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    Cord JeffersonMax Read
    7/12/13 3:03pm

    Count me amongst the righteous and good anti-snobs who hold the belief that no pizza is "bad." All pizza is, at the very least, absolutely adequate.

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      Sam BiddleCord Jefferson
      7/12/13 3:11pm

      I agree. Even "bad" pizza is still better than no pizza.

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      miltonistaCord Jefferson
      7/12/13 3:15pm

      Seventeen year-old me would've agreed with you completely. But I've sinced turned into a pizza snob. Neapolitan-style in a wood-burning stove or nothing.

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    KatScratchFeverMax Read
    7/12/13 3:16pm

    The key is truly a wood- or coal-fired oven. Or at least one that gets really, REALLY hot. If you don't have a pizza oven that can get up to like 700 degrees, you will never ever be able to make a good pie. I recently moved from Brooklyn to a little town in the Pacific Northwest. There are two places here with what I consider Pizza-belt quality pies, and BOTH have wood-fired ovens. The three other pizza joints do not and I have been told their pies are like Sbarros with fancy toppings, less bready.

    Don't open a pizza joint without this kind of oven. You will pizzafail.

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      Beer, Titties and Left TurnsKatScratchFever
      7/12/13 3:35pm

      Weird, I'm a life-long NYer, who doesn't really like pizza that much, but I love italian food, so I've been in enough to know, and I thought all the best pizzerias here use gas ovens, like this: http://www.rogerandsons.net/p-37483-bakers…

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      KatScratchFeverBeer, Titties and Left Turns
      7/12/13 3:56pm

      Sure, most of the ones that aren't that great have regular gas ovens. But the REALLY good ones don't:
      Lombardi's - coal
      Grimaldi's - coal (or formerly, anyway)
      Roberta's - wood
      L&B Spumoni Gardens - gas, *but* they are known for their sicilian slices, not their regular pies (and their food overall is "meh", IMO).
      Di Fara - also gas (I'd argue that the ingredients are what make Di Fara's pizza so delicious, not the cook of the pie itself)
      Lil Frankie's - wood
      John's of Bleeker - coal
      Pulino's - wood
      Totonno's - coal
      Zero Otto Nove - wood
      Paulie Gee's - wood

      ...should I go on?? I looked each and every one of these up too to be positive. I ate at almost every single decent pizza joint in so many neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan that I consider myself more knowledgable than most. I fucking LOVE PIZZA.

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    ARP2Max Read
    7/12/13 3:04pm

    "Chicago is not in the Pizza Belt. I have no desire to discuss Chicago-style pizza."

    This is wrong for a two reasons:

    1) There are two types of Chicago style pizza, Deep-dish and stuffed. Subtle differences, but different nonetheless. Are you dismissing both kinds?

    2) Chicago can produce good thinner crust pizza, and at a higher rate of success than DC. So, even if you remove the Chicago pizza, we should still be in the belt (or an island of sorts).

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      Pooperscooper23ARP2
      7/12/13 3:10pm

      He doesnt want to talk about Chicago pizza because if it were in the discussion all eastern coast pizza would be considered inedible....

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      BearDownCBearsARP2
      7/12/13 3:10pm

      I love Chicago pizza. But honestly, it's more of a casserole.

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    DennyCraneMax Read
    7/12/13 3:34pm

    There is no way in hell that you have a one-in-three chance of an adeuqate slice of pizza anywhere further north than Westchester County. Your pizza must have had some magic mushrooms on it.

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      monkey74DennyCrane
      7/12/13 3:55pm

      I dunno, from New Haven up 91, you get pretty decent pizza for quite a while. I've had much better pizza (probabilistically speaking) in Central CT and Western Ma than I have in Boston.

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      DennyCranemonkey74
      7/12/13 4:01pm

      To clarify, I meant if you go north and inland from NYC. Sorry.

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    SchweepsMax Read
    7/12/13 3:01pm

    They should call Chicago pizza "Pizza cake." It's an entirely different animal than east coast pie (as someone who grew up in Chicago and NY, I am an expert), and I can understand conceptually why someone might like it (I am not that someone). But just stop trying to compete as equals. It's okay, Chicago, you win on hot dogs.

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      Lars69Schweeps
      7/12/13 3:36pm

      Yes - NY style hot dogs suck. I went to Nathan's once and it was like eating salty shoe leather with sauerkraut. I may be a heathen, but sauerkraut only belongs in one place - the garbage. As for Chicago Style pizza vs NY - I'm a Chicago thin crust guy. Not to say I haven't loved some NY pizza, but the soggy crust where you have to fold it in half and eat it like a taco is just gross gummy bread with tomato sauce on it.

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      SchweepsLars69
      7/12/13 3:40pm

      Fair enough - I like the soggy, floppy, foldable style and NEVER could get my mind around square little crackers. But I have a soft spot for a slice of thin crust Lou's (but even that isn't like east coast pizza, but at least it's foldable)

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    HaighaMax Read
    7/12/13 2:59pm

    Go to a pizza place along the coast in Connecticut. Get a white pizza with Parmesan, cheese, olive oil, garlic and clams. Saybrook Pizza works has it, and there's a few well-known places in New Haven that do as well.

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      flymetothemooniesMax Read
      7/12/13 4:06pm

      STATEN ISLAND. That is all.

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        InTheStillflymetothemoonies
        7/12/13 4:30pm

        Yeah? What are some good places to check out? I travel for pizza.

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        flymetothemooniesInTheStill
        7/12/13 4:48pm

        The best place to go is Denino's. It's cash only, and not particularly easy to get to without a car, but it's awesome. And no slices, whole pies only! While you're there check out the original Ralph's Ices, just across the street.

        Joe and Pat's makes a good pie and a good slice, and takes cards. I also like Brother's Pizza for slices, and calzones.

        Also- Lee's Tavern for the best par pie I've ever had.

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      SauceboyMax Read
      7/12/13 3:56pm

      Isn't the answer obvious? As in where the fuck has there been Italian/Sicilian immigration? As in you don't get decent pizza in Michigan because there are no Italians there.

      I mean, you wouldn't look to find decent Chinese food made by a bunch of stoned white kids, would you?

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        jbreckenSauceboy
        7/12/13 4:22pm

        You don't want it too Italian, though. Pizza as we know it is highly Americanized; if it were authentic Italian pizza it would be closer to bruschetta. So you want at least second- or third- generation Italian-Americans making your pizzas.

        And a little mixing in the melting pot isn't a bad thing - some of the best pizzas I've had were made by Greeks.

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      norweegMax Read
      7/12/13 3:28pm

      Oh come, on! The pizza belt extends at least through the very northern part of Delaware to Newark! That college town has to provide pizza to the drunken, snobby students of the pizza belt!

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        Hit Bull Win Steaknorweeg
        7/12/13 4:12pm

        As a native New Jerseyan who spent 4 foggy, yet glorious years at UD, I'd only rate Margherita's as passable. The rest was bad. Grotto Pizza is hobo diarrhea on cardboard.

        NO PIZZA BELT FOR YOU!!!!!!

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        Albite_YouHit Bull Win Steak
        7/12/13 5:44pm

        I'm FROM Delaware and I think Grottos is fucking disgusting. Hobo diarrhea is honestly the best description I have ever heard for it, thank you! I remember the first time I had it. My middle school friend was taking me to Rehobeth with her family and had been talking it up for weeks. When it was put in front of me I wanted to throat punch her. This shit? This doughy blobby crust that isn't thick or thin but right in the disgusting middle? This soupy oily mess on top that makes Dupont runoff look like pristine mountain spring water? Fuck you to hell!

        I live in the CA wasteland of sucky pizza now but I'd rather have delivery than Grottos.

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      GlenjaminMax Read
      7/12/13 3:01pm

      "Chicago is not in the Pizza Belt. I have no desire to discuss Chicago-style pizza."

      Because you have taste, Max Read. It's not really pizza, no matter what they say.

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        reallyreallyintelligentpersonGlenjamin
        7/12/13 3:07pm

        Call it tomato cake if you want, it's fucking awesome.

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        Fighter-of-the-NightmanGlenjamin
        7/12/13 3:07pm

        It's just better than Pizza

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