Lombardi's Pizza @ New York City

One cannot go to NYC and not eat the famous NY style Pizza at the hundred year old America's First Pizzeria. No kidding, Lombardi's was established in 1905 and is the First Pizzeria in the whole freaking country! It has been the best Pizzeria in the US for more than hundred years now!

The restaurant looked small from outside, but when we ventured in it was quite roomy. There were two floors and we were escorted to the basement floor. Of course we had to wait for half hour before we were seated. Long, long lines. The tables were packed so close to one another like blueberries in a plastic carton. Naturally, no high chair here either. We were used to it by now. Baby on lap was the only way to eat at this ancient Pizzeria. But that didn't stop us.

They only make two Pizzas. The White Pizza - Mozzarella, Ricotta, Romana cheese and oregano, basil, black pepper and garlic infused oil. and the Original Pizza - Fresh mozzarella, san marzano tomato sauce and topped with romano and fresh basil. One can add any number of toppings for $3.00 each. We ordered a half and half of the White Pizza and the Original Pizza.

 

The Pizza came out in a snap and at the same time it wasn't too hot to burn my tongue. The ingredients were fresh and flavorful in both the Pizzas. The crust was neither too thin nor too thick, the typical chewy NY style. The Original Pizza was more lighter than the White Pizza. The ricotta cheese was a little too heavy for me. While the Pizza was great, it was not outstanding. I mean, we could get this in other cities too. But of course, this is the first Pizzeria in the US. So the credit goes to them!

 

Queen Margherita @ Magnolia

The best Pizza in the world? Not sure about that as I have not been around the world yet, but most definitely one of the best Pizzas in Seattle. This is a place where you get real Pizza Italiano, said an Italian friend of A's. "The best Italian Pizza in Seattle? Go to Queen Margherita in Magnolia ", he said. So, when the Groupon came along, we HAD to go.

Queen Margherita is a small place, located in the same lot as the Seattle Pie Company. We almost missed it when driving by. Usually, there is a wait time of 15 to 20 minutes or longer if you get there after 6 pm. They open at 3 pm and have a happy hour from 3 to 5 pm on week days.

Queen Margherita Restaurant

The bar has the wood burning stove where the guys who make this miracle called Pizza happen, shovel it in and out the oven, non stop. It can take about 20 minutes for the Pizza to get to your table from the time you order. Be prepared to wait.

Wood burning stove

The hand tossed dough tastes like the Indian Naan. It is soft and chewy and incredibly thin! So thin (thinner than one's tongue) that you can fold a slice a couple of times and prop it in your mouth. I have always thought that the crust could either be thin and crispy or thick and doughy, but here's one that's thin and doughy! I was in Pizza Heaven. And the Cheese! None of the new age three Cheese or four Cheese Pizza, that makes one want to spend the rest the of the waking hour at the Gym. Cheese is used to add flavor to the Pizza and not with the intention of fattening one up. Just a dollop on each slice and you won't believe the fresh flavor it infuses the whole Pizza with. One can eat a whole Pizza.

We got the Queen Margherita Pizza - Buffalo mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil.

Queen Margherita Pizza

Such a basic Pizza. The fresh tomato sauce was hot and bubbly and turned creamy as it melted the fresh Mozzarella. I took one bite off a slice and the crust folded, the fresh hot dollop of Mozzarella ran off as if it were on a slide and the tomato sauce dribbled down my fingers. It makes a mess, but just deal with it.

Next we got the Patata Pizza - Yukon gold potatoes, fresh rosemary, roasted garlic, pecorino cheese and extra-virgin olive oil.

Patata @ Queen Margherita

Cheese was sparingly used and the main flavor was from the Olive oil and fresh rosemary and roasted garlic. Again, a very basic Pizza but the flavors it diffused were intense. My only complaint was that it was a tad dry. We asked for some Olive oil on the side to dip the slice in and that made it a lot better.

Beer was atrociously priced at $5.50, so we washed it down with Coke. Desserts were also a little on the higher side - $7 for a Tiramisu or $5.50 for a Gelato. Of course it might be the best one could get, but no thanks. The Pizzas themselves are not very big and are priced between $12 -$15. But of course, worth every penny. I am not sure why they picked such an obscure location in Magnolia. It will be great if they can open a branch in some place like South Lake Union where they will have long lines of people waiting to get in, shoving for access like they were trying to get space on the last ferry out of Orcas Island!

Tofurky Pizza

Ever craved a pizza and then shoved the thought away after mentally calculating the calories and fat that will be consumed when a piece of that greasy slice makes its way down the oesophagus? I do that quite often. I am really glad I bumped into this vegan frozen pizza @ Whole Foods.

The thin, whole wheat crust is smothered with a layer of zesty garlic pizza sauce and shredded Daiya™ dairy free cheese. Chunks of yummy Italian Sausage with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Basil is then piled over it.
Finally a blend of fire roasted veggies is added for a flavorful punch. Packed with protien, this is an awesome healthy pizza, I would say. This is currently on sale @ Whole Foods for 7.99! Go grab it!

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza @ Miami

I had read the reviews for this restaurant but  was not very keen on visiting. We lost our way while driving to some restaurant (I think it is called The Hummus and is actually closed now) and pulled over to glance through the map. We looked up to see where we were and saw the board Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. Hey, why don't we check this out...'Coal fired' sounds cool, said A. It was already 8:30 pm and we didn't want to go around looking for some place else to eat.

It was warm, dark and cozy inside. A perfect place for a tête-à-tête.

This place makes New York style Pizza. The ones that are thin crusted but loaded with cheese. We went for their speciality pies - Frittata - Pepper, Onion and Egg. It was very interesting to see egg as a topping.  The egg, cheese and the slightly burnt crust that was crispy and easy to chew on, gave it a very rustic taste.

Our only complaint is the amount of cheese on the Pizza. We really regretted not asking them to go easy on the cheese. I usually like to hold the slice in my hand and attack it, rather than using a fork and a knife. But, the Pizza was so greasy that it was impossible to not use the cutlery. We were quite full after stuffing our faces with the cheese loaded slices and boxed the rest for the next day. Yeah, right. We were hibernating for the winter.
 
But, the Pizza was delicious, otherwise. It is a great place to try if you like the slight coal flavor.

http://www.anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com/

Serious Pie Pizza @ Seattle

I am not a big fan of Pizza, unless it is some seriously good Pizza. Something that is thin crusted, light and fluffy, lightly drizzled with cheese, some simple yet amazing toppings and the edges slightly browned and crispy. In short, I love Serious Pie Pizza. They are not the best I have had, but they are one of a kind. They have a very unique style and no one makes it like them.

It is the first Tom Douglas restaurant I have been to. Upon surfing the net, we found that the Pizza were quite pricey and the reviews were extreme. Either people loved it or they hated it. So, we decided to try this joint for their Happy Hour, where you get the mini $5 Pizza. An interesting observation - Almost everyone was there only for the Pizza. Thought it was the Happy Hour, no one seemed to have ordered a lager or something. Just water and lots of Pizza.
 

The restuarant itself is small and cozy and the seating, communal. Very European. It reminded us of the sidewalk cafes in Lucern. The waiting area is small and the wait time is quite long. But since we were just the two of us, we were able to get a table in 15 minutes.

 

 

The food was quick to arrive as well. The shape and texture of the Pizza is more like a Naan. It is cooked in the huge wood fired oven.

We ordered the Buffalo mozzarella, san marzano tomato and totally loved it. That was the best of the three that we ordered. Each Pizza was cut into 6 bite sized pieces.It was such a simple topping - tomato sauce, basil and mozarella cheese, yet, so unique and flavorful. The best thing is that these Pizza look so heavy, but are as light as a Tofutti :)

Next was the Yukon gold potato, rosemary, pecorino. Potatoes were an interesting topping for a Pizza and some of the Potatoes were crispy like Potato Chips and the some of them were like mashed and cooked. The Pecorino Cheese complemented the potatoes and the rosemary. Ummm... haven't had anything like that before.

And the third was the Chanterelles mushrooms, truffle cheese. The Mushrooms tasted fantastic and the melting truffle cheese made it a little rich.

All three were excellent. Usually we feel really stuffed after eating a couple of slices, but these were so light that I could have easily packed in 4 more of them :)

Though the restaurant was packed, and it was just the Happy Hour, the service was great. The waiter asked us if we would like some freshly ground red pepper and checked on us quite a few times. He was easy to get hold of, whenever we needed something.

Serious Pie, I seriously love you!