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.