Review of Cortlandt's Pub (aka Cortlandt's Pizza Pub), 4356 Old Shell Rd., Mobile AL

★★

Overall Rating: Good ($1/2)

Brick oven pizza is becoming more common in the Mobile-Pensacola area and frankly, the quality is all over the board.  Serving a good brick oven pizza, Cortlandt's quality lands squarely in the middle among the ones I have visited.

Pizza type:

Neapolitan-inspired, New York Style

Pizza ordered: Margherita

Crust:  Cortlandt's crust was not remarkable, particularly for a brick oven crust.  The bottom of the crust did display a slightly crispy texture and did transition to a chewiness in the upper-crust; however, the bottom of the crust was not well charred and the overall essence was bready. 

Sauce: Cortlandt's sauce is a nicely seasoned crushed tomato blend that compliments the overall taste of the pizza without overpowering any of the other aspects of the pie. As should be, the sauce is not too heavily applied, maintaining a good balance.  

Cheese: The cheese did not appear to be a fresh mozzarella and was applied a bit to heavily. The cheese tends to dominate the flavor of this particular pie, rather than balance with the tomato and basil.

Other Topping(s): The basil was fresh and not overly cooked, as desirable; however, it was a bit sparsely applied; more basil on this pie would have really defined it as a very good Margherita-inspired pizza.

Atmosphere: Cortlandt's has a nice neighborhood feel and is obviously popular.  It wasn't too loud and is a great location for meeting friends for a beer and a bite.

Service: We arrived around 5:30p.m. and were greeted by a very friendly server. As the place got busier, our server remained attentive without hovering.

Utensils: Sturdy utensils and substantial paper napkins.

Overall: Cortlandt's hits the mark in creating a cozy, neighborhood atmosphere, and produces a solidly good Neapolitan-inspired, New York style pizza; however, I will give the pizza another chance to impress.  I've gathered from others that the crust can be better than I experienced. 

Payment: Cash /Credit cards

Review of Juliana's Pizza, 19 Old Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY

★★★★

Overall Rating: Excellent ($$)

  As I have expanded upon in previous posts, there are pizza bakers out there who are strongly inspired by, and true to, the Neapolitan roots and traditions of pizza.  These bakers are not confined to New York, but can be found nationwide, particularly in cities with strong Italian immigration history, such as New Haven, New Orleans, Tampa, Chicago, Galveston, Birmingham and many others. In these centers of Italian heritage, we find those wonderful pizzas that display the best aspects of the American manifestation of Neapolitan pizza and solid Neapolitan characteristics.

Juliana's is one of the best presentations of the blend of American and Neapolitan traditions I have encountered.

Pizza type:

Neapolitan Inspired, New York Style

Pizza ordered: Margherita

Crust:  The crust produced in Juliana's 850 degree F, coal fired, brick oven is near perfection.  The charred bottom is completely distributed under the crust, and the coal fire flavor just present enough.  The edges of the crust display a nice blistering. This blistering blends into an evenly distributed, slight firmness and an ever so subtle crispiness throughout the remainder. Juliana's crust is as good as I've seen in "first-generation" Neapolitan inspired pizza.

Sauce: Juliana's pizza is complimented by fresh, delicate, crushed tomatoes that are gently spiced.  The resulting sauce is just present enough, but does not over-power any other flavors.

Cheese: The cheese is a fresh mozzarella applied  adequately, but as with the sauce, not overly-present. The cheese adds a nice complimentary flavor as it should.

Other Topping(s): The basil was fresh and barely cooked, as desirable; however, it was a bit sparsely applied.  A bit more basil would have achieved an excellent balance of flavors. 

Atmosphere: Juliana's does a good job of balancing urban chic with classic pizzeria ambiance. Unlike many New York City pizzerias, the tables are not so close as to give crowded feel; you have a bit of elbow room.

Service: We arrived around 1:00 p.m. and were greeted by a very friendly staff. The Server gave use plenty of time to look over the menu and ask any questions; however, we new what we wanted...the classic Margherita!

Utensils: Sturdy utensils and substantial paper napkins.

Overall: Juliana's hits the mark as an excellent First Generation, Neapolitan-inspired, New York style pizza.  Virtually every aspect of the pie is satisfying and displays strong Neapolitan characteristics. Juliana's is a "Don't miss" in Brooklyn, NYC, NY.

Payment: Cash /Credit cards

Review of Bella's, 3585 Tynecastle Hwy., Banner Elk, NC 28604 Ph. 828-898-9022

 

★★

Overall Rating: Good ($ 1/2)

Pizza type:

New York Style

Pizza ordered: 1/2 Al Fresco (similar to Margherita)/1/2 Spicy Hawaiian

Crust:  In a top-notch New York Style crust, I look for relative thinness, a slight crispiness  to the edge, and bottom, that transitions into chewiness in the inner and upper crust, as well as the presence of charring on the bottom and edges, notably more difficult to achieve in a gas, or otherwise cooler oven. 

Bella's produces a good New York Style crust with adequate thinness and the requisite chewiness; however, the edges are a bit thick and bready, and the crust lacks significant charring and associated crispiness.  Overall, the crust is an adequate platform, with a neutral flavor, as one would expect in NYC style pies.

Sauce: Bella's sauce is a tomato blend, nicely spiced and not overly salty; however, this particular pie could have used a bit more sauce, on the Hawaiian portion, to balance the flavors.

Cheese: The cheese appeared to be a blend of cheeses  that is not uncommon on NYC style pies and their cousins.  At times, blends of cheese can result in added salt; not the case with this pie; however, the cheese was a bit overly present and generally upset the balance of the pie.

Other Topping(s): On the Al Fresco portion of the pie, the fresh basil was tender and flavorful as were the fresh tomatoes, although, I found the garlic to be overly present.

The Spicy Hawaiian portion of the pie, certainly a more complex flavor, was a nice combination of sweet pineapple and savory ham and pepperoni, with the interesting kick of the pickled jalapenos.

Atmosphere: Bella's has the relaxed, friendly feel of a neighborhood pizzeria and pub, with an interesting mix of locals and tourists visiting and enjoying a full Italian menu and a bar with a number of local  and regional micro-brews

Service: We were greeted at the door by a friendly staff, and, since they were very busy, we had a bit of a wait, but not to worry, the bar was just as friendly and the local micro-brew delicious.  Our server told us we would have an hour wait for pizza, and although it did not take as long as predicted, she kept us comfortable with excellent salads and calamari.

Utensils: Sturdy utensils and substantial paper napkins.

Overall: Bella's makes a solidly good New York Style pizza that is certainly welcome after a long day on the local ski slopes or hiking trails.  The pie is substantial and well-presented; however, I did find it to be a bit unbalanced in flavor with the cheese and garlic dominating.

Payment: Cash /Credit cards