Apizza or a Pizza? Chicago, New York, and more...
- bzukowsk
- Jan 29, 2021
- 6 min read
Pizza has become a modern staple of life in America. Like many Euro-American traditions, it has morphed into something beyond its Italian roots. Almost everyone has their favorite pizza place, almost every town has their local mom-and-pop shop, and almost every grocery store has their frozen pizza delicacies. Get it delivered, dine in. Get it by the slice or by all-you-can eat buffet. Pizza is an American classic.
However - you will find that pizza changes from place to place across the United States. And there are several notable styles. If you want the best pizzas America has to offer, then try:
Apizza: New Haven, CT
We’ll start with America’s quiet champion, though one known to every pizza connoisseur. Why apizza? Why Connecticut? Well, the early 1900’s led to huge influxes of Italian immigrants through New York City. Many sought to leave the bustle for small Connecticut towns across Long Island Sound. New Haven became one of the most popular destinations for Italian-Americans. And with them came, apizza or, “a-beeza“, as it was originally pronounced. It is similar to the thin crust, crispy NYC-style pizzas but tastes substantially different. Apizza matures slowly overnight in the fridge - this slow rise and fermentation provides more taste to this crust than it‘s quick-rise NYC cousins. Most importantly, the pizza is charred. It’s baked in a coal-fired oven. And man, is it good. There’s a reason critics consistently rate it as the best pizza in the country.
In 1925, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana’s started producing apizza from within New Haven’s Italian heart, at Wooster Square. Though Modern Apizza opened in 1934, the rivalries really began when Frank’s nephew, Sal Consiglio, opened Sally’s Apizza. These legendary pizzerias still compete today and have inspired dozens more apizza joints across the city.
Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria: In addition to the original pizza pie with mozzarella, this establishment produces the famous white clam apizza
Sally's Apizza: My personal favorite, located just down the street from its rival joint Frank Pepe.
Modern Apizza: Another of the original three. The apizza is delicious and the prices are a little more affordable.
Bar: A post-modern take on the apizza, Bar is located nearest to the Yale undergraduate colleges and has a reputation for being the most innovative apizza place.
De Legna (at Nolo): Recently moved to a new location - it has upscale, but delicious combinations.
One6Three: Another personal favorite! Get yourself a delicious pizza, salad and fries. Take it all to go, to East Rock Brewery down the street.
**Wash down apizza with another Connecticut classic - a century old recipe of Foxon White Birch Beer. Made from birch tree, it tastes similar to root beer.
And if you haven’t got enough apizza... there’s even a movie about it: Pizza, A Love Story
New York Style
NYC is the most diverse city in America. You might find every style of pizza somewhere . There is oven baked, pizza by the slice, Sicilian pizza, Brooklyn style. I've even heard talk about pizza in a cone. While pizza is forever evolving, there are a few characteristics that define New York Style. 1) New York Style is thin. It uses quick rise dough to create a foldable crust. You should be able to fold the crust when eating. 2) New York Style embraces copious amounts of mozzarella cheese, unlike apizza's minimal cheese use.
Check out a few restaurants:
Chicago Style
While the east coast often takes the spotlight, Chicago is the undisputed king of midwestern pizza. These internationally renowned pies are considerably heavier than their coastal cousins.
These pizza pies are cooked in a deep dish iron skillet. The pan does several things: it gives the pizza a high edge (more pie-like than anything), allows for layers of cheese and sauce, and gets coated in oil - which gives the pizza a fried, crispy crust. These pizzas are thick. Unlike NYC’s quick-made pizzas, Chicago style takes nearly an hour to cook. And it means that its toppings must be inverted - sauce on top, cheese in the middle (which ensures the cheese won’t burn while cooking). Throw in some toppings in the mix - sausage, pepperoni, veggies, or whatever else you think up.
There are two main competitors of the Chicago style - each with their own take on pizza pies.
Pizzeria Uno: The original restaurant popularized the classic Chicago deep dish recipe. Founded in 1943, this restaurant remains entrenched in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Giordano: The Giordano brothers brought their mom's recipe to Chicago in 1973. Giordano restaurants serves a stuffed pizza. This stuffed pizza has deep dish qualities but is more similar to a pie. There is a crust on bottom and on top. The dough covers the inner layers of cheese, sauce, and toppings like a pie crust.
Both Chicago's original deep dish pizzerias are popular. There are lines out-the-door at almost all times of the day and night. Be sure to plan ahead!
New-age Chicago deep dish pizza has been perfected in metro-Chicago. Pequod's serves the Chicago deep dish with cheese on-top and a slightly-burnt, caramelized crust. The restaurant ranks high on the lists of modern-day pizza connoisseurs.
Detroit Style
Like Chicago, Detroit innovated on the concept of the deep dish pizza. Unlike Chicago the Detroit crust is more similar to Sicilian pizza - thick and airy. This phenomenon is created by stretching the pizza dough twice. Furthermore, the pizza is layered dough, cheese, sauce on top. Its final unique twist is that Detroit style pizzas are square, meaning some slices have extra crust and other interior slices have no crust at all.
Gus Guerra invented the Detroit deep dish, square pizza in 1946. Buddy's Rendezvous made the original square pizzas. Since then, the style has spread around Detroit and the country. You can still visit the original Buddy's location.
Not the classic square style, but these next pizzas are imported from Detroit...
Dominos Pizza was started from a small pizza shop in metro-Detroit. DomiNick's first opened in 1960 becoming Dominos in 1962. From its humble Ypsilanti beginnings, the pizza chain now has a global presence.
Little Caesar's Pizza also originated from Detroit, Michigan in 1959. Mike and Mary Ilitch invested their life savings in the first Little Caesar's store, located in Garden City, Michigan. The chain would go on to grow so successfully that the Ilitch family now owns both the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings franchises. If you plan on watching the Detroit Pistons or Red Wings play, then you'll be visiting Little Caesar's Arena in downtown Detroit.
And more...
America's Biggest Pizzas
Big Lou's Restaurant - Everything is bigger in Texas. As seen on the Food Network's Man v. Food Show - Big Lou's Restaurant makes a pizza more than 5 feet in diameter. To be more clear - it requires 18 pounds of dough, 88 ounces of sauce, 16 pounds of shredded cheese, and 30+ pounds of toppings. I ate here once with seven 20 year-olds after a weeklong backpacking trips. Take on the challenge at your own risk - there were casualties. And we couldn't even finish it all!
Giant Sicilian Pizza at Big Mama's and Papa's: America's largest deliverable pizza, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, measures 2,916 square inches. It is a near 6-foot long square (54" by 54"). Big Mama’s and Papa’s Pizzeria requires at least 24 hours in advance to create the “Giant Sicilian” and recommends that it serve between 50 to 70 people! Located in Los Angeles, California - it is delivered from a special compartment on the roof of the car.
And some notably weird ones...
Ian’s Pizza: serves a chili cheese pizza topped with Fritos in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - though it’s only available a few months out of each year!
Tony Boloney’s Pizza: serves a taco pizza in Hoboken, New Jersey. It is literally 24 tacos on top of a pizza, topped with guacamole and sour cream. Bring a friend because it weighs 30 pounds.
City Winery: serves a dessert pizza in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s topped with Nutella, dulce de leche, nuts and marshmallows.
Krave It Sandwich Shop & Eatery: serves pizzas with bizarre toppings such as (but not limited to) hamburgers, tater tots, and mac’n’cheese in New York City.
Minnesota State Fair: offers pizza with corn dogs on top!
Roma Restaurant: serves a pizza of nuts and cream cheese in Greely, Colorado.
Fong’s Pizza: serves a crab Rangoon pizza - with crab, cream cheese, and more in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mikey's Late Night Slice: On special weekends, the Over-the-Rhine Cincinnati, OH location serves the Fiery Death with Hate Sausage pizza. Thought to be the World's Hottest Pizza, you'll need to sign a waiver upon ordering before munching on this pizza served with Carolina Reaper peppers, Trinidad Scorpion peppers and Bhut Jolokia Ghost peppers.
As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission for qualifying purchases at no cost to you. —————————————————————
Find some more places to see, food to eat, and books to read throughout the United States!
Or check out these photos of the United States!
Commentaires