for it everywhere else.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

First and last tavern ... avon (only)

I like the salad at First and last in Avon with the house italian dressing. The homemade pies (not pizza) are also very good. First and last has good food but never tried their pizza.

 

[ctchamps]

Pics or it didn't happen.

We got the picture. I practically sat on my son to get it. My wife was no problem however.

 

[zyron]

Jerry's Shakespeare Pizza was notable back in the day for their Sicilian-style pizza. No idea if they are still there, but that was the first place I ever had it, and it was always a treat as a kid. Don't think I'd like it much now though.

It is still there but I wouldn't eat it unless it was free. Rose's down by the beach was good when I was a kid but they closed and reopened and isn't that good either.

 

[8893]

It is still there but I wouldn't eat it unless it was free. Rose's down by the beach was good when I was a kid but they closed and reopened and isn't that good either.

Rose's was definitely our spot growing up, especially the old green house. Lived in Lordship for our first several years in town and loved that spot. Still went there when they built the new place and when we moved to the center of Stratford, but when we moved to Paradise Green it was too long of a haul. Haven't been there in decades.

 

[Devland]

The best pizza I remember was from a dive place in eastern PA where I grew up. I can't remember the name of the place but I remember the owner dropped dead in the middle of the place of a heart attack and they shut down the place in the late 60's. It may not have been as good as I remember but it always seems like the stuff you had as a kid was better.
I've had two memorable Big East tournament pizzas. One was a place in Syracuse we picked out of the phone book because they delivered. We were drunk and you can't beat a good drunk pizza. It had a very good and very spicy Italian sausage on it. The sausage had a pepperoni texture to it. The other was at a bar NYC. It was probably the worst pizza I've had in my life. I think we assumed that since it was in NYC it would be good. One person in our group described it as a saltine with ketchup on it.

 

[Devland]

We could also discuss grinders. I assume Nutmeggers still call them grinders, but perhaps there was a "sub" infiltration from the south into Fairfield County.

Plus I grew up pronouncing the u in aunt and get heckled for it everywhere else.

When I moved here I had no idea what a grinder was. We alway refered to them as hoagies.

 

[TRest]

When I moved here I had no idea what a grinder was. We alway refered to them as hoagies.

There was a guy on my floor freshman year from Cos Cob who called grinders "wedges". I've never heard that anywhere else.