Monthly Archives: November 2018

With Love,

Posted in pizza by

AmericanFlatBreadIonianAwakeningPizzaReady2

You know so many folks throw out the word artisanal more than ever.  Well maybe it’s lost it’s cache if you will.  Me saying that is just one person’s opinion.  But that’s what I sadly sense.  If you throw out superlatives and overstate positives where they shouldn’t go, they tend to get lost in the shuffle.  And what’s actually great could sadly get lost in the shuffle or…

American Flatbread was speaking to me.  No, not literally, that would be goofy talk… But maybe it was.  I was searching my local supermarket’s frozen pizza aisle, and I was in the mood for anything but something that would be bloaty and stuffy.  The weather outside would deem suitable for comforts and getting full and happy, but that’s not what I’m usually looking for, now or ever.

I was reading the labels and their story, where it just kept striking a chord with me.  Maybe it’s the mood I was in, but the message of doing good, not just for others, but for ourselves brought a smile to my face.  The message of supporting charities, those in need, and still taking care of ourselves is important.  If we can’t help ourselves how can we be at our best at helping others.

As we approach Thanksgiving and the heart of the holiday season, these messages are going to be much more commonplace.  I do my best to support others throughout the year, while still trying to do right for me.

The importance of eating healthy, and by taking in the most natural ingredients has become indoctrinated in us more than ever.  It’s important, and we shouldn’t resist this.  I shouldn’t resist.  This to me is more artisanal than anyone claiming as much, with nothing to back it up.

They can back it up, and then some…

My two choices were the Tomato Sauce & Three Cheese, and the Ionian Awakening.

(Here is where to buy near you)

I will review them together and separately.  First, the crusts are 100% organically grown wheat, and I can feel it.  I can taste a difference.  You might trick yourself into thinking this, but it’s true.  There was something about this that didn’t upset my stomach or upset me in any way.  Ha that was funny.  But seriously, this flatter crust (well it is a flatbread) really made a difference, and made the cheese and sauce taste that much better.

This is an operation comprised of good people, good spirits, and good souls trying to make the best pizza they can.  This was incredible.  This is not your typical frozen pizza. There is a genuine feeling of good and health during and after eating.  The lower calorie content will tell you that as well.   And I can’t get forget those herbs.  You really get a good taste for them here.

AmericanFlatBreadIonianAwakeningPizzaReady2

I just like the name Ionian Awakening.  With a powerful name, you know it’s going to be good.  I never had a doubt. These are Mediterranean flavors at their best.  If you love feta cheese, red onions, and olives on your pizza (which I love off a pizza as well!), you’re going to adore this.  You’re going to savor every bite, and with the most brilliantly prepared crust to balance (not counterbalance, but balance) everything out, some may love this more than the traditional cheese.    I love them both, so I can’t really say what was better.  I can call it tie!

AmericanFlatBreadIonianAwakeningPizzaSlice

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness… This is pizza, this is true artisan style, and it deserved to be called that and so many other good things.   I also just love the good that American Flatbread represents.

I’m grateful I found this days before Thanksgiving.  I’m truly thankful and grateful that I was introduced to this pizza, and the timing couldn’t have been better.  There’s more pizzas to choose from, and I love what they represent.  So I hope to revisit this again and try to show them some of the love that they are projecting onto the world and the universe.

Happy Early Thanksgiving!

With Love,

Ideen

Advertisement

Home Away From Home…

Posted in pizza by

BozzellisMicMacPizza2

I don’t venture back out to the Washington, DC area enough.  I was born here, I grew up here, spent my youth here, and now find myself an outsider, but I’m really not.

As eras have ended, new ones can begin.  We can honor the past, but not live in it too much.  We can honor the present and still be nostalgic all at once.  I tend to that part a lot.  It must been something good is happening or about to happen.

Bozzellis

We skip the good because it’s more than great.  Bozelli’s (menu and story) came through recommendations from my friends who live near the Newington location (there’s 4 altogether in the DC area) and have been raving about it.  They’ve wanted me to come just to try this pizza.  Of course I’m all about seeing my friends, especially ones I don’t see too often, and enjoying great company with great food, pizza or otherwise.

The cozy atmosphere is just what I wanted on this particular day.  It’s small, yet big enough to accommodate any group or individual, and they will feel right at home.   For me, less is more, even though more can be just as great.  For this particular evening, a small group of pals was plenty.  And just right.

Suggestions were made and recommendations came.  But something about the Mic Mac felt right and felt oh so comforting on this particular night.  This is there Mac & Cheese Pizza and it’s incredible….

BozzellisMicMacPizza

Macaroni, mozzarella, cheddar, and peperoncini heated beyond words, with a crust that will make warm you all over.  This hit my heart, my soul, and everything in between.  The quaint and almost eerily quiet atmosphere added something to this.   This is my kind of Saturday night.

 

I can’t say enough about how this pizza was put together.  It’s like it was speaking to me and telling me you’re surrounded by good people, by a good energy, a home away from home, and that everything is going to be alright.   On this night everything was more than alright.

 

You get a few simple ingredients, a good energy behind the pizza creators, a perfect temperature to heat it, and you get this masterpiece.  I know how amazing it tasted, but writing about it in hindsight tells me just how brilliant this was.

After that, where do you go from here?   Well I had to do a reprise.   I stayed in the area, and the following day I went with one of the suggestions, to go of course, the Boom Boom Chicken.

 

I can’t say which pie was better.  It’s not a fair assessment.  I loved them both for different reasons.  This was to go, so the experience was different.  It’s not that I didn’t have time to savor it like the night before, it’s just that I didn’t have time to savor it.  Make sense?  I loved it though.  Chicken on a pizza is usually a safe bet.  But this wasn’t just a safe pizza, this was another work of art. The fire-braised chicken, red peppers, and the spicy mayo complement one another oh so well.

 

The mozzarella base is almost lost in the shuffle, but it shouldn’t be.  That’s the soul of the pizza.  Yes I say soul, because everything starts with cheese pizza.  Without that, the whole doesn’t equal the, well you know…

The prices for any size are reasonable, and nothing goes past $20 for the largest pizza. For Washington, that’s a good price.  It’s a great price anywhere, but food and experiences like this have no price tag.  They mean more than any dollar amount or any receipt.

Great experiences will last with you in this lifetime, into eternity, and every lifetime after.   This is one I will always regard with highest esteem because of not only the context, but for the magical moment in time.   This was so significant for so many reasons.  We all have those stories, you have those stories, where it wasn’t just about the food, and the food only played one part, yet an important one.

BozzellisPizzaBox

This was amazing, this was special, and this was important.

Until the next visit…

Peace Be With You…

Love,

Ideen

I Love Wegmans.

Posted in pizza by

WegmansSicilianBuffaloChicken2

It’s one of those magical paces on earth.  I seriously believe that to be true.

I think I got it right this time.  Some time back, I wrote about Wegmans (past stories can be found here) and the slices and story I wrote about was a bit goofy.  It just didn’t click like I hoped. Maybe I was trying too hard.  And the anomaly was that their pizza was not up to par.  That’s going to happen.  That’s also not going to make me stop going here….

As a matter of fact I go to a Wegmans at least 5 days a week.  At least is the operative word, because sometimes it feels like I go there more than once a day.   That does happen.

For the sake of life, and things in general, I wanted to keep this as simple as possible. It’s November.  We’re already so busy to begin with.  The holidays are fast approaching.  What a trite thing to say, but it’s true.  For all the commotion that comes our way, there’s plenty of room to keep things as even keel and as comfortable as possible.

Pizza is at the top of that list.

Wegmans (more about their amazing story here) knows good pizza.  A visit to multiple locations verifies that.  They’ve been consistently great to amazing.  Maybe an understatement.

I’ve shared pizza with good friends, with family, and myself.  Their a growing supermarket chain, but no matter how big they get, it keeps feeling like home.

Their pizza has a familiarity and a simplicity that feels familiar.  It takes me back to places, and then it only takes back to a recent place.  Yes, like the last time I visited. Not everything is that dramatic for me, I promise…

If you truly judge a place by their cheese alone, then Wegmans can do no wrong.  What a perfect recipe of the most simplest ingredients.  I think the most important ingredient however is soul, spirit, and enthusiasm.  Having a wonderful crust doesn’t hurt either.  A strong base and foundation culminate into an all around winner.

Their blanca is the same.  The seasonings, the olive oil, and the ricotta on such a perfectly heated crust is the stuff of beautiful.  I love white pizza and can sometimes be critical of how some places make it, but they nailed it.   My personal and humble opinion is that it’s the most difficult of pizzas to do right.   Yes they did.

What I love is that their Sicilian Style is self-serve. Try saying that a few times over.  And featured today was the Buffalo Chicken.  It may be heavy and thick for some, but that’s the beauty of choices.  I enjoyed it but know I could make at least two meals out of this.  You know the main ingredient in buffalo chicken, so I don’t need to repeat them.  I highly recommend.

I highly recommend Wegmans in general.  Pizza notwithstanding, they have a commitment to the best quality food and the best everything.   I’ve always had good experiences here from grocery shopping, their pharmacy, their cafe, the hot food bar, the sandwich shoppe, the cheese market, the deli, the seafood department, and everything in between.  Trust me, there’s a lot in between that it may take a bunch of visits, and then more to get it all in.

There’s no need to get it all in now.  The journey is the best part.  It’s one I intend to continue on and revisit many times over.

I love it and I’m willing to bet many of you who are fortunate to live by one or have visited, can say the same.

I love Wegmans and I’m so grateful for all the good it brings.

Peace Be With You.

Ideen