Passion-4-Pizza Blog

What IS a perfect pizza?

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:22:52 GMT

What is perfect pizza? Everyone loves pizza, and everyone has their own idea of pizza perfection. Here you'll find stories from our visitors of their favorite pizza experiences and pizzerias.

Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:17:14 GMT

Remember when President Obama got pizza from Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis instead of a Chicago pizzeria and really made a fuss about it? We drove through St. Louis the other day and stopped for lunch at Pi's flagship location. Here's what we thought

Personal Pizza Stories

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:39:38 GMT

Our visitors' stories of their favorite pizza memories. Newest: our friend Frank Varenchik has a backyard oven pizza party!

Two Mighty Commendations!

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:28:03 GMT

In our last blog post, we told you that we'd been profiled in Slice, our other favorite pizza blog. Well, in the Comments section of that post, the following conversation took place between master pizzaiolo Paulie Gee, of whom we've written before, and Adam Kuban, the Slicemeister himself:

______________ I don't know how I never read the "About Us" section of your website. Love the photo. And the Italian/Jew combination. Just like my parents, but flipped. Give me a heads up next time you are in Greenpoint. I've been wanting to do a pie with post-oven smoked salmon, mascarpone and capers. I'll name it after you two. Any suggestions? - pauliegee --------- @pauliegee: The About Us section on Lillian and Cary's site is one of the cutest things in pizzadom! -Adam Kuban

_______ Of course, Cary wants that cream cheese and lox pizza and Lillian doesn't! And if you're among those who've never seen the "About Us" page on our site, visit the link below!

Long Island Pizza Places

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:42:27 GMT

Long Island is not just a suburb of New York City -- it's also home to some phenomenal pizza! We live here most of the time and we can tell you where to find the best Long Island pizza.

We've been profiled!

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:08:41 GMT

We felt honored and humbled when Adam Kuban of Slice (our second-favorite pizza blog) interviewed us for Slice's Pizza Obsessives Q&A feature! You can read the interview at the link below:

Pizza Hut, The Number One Pizza Chain

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:26:20 GMT

Pizza Hut is the biggest pizza chain in the world. How did it start? How has it grown so huge? What's the Pizza Hut story? We did the research for you.

Pizza Chains, National Pizza Chains

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:10:18 GMT

For better or worse, pizza chains supply most of America (and the world) with pizza. We explore the major national pizza chains: How did they get here? What's their story? Which is the 'best' and by what standard?

Pizza Gift Ideas

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:07:02 GMT

Are you looking for pizza gift ideas for the pizza-lover in your life? We've searched the web for you, and here's some of the good stuff!

Pizza Places in the Northeast

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:24:02 GMT

You can find interesting and sometimes excellent pizza places outside New York City, throughout the Northeastern United States. See this page for both!

Cascarino's Pizza in Montgomery, NY

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:38:40 GMT

When we visited Cascarino's Brick Oven Pizza and Ristorante in Montgomery, NY, we had no idea that they have three locations in Queens - or that they make the pizza at Citi Field - we just thought we'd gotten lucky getting a decent slice up in the boonies!

How To Make Mozzarella

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:09:53 GMT

Cary learned how to make mozzarella at the Mozzarella Making class at Murray's Cheese Shop in Greenwich Village. Want to know what he learned? Find out here!

Exciting week at Passion-4-Pizza!

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:13:32 GMT

Two big pizza evenings for passion-4-pizza this week - on Tuesday evening, Cary went to Murray's cheeses to take a mozzarella-making class (page with pictures to follow in a few days) and on Wednesday, it was back to Paulie Gee's for some more time behind the counter and in front of the oven with Paulie and his crew! If you missed last week's adventure, click the link below to read all about A Night At Paulie Gee's!

Just Came from the Slice Out Hunger Event!

Fri, 28 May 2010 03:52:33 GMT

We just returned from an event that combined fun, fundraising and pizza!

Scott Wiener of Scott's Pizza Tours organized Slice Out Hunger to benefit City Harvest, and it was an all-out success! In addition to getting some of the best pizzerias in NYC to donate pizzas, which were sold for $1 per slice at the event, Scott shared his collection of Pizza Boxes from Around the World with us. It was fun to see pizza boxes from many lands, and we found it interesting that some of the boxes were... ah... not pristine.

We ran into several members of the pizzerati: Brooks Jones of Me, Myself and Pie, Nick Sherman of Pizza Rules, who recently spent a month eating nothing but pizza (and smoothies), Jason of I Dream of Pizza, and Sean Taylor of 31 Days of Pizza.

The evening also featured a raffle of a large number of pizza-related items, and ... cookies baked by Scott's mom! Good cookies, mom!

Some of the participating pizzerias were Lombardi's, Joe's, John's of Bleecker Street, Pizza Suprema and others. Money was raised for a good cause, LOTS of pizza was eaten, and a good time was had by all!

We tried slices from a few places we still hadn't visited, and making allowance for time and distance from their oven, we liked Joe's (7 Carmine Street) the best. Now we have a fresh list of must-visits in Manhattan...

Nice work, Scott!

A Night At Paulie Gee's

Fri, 28 May 2010 02:18:02 GMT

Paul Giannone has gone from pizza aficionado to owner/pieman of Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He was good enough to allow Cary to come in and work behind the counter, stretching dough and getting flour on his shoes! Here's the story -

Making Pizza - Not A Pizza Hero!

Thu, 13 May 2010 22:42:10 GMT

Cary wanted to experiment with making pizza differently. Lillian said, "Don't try to be a hero on your third attempt!" Here's what happened.

Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:41:39 GMT

Pizzeria Mozza was recommended to us by Peter Reinhart and Chris Bianco, so it was on our must-visit list. Was the pizza good enough to overcome the trendy nightclub atmosphere? Find out here!

Pizza Therapy makes the New York Times!

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 02:04:28 GMT

We got an email from Albert Grande, creator and webmaster of Pizza Therapy letting us know that a) the New York Times has a new Pizza topics page on their website, and b) Pizza Therapy is listed as one of their pizza resources! The New York Times page is a solid resource itself for NYT readers who love pizza; Pizza Therapy is, to our knowledge, the oldest pizza-dedicated website on the Internet; and Albert Grande is one of the most pizza-dedicated guys out there! Congratulations, Albert!

The Best California Pizza

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:36:07 GMT

California pizza - really! What once was a pizza wasteland is now home to some fantastic pies! We visited several great and near-great locations in California, and we'll give you the scoop here!

Tony Gemignani and the International School of Pizza

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:53:55 GMT

Cary improved his pizza skills by taking a home chef course with world champion pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani at his International School of Pizza! Read about the experience (and the pizzas) here!

Making Pizza

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:02:55 GMT

Making pizza could be some of the most fun you can have in the kitchen! We share our experiences, what we're learning, who we're learning from, and how to do it.

Antica Pizzeria

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:14:35 GMT

We visited Antica Pizzeria, the flagship of VPN America, and preserver of the True Neapolitan Pizza. Hard to believe it's in California! How was the pizza? You can find out here!

Just heard from Chris Bianco

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:57:18 GMT

Over the past week or so, the pizza-blog world has been hit with rumors of Chris Bianco's retirement. He's not retired. We were happily surprised to get a phone call from Chris a few minutes ago. He sounds upbeat and he assured us that he's still fully connected to Pizzeria Bianco. He told us that his brother continues to make the dough, and Chris is actively involved with the business on a daily basis. He's taking a break to deal with a health issue and, "get my head out of the oven" for awhile. His staff is doing as great a job as ever. Chris asked that we spread the word that he's taking care of himself and Pizzeria Bianco, and he's grateful for the good wishes and support of his customers, friends, and all of us in the "pizza community." Whew. Glad to hear you're okay, Chris, and that you're taking care of yourself. If you haven't read our interview, Twenty Minutes With Chris Bianco, use the permalink below.

Twenty Minutes with Chris Bianco

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:38:21 GMT

Chris Bianco, owner and pizzaiolo of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, gave us an interview that just blew us away and some astoundingly delicious pizza. We'll share the interview with you - you'll have to get the pizza on your own!

Pizza Adventures

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:35:08 GMT

In our quest for great pizza, we go to interesting places and meet some fascinating people. Share in our recent pizza adventures: read about our twenty minutes with Chris Bianco, the Pizza Blog Summit at Nomad in Hopewell, NJ, get the inside story of our lunch at Umberto's with Peter Reinhart, and more!

Our Lunch with Peter Reinhart

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:01:45 GMT

We found out that Peter Reinhart (master baker and legendary pizzaman) had never tasted the delicious Long Island pizza style known as “Grandma’s.” When he visited NY recently, we took him to Umberto’s and remedied that situation. We also talked about Peter’s new book,

Sam's Pizzeria, Northampton MA

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:13:36 GMT
When they gave out the 'funky' template for college town pizzerias, Sam's Pizzeria and Cafe was somewhere near the front of the line. How was the pizza? Find out here.

The Slice Gathering At Nomad Pizza!

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:42:38 GMT
As readers of our newsletter know, we were invited by Slice-meister Adam Kuban to a gathering of New York area "pizzerati" at Nomad Pizza in Hopewell, NJ. Twenty-six pizza fans got to chow down on some astoundingly good Neapolitan-style pies, talk pizza, and take pictures. Among the attendees were photographer Philip Given (whose ace shots of the event can be found on his blog, Scott Wiener of Scott's Pizza Tours, pizza fanatic (and limoncello maker) Paulie Gee, and a host of bloggers, webmasters, and significant others. We're sure Adam has a full list of URL's on Slice at the Permalink below. Sean Taylor of 31daysofpizza.blogspot.com with Adam Kuban of Sliceny.com Our favorite moment was when the first pizzas were brought out, and at least a dozen cameras appeared out of nowhere, like a photographic Gunfight at the O.K. Corral! We're still writing the story of this pizzadventure - and editing the video. If you'd like to be among the first to read it, visit our site and subscribe to our free e-newsletter!

October is National Pizza Month!
Celebrate accordingly...

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:01:54 GMT
Wow, is it October already? We can think of four excellent ways to celebrate National Pizza Month:
1. make a pizza
2. go out for pizza
3. go out for pizza again
4. tell us about your favorite pizza, or favorite pizza experience! Just fill out the form on our Perfect Pizza page, at the link below.

Vera Pizza Napoletana - The True Neapolitan Pizza

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:50:43 GMT
What is the Vera Pizza Napoletana? Who decides? Find out here!

Going to Peter Reinhart's Pizza Class

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:48:17 GMT
We wanted to learn how to make pizza from a master. Peter Reinhart was offering a class - 688 miles away. We had to go. How was it? What did we learn? Find out here!

The History of Italian Pizza, Italian Pizza History

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:43:35 GMT
The history of modern Italian pizza.

American Pie - The History of Pizza In America

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:09:40 GMT
From the first american pie in 1905, pizza in America has been a phenomenon. Here you'll find the story of pizza passion in America -- from New York and New Haven, to Chicago and California.

Patsy's Pizza in East Harlem

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:02:44 GMT
We finally got around to writing about our Valentine's Day dinner at Patsy's Pizza in East Harlem - Romance, Pizza, a coal oven, and a big oil painting of Frank Sinatra!

Pizza Review - Grimaldi's Garden City

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:53:35 GMT
We visit the Long Island outpost of one of New York pizza's founding families - Grimaldi's.

Colosseo Pizzeria on Long Island

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:49:23 GMT
We ate too much pizza at Colosseo pizzeria - a Long Island favorite!

Charleston Pizza - Pizza in Charleston, SC

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:34:58 GMT
We found a Brooklyn pizzaiolo in Charleston, South Carolina! How was his Charleston pizza? Find out here!

Pizza on your clothes...

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:20:26 GMT
Shameless promotional plug alert: We were getting dressed one morning a few months ago, and Cary said, "I wish I had a high-class pizza t-shirt, one that expressed what we really think about pizza, one that carries the message, that other pizza lovers would also wear proudly. A pizza t-shirt so grand that I'd even try not to get sauce on it." So we sat down and designed a t-shirt. The logo was so perfect, we put it on a few different items: an apron, a jersey, etc. It carries a profound pizza message no one can argue with! It's the shirt we designed just for you. And us. Take a look:

New Haven Pizza, Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana, Modern Apizza, Sally's Apizza

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:16:18 GMT
We had to have New Haven pizza. We went to Frank Pepe's, Modern Apizza, and Sally's Apizza - all in one day!

Little Vincent's Pizza - Lake Ronkonkoma

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:16:07 GMT
We drive out to Lake Ronkonkoma to try Little Vincent's Pizza Restaurant (#3 on Newsday's 10 Best LI Pizzerias) and wonder, "What's with the textured crust?" Read the full story here!

UPDATE - Patsy's In East Harlem
Planning Their 76th Anniversary Celebration

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:01:50 GMT
Our friends at our other favorite blog, Slice, just reported that Patsy's will be celebrating its 76th anniversary on August 26th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m with 90 cent steak, 60 cent pizza pies, and 1 cent sodas. The info from Patsy's says to call ahead, because they have limited seating. Slice has the story here. But when we called, we were told that they're not taking reservations. Hmm. Sunday, July 19 - The following note reached our inbox: I am the publicist for the Patsy's 76th. We learned from last year. I just wanted to assure you that we will be much more organized. We want all to have a great time and enjoy each others company on this momentous occasion. We wish Patsy's the best for their anniversary and hope it turns out well for everyone! Never been to Patsy's? Read our Patsy's Pizzadventure -- Click the Permalink below:

The History Of Pizza, Pizza Origin, Who Invented Pizza?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:55:57 GMT
The Real, True, Honest-to-Goodness History of Pizza.- from the Ancients to the slice you'll eat tonight.

For Every Pizza Lovin' Father

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:33:46 GMT
When we saw this, we thought of you. Actually, Cary wants one badly, and he figures if he wants one, so does your dad! The Pizza Boss 3000 - No Batteries Required!

We're off to Pie Town!

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:56:43 GMT
We'd written in a recent newsletter that Peter Reinhart, author of American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza, would be offering a pizza class at his Pie Town restaurant in Charlotte, NC. on Saturday, June 20. We also wrote that although we wanted to go, the class filled up almost immediately and we didn't make the cut. Well, there's been a cancellation, and we'll be heading for Charlotte! Reinhart is a master breadmaker and a true pizza aficionado. When we made our first homemade pizzas last week, Reinhart's Neo-Neapolitan dough recipe was one of our models. We'll tell you about next week's pizzadventure in an upcoming blog post. We're really excited! Can't wait for this trip, and can't wait to share it with you! If you haven't read about our first homemade pizzas, click the link below...

Pizzas4Patriots to deliver 28,000 pies to soldiers

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:35:14 GMT
On July 4th, 2009, Pizzas4Patriots is planning to fill a DHL cargo jet with 28,000 pizzas purchased from Uno Chicago Grill for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. A grand plan from the 15-year-old son of a retired Air Force Master Sergeant, which started with sending pizza from Lou Malnati's to soldiers in Iraq, has turned into Operation Pizza Surge! You can learn more and contribute to Pizzas4Patriots by clicking here. Not familiar with Chicago-style pizza? Visit the Chicago page on our site by clicking on the link below:

New Jersey Pizza - Trenton's Finest

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:18:19 GMT
The most famous New Jersey pizza is in Trenton, where they call it "tomato pie". We visited one of the remaining classic Tomato Pie pizzerias and discovered the Trenton difference.

Results of the Fifth Annual Brooklyn Pizza Eating Contest!

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:17:09 GMT
Sal Carbone won the Brooklyn Pizza Eating contest at Rocco's in Bay Ridge yesterday eating a whopping 22 slices of Rocco's pizza, and nosing out Joe Menchetti, who ate 20! There are pictures and a video of the competition at this site. Lil and I went to Rocco's the night before to find out how good the pizza they'd be eating would be, and you can find that out here!

Real Brooklyn Pizza

Sun, 31 May 2009 23:45:01 GMT
We visited Rocco's, a true Brooklyn pizzeria and the home of the annual Brooklyn Pizza Eating Contest!

What The Heck Was That?

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:15:32 GMT
Cary: I was at Long Island Jewish Hospital today, talking to a friend of mine, when a technician walked by, pushing a portable x-ray machine. He turned to us, smiled and said, "So, how far would you travel for a good slice of pizza?" I had never seen this guy before! I was not talking about pizza at the time. It was just weird. He then told me I should try Rizzo's in Astoria, Queens, but I started thinking about the farthest Lillian and I have traveled for a good pizza. That would be forty miles each way to Tomatoes Apizza in Michigan. Read about it by clicking the link below:

Pizza Restaurants - Midwest

Tue, 26 May 2009 05:15:39 GMT
Reviews of pizza restaurants in the Midwest. Michigan, Ohio, Illinois.. and beyond!

Passion-4-Pizza Blog

What IS a perfect pizza?

Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis

Personal Pizza Stories

Two Mighty Commendations!

Long Island Pizza Places

We've been profiled!

Pizza Hut, The Number One Pizza Chain

Pizza Chains, National Pizza Chains

Pizza Gift Ideas

Pizza Places in the Northeast

Cascarino's Pizza in Montgomery, NY

How To Make Mozzarella

Exciting week at Passion-4-Pizza!

Just Came from the Slice Out Hunger Event!

A Night At Paulie Gee's

Making Pizza - Not A Pizza Hero!

Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles

Pizza Therapy makes the New York Times!

The Best California Pizza

Tony Gemignani and the International School of Pizza

Making Pizza

Antica Pizzeria

Just heard from Chris Bianco

Twenty Minutes with Chris Bianco

Pizza Adventures

Our Lunch with Peter Reinhart

Sam's Pizzeria, Northampton MA

The Slice Gathering At Nomad Pizza!

October is National Pizza Month! Celebrate accordingly...

Vera Pizza Napoletana - The True Neapolitan Pizza

Going to Peter Reinhart's Pizza Class

The History of Italian Pizza, Italian Pizza History

American Pie - The History of Pizza In America

Patsy's Pizza in East Harlem

Pizza Review - Grimaldi's Garden City

Colosseo Pizzeria on Long Island

Charleston Pizza - Pizza in Charleston, SC

Pizza on your clothes...

New Haven Pizza, Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana, Modern Apizza, Sally's Apizza

Little Vincent's Pizza - Lake Ronkonkoma

UPDATE - Patsy's In East HarlemPlanning Their 76th Anniversary Celebration

The History Of Pizza, Pizza Origin, Who Invented Pizza?

For Every Pizza Lovin' Father

We're off to Pie Town!

Pizzas4Patriots to deliver 28,000 pies to soldiers

New Jersey Pizza - Trenton's Finest

Results of the Fifth Annual Brooklyn Pizza Eating Contest!

Real Brooklyn Pizza

What The Heck Was That?

Pizza Restaurants - Midwest

October is National Pizza Month!
Celebrate accordingly...

UPDATE - Patsy's In East Harlem
Planning Their 76th Anniversary Celebration