The New Jersey Pizza Hunt

Date: 8/25/2019 Location: Somerset, NJ Pizza Ordered: Janara (Tomato sauce / basil / mozzarella) Website: https://www.lucasristorante.com ​ Luca's Ristorante is a hidden gem passageway directly to the Gulf of Naples.  The interior of the restaurant is absolutely stunning, with beautifully painted murals adorning the wall, gorgeous hanging lights over the tables and lovely pottery all over the place. The staff is so friendly and goes out of their way to make the dining experience a positive one.  I also want to say that I love their NJ focused wine list. It's so uplifting to see restaurants supporting local wineries and the Pino Grigio from Hopewell Valley was lovely.  The pizza is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I decided to order the Janara, which is similar to a basic Margherita pizza. When it arrived at the table, it smelled amazing and fresh and I couldn't wait to dive in. The tomato sauce has a rich sweetness that balances out the pie very nicely. The cheese is milky and fre

Date: 1-13-19 Location: New Haven, CT Pizza Ordered: Plain grated cheese w/ garlic Website:  http://modernapizza.com/ Modern Apizza, one of the big three in New Haven, is truly legendary. Inside it is busy with wooden booths and wooden tables & chairs. Seated next to us was a group of people on a New Haven Pizza Tour. We decided on one of the pies they recommended, plain grated cheese with garlic. The pizza did NOT disappoint. The sauce was absolutely DELICIOUS. The fresh garlic adds great flavor. The pizza was oily but had great charring on the crust while simultaneously managing to not be overly burnt. Though the crust is crispy, the interior has a nice fluff to it. Overall, Modern is certainly a place to stop if great pizza is what you're searching for.

Date: 1-13-19 Location: New Haven, CT Pizza ordered: Mozzarella Pie Website: www.abate-restaurant.com/ Abate's Apizza is located along the busy Little Italy Wooster Street. There is ample parking and seating consists of a mix of booths and tables with chairs. The atmosphere is cozy and homelike. The waitress was stereotypically Italian in the best of ways and very inviting and friendly. I went with the mozzarella pie, which was pretty good. The sauce had a nice and tangy flavor while the base and crust were both a nice level of crispy. The cheese was good, though a little unbalanced in some places (specifically the middle had an overabundance of cheese). Overall, Abates puts out a good pie.

Date: 1/13/2019 Location: New Haven, CT Pizza Ordered: White Clam & Original Tomato Website: https://pepespizzeria.com/new-haven/ Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana is a bustling establishment situated along the historic Wooster Street. There was a line in the waiting room nearly out the door just to be seated. Everyone seemed to know the code: line moves clockwise and closest to the restaurant entrance enters when seats free up. The waiting area had antiques, historical relics, and a powerpoint slideshow of pictures. The seating area consisted of the classic booths. I decided to order the famous white clam pie and an original tomato pie. While I waited to enjoy some of the famous pizza, I had the opportunity to try the Foxon Park ginger ale and white birch beer. Both tasted fantastic. The original tomato pie has quality sauce and a great flavor. The crust and base were crispy and featured a good char (which got heavy on some parts of the crust). The fresh parmesan cheese a

Date: 1/10/2019 Location: West Haven, CT Pizza ordered: Traditional Plain Pie Website: ​https://zuppardisapizza.com Zuppardi's, to me, is the quintessential neighborhood pizzeria. They're tucked into a residential area on the corner. There is ample seating inside in the form of classic booths and there is a friendly vibe. I decided to order the traditional plain pie and I was not disappointed. The sauce is legendary with a good fresh taste and a decent amount of sweetness. There is a dusting of parmesan rather than loading up with mozzarella like New York Style pies. The crust and base are very crispy and taste of fine bakery bread. This fabulous location came recommended to me from The Pizza Show featured on Munchies and it more than lives up to the hype!

Date: 10/17/2018 Location: Branchburg, NJ Pizza ordered: Plain and penne vodka Website: vinniespizzaandpasta.com/ Vinnie's is located along the busy Route 202 tucked inside a strip mall. There is ample seating in the form of classical booths and the service I received was very friendly. I decided to order a slice of plain and a slice of penne vodka. The plain slice was solid. Good cheese, sauce, and crust and the right amount of crispy. The penne vodka tasted delicious, though I wish the base were crispier to offer better support for liberal topping.