Pizza, please.

I admit it, I do love a good pizza. And I am lucky to live within the boundaries of one the best pizza towns in the world.  My own borough of Staten Island has some of the best pizza around.

I am partial to the classic pizza at "Nunzio's" on Hylan Blvd. in Grant City.  When I lived in that community I often ordered their pies "half mushroom, half sausage."  I ate the mushrooms, Bob ate the sausage.  Unfortunately, once I moved to St. George I could not get home delivery.  Last night I was at a meeting in Richmondtown, and I admit, I stopped at "Nunzio's" and got three slices of "regular" to take home and enjoy on my own. 

You can always tell a good pie by how it tastes at room temperature.  If it holds its flavor, it is a good pie.  "Nunzio's" uses  only fresh mozzarella, crushed tomatoes, basil off the bushes and has a classic Neapolitan crust: thin and crispy.

Many people on the North Shore of Staten Island will only eat a pie from "Denino's".  My own daughter and son-in-law prefer "Denino's"...its pretty good. You have to buy a whole pie.  They don't do slices, and they don't deliver.  This means their pies are super fresh; a boast to a good taste.  It is also a thin crust place.

Now that I am living closer to the ferry, I have tried both "Crispy Pizza" and "Pier 76".  The former is fine, the later is superior, in my humble opinion.

Manhattan and Brooklyn have good pizza joints. "V & T Pizza" in Morningside Heights does a good classic pie.  But if you want really great pie, head to "Grimaldi's" under the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO...and bring cash...they don't take credit  or debit cards.  There is usually a line, but it is worth it.

Chicago's deep dish pie is a treat if you ever go there.  I know Chicago is a good town for eating steaks, but  try to get to a local "Mom and Pop" pizza place to enjoy a good deep dish pie.  And New Yorkers, keep an open mind about this.  They can be wonderful.

I have had pizza in Europe.  I had a surprisingly good slice in France...in San Malo, Brittany to be exact.  A wood fired oven is a must for a good pie  This little café had one, and their chef knew how to use it.

I had a great piece of pizza in Herculaneum outside of Naples...no surprise there; Naples is the home of the pizza.  They had better do it well.

My recent trip to Rome was fraught with pizza disappointment, as the local place near our hotel served up a rather disappointing pie of less than stellar quality.  Fortunately, we had a superior pie in a little pizza place near the Spanish Steps.  Perhaps the fact that we finished off a half pitcher of the local red with it did not hurt.

So, don't be afraid to experiment with your pizza choices as you travel.  Just, please, don't go to a "Pizza Hut" or "Domino's"!