24 AMERICANWAY
OCTOBER 1 2008
F O O D
ToEachHis
Own—Pizza
Pick any city on theU.S. mapand chances
are that said city has some sort of unique
pizzeriawithananomalous approach to
making its special pie. From the inches-
thick cheese inChicago toflecks of garden
-grownbasil on top inCalifornia, here are
a fewoptions to try the next time you’re
on the road. —KristineHansen
California (statewide)
Specialty: Locally sourced/seasonal/
fresh ingredients
Inmost Californian dishes, local and seasonal ingredi-
ents are key. Pizza is no exception. At
DiavolaPizzeria
& Salumeria
, which opened in July, pizzas are pre-
pared in a wood-burning Mugnaini hearth oven im-
ported from Italy, andmanyof the toppings (including
zucchini flowers andmozzarelladi Bufala) are sourced
from three local farms. 21021GeyservilleAvenue, Gey-
serville, (707) 814-0111,
Chicago
Specialty: Deep-dish
Pizzeria Uno invented the deep-dish pizza in 1943.
What looks like an inch of pure cheese and a heaping
amount of chunky tomato sauce is spread over a thick
handcrafted crust (made fresh daily in the restaurant)
and then cooked in a deep pan that’s coated in oil (to
give the effect of the pizzabeing fried on the bottom).
AlthoughUnoChicagoGrill is now anationwide chain,
the original
PizzeriaUno
still stands in the city’s River
North neighborhood. 29 East Ohio Street, (312) 321-
1000,
St. Louis
Specialty: Thin crust
In 1964, Marge and Ed Imo opened the first
Imo’s
Pizza
and introduced locals to a new thin-crust style
of pizza. Today, about 50 Imo’s Pizza locations in and
around St. Louis still make Marge and Ed’s crispy-
crusted pizza, which is topped not with mozzarella
butwithSt. LouisianProvel. It’s then cut into squares.
St. Louis and surrounding area,
Providence, Rhode Island
Specialty: Grilled
In 1980,
Al Forno
’s co-owner and co-chef George
Germon was having a conversation with a local fish-
market employee who had seen pizzas baking in a
wood-fired oven in Italy— only the employeemistak-
enly called the oven a grill. Germon’s imagination took
over and voilà, grilled pizza was born in the United
States. A roundpie is placedover thefireof agrill and
flipped once as the bottom stiffens. Toppings (includ-
ing tomato sauce and a mixture of pecorino romano
and fontinacheeses) are then strewnvery thinlyon the
grilled side. 577 South Main Street, (401) 273-9760,
NewHaven, Connecticut
Specialty: Apizza
New Haven locals who originally emigrated from
Naples call their version of pizza “apizza.” The thin,
crisp crust topped with either plain tomatoes or
grated pecorino romano cheese and garnished with
garlic, oregano, and anchovies (in other words, no
traditional mozzarella) originated at
Frank Pepe Piz-
zeria Napoletana
. Pepe’s, which opened in 1925, is
one of the country’s oldest pizzerias, most famous for
its white pizza toppedwith freshly shucked clams (to
each his own). 157Wooster Street, (203) 865-5762,
SIx-SLICETOuROfTHEBIGAPPLE»
Navigatingpizzerias inManhattan and the otherNYCboroughs can be headache-inducing.
But book a spot on
Scott’sPizzaTours
and your problems are solved. ScottWiener takes foodies on a bus orwalking tour to four places for slices of
pizza at each. You also have the option to customize your tour from a list of famous institutions, including, but not limited to, Patsy’s inEast Harlem, the
original Ray’s onPrinceStreet, Lombardi’s (the country’s first licensedpizza joint), John’s of Bleecker, and Joe’s (favoredbymany a celebrity). Currently,
the bus tour is offered only onweekends and costs $55, and thewalking tour is offered onWednesdays for $30. (212) 209-3370,
tours.com
