Category Archives: beach

Living In America

Posted in beach, holiday, pizza by

This Summer has been one for the ages!   And I don’t want it to end.  It’s not only been fun writing about pizza. It’s just been fun in general.  The whole reason for doing this is to feel good, enjoy life, and to make some pals along the way.  That is what life is all about.

An added bonus in my pizza travels, is that I get to be extremely random.  I can write about anything pizza related and hopefully find the positive and sometimes spiritual in every situation.

It’s only fitting that on this unofficial final weekend of my favorite season, that we celebrate what is good and symbolic about this holiday.  Were these three paragraphs a little too melodramatic?  Then good! 🙂

I had to take it back to the beach and this time I found myself in Rehoboth to be more specific.   There’s a lot to love about this cozy and charming resort town.

There’s great restaurants, shopping, bars, people watching, and of course the beach and boardwalk itself.   So what about the pizza?

Well there’s plenty of that.   I had a list of places I wanted to check out and they were all in close proximity of one another, but fortunately plans don’t always go accordingly and something new throws you for a loop.  I’m happy it did.

This lead me to America’s Pie At The Beach.  And what a wonderful surprise awaited me and awaits anyone else that tries their pizza!

The staff could not have been more friendly and approachable.   They had some unique selections to go with their cheese, pepperoni, white, etc.

They could tell it was my first time as I was eager to try a couple of random slices.  So without any further adieu, here were my two orders :

TheSlices

First was one they had literally just created that day. It includes bacon, red onions, and peaches!  Yes peaches!  And it was then topped with greens.   You must pardon my excitement, I may be missing or incorrectly typing a topping or two but that’s the gist of it.  I don’t believe they even had a name for it.

But this was a very charming slice.   I thought the lettuce (which I’m going to say was red leaf) would be too much, but it was a fantastic addition to this wonderful slice.  I must say the peaches did it for me. This all came together superbly.   If it was just a white pie with peaches I’d be happy too!  Red onions were a welcome addition too.  And the crust was heated so perfectly!  What a wonderful crunch.  And the way the cheese, and the toppings baked into the crust is aesthetically pleasing. This was creativity at its peak!

Peaches

Here is a picture with the lettuce off to the side, so you can get a great visual of what’s below! Magnifico!

I did my first peach festival a few weeks ago, so I felt warm and fuzzy having this one too.  This was a symbolic gesture from the universe and to myself as well.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get anymore inspiring, we have the New Orleans!  I visited New Orleans for the first time earlier this Summer, so this was more of a sentimental choice than anything.

I was able to get a cheat sheet off the menu for this one.   I was too excited at the time to remember all the toppings for this soulful slice.

It’s amazing how one or two toppings can make or a break a slice.  This one falls on the former.  The mozzarella with the pepper jack cheese is a heck of a duo.  I would have been happy with the slice as that. But even better, the honey dijon mustard and cajun chicken gives it some authentic New Orleans flavor. And again, it’s heated to perfection.

America'sPie

As you can see their website is under construction but the pizza is anything but.   There were so many unique pies and slices to try that I hope I get to visit again very soon.   It also seems they create stuff on the fly and that day.  Like the first order I referred to, I was so excited I didn’t even get the name.   I’m not sure if there even was one.  Regardless, they were both wonderful.

For more on my love of peaches, click here.  And for my love of New Orleans, you can follow this link.

I found out the place has only been open a month but they’re making a strong case for one of the best pizzas at the Eastern Shore. And I wish them all the best!

And on a personal level these two slices were incredible representations of two of the more wonderful experiences I had this summer. (New Orleans and the Peach Festival)  I doubt that’s a coincidence.

Happy Holidays.

Best,

Ideen

Advertisement

Memorial Day Moves

Posted in beach, Delaware, Maryland, pizza by

Now that we’re officially into Summer, I am grateful and happy to incorporate pizzerias near the Maryland and Delaware beaches.

For part of the Memorial Day weekend, I took a drive to the famous (or infamous depending on how you look at it) town of Dewey Beach.   It’s known for it’s bars, clubs, and other various social activities.   So how is their pizza?

Well for my first visit, the results are not good.

Grottos

One of the most visually noticeable establishments in the resort town is Grotto Pizza.  So this is where our inaugural Summer themed posts will commence.

I’ve been here several times before, so I knew what I was getting myself into.  I was preparing for the worst, as previous visits have made me wonder why I keep coming back.  Well it’s because it’s convenient and it’s right there.  And the outside decor and entrance is very welcoming and approachable.

I wish I could say the same about the clientele.   I know it was Memorial Day Weekend.  So it was going to be busier than usual and the staff might be overwhelmed.  When I walked in there was a decent line of a half dozen people, so I didn’t expect to wait too long.  It was about the wait I expected.

If it meant the pizza would taste better, I’d be happy to wait longer.  But not on this day.

GrottosSlices

I ordered a cheese and pepperoni slice each and both felt soulless.     I know Grotto has been known to add a lot of sauce on their pies, which is ok.  It’s a little sweeter than sauce I’m used to.  It just didn’t come together.   I do like that there was a decent amount of pepperoni thrown on that particular slice.  It just didn’t taste like a good piece of pepperoni.  I picked a couple off and ate them on my own and it didn’t taste fresh.   The crust and dough felt soggy, boring, and gross.

Unfortunately,  I barely finished a third of either of my slices.   They were that bad.  And I don’t like wasting food.  But I didn’t feel good eating this pizza.  I paid nearly $8.00 total for both slices.  I don’t see any justification for charging that amount.

When I was a kid I would eat at the many various locations near our great beaches.  And I seemed to recall, it tasted much better back then. Or maybe I’ve grown up and my tastes have expanded.

I didn’t go into this looking to trash this establishment or other pizza places on the Eastern Shore.  I went into this with an open mind knowing the time of year, the patrons, and the business of the weekend.  Nor was I expecting high end, brick oven, or artisanal pizza.  What I do expect is that the pizza tastes good. That’s not asking much.  And this didn’t even come close.

We all a whole Summer ahead of us.  And more beach pizza recaps will be coming.

I hope you all had a great holiday and enjoy your weekend!

Best,

Ideen