The New Jersey Pizza Hunt

Date: 06/23/2018 Location: Somerville, NJ Pizza ordered: Margherita Website:  http://alfonsostrattoria.com/ Alfonso's Family Trattoria is a bustling pizzeria in the heart of Somerville. The wooden floors, brick walls and large variety of photos and pictures that adorn the walls all contribute to a warm and cozy atmosphere. If you were asked me to picture the epitome of friendly neighborhood restaurants, I would probably picture Alfonso's. The service was excellent and incredibly fast. The complimentary bread tasted great and had a pleasant mix of spices and herbs. I decided to go with a classic Margherita pizza and was not disappointed. The crust tasted fantastic. It was perfectly browned with a crispy base. The mozzarella was fresh and had good stretch, but did not suffer from the all-too-common cheese slide. The red sauce was extremely tasty and matched the pizza perfectly. Overall, I would highly recommend Alfonso's to anyone in the area looking for a good meal.

Date: 6/3/2018 Location: Bound Brook, NJ Pizza Ordered: (red)Vine Website:  https://blazepizza.com/ Blaze Pizza is the newest pizzeria on the block in the Bridgewater/Bound Brook area. They provide a chipotle-style pizza building experience with fresh ingredients, delicious options, and a spacious and trendy seating area. The first thing you appreciate when walking in the door is a warm atmosphere and trendy, modern adornments. The tinted windows bathe the restaurant in a beautiful glow. There are plenty of delicious options to create, or you can DIY and customize your order. They create a perfectly circular pie that gets toasted to perfection in their oven. They have a huge selection of ingredients and toppings and they even offer vegan cheese!! I decided to go with the (red)vine pizza with a side of "donuts" (their version of garlic knots) and the blood orange lemonade. My girlfriend opted to create a plain pie with vegan cheese. The (red)vine had a fantastic red sa...

Date: 4/15/2018 Location: Hackettstown, NJ Pizza ordered: Plain and 4 Seasons Website: www.mamascafebaci.com/ ​ Mama's Cafe Baci is a definite win. Not only is the menu expansive with so many options, they offer a huge variety of vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free dishes. The selection alone is amazing, but the quality of the cocktails and pizza is nothing short of fantastic. I started off with the 201st Fifth cocktail which had a deliciously fruity cranberry flavor. In addition to trying the plain pie, I also went with the four seasons pizza. The plain pie was solidly constructed. The bottom was toasted to perfection and the crust had a fluffy interior with a crisp, crunchy exterior. The four seasons pizza was a fantastic way to experience different topping combinations. The chicken tomato portion was delicious and flavorful, the Primavera had a rich flavor profile with good spinach, the ham and sausage had just the right amount of spice and the...

Date: 4/13/2018 Location: Neshanic Station, NJ Slices ordered: Plain and Sicilian Website: www.lastradacafes.com/ La Strada Cafe is a small Italian restaurant in the heart of Neshanic Station. It has a cozy interior that feels like you're at home sharing a family dinner. La Strada also has outdoor seating as an option. The decorations and pictures that adorn the walls and shelves add some character to this endearing restaurant. There weren't many options to go with at the counter, so I tried the Sicilian and the plain slices. The pizza was basic and just average. The crust and base were pleasantly thin on the plain slice. They were toasted to a nice crunch. The cheese was decent, but both slices were lacking in the sauce department. The Sicilian only had a thin layering of sauce and the cheese didn't reach the right level of melt in the oven. The atmosphere had everything there, but unfortunately, the pizza just didn't stand out.

Date: 5/31/18 Location: West Phillipsburg, NJ Slices ordered: Plain and Penne Vodka Website: bellamiapizzanj.com/ Bella Mia is a small pizzeria tucked away in the busy Shoprite/Home Depot shopping center. There is ample parking that is shared with the nearby shops and Bourbon Street Liquor Store. There are a few folding chairs and a small table set up outside as a make-shift outdoor eating area. The inside is slightly more spacious than it appears. The counter had a great selection of specialty slices and the staff was friendly. I decided to go with a plain slice and a penne vodka slice. Both slices had a good, fluffy crust with a thin, crispy base. The plain was a bit greasy, but a good, reliable slice. The pasta slice was filling with a great vodka sauce and a good ratio of cheese to sauce. This spot is a good go-to in my opinion.

Date: 5/26/2018 Location: Raritan, NJ Pizza ordered: Plain and Grandma Website:  http://www.4sisterspizza.com/  Four Sisters Pizza is a small pizzeria located along the busy West Somerset Street in Raritan, NJ. Since there is no dedicated parking lot, parking can be a bit of a challenge, but you can usually find something in close walking distance. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is quaint with plenty of plants and the classic chalkboard of specials. I decided to go with a grandma slice and a plain slice. The grandma sported a crispy base and crisp, delicious crust. The sauce was awesome, but a tad unevenly distributed along with the cheese. The taste plain slice reminded me of school cafeteria pizza. The cheese slid right off the slice and either wasn't the best quality or there was too high a ratio of cheese to sauce.

Date: 4/12/2018 Location: Franklin, NJ Pizza ordered: Plain, Chicken-Bacon-Ranch, and Mac&Cheese Website: franksinsomerset.com/ I stopped in at Frank's for lunch on the way home from some field work with an appetite and they delivered. The restaurant itself has ample seating and decent parking in the shopping center lot. Staff was friendly and I appreciated the large selection of slices to choose from. I decided to try the chicken-bacon-ranch, mac & cheese, and plain slices since they all looked quite good. The plain slice was on the greasy side with some seriously stringy cheese. The crust was pleasantly fluffy, though the sauce was run-of-the-mill and average. The mac and cheese slice was very filling but very plain. It definitely had a blend of cheeses, but nothing really stood out. The chicken-bacon-ranch slice was alright but had a lot of empty real-estate that could have better been utilized by toppings. The pizza here was pretty average but not bad overall.