An Attempt at New Haven Pizza

An Attempt at New Haven Pizza

Review of: Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Calling Amici’s an “East Coast Pizzeria” is a complete misnomer, as there are two styles of pizza typically found on the East Coast. First off, you have New York pizza, typified by a thin crust that is foldable which is topped with a rich combination of tomato sauce and cheese. This can be found at Arinell, not Amici’s. Amici’s is trying to replicate, with some success, the pizza from New Haven, Connecticut.

When it comes to New Haven style pizza, there are some significant characteristics: the crust should be very thin, seasoned with olive oil and salt and should never get floppy. This base can be covered with chopped clams, olive oil and grated cheese or it can be covered with a little red sauce, mozzarella and some toppings. Not a mountain of toppings, but some sausage, pepperoni, peppers, onions, anchovies and other bits to enhance the flavor of the pizza. Shape isn’t as important, nor is cutting it into symmetrical wedges… but color is, as the bottom should have areas of jet black char from the heat of the wood or coal fired brick oven, and the top of the pizza should blister from the heat anywhere where it is not covered with cheese. Is your mouth watering yet?

Amici’s tries to replicate this, and in some ways they have: the cheese mix is pretty dead on, and the crust exhibits the sort of charring and blistering you would expect, though it isn’t oiled and salted first, which makes it lose out a little on the flavor. For the past few months, I usually have Amici’s delivered three times a month – and the pies are consistantly good, but nowhere as good as when you get it served hot at the restaurant.

Points off for their prices, the occasional delivery issue (getting a pie with the cheese all slid over to one side), and the piece of metal my wife unfortunately found in her chicken pesto pasta one time.