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May 21, 2007
Bella Napoli Pizza
Last week, I went out to Bella Napoli Pizza (1524 Shunk) in South Philly with Kayla. Pizza originated in Naples, so I figured we should give this place a shot. They had a ton of choices, and I think we went a little overboard with our choices. Here was her take:
Bella Napoli should be considered a take-out place only, as it consists entirely of a pizza kitchen and a single table. Said table was occupied when Johnny and I walked in, presumably by the owner and friend, since our momentary urge to flee was squelched by these gentlemen immediately getting up to offer us the table.
Bella has an extensive list of specialty pizzas, and it took us a while to settle on half-white/goat cheese/red pepper/pesto and half-red/broccoli rabe/red pepper/spinach/garlic. I thought they were pretty accomodating to let us do half-and-half. While we were waiting, the owner kept coming over to bring us every condiment he could possibly find, which I thought it was kinda sweet.
The pizza had a good crust, crispy on the outside but doughy enough that you don't feel like you're eating cardboard. Both halves tasted pretty decent, but the amount of grease was overwhelming, and it was getting pretty soggy towards the end. I thought the white side was better, and we both agreed that the vegetables on the red side overpowered the sauce to much to be able to comment on it. Sadly, they did not have fountain soda, just cans and 2 liters. Overall, I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 due to grease and lack of atmosphere. If I were to eat Bella pizza again, I'd just take it home and mop it off first.
While this is definitely a takeout place, I think a lot of what she called "grease" was just liquid from the tons of toppings we had ordered. I would wanna try the place again with a little simpler pizza, though I think that Kayla is right in that this is a takeout joint, not a sit down place. But they do have lots of intriguing choices for pizza, and I might consider it again. Give it a three.
Posted at 11:02 AM | Email to a friend | Comments (0)
May 9, 2007
Tower Pizza
After Bards quizzo last night, me and my man DJ headed over to a prime pizza late night spot in CC West, Tower Pizza. Tower is famous for one reason: it is open until 4 am. I don't know of any other pizza places that can make that claim (What time does Lorenzo's close? 3 or 4?) Anyways, here was DJs take:
One of the most predominant items visible on Tower Style Pizza's hanging menu is a cornucopia - and fittingly so. The pizza shop, located on 20th street between Walnut and Sansom, is packed to the gills with a variety of pizza flavors, mixed decor, and a drink selection that rivals that of your local food mart. To top it off they keep their doors open until just about sunrise, allowing the masses to reap the benefits of greasy pizza goodness until 4am.
Tower's setup is a little bit all over the place. Greek posters, nostalgic World Trade Center photos, and two rabbit-ear laden televisions are crammed into a smallish 20 foot wide sit-down joint pumping middle-eastern music. I'm still a little bit intrigued by their illuminated advertisement for a cheese and pineapple platter, but I'll dare to sample that when Johnny goes on a city-wide dairy and fruit review.
Despite a menu boasting a dozen or more pizzas, late night selection was slim between sausage, pepperoni, and buffalo chicken. I grabbed a slice of pepperoni (@ ~$2.35) and wasn't blown away. The thin crust was solid, but the general flavor wasn't overwhelmingly notable. Service was quick, polite, and friendly, but hardly made up for a relatively mediocre slice. Table napkins were sparse despite the slight greasiness, but garlic and parmesan were plentiful throughout. The latter I encourage to help get through the pizza.
Far more impressive than the pizza was the supplementing beverage collection. Seldom do you find two cases filled with regular and diet sodas, root and birch beers, flavored teas, and energy waters in such a small shop. With the overstock of drink racks stacked literally to the ceiling, locals should keep Tower Style Pizza in their sights should the need arise for a downtown nuclear fallout shelter
Tower Style Pizza's most defining attribute is not their pizza, decor, or their barricade of beverages, but their accessibility. Average pizza can taste like a 4-roni award winner when you're stumbling home loaded from the bar at two in the morning. The fact that Tower gives you two more hours to wander around downtown before they close up shop is pure gold. Just remember you'll need to be mildly drunk to shell out almost 3 bucks for a slice. 2.5 roni's for dinner, 4 roni's if you're destroyed at 3am.
Yeah, my thoughts were similar. The place is kind of weird. Definitely set up for a late night crowd. The pizza was decent. I had a pepperoni slice and a buffalo chicken slice ($3). They were not at all greasy,and neither were they too dry, which was good. Neither blew me away, but they would have been perfect had I been plastered. If you desperately need a slice at 3 am, this place is more than suitable, but I wouldn't get a dinner slice here. And if you need 325 bottles of Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer in a jiffy, this is definitely your spot.
Posted at 1:21 PM | Email to a friend | Comments (1)
May 1, 2007
This is For La Rosa
Trivia Art and I headed into South Philly last week to check out La Rosa Pizza (Broad and Snyder). The inside reminded a bit of Lorenzo's on South. No tables or chairs, just booths to lean on. A painting of the Italian countryside on the wall and a ton of pizza boxes resting on counters directly behind the trays of Sicilian style pizza. You place your order, the lady takes your slice off the tray and pops it in the oven, and then you lean on a counter and eat it. No frills, but damn good pizza. Here was Art's take.
LaRosa Pizza at Broad and Snyder may not be much to look at but that doesn't mean they don't make a mean pizza. Baked in rectangular trays, LaRosa's pizza initially looks like it might be Sicillian but it isn't. Instead the crust is a airy bread with crispy bottom, a delightful combination of fluffy and crunchy. The sauce had a hint of sweetness but not like the saccharin taste that you might find at a place like Lorenzo's on South. The pepperoni was well cooked and crisp, although a little greasy, it was nothing a quick dab of a napkin couldn't fix. My second piece of pizza was a white pizza. cheeses melted well into the crust and there was ample oregano and olive oil over top. I was certainly impressed with the pizza at LaRosa's and will be back, might even get it delivered if they venture up into the G-Ho. 3 1/2 Pepperonis.
Yeah, I can go with 3 1/2, no problem. This is a perfect lunch pizza spot if you're in South Philly and you're in a hurry.
Posted at 1:12 PM | Email to a friend | Comments (2)
April 25, 2007
Merc Brothers Pizza
On Friday night, I finally kicked off the 2007 Pizza Hunt in the Great Northeast with D-Mac. We decided to head to Merc's (8108 Roosevelt Blvd), a non-descript but quite good pizzeria in a strip mall. Here was D-Mac's take:
When Johnny suggested somewhere in the Northeast, I knew we had to go to somewhere good. Of all the sections of Philadelphia, Northeast Philly has the best pizza. After brushing off the billboard directing us to the $4.99 pizza buffet in Bristol, we pulled up to a small shopping center off Holme Circle and Johnny got this first taste of Merc's.
Merc's doesn't have the best decor or atmosphere, but it really makes up for it with the pizza. Somebody once told me it's an offshoot of
but there isn't a Wikipedia page for either so I don't know if it's true. Like Tony's, Merc's makes both regular and tomato pies, with the sauce on top.
It's simply fantastic pizza. And not only is it fantastic, it's incredibly consistent. I don't think I've ever had a bad pie from Merc's. The pizza is never runny, the cheese is incredible and the sauce on top makes everything perfect. Plus, you can get a half tomato/half regular pie, which I think is the kind of pizza God gets when he goes to Merc's. (Fun fact: Once I was in Merc's and I saw them making a pizza, and apparently they use big slices of cheese instead of shredded. Thanks, professor!)
Our trip didn't end so successfully, as the final innings of the Phillies game we watched with the workers didn't go so well. The Phils were one out away from winning. One out! Effin' Phillies. But we did get to make fun of Chris Wheeler a lot, and that's always a good time.
I think I'm already at my word count, but Johnny said he'd pay me a dollar a word. Let's just conclude here anyway: Sure, it's just a dingy little spot in a strip mall, but the place is great. (Oh, and great fries, too. Great fries.) Four and a half pepperonis.
Four and a half pepperonis is crazy. I mean, the pizza was good, but simply not as good as Tony's. And the atmosphere wasn't even close, though it is nice when the guy cooking your pizza knows his baseball, and this guy certainly did. If Flash Gordon hadn't blown it in the 9th, I might have given the place a 4, but his hanging curve costs the place a half pepperoni. 3 1/2. (Actually, I'd personally give it a 3, but D-Mac's high score bumps 'em up a half.)
Posted at 10:12 AM | Email to a friend | Comments (4)
April 16, 2007
Who wants to grab pizza this week?
Alright, well we're kicking off the 2nd annual Great Philadelphia Pizza Hunt to find who has the best pie in town. Got a lot of new places to try out. If you wanna help me try out these spots or have one of your own you wanna go for, holla atcha boy. Listed below the break are some of the places I plan on trying. If you've got one that's not on the list that I need to try, just drop it in the comments.
Gusto at 240 S. 22nd
Alex's Pizza at Leverington and Pechin Streets in Roxborough
Gearo's Grille on either 6836 Bustleton Avenue
Mack and Manco's in Ocean City
Slice on 10th and Fed
Pica's in Upper Darby
Grottos in Delaware
Pandora's Box near 13th and walnut
Vince's at Grant & Bustleton
Rocco's in Collegeville
gian and franco's on 3rd and market
Dolce Carini
Pizza City on Frankford Ave in Mayfair
Top Tomato (on Walnut between 11th & 12th).
Posted at 10:25 AM | Email to a friend | Comments (7)
April 9, 2007
Where's the best Pizza in Philly?
It's that time again, people! Last year we reviewed 25 different pizza joints in the area, and had a blast doing so. So let's do it again. But before we get started, I need to know where to go. I'm gonna go back to my top three from last year (Tony's, Tacconelli's, and Mama Palma's) to see if they are still up to snuff, but I need more spots. Please post below where we should go for pie. And it doesn't just have to be downtown. The suburbs, Trenton, Camden, anything nearby will work. In fact, I recently read that a small town near Scranton calls itself the pizza capital of the world. Seriously. So there will definitely be a road trip involved here. Gonna kick it off tonight with my folks at Tony's. Please post any below that you know that I should try. Oh, and if you wanna grab a slice and help me grade 'em, just shoot me an email. Let's get it on!
Posted at 9:58 AM | Email to a friend | Comments (30)