Review of Pizza Delicious, 617 Piety St. (Bywater) New Orleans, LA

Review of Pizza Delicious, 617 Piety St. (Bywater) New Orleans, LA 70117 

(504) 676-8482

Overall Rating: Excellet (****)

 

 

Pizza type: 

New York style Pizza

Pizza ordered: 1/2 Margherita, 1/2 Kale, sopressata, Parmesan and Mozzarella

Crust: Simply the best New York style crust I've encountered on the Gulf Coast...probably in the Southeast!  I would call the crust on the Pizza Delicious (PD) pie a textbook example of what a New York style crust should be.  On the New York pie, the first-generation descendant of Neapolitan pizza, the crust should have certain characteristics, and PD nails them all! 

 

The crust is thin, of course, it is lightly charred on the bottom to impart a crispiness, and as you rise up through the roughly 1/10 of an inch thick base, the texture transitions to the signature tender chewiness.The edges of the crust are still relatively thin at maybe a 1/4 inch in height and sturdy enough to handle the slice.

 

Delicious' crust has a neutral, but slightly yeast and smoky charred flavor that give just the right support to the toppings, not overpowering or masking any flavors as a bready crust can often do.

Sauce: PD's  sauce is a fresh crush of tomatoes that adds a nice finish to the pie.  It isn't too sweet, spicy or acidic, and is applied masterfully...just enough.  The sauce is akin to a good wine paring, present and complementary.

 Cheese: The cheese on the Pizza Delicious pie is an excellent natural mozzarella displaying it's signature mild, almost nutty flavor.  It is applied in the traditional manner, as natural mozzarella doesn't grate like the processed mozzarella you see on many pies.  It is generally applied in slices or pinches, keeping a nice white color even after baking.
 

Other Topping(s): The fresh mozzarella and basil on the margherita half of the pie were in great proportion with the basil not overpowering any of the other flavors, but present.   On the other half, the excellent, thinly sliced sopressata was a bit spare and the fresh kale in pieces a bit to large, but from a flavor point of view the combination was excellent!

Atmosphere: The hipster casual  space at Pizza Delicious is far from a traditional pizzeria; however, it fits the hip neighborhood nicely and is comfortable.  It is a bit noisy inside, and heavy metal music was playing; not sure if that is the regular theme.  That might depend on who's working.  Anyway, if metal isn't your thing, there is a nice outdoor seating area as well. 

Service: You order at the counter and service is efficient and straight-forward. It was not crowded the afternoon we were there, and the manager on duty was very attentive.  All of the employees were very friendly and paid great attention to detail.
 

Utensils:  Sturdy silverware and substantial paper napkins.
 

Overall: I have always been a  believer that one must get out of the French Quarter to find New Orleans' real culinary treasures, and this urban chic pizzeria demonstrates just that!  To date, I have not found a better, more authentic New York style pizza anywhere in the area and few even as good in New York. If you love New York style pizza, you must get to the Bywater and pay these folks visit!!

 

Payment: Cash /Credit cards

Review of Sky's Pizza Pie, 6604 N Davis Hwy, Pensacola, FL 32504

Overall Rating: Very Good (***)

Pizza type: New York style Pizza

Pizza ordered: 1/2 peperoni and cheese and 1/2 Italian sausage, mushroom, green pepper and cheese

Crust:  The standout of the Sky's pizza, the crust is simply excellent.  This small pizzeria produces a New York style crust as good as any around.  It displays all the key New York characteristics, a thin crust, lightly charred on the bottom and edges, slightly blistered on top with a hint of crispiness combined with just the right amount of toughness and chewiness.  They have the simple, yet quirky, New York style crust down!

Sauce: Sky's sauce displays a fresh tomato flavor with enough traditional spice to make it interesting but not too salty or sweet.  The sauce is overall very good and is applied moderately, not overly present on the pie.

Cheese:  The cheese on the Sky's pie is a good quality mozzarella, very typical of what you would want on a New York style pie.  Although not a premium, natural mozzarella, it has a nice subtle flavor, not sour, salty or clotted.  It has a nice stretchy texture and just enough greasiness to remind you you're enjoying a NY style pizza! 

Other Topping(s): The peperoni is nicely spiced without any residual fatty flavor.  The sausage is thinly sliced, evenly spiced with no distinct fatty flavor; however, it is a bit bland.

The vegetable toppings, the mushrooms and green peppers are flavorful, but not overly present and also not overcooked but tender, adding a good vegetable flavor balance to the pie.

Atmosphere: Sky's has brought the authentic New York pizza counter feel to our area.  The space is simple and open.  You really feel like you are walking into a typical neighborhood pizza storefront.  A very similar space, and pie, would be New York Pizza on Magazine Street in New Orleans.  Sky's does, according to their web site, have some outdoor seating, but I didn't see it.

 

Service: You order at the counter and service is efficient and straight-forward.  It was not crowded the afternoon we were there, and the manager on duty was very attentive.
  

Utensils: The plates flimsy and the napkins are cheap; plastic utensils.
 

Overall: I classify Sky's Pizza Pie as a classic, neighborhood,  New York style pizza counter, simple and concentrating on the pizza not appearance or novelty.  If you are a pizza lover, and if you  appreciate the New York tradition, you must visit Sky's!

Payment: Cash /Credit cards

Review of The Tuscan Oven, 4801 N. 9th Ave. Pensacola, FL

 










Overall Rating: Fair (* 1/2)

Pizza type: Southern Italian Inspired

Pizza ordered: Margarita (Cheese, Tomato, Basil)

Crust: After a couple of visits, the crust on the Tuscan Oven pie remains disappointing. Although cooked in a actual wood fire oven, the crust does not exhibit the thin character of a Southern Italian or Neapolitan inspired pizza.  It is a bit thick in the middle and even thicker and more bready on the edges.   In addition, it seems the cooking temperature is rather low, not allowing the crust to char and gain any characteristic wood fire undertones. 

When I asked, the baker was not able to tell me the target temperature of the oven; I suspect the temperature varies, and even more so when a number of pizzas being baked.  Bottom-line, the crust was equivalent to the average gas-oven, carry-out pizza.

Sauce: The sauce on the Tuscan Oven pizza was fairly good and basic. Although a bit sparsely applied, it had a fresh tomato flavor.  Any spices used in the sauce did not come through, and it was slightly acidic.

Cheese: I was not at all impressed with the cheese on my pie.  It was salty, oily and had a slightly sour edge in the flavor.  In addition it was simply too heavily applied, certainly over-powering the other flavors that could have come through. 

Other Topping(s): The basil on this pie was very fresh and present in most bites.  It was actually the best quality ingredient. 

Atmosphere: The restaurant has a fairly open and comfortable atmosphere, centering around the wood oven.  It didn't really have the neighborhood pizzeria feel, but inviting for small groups and families.

 

Service: Table service was excellent, from a very friendly staff.  They were very attentive and paid attention to detail.
  

Utensils: Sturdy tableware and high quality napkins.  

Overall: I classify The Tuscan Oven as good suburban neighborhood pizzeria serving a fair quality pizza, but not significantly better than most franchise pizza places.  The wood oven certainly adds a cozy feel and hints at a pizza that is a cut above, but a cut-above product is not delivered.

If you are looking for a basic pizza in a bit more unique setting, give The Tuscan Oven a try.  If you are looking for a first-quality, Southern Italian/Neapolitan inspired wood oven pizza, you may be disappointed.

Payment: Cash / Credit cards
 

Review of Lombardi's Coal Oven Pizza, 32 Spring St., New York, NY

 Overall Rating: Very Good to Excellent (***) ($ 1/2)









Pizza type: First Generation Neapolitan

Pizza ordered: Sausage, Tomato, Basil

Crust: The crust on the Lombardi's pie was very good.  Although it was not as thin or crispy as I expected, the crust displayed just the right amount of chewiness and firmness around the edges, with a wonderful smokey flavor from the coal oven charring.

Sauce: Lombardi's sauce was excellent.  It was distributed liberally enough on the pie as not to allow the pizza to have dry spots, and the flavor was very well balanced.  The sauce is a fairly neutral crushed tomato sauce that compliments the other flavors of the pie without being overly sweet or displaying out-of-balance spices or saltiness.  It was slightly more acidic than I personally prefer.

Cheese: Although Lombardi's does not use mozzarella di bufala, as you would find on a true Neapolitan pie, they do use a fresh mozzarella.  I found their cheese to be nicely textured and mildly flavored, without any sour or greasy overtones.    It was a bit sparsely applied, but then again, I've often pointed out that too liberal application of cheese can overpower and weight a pizza down.  It's a fine line!

Other Topping(s): The basil on this pie was very fresh and present in most bites.  I would have liked a bit more on the pie.

The sausage was mildly spiced with no fatty after-taste.  It complimented the pie without standing out too much.  Again, as with the basil, I would have preferred it a bit more evenly distributed over the pizza, and I would have preferred a bit more spice.

Atmosphere: I could write pages on the history of Lombardi's, as it holds an important place in the history of pizza's evolution in New York City.  Their website, http://firstpizza.com, offers some information on that, and there is much additional information on the web.  If you are a true pizza enthusiast, the history of New York's pizza heavy-hitters is fascinating.
 

Service: Exceptional table service from a very friendly staff.  I was delighted to be able to have a 15- minute conversation about New York's pizza history with the manager, followed by a guided tour of the kitchen and coal fired oven area.  We were there on a Thursday evening around 6:30 p.m. and had no problem getting a table.   Customers started streaming in around 7:30!
 

Utensils: Sturdy tableware and high quality napkins.  

Overall: I classify Lombardi's as "First-Generation" Neapolitan.  Specifically, one of the standout pizzerias that produces some of the best pizza, in New York style, as evolved from its Neapolitan roots.  Lombardi's, no doubt, holds its own with Grimaldi's, the original Patsy's in East Harlem and Di Fara in Brooklyn.  This is not pizza tailored to popular tastes; it is pizza that holds to a very proud heritage.

If you are a pizza lover, you must try Lombardi's when in NYC...a true New York pizza and a bit of history!
 

Reservations: N/A

Payment: Cash Only (ATM on-site)