OT: Best Pizza in CT

[Walker11]

Wow!
As an Italian American and native New Havener, let me clear up some ignorance. Good apizza (the real name) in CT previously began and ended in New Haven. Over the decades it has spread pretty well into the rest of the state. But New Haven and the big 3 are still at the pinnacle. Pepe's, Sally's and Modern. Formerly Bimonte was up there too. Know why? Peppe And Sally both have Bimonte blood and they are all related. I think Pepe's is best and so does the recent review of the top 100 pizza's in the US. (Sally's & Modern were like #7 & #14 but not sure of the order. Nothing else in CT was in the top 20)

Now, if your pizza comes in squares or has an adjective before it (e.g. Greek-, deep dish, artisan) it is not pizza. You may like it. But you're wrong. It doesn't make you a bad person, it just disqualifies you from this conversation. Like if you said Tyler Olander was the most talented big on UCONN's team last year.
I am proud to have grown up and lived in areas where a Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, etc was never able to stay in business.

I liked this post because Ive never heard of Bimonte's, and we share similar taste, but I must say, this post took pizza snobbery to a level I didnt know existed.

 

[huskyrob1]

Glad you liked it. They have some nice sides too iirc, and a few very nice beers on tap.

I'm feeling pizza in my future tonight. Been mostly gluten-free for the past month and I've got a fever for some pizza right about now, but tonight is likely to be from my grill at home rather than out at a restaurant. Weber makes a pizza stone for the grill that I get pretty good results with, but you've gotta watch the heat after the first pie because the stone really retains it and the bottom of the pie will burn before the top gets cooked sufficiently for my tastes. I use tons of corn meal and lower the heat after the first pie.

Been there, trial and error, but have been making pies on the grill for years and the way I do it works great...For the best pizza on the grill you need the 600 or 700 degree heat inside a gas grill with the grill lid closed or it won't cook right, but as you correctly stated with the burner flame being directly under the stone the bottom of the pie will be charcoal black before the cheese/toppings on top is done. Two things you need to do to get that corrected and the direct heat from the burners deflected and reflected away from the bottom of the stone ...#1) aluminum foil....#2) a 2nd pizza stone. First lay down a sheet of aluminum foil directly on the area of the grill grate (and ONLY on the area of the grill grate that the stone covers) that pizza stone #1 will cover. Next, get a 2nd pizza stone that preferably has legs (some do have short stubby ceramic legs) and put it directly on top of the first stone. What's important here is an inch or so of air space between the two stones. The foil on the very bottom will reflect the direct radiant heat off the bottom stone and the air space between the two stones will act to somewhat insulate the top stone from getting too hot. This set up also helps convective heat transfer up the front, back and sides of the grate that isn't covered by anything and into the top of the grill hood which is over the cheese and toppings. For pizzas to come out right you need fast cooking times (10 minutes) with high heat (700 degrees), lowering the heat (and lengthening the cooking time) to keep the bottom from turning to charcoal will only give you a soggy, doughy pie that will taste like a toasted cheese sandwich. Use the foil and the 2nd stone and you won't have to turn the heat down, your pies will be better than Pepe's...well maybe not.

My favorite pizza place BTW is Zuppardis, the best sausage and mushroom pie in the state IMO, Modern a close 2nd. Have been going to Pepe's for many, many years and it definitely has gone down a notch last 10 years or so. Same thing for Sally's, and not surprised it's for sale.

 

[Fishy]

It's pizza.

Dough, tomatoey stuff, cheese, an oven and a cardboard box.

There are only so many ways you can throw that combination together - there's like a five-zillion way tie for 'best pizza joint in the world'.

 

[David 76]

East Haven so we ventured out to many pizza places for a few years…….what was the one somewhere near the East Haven/North Branfore years ago I'm thinking "Jerry's" or something…….[/QUOTE]

Mau, sounds like Jerry & Maria's. All pizza in E H is pretty good.
Did she know B Willie Smith band? All North Haven band from the 70s. They still play from time to time.

 

[intlzncster]

It's pizza.

Dough, tomatoey stuff, cheese, an oven and a cardboard box.

There are only so many ways you can throw that combination together - there's like a five-zillion way tie for 'best pizza joint in the world'.

David 76 is going to lynch you.

 

[Fishy]

David 76 is going to lynch you.

Eh, blind fold him and you could serve him an English muffin with mozzarella and Ragu and he wouldn't know the difference.

Just wait until my "hamburger...it's just ground cow" and "knock it off, you knotheads, all beers pretty much taste the same" posts.

 

[Gurleyman]

It's pizza. Dough, tomatoey stuff, cheese, an oven and a cardboard box. There are only so many ways you can throw that combination together - there's like a five-zillion way tie for 'best pizza joint in the world'.

Don't forget the tiny plastic picnic tables that stop the cheese from sticking to the roof of the box. If pizza people listened to the naysayers like you and didn't try to innovate, we would all still be throwing out perfectly good cheese or trying to peel it off and avoid eating the cardboard.

 

[CAHUSKY]

English muffin with mozzarella and Ragu .

My dinner about 40% of the time between 18-24. Might need to give it a go tomorrow night for old time sake.

 

[Fishy]

My dinner about 40% of the time between 18-24. Might need to give it a go tomorrow night for old time sake.

If you make it within the city limits of New Haven, half the people here would declare your English muffin the greatest pizza they've ever had.

 

[mauconnfan]

East Haven so we ventured out to many pizza places for a few years…….what was the one somewhere near the East Haven/North Branfore years ago I'm thinking "Jerry's" or something…….

Mau, sounds like Jerry & Maria's. All pizza in E H is pretty good.
Did she know B Willie Smith band? All North Haven band from the 70s. They still play from time to time.[/QUOTE]

I remember the B Willie Smith Band, can't believe they're still around…could've been Jerry's and Maria's!

 

[boog204]

Eh, blind fold him and you could serve him an English muffin with mozzarella and Ragu and he wouldn't know the difference.

My dinner on Saturday night... I personally find the Ragu to have an off-putting flavor and texture that clashes with the nooks and crannies of the muffin. For me Prego is the key. But I'll save the rest of my secrets for the English Muffin Pizza Thread.

 

[8893]

I prefer bagel pizza to English muffin pizza, and Abbot's Pizza in Venice Beach is by far the best I've had of that style.

 

[intlzncster]

Don't forget the tiny plastic picnic tables that stop the cheese from sticking to the roof of the box. If pizza people listened to the naysayers like you and didn't try to innovate, we would all still be throwing out perfectly good cheese or trying to peel it off and avoid eating the cardboard.

I'd like them to perfect something for the underside of the pizza. Nothing worse than having a nice crispy thin crust pie become limp and soggy from sitting 10 minutes in a steaming box.

I was talking about pizza there.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Rossini's, rossini's, rossini's (in Cheshire ). I would put their best pie ahead of the New Haven three. There, I said it.

Lived on Rossini’s for years as the coaches from my youth soccer teams always took the kids there for the end of the year party. I guess that happens when just about every coach was 1 generation away from the old country. I also went to Roseland as a kid because two of my cousins who I spent a lot of time with, lived nearby. The three of us would get a small pie on the way back from watching 10 AM Derby football games (way before night games became vogue).

First, Rossini’s and Roseland are well behind the big 3 from New Haven. Second, amazing what parents allowed kids to of back then. I would disappear for hours, walk/bike several miles away, and never had a problem. Now, I don’t let my kids out of the yard without a drone following them.

 

[August_West]

I'd like them to perfect something for the underside of the pizza. Nothing worse than having a nice crispy thin crust pie become limp and soggy from sitting 10 minutes in a steaming box.

I was talking about pizza there.

Its a real issue with thin crust pizza's. It's not the same animal once you get it home and its been steaming in a box for 20-30 minutes. You almost have to eat it there.
The one thing Ive seen out of some serious pizza aficionados when doing take out is they will order their Pizza slightly under done, and then take it home and finish it in the oven at high temperature for a couple minutes.

 

[8893]

Its a real issue with thin crust pizza's. It's not the same animal once you get it home and its been steaming in a box for 20-30 minutes. You almost have to eat it there.
The one thing Ive seen out of some serious pizza aficionados when doing take out is they will order their Pizza slightly under done, and then take it home and finish it in the oven at high temperature for a couple minutes.

Yep, order it "half-baked" and finish it off at home is the best solution imo. The other option is to order it well done and with light cheese; I find that this prevents it from getting soggy.

The worst offenders are the insulated pizza boxes, which continue to steam the pizza once inside. The classic, old style pizza boxes like Pepe's and Modern use are the best of a less-than-optimal situation.

 

[Fishy]

I think you can just put it in a skillet for a minute and it crisps right up.

Of course, English muffin pizza comes out of the toaster oven perfectly crunchy every time.

 

[intlzncster]

I think you can just put it in a skillet for a minute and it crisps right up.

Which is all well and good, but unless you have a big duckoff skillet, that's too much work. If I'm paying for a pie, I want a finished product.

 

[mauconnfan]

Yep, order it "half-baked" and finish it off at home is the best solution imo. The other option is to order it well done and with light cheese; I find that this prevents it from getting soggy.

The worst offenders are the insulated pizza boxes, which continue to steam the pizza once inside. The classic, old style pizza boxes like Pepe's and Modern use are the best of a less-than-optimal situation.

The wax type paper Verdolini's used to use with the thick round cardboard bottom worked great……someone else still uses that? I think Berkshire Pub in Torrington does that…….

 

[8893]

Been there, trial and error, but have been making pies on the grill for years and the way I do it works great...For the best pizza on the grill you need the 600 or 700 degree heat inside a gas grill with the grill lid closed or it won't cook right, but as you correctly stated with the burner flame being directly under the stone the bottom of the pie will be charcoal black before the cheese/toppings on top is done. Two things you need to do to get that corrected and the direct heat from the burners deflected and reflected away from the bottom of the stone ...#1) aluminum foil....#2) a 2nd pizza stone. First lay down a sheet of aluminum foil directly on the area of the grill grate (and ONLY on the area of the grill grate that the stone covers) that pizza stone #1 will cover. Next, get a 2nd pizza stone that preferably has legs (some do have short stubby ceramic legs) and put it directly on top of the first stone. What's important here is an inch or so of air space between the two stones. The foil on the very bottom will reflect the direct radiant heat off the bottom stone and the air space between the two stones will act to somewhat insulate the top stone from getting too hot. This set up also helps convective heat transfer up the front, back and sides of the grate that isn't covered by anything and into the top of the grill hood which is over the cheese and toppings. For pizzas to come out right you need fast cooking times (10 minutes) with high heat (700 degrees), lowering the heat (and lengthening the cooking time) to keep the bottom from turning to charcoal will only give you a soggy, doughy pie that will taste like a toasted cheese sandwich. Use the foil and the 2nd stone and you won't have to turn the heat down, your pies will be better than Pepe's...well maybe not.

Wow, that's some process. Definitely sounds like it would address those issues. What I have been doing is taking the stone off the grill in between pies, turning down the heat a bit, and then starting it off a little lower than I normally would. I keep it closed for around 4 minutes and then check that the top is almost done, and then I crank it up again to let the bottom finish. Within two more minutes or less the crust is dark brown at the edges and crispy underneath, but not charred.

But I like the process you've described and will keep an eye out for a second stone with legs.

 

[Milo65]

Outside of New Haven...
Papa's in Milford
Tolli's East Haven
Rossini's Cheshire
Roseland Derby
Zuppardi's West Haven

The difference between pizza and apizza are: thin crust, fresh ingredients and of course "black bottom love". You know that crisp blackened crust.

 

[Milo65]

Been there, trial and error, but have been making pies on the grill for years and the way I do it works great...For the best pizza on the grill you need the 600 or 700 degree heat inside a gas grill with the grill lid closed or it won't cook right, but as you correctly stated with the burner flame being directly under the stone the bottom of the pie will be charcoal black before the cheese/toppings on top is done. Two things you need to do to get that corrected and the direct heat from the burners deflected and reflected away from the bottom of the stone ...#1) aluminum foil....#2) a 2nd pizza stone. First lay down a sheet of aluminum foil directly on the area of the grill grate (and ONLY on the area of the grill grate that the stone covers) that pizza stone #1 will cover. Next, get a 2nd pizza stone that preferably has legs (some do have short stubby ceramic legs) and put it directly on top of the first stone. What's important here is an inch or so of air space between the two stones. The foil on the very bottom will reflect the direct radiant heat off the bottom stone and the air space between the two stones will act to somewhat insulate the top stone from getting too hot. This set up also helps convective heat transfer up the front, back and sides of the grate that isn't covered by anything and into the top of the grill hood which is over the cheese and toppings. For pizzas to come out right you need fast cooking times (10 minutes) with high heat (700 degrees), lowering the heat (and lengthening the cooking time) to keep the bottom from turning to charcoal will only give you a soggy, doughy pie that will taste like a toasted cheese sandwich. Use the foil and the 2nd stone and you won't have to turn the heat down, your pies will be better than Pepe's...well maybe not.

My favorite pizza place BTW is Zuppardis, the best sausage and mushroom pie in the state IMO, Modern a close 2nd. Have been going to Pepe's for many, many years and it definitely has gone down a notch last 10 years or so. Same thing for Sally's, and not surprised it's for sale.

Been making grilled pizzas for years...we have a annual pizza contest with lots of pizzas and beers!

 

[David 76]

[QUAnd this OTE="Fishy, post: 1017544, member: 38"]It's pizza.

Dough, tomatoey stuff, chee, an oven and acardboard box.

It's pizza.

Dough, tomatoey stuff, cheese, an oven and a cardboard box.
[/QUOTE

And thus began the beginning of the end of civilization!

 

[intlzncster]

[QUAnd this OTE="Fishy, post: 1017544, member: 38"]It's pizza.

Dough, tomatoey stuff, chee, an oven and acardboard box.

Clean that up, David. I know you're excited but...

 

[Husky25]

Convection toaster for 5 minute works great to stiffen up pizza. Can't say the same about the junk...

I'd like them to perfect something for the underside of the pizza. Nothing worse than having a nice crispy thin crust pie become limp and soggy from sitting 10 minutes in a steaming box.

I was talking about pizza there.

 

[huskyrob1]

Wow, that's some process. Definitely sounds like it would address those issues. What I have been doing is taking the stone off the grill in between pies, turning down the heat a bit, and then starting it off a little lower than I normally would. I keep it closed for around 4 minutes and then check that the top is almost done, and then I crank it up again to let the bottom finish. Within two more minutes or less the crust is dark brown at the edges and crispy underneath, but not charred.

But I like the process you've described and will keep an eye out for a second stone with legs.

If you can't find one with legs you can go with two flat ones and get some smallish ceramic blocks and put 4 or 5 blocks in between them. Just google "small ceramic blocks" and you will find them. I use a weber grill with 3 burners, my pizza stones are rectangular and cover 75% of the grate area but there is still enough open grate area to allow convective heat flow up the sides, back and front, and into the hood area. Actually there is a grill manufacturer "The Big Green Egg" that makes a baffled pizza stone setup but I don't think the BGE grill is gas. I think it's wood or briquets only which I don't like, doesn't get as hot as a gas grill and you can't get consistent heat for hours like you can with gas. The other thing is the BGE baffled stone is so well made to change the direct heat to indirect heat that it might not be able to get indirect heat temps up to 600 or 700 degrees like you can with a gas grill. One thing to watch out for with my setup is which convection currents are hotter, the front or the back, which ever one is hotter will of course cook a little faster so you will need to check every three minutes and spin the pie front to back. Good Luck!!!!

 

[warbler1055]

Outside of New Haven...
Papa's in Milford
Tolli's East Haven
Rossini's Cheshire
Roseland Derby
Zuppardi's West Haven

The difference between pizza and apizza are: thin crust, fresh ingredients and of course "black bottom love". You know that crisp blackened crust.

Any recommendation in Madison, Clinton or Guilford?

 

[8893]

Any recommendation in Madison, Clinton or Guilford?

Grand Apizza in Clinton, and soon to be in Madison, is originally from Fair Haven and is decent "almost there" pie.

Bufalina in Guilford stands with any of the best imo.

 

[Bill Sussman]

Any recommendation in Madison, Clinton or Guilford?

Madison resident here.... A lot of people tend to like Red Tomato but I wasn't a huge fan. The pizza place inside Bradley and Wall has actually been my go to lately and it is surprisingly excellent.

Grande Apizza in Clinton from the Nuzzo family is number 1 and can't wait for the new location in Downtown Madison to open up in August where the old Village Pizza was (Village was a disgrace to pizza)

Heard great things about Bufalina but haven't made the trip yet.

 

[David 76]

Totally agree with Bill. I like Carpanzano's in Guilford best. If I had to pick a Madison place, I would go with the one next to Robert's Grocery store on route 80. I also don't know whywhy everyone loves the Red Tomato.
I live in Guilford, work in Madison.