Tag Archives: cheese

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

Born To Za!

Posted in Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey, pizza by

ChickenParmPizza!

Of course I find a way to incorporate Bruce Springsteen into the pizza discussion.   This past Tuesday we celebrated the 40th Birthday of Born To Run!  And what does any sane person do?  They take a drive to Freehold, NJ and eat at one of the pizza places The Boss has been known to frequent.  But there’s more!

Freehold3Freehold1Freehold2

After doing a little research and asking friends, I took the two-hour drive up the New Jersey Turnpike and made my first ever visit to Freehold.

This had such a good vibe from the get go.  There’s a very small town feel and energy that would only make sense, based on where I was.  We had a plethora of local shops, restaurants, and services, with a limit on chains.  And I like the sound of all of that.   It was an easy town to navigate.  And after a little bit of exploring I stopped in at Federici’s.

Federici's

The feeling inside and out was just as authentic as the town itself.  No bells and whistles, no hoopla, just a good energy with folks enjoying their meals and the company they were with.  Or you have someone like me, enjoying their meal in solitude.

Federici'sOutdoorMenu

I did a quick scan of the menu and decided on the Chicken Parmigiana to go.   The thin crust was outstanding as well as were the ingredients.  This came together perfectly.  This was a joy to eat!   Needless to say, for an individual pie, this didn’t have a chance.  I savored many bites as slowly as I could to appreciate what I was experiencing.   What an absolute pleasure this was.  The cheese was baked in perfectly as was the chicken.  And this tasted like real breaded chicken.  And I could go on all day about that sauce!  Holy moly!  Incredible stuff!

ChickenParmChickenParmSlice

This was masterful work.   I should have had another. I was full and satisfied.  But I don’t come around too often that I wish I had another to praise and laud.  It’s been a week but now I can’t stop thinking about how amazing this pie was.   There was a great soul behind the making of this pie.  Oh my goodness.

And the staff was incredibly friendly, even though the restaurant and take-out lines were starting to get hectic.  There were pictures of Bruce visiting on the wall, but I never could come across them.  Next time.

Federici'sCarryOutFederici'sInside

For more on Federici’s and their story, you can go here and always my favorite is the community section of any website.

Of course when I’m visiting a new place, I do need to make some touristy moves.

ColumbiaTriumphantBruceBrick

Directly across the street is the Columbia Triumphant statue.   Where you see that, you see a bunch of Jersey-related icons with their names on the bricks.  I was informed that Bruce had one with a special kind of cement in its spot in case anyone felt compelled to be bad and steal this piece of history.   I found it and got real up-close-and-personal photo! Woohoo!

Here is where I get a little cuckoo.  I had caught wind of the fact that the house, at 39 1/2 Institute Street, Springsteen grew up in from age five to the eighth grade was close by.  And thanks to help from a dear friend, I found it.  And I got some great up-close photographs!

39.5

This street was so eerily quiet I was a tad nervous at times.  Literally, there was no one walking or driving by.  Maybe that’s how it was meant to be.  I spent a good few minutes appreciating this piece of history.

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The tree is the famous one that Bruce posed with for a photo shoot for the “Born in the U.S.A” album over 30 years ago.   Think I got enough of the tree and the house?

I could have stayed here for a while and done some more inspirational discovering, but I left on a very high note.  And that just means I’ll have to come back.

DowntownFreeholdFreeholdLibraryFreeholdClock

Everywhere I went I felt the energy of something powerful.  It could have been the amazing pizza, being in a new place for the first time, how I was feeling at that very moment, or maybe just appreciating one of the New Jersey and this country’s greatest icons.

Thanks so much.  And Happy Birthday, Born To Run!

Best,

Ideen

An Ocean City Favorite

Posted in Maryland, pizza by

Whether it’s the locals in town or folks on vacation, people have sung the praises of Trattoria Lombardi’s (or just Lombardi’s for short) in Ocean City, MD.

When I mentioned to my fellow pizza pals that I wanted to focus on pizzerias by the Maryland and Delaware Beaches, Lombardi’s was the top request and suggestion.

I am grateful to only live a couple of hours from the Eastern Shore.  And I am grateful to have made a visit to this famous restaurant during 4th of July weekend.

And the fact that it was during the holidays will be taken into consideration.

Lombardi'sEntrance

The interior is very authentic.  It’s an older restaurant and I like it that way.  There was really no chance to take photos inside, since it was such a sea of humanity. And what I would try to capture would be lost in the shuffle.  The place was packed and the lines to get a table or even to order food to go were growing by the minute.  There was such a frenzy and I wouldn’t expect anything less during such a hectic time of year.

I ordered three pies to go, for my friends and I to enjoy.

Lombardi'sMenu

While scanning the menu I was pleased to see a special Summer Pizza.  Of course I had to satisfy my curiosity.

Lombardi'sSummer

Unfortunately this was my least favorite.   The tomatoes and basil on the white pie really didn’t click for me.  It wasn’t bad.  It just didn’t come together how I had hoped.  The dough on all three were cooked very well.  It was the right about of crispness and softness at the same time.  The visuals are a delight.  I love how the  cheese looked so magnificent melted into the crust.    But for this one, maybe it was a rush job.  The tomatoes don’t need to be cooked all the way but it felt like they were thrown on at the last-minute.

Lombardi'sWhite

Next, we have the White Pizza.  I didn’t realize until I was eating it that it had onions.  I thought it was a mistake or a few onions had spilled over from another order by mistake.  It wasn’t until I looked at the menu that I saw this was their special version.  And I really liked this one.  I found this very tasty and love how the onion is a part of this pie.  If you look close you may be able to see them in this picture.  This was my favorite of the three.

Lombardi'sCheese

And finally, it’s the Cheese.   So many people have told me this is one of their favorite pizzas at the beach or anywhere in Maryland for that matter.  So I had high expectations.  They did not reach them.  I thought it was good but it didn’t turn out as great as I hoped.  I’m not sure what I was hoping for but this was a notch or two below that.

Nevertheless, my buds and I ate this pizza up over the next couple of days because it was very good.  And it tasted great reheated.  But I don’t think it’s quite the blow away pizza others have touted.

But as I previously stated, I understand this tasting fell on a holiday weekend, so I will definitely give it another go.  And I would eat here again anyways, either in-house or carry-out.  I found this to be a very good but not quite the amazing feast I felt would happen.

Lombardi'sSignage

In a way I blame myself for such high expectations.   But I can’t way to go back on another day and have those same expectations.  I believe the hype!

Lombardi'sToGo

If you’d like to read my previous resort themed pizza posts, click here and here.

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

Tugo, or not Tugo

Posted in Maryland, pizza by

Ocean City, MD has always brought me found memories, from when I was a kid.   A lot has changed but a lot has remained the same.

There’s a lot more to do as an adult, in terms of bars, clubs, and restaurants.  But, this resort town prides itself on being a family destination, first and foremost.

I remember eating Pizzas Tugos when I was a kid and thinking it was the greatest pizza on earth.  Actually every pizzeria I ate at felt like the greatest thing in the world!

Either my taste buds have expanded or I just grew up.  Because these two slices I got were anything but the greatest.

TugosSlices

How great and greasy does that appear?  Well it may look appealing to the late night delivery and pick-up crowd, but that still doesn’t make it any better.

I understand this is a small sample size, but it was still disappointing.   It was way too loaded with grease and fat.  Now or a night after the bars, that might be just fine.  But I can only imagine what you’d be feeling the next morning.

It was also very salty.  I do like how there was loads of cheese bleeding into the to go (tugo? hehe) box.   But the cheese was a big mound of salt and other problems.

The sauce tasted a bit funny too.   It just didn’t go with the cheese or the crust.  And the latter was a bit soggy.  I tried to eat what I could, but I had to give up.

TugosBanner

Some of the other problems included the service.  There was no line in front of me, and I waited a good 15 minutes for my order.   You would think with all that time passing, that my pizza would be either heated up just right or a bit lukewarm, or maybe a little of both.   No, this was scolding hot and not in a good way.   My tongue burned but fortunately I survived and didn’t need a fire extinguisher to save me.

In keeping up with trying to find positives, I do like that they have their own design paper for carry out, which you can see in the first picture above.  Other than that I don’t know.    Well, the pepperoni was ok.  I picked those off and ate those on its own.

Now when many of us are at the beach, or away on vacation, our goal is not necessarily to look for amazing, knock your socks off pizza.  But it should at least taste good.   This wasn’t the worst but I found it mediocre and boring.   I don’t see the point in coming back to visit anytime soon.

TugosInLightsTugoSign

This shouldn’t sway you from not wanting to try them out.  You may love it.  I know a few who do. Here’s their menu.

Summer is in full swing, so more OC and Eastern Shore reviews will be forthcoming.    For a prior review from Memorial Day Weekend, click here.

All The Best,

Ideen

Neo Soul

Posted in pizza by

NeoUpClose

Things do have a way of working out so serendipitously don’t they?

Shark Week starts this Sunday and I had no idea I would have the great joy in writing about a pizza relating to this massive event.

NeoFrontNeoSign

Per a recommendation from some good pals, I took the small trip to beautiful Annapolis, MD to one of the newest restaurants and pizza place in town, Neo.

Fortunately, I find myself in this mesmerizing town quite often, so I always welcome dining at any of their wonderful establishments.   My friends were recently dined here, during of the first weeks it was opened, and had nothing but stellar things to say about it. They said the pie, the vibe, the interior, and the location were awe-inspiring and were looking forward to returning soon.

I’m going to second that sentiment.    They’ve only been open since March, at the Annapolis Town Centre and all indications are that this place is going to rock the house.   I loved it.  I felt so at peace and spent nearly a good two hours there enjoying my pie, my wine, and the energy around me.

The timing of them opening in the Spring, with all the events and concerts nearby on the square could not have been any better.

So I’ve spoken about all the peripherals and details about everything other than the pie.  So how was my pie?

While perusing their menu I was indecisive in what to pull the trigger on.   So when it was suggested by one of the bartenders, who was very friendly may I add, to try the Great White, I was in. This was timed perfectly. I knew exactly what I would be writing about for today and got to try a new pizza in a new and clean restaurant.

NeoSharkWeekSpecial

The ingredients are listed above.  You can’t throw enough superlatives on this one.   We have a pie for the ages.  The crust was toasted to perfection.  It was just the right about of crispness to it, and still soft enough to enjoy.   The balance between thick and thin was in perfect alignment.

That’s a lot of adventurous items for a whole pie.  But nothing got lost in the shuffle.  Some flavors stood out more than others.   The cheeses all complemented one another for some savory bites.  I’ve always said that I love tomatoes on a pie, or on just about anything. And it added so much here.   And the olive oil added a little flair where you didn’t think it would need anymore.

NeoSlice

What can’t be discounted is the freshness of the basil and the arugula.  As you can see, especially the arugula, looks and tastes wondrous.   You’ve got be kidding me.  I was enjoying pulling a few pieces of basil and arugula and indulging in them on their own.

I just low how pizza has hit all new levels of creativity and continues to expand.   That’s where the sun-dried tomato aioli comes in.   What a way to top the whole thing off.  I wish I could post a million pictures of this pie. It’s one of the most inspired and exceptional meals I’ve had.

I had grilled chicken added to mine, as the person seated next to me as well as a few other folks in house, had done the same.   That was a great call.

NeoPizzaServed

I learned from the bartender and the friendly chef that their oven was imported from Italy.  I love how they’re going all out on this.

NeoWithWine

Neo isn’t all about pizza.  As posted here and here, they have an expansive food and drink menu.  In traditional fashion, I reveled in my pie with a glass of red.   There was no rush in finishing this.   My sublime experience was two weeks ago. The staff didn’t know exactly when they would end the Shark Week promotion, but I’m going to assume that you have until at least next week to try this plate of joy

If you’re in the area I strongly recommend you do so.

NeoToGoBox

These are the places I really want to succeed.   I’m a staunch supporter of local restaurants and businesses, like many of us are.   I look forward to many visits in the future, and hopefully a couple more this Summer, to fully appreciate the warm weather and the towne center experience.

Thanks so much and Happy 4th!

Best,

Ideen

South Street Style

Posted in pizza by

Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities.  And whenever I get the opportunity visit, I savor it.   I don’t live that far away, so I will not take the proximity for granted.   So what better say to show love for this town, then to talk about their pizzas.

Of course  they’re known for their cheese steaks but I will be talking about slices and pies from the City of Brotherly Love, periodically.   And hey, maybe I’ll throw in a chicken or regular cheese steak pizza or two for good measure

Speaking of love.  Whenever I’m in this great city, I feel it.  There is a passion that resonates with their sports team, their culture, and their history. The energy and the commotion is there.  And it’s the good kind.   So how does it translate into offering number one?

LorenzoSign

Since I was there later in the evening.  Not much was open.  But thankfully I made my way to Lorenzo and Sons on beautiful South Street.

It had been quite a number of years since I visited. I was not aware until doing some research, that the joint closed down for a fire and re-opened.

LorenzoSlice

At the time I went they were only doing cheese slices. So I grabbed one and it was salty, greasy, and at the time of night it was, just right.

There is nothing sexy or over-the-top about this pizza. But I enjoyed it.  It’s not the best slice I’ve ever had, but I doubt that’s their intent. I would definitely feast on this during the day or in the late evening.

The cheese was saltier than other similar jumbo slice offerings or pizzas in general. However, that’s just more of an observation than a complaint.

The thin crust was heated appropriately  And for me, when it comes to super slices, I folded mine in half. I’ve always loved doing that And knowing this was about midnight, I wouldn’t be too upset if the crust was cooked too much or too little.  I was satisfied with my slice.

LorenzoInsideSign

The atmosphere and vibration of the crowd waiting in line was very positive.

There are of course bars and entertainment all around the neighborhood, which spills into late night grubbing.   My order was only $3.50 and that’s a reasonable price for what you get.   There are no chairs but there’s enough room to stand and eat if you’d like.  But pretty much everyone orders, gets the jumbo slice, and then goes about their business.

This was on a Tuesday and it was significantly busy.

It was dark or I would have grabbed a photo of the mural of the owner’s father that encompasses the building.  It’s a beautiful image.  I will have to go back during the day and update this post, with that image, when I can.  It’s superb.

I feel great about my first foray of this wonderful city and can’t wait to do it again.

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

We Take Care Of Our Own

Posted in pizza by

PizzaPartyFriendsFirst

For a while now, we knew we wanted to make our own homemade pizzas, and were just looking for the right occasion to do it. Along with celebrating my birthday, a friends raise and their job, and the Summer, it’s always fun to cook at home.  And it’s always more fun with friends.

We each picked out the proper ingredients like cheese, sauce, oils, and toppings.   It can get exciting but can also be pressure packed to make a good pie.

As I was reminded, it’s always better to keep it simple.   It’s also good to be creative.  Most importantly, it’s about having fun and learning from mistakes and experience along the way.  As I learned here, less is always more.

ArchivistWithGlasses

We each made two pies a piece.  And they were all from delicious whole wheat dough.   Thanks to Wegmans for the majority of our ingredients.  For more on the wine pictured above, click here.

Here are the results of round one :

PizzaPartyMyFirst

Mine was a pesto base with cheese, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, and sun-dried tomatoes.   This was an adventure and maybe not the best one.   The ingredients were fine but the whole didn’t equal the sum of its parts.  The tomatoes didn’t need to be included and I picked those off the pie and ate them on their own.   I think a pesto base is great.  I adore pesto.  But just didn’t work here.  I was able to finish it, but it was a minor struggle.

My friends kept is simple for their first entries.

PizzaPartySimpleCheese

A basic cheese was made with pizza oil, and the results were better.  This was in the similar style to a white pizza.  You can see the cheese baked in the dough like a professional would make.   I got to try a piece and thought it was fantastic.

PizzaPartyAFriendsFirst

The final creation for the first go around was a tomato sauce base with cheese, peppers, onions, and chopped pepperoni. This turned out very well, as this was also kept simple.  The pepperoni pieces were a great add-on, as you’ll read about in our second set of masterpieces.

For round two, it was a combination of being creative and keeping it simple.   I chose the latter.

PizzaPartyMySecond

I learned quickly from my first undertaking to get back to basics.   This time I used tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and fresh basil for my pie.   The basil was growing by the kitchen window, and was found upon instinctively while we were making our meals.  I was happy with how mine was looking, but the basil really put it over the top.  After mine came out of the oven, I was pleased.   The shape of both of my personal pizzas weren’t the best, but that will be learned with experience, patience, and repetition.  But overall I was heartened with mine.

PizzaPartyFreshBasil

One of my pizza pals had a similar pie for theirs except no pepperoni. And he put the cheese on first, then the sauce (and a lot of it), and basil.   He was happy with that one.

PizzaPartyStromboli

And finally, my other fellow pizza pal turned hers into a calzone.  How cool is that?   This is a perfect case of knowing to be creative, but to also keep it simple and yummy.  She was pleased with hers as well.

We will be doing this again, either to celebrate, or for no reason at all.  It’s good to change it up a bit, and see if our meals can measure up to the outside pizzerias.  I was happy with this and can’t wait to do it again!

Keeping it simple, fundamental, and then taking the right chances is the way to go.

PizzaPartyAerialView

Have a great day!

Best,

Ideen

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

I Love Annapolis

Posted in Maryland, pizza by

I wanted to wish congratulations to the Class of 2015. Many Universities are having ceremonies this week and that includes the Naval Academy.

BellaItalia

I actually helped with the set up and break down of the stage and seating, for their ceremony one year ago.  In honor of graduation day, Memorial Day, and my sentimentality for our capital, I will be reviewing Bella Italia.  Which is walking distance from campus.

As you can see, there isn’t much to the website.  I basically posted all that can be seen.   I’m not sure if it’s still a work in progress or it’s going to be left alone.

But most importantly, how is the pizza?   This is a recap over two visits in the past month.  Which happen to be my first and second visits ever respectively.  Two slices and two visits!  Hehe.  Let’s get to it.

BellaItalia1

For round one, I got my order to go.  My first slice was a White with spinach and mushroom.  There really wasn’t much to it.  It was a decent slice. The vegetables tasted fresh.  The white didn’t taste as good as other ones I’ve had.  The dough and crust were good. It just didn’t wow me.  It was decent at best.

And number two was the Meat Lovers deep-dish style pizza.  This was fantastic.  It blew up me though.  I’m glad I tried this, as I don’t always see the Chicago-style slices available to patrons.   I took my time eating this. It was the perfect amount of crust.   I would be lying if I said I finished this right away.   It tasted just as good as a leftover meal the next day.  The meat and cheese really blended together into the pie.   And you can see it’s loaded with pepperoni, ham, sausage, and bacon. And they didn’t skim on the toppings!

BellaItalia2

And for my second visit,  I dined in.   The interior is very quaint and doesn’t feel contemporary.  It does give a hole in the wall vibe and I can appreciate that. The staff was very friendly both times.

For my first slice, I ordered the cheese.  This wasn’t good at all.  It might have been in the oven too long and tasted too crunchy for my liking.  There was a little burnt taste in my mouth as well.  This wasn’t the worst cheese I’ve had.  But this was disappointing.

I wanted to end my post on a high note and I will do just that.  The other purchase shown above is the white with pesto, grilled chicken, and penne!  This was wonderful.  The chicken and pasta tasted fresh, and pesto is one of the marvels of this universe. And I always smile when I see toppings buried under the cheese.  It’s similar to finding hidden treasure!  The simple things and metaphors is what life’s all about. This is one of the better slices I’ve had since doing this blog. I was happy I ordered this and went out of my comfort zone to try something a little different and unique.

So there’s some great slices and some not so up to par, in my humble opinion.  I’m in the area a lot.  And I’ll be definitely giving this spot a look again.  For a recap of a previous Naptown pizza place, click here.

I wish you all a Happy Memorial Day Weekend.  Stay happy, healthy, and have fun!

Best,

Ideen

Isabella’s – Inspirational, Incredible, & Iconic

Posted in Baltimore, cheese, pizza by

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It took me a while to get to Little Italy, didn’t it?   When I first thought of doing this blog, Isabella’s Brick Oven, was one of the catalysts.  I’ve eaten here a few times and have always had a positive experience. Simply put, their pizza is awesome.

And I adore Little Italy.  I don’t come here as often as I should.

Not all brick ovens are created equal.  I’ve had many a pie this way and some have tasted exquisite. Other have tasted atrocious.  This falls in the former category.

It’s been so long, I forgot what I’ve ordered here previously.   To make up for that and to support our awesome local establishments, I ordered three amazing pizza pies!

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First, was their Traditional Cheese.  This was a joy to eat.  Their homemade dough really shines through here.  The crust is heated to perfection.  And the way the mozzarella is baked into the bread is impressive. This is one of the best cheese pizzas in all of downtown Baltimore.

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My second order was the Pizza Bianca.   Their take on the white pizza included feta.  And what a fantastic addition this is. How beautiful does that look?   The ricotta, mozzarella, and feta really come together here.  My taste buds were blown away.  Again, the crust is dynamite.  And feta is one of my favorite cheeses.  This is the kind of white pizza one can only dream of.  But then it comes true.

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Last and nowhere close to least, is the Lombardi.  We wanted to change it up this time.  So we got a specialty pie.   And special is an understatement. Putting a pie like this together is a stroke of genius. We have pancetta, gorgonzola, and walnuts.  You’ve got to be kidding me.  This was a lesson in Pizza 101 and all other courses combined.  I really wanted to take my time eating this and appreciate every bite. My last helping of it came together perfectly.  It’s as if the cheese, meat, and walnuts all hit each other symmetrically and with unison.  That was one of the best bites I can recall in sometime.

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I can’t pick a favorite as I loved all three.  But Isabella’s is one of my favorites in all of the Baltimore area.  I can’t recommend this place enough.   They have many other pies I look forward to trying.  Their slices may seem smaller than what we’re used to. But I find it all the more charming.

The girl that was working yesterday was very kind and courteous. She seemed truly appreciative that I stopped in.  That always leaves a great impression.

And for being open less than 10 years, they’ve already made their mark in the neighborhood and the city.   I can’t wait to go back.

Take good care.

Best,

Ideen