Pizza Blog from pizzatherapy.com

The Reddecliffs report exclusively for Pizza Therapy: I grew up in New Haven, (Connecticut) and thought that the whole world hade pizza like we did. When I moved away, I was shocked that no one could come close!  I went home to New Haven for this Thanksgiving. My husband and I decided that in order to finally figure out who had the best pizza, Sally's , Pepe's or Modern , we just needed to have them all side by side. Modern Clam Pizza                                                                Pepe's Clam Pizza Sally's Apizza  Well, the stars aligned and we were able to get 2 mozzarella pizzas from all three restaurants. We had a blind taste test with...

Sally's Bacon Pizza from pizzatherapy.com So, what’s the big secret of Sally’s Apizza ? Simple: great pizza. If you want to have excellent pizza you need to search it out. And that is exactly what we discovered during our latest visit to Sally’s Apizza on Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut. An inside trick is to get there early. Sally’s opens at 5:00 P.M. (They are closed on Monday’s). We got there at 4:30. There were only two parties in front of us so we knew we would make the first seating. Another trick is to know what you want before your waiter or waitress comes. Make sure you decide what you want. The pizzas at Sally’s come out as they are ordered. Each pizza is lovingly constructed by hand, and that takes time. So the quicker you get your order in the quicker your pizza will come out. A visit to Sally’s is like stepping back in time. You will find the interior to be exactly as it was in the 50’s. Sure there are numerous plaques and diversions on the wall...

Here is a wonderful video about pizza in America, that needs to be shared. Amercia's Stories visited Frak Pepe's and had a long conversation with Gary Bimonte, grandson of Frank Pepe on Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Lou Abate of Abate's Pizza was also interviewed. Gary goes into detail about the history of Frank Pepe as he explains how Frank started selling pizza slice by slice. The story of Frank Pepe is America's story. Frank came off the boat with no money. He was able to get a job at a bakery. He sold pizza on the side. After saving his money his was able to open his own pizzeria. He was a good man, a generous man. And he was a pizza master who taught many others to make pizza. One of those was Lou Abate's father. The magic rubbed off and now Lou makes his own pizza down the street from Pepe's. He claims at times to make more pizza than Sally's and Pepe's combined. This is a wonderful film. My only issue with thi...

For the first stop of The Pizza Therapy Hawaiian Pizza Crawl, we stopped at V Lounge. We were there a little early and had a chance to meet Aker , master pizzaiolo and Blaine one of the owners. Aker stretching the dough. It's always great to speak with people who share your own passion for pizza. Aker and Blaine have the passion. We talked about Chris Bianco,   wood fired pizza ovens, New York pizza and also discussed Pepe's and Sally's Apizza (located on Woooster Street in New Haven , Connecticut.)   Aker explained that he was born in New Haven.   Hmm, I wonder if that had something to do with how the pizza turned out. Honestly, I was astounded at their extensive knowledge about pizza. These guys know their stuff. Aker , is a classically trained Chef who only recently started to make pizza. His last job was as a pastry chef at a famous Japanese Restaurant. As a matter of fact he never made pizza commercially until he started making pizza at V...

The following video was part of The Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour 2009. The news that Pepe's would be opening another location in South Eastern Connecticut created quite a buzz. Pizza fans were excited. This was the talk of the town as the local newspaper and radio stations added to the excitement. When would Pepe' s open? Would they have a coal fired oven? And the ultimate question was: would this Pepe's be as good as the pizza in New Haven ? We visited the day after they opened at Mohegan Sun Casino . We were hesitant to go on opening day for obvious reasons. This Pepe's location looks very similar to the location in New Haven . There was wonderful ambiance. The coal fired oven is there. The booths are there. They even serve Foxon soda. But how was the pizza? The pizza was great. We will definitely go back...as a matter of fact we ended going back two days later... The Pizza at Mohegan Sun was Incredible Here are some other Pepe...

A slice of Pepe's clam pizza What can I say about Pepe's ? Pepe's pizza is like returning to an old friend you haven't seen in a while. You've both been through some new adventures but you still maintain that connection. The spiritual bond remains. And so it is with the pizza. Pepe's Pizzeria Napolitana was the third stop on the Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour 2009. We knew what we wanted before we arrived. We were all dreaming about clam pizza. We talked about the clam pizza in the car on the way down. And not just a casual mention. It was the main topic of conversation. Pepe's is the home of clam pizza. Frank Pepe invented the clam pizza. You just hope against hope, that they are able to have clams on the day you arrive. They usually do, however, clam pizza is so popular, they sometimes, run out. Pepe's Pizzeria is all about the pizza and tradition. Pepe's continues to carry on the legacy of Frank Pepe by serving incredible world class pi...

Fank Pepe in front of the famous Coal fired Oven Pepe's Pizza in New Haven has incredible pizza. Located on Wooster Street Pepe's is right down the street from Sally's Aipzza . Visit with Michael Stern of Roadfood as he goes to his favorite pizzeria: Pepe's Pizzeria Napolentana: New Haven residents are fanatics about their pizza. Don't even get in an argument about which pizza is better: Pepe's or Sally's. Here are some of the comments I have recieved about Pepe's: Chris explains:" Pepe's uses the freshest sauce and toppings to accent a perfect crispy dough. The restaurant itself is a great place to enjoy amazing pizza with friends or family. The best in the world." Jack Shalack remembers: "The crust is out of this world, I love the crispiness of it, and yet its not greasy like most other places. From the plain cheese to the clam sauce, its all amazing! I've been out on the west coast for13 yrs, just suffering, and I am going ba...

I recently received this great video from two different sources, about Wooster Street in New Haven. The video was created by bgrant19 She did a fantastic job! (Thanks Gary B. and Tony C. for sending me this video...) I am very happy to share it here. The great thing about Wooster Street is that once you get there, you are in a time warp. Wooster Street exists in its own universe without regard to the rest of the world. Time stands still, on this street in New Haven . There has always been a friendly rivalry between Providence, Rhode Island and New Haven . Both are very Italian towns. Providence has Federal Hill (That's where my mom grew up). While New Haven has Wooster Street . A few years back, the mayors of each city took part in a contest. New Haven came out on top. Blame it on Wooster Street . True, Federal Hill has some great Italian restaurants. But, Wooster Street has Pepe's , Sally's Apizza and Libby's Italian Pastry Shop . If you've ever been t...

I got an email from my friend Gary Bimonte , co-owner of Pepe's Pizzeria Napolentana . Gary was featured on Legends of Pizza, Volume 1. He explained how his grandfather, Frank Pepe created the legendary clam pizza. Gary was excited to give me the news that Pepe's had opened another pizzeria in Manchester, Connecticut. Here is the address: 221 Buckland Hills Drive, Manchester, CT. The phone number is: 860-644-7333. Pepe's has always been a family owned operation and it continues to be a family operation. During my Legends of Pizza, Volume 1. , interview, Gary discussed how the family had decided to take Pepe's in a different direction. Pepe's opened it's first restaurant outside of New Haven in Fairfield , Connecticut. It was an immediate success. Lines were out the door with loyal customers screaming for more pizza. For over 80 years, Pepe's Pizza , was limited to Wooster Street , in New Haven . Then suddenly they were in Fairfield . Now they ha...

Albert's Pepperoni Pizza During the last couple of weeks, I had a chance to sample some great pizza. Pepe's and Sally's Apizza , (Wooster Street, New Haven, Connecticut) did not disappoint me. They were fantastic, as usual. On one of my adventures, I stumbled into a pizza joint. The family was busy shopping, so I took it upon myself to check out a new pizza place. The pizza looked good. The crust looked good. The taste was OK. It was not the best pizza I ever had, and it wasn' t the worst. It was good pizza. I agree with Peter Reinhart who says there are two types of pizza: good pizza and great pizza. In some ways pizza is relative,: had I not just had Pepe's or Sally's , I might have rated this pizza much higher. Pepe's and Sally's make great pizza. Anywhere in the pizza universe, this pizza may have been a solid 8 or 9. After Pepe's and Sally's, I would rate it a 6 or 7... Sometimes you can't get great pizza. Sometimes good, is goo...

The whole family went back to Sally's Apizza on Wooster Street last night. We're glad we did! We got there early, so we would be able to make it for the first seating. We patiently waited for the Sally's lights to be turned on. A few minutes later the doors opened. Unfortunately, we did not get our pizza order in right away, so we had a bit of a wait. This is the price you pay for good pizza. One couple who were seated just ahead of us, got tired of waiting, and ended up walking out. Oh, well. We ordered a medium anchovy, a large bacon and a medium potato pizza. (The potato pizza is not on the menu, so you have to ask). Our pizzas were fantastic. The crust was slightly burnt, just the way I like it. The coal fired oven imparts a great taste to the dough. The crust is ultra thin and very tasty. The toppings were perfect. I had a chance to chat with Flo Consiglio , owner of Sally's , for a couple of minutes. I asked her if there would be anything new at Sally's . Sh...

It was one of those special emails that you get. Sally's Apizza, located on Wooster Street in New Haven , Connecticut was officially on the Internet. I like to think in some small way, pizzatherapy.com assisted the process. Sally's is like no other pizzeria in the World. (Hey, I'm not getting in the middle of a Pepe's vs. Sally's debate here... I'm to smart for that....to see what I'm talking about click on the link above. Or just Click Here ) Let's just say, there are people who love Pepe's and there are those who love Sally's I love them both... Here is the email: "Hi Pizza Therapy: I 'm delighted to annouce to the world that Sallys Apizza in New Haven , Connecticut now has a website, with pictures even and the menu. Here is the link: http://sallysapizza.net/default.aspx This development was prompted by the pizza lovers of the Yale Class of 1987 who, before their twentieth reunion to New Haven, contacted Sallys (by using the pizz...

Over the lifetime of pizzatherapy.com I have received countless questions about pizza. These include dough problems, pizza peel issues, the best flour to use, does water make a difference in pizza. Where is the best pizza? Do I favor Chicago Deep Dish pizza over New York pizza ? I want to start a pizza business. ..where do I start? How do make 100 pizzas at a time, can you help? ( Yes: go here .) Who makes the best pizza? Pizza fanatics write to me, asking if I know the inside secrets of the pizza from their favorite pizzeria . They want to know if I can help them recreate a certain pizza. Pizza fans want to know about pizza! You get the idea. I also get lots of questions asking if I know the true secret of Pepe's on Wooster Street , in New Haven, Connecticut . (You can read some of the many comments sent to me here. ) People of course, are also interested in Sally's Apizza also located on Wooster Street . I always tell them: if I knew the real secret of Pepe's or Sa...