Author: Jersey Pizza Guys

By Joe Skms and Johnny C

Score: 91

http://www.tommystavernandtap.com/

Tommy’s Tavern and Tap located at 1030 Ocean Ave in Sea Bright is one of those places that from the day it opened, seemed as if its been a staple in Sea Bright forever. http://www.tommystavernandtap.com/

Tommy’s is only a little more than a year old and has come out firing on all cylinders, this is likely due to Tommy’s being a true family operation with Tommy’s wife Yvette along with their daughters and a well trained staff that cares about quality, service along with some great marketing. Tommy Bonfiglio (former owner of Tommy’s coal fired pizza)   has a history of serving great Pies and Wings and now is expanded the menu (slightly) and focused with his family to make this a  #1 operation in Monmouth County.

Walking into the vast open, albeit warm and inviting space with Johnny C. we find our new muse Bill Howard saving a great high table high top near the window which gave the Pizza Guys a view of the bar, main restaurant and the coal fired oven. This is a Monday afternoon in October, the place is active and lively with good energy.

The menu here is simple http://www.tommystavernandtap.com/menu and easy with Pizza at the core. Everything else (including an interesting sushi list) falls in line behind but never forgotten, especially Tommy’s famous award winning “Original Coal Oven Roasted Wings”.

We start with the original, Tommy’s Classic Coal Fired Pie made with San Marzano tomatoes, Grande mozzarella, grated Romano, basil and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. This is one of the most well balanced pies the Pizza Guys have seen in a long while. Cooked evenly with the right amount of crunch to the nice thin crust. The crust isn’t overly memorable but is tasty nonetheless. We all know about the distinctive taste of San Marzano tomatos and Grande cheese but it’s the quality of ingredients along with the construction of this pie that shows a care we very much enjoyed and would order again.

The Margherita included sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, basil & extra virgin olive oil. Again this pie is expertly cooked , the fresh mozzarella is light and evenly layered but the fresh tomatoes were slightly thick adding a watery overtone and texture that takes away the pies balance while not adding any distinctive flavor.

We decide we need a white pie and the Quattro Formaggi (four cheese) with smoked Gouda, Gruyere, fresh Mozzarella & Parmigiano Reggiano jumped out at Johnny C. so we dive in. My 1^st bite is perfectly complex while Johnny’s falls flat, we realize the smoked Gouda is the key that makes the other cheeses come alive and Johnny’s 1^st slice was void of the Gouda and also the smoke. Johnny says to spread around the Gouda, I say a little more balance, a little more pop “complexity” to the creamy cheese pie could also help.

Bill who is a friend of Tommy B. finds an opening and introduces us.  It doesn’t take long for Tommy to warm up and he quickly asks what our favorite topping is.  We answer eggplant simultaneously. Tommy orders us the  Il Isabella with breaded eggplant, mozzarella, ricotta, San Marzano tomatoes, basil & extra virgin olive oil. This is the stand-out pie of the afternoon. The evenly cooked crust, crispy eggplant, balance of fresh mozzarella and ricotta and now the San Marzano tomatoes have found a home. This is a great Jersey pie and Tommy enjoys it with us.

While Johnny C., Bill and I dive into the eggplant Tommy orders us his “Original Coal Oven Roasted Wings”. topped with coal fired roasted onions and an Italian long hot peppers all this while we enjoy listening to Tommy Talk about his business, his passion for pizza and his care and concern for the community. Having Tommy join in and loving the Il Isabella pie as much as we did can only be described as a great Jersey Pizza Guy moment, enjoying a great pizza with great friends and a great owner while looking forward to our next visit .

http://vianapolipizzeria.com.au/

By: Joe Skms

Via Napoli Pizzeria  rated Best Italian food and Best Pizza in Sydney, Australia

A must watch video for anyone with a passion for pizza. Here Luigi Esposito owner of Via Napoli Pizzeria shows his commitment to Neapolitan Pizza, check it out.

In this video Luigi explains and answers the question by showing (what makes a true “Neapolitan Pizza”)

Also ck out a the photos of the beautiful pizza made at Via Napoli Pizza

By M.D. and Joe Skms

Score: 92

http://www.arturosnj.com

Arturo’s Osteria & Pizzeria is located at 180 Maplewood Ave. in Maplewood, NJ. This is a thriving NYC suburb with an attractive Main street scene hosting some very nice shops, bars and restaurants where Arturo’s holds a sweet spot close to the commuter train station.

The “Jersey Pizza Guys” arrive and glance over the well-lit mid-sized room with modest, casual décor, small wooden tables, a window seat communal table and two amazing  Neapolitan wood fire pizza ovens that sit behind a small working counter space. (Watch the short clip ot the ovens in action). Of course the Jersey Pizza Guys gravitate to the communal table.

After taking this in you’ll realize that Arturo’s is a place of action that caters to long time locals and newbie parents alike, since stroller friendly is a must in this community and it works comfortably with the space. Arturo’s is packed many nights from 6pm on, the wait can vary and no reservations are accepted. The crowd only helps to gives a nice buzz to the room, though dining we never felt it was too loud or crowded.

The service was enjoyable, served by a young, vibrant, attentive crew. Any lack of experience and knowledge was easily made up with smiles and attentiveness. Also note, this is a BYOB so the Jersey Pizza Guys were certainly enjoying the vino.

Despite a nice range of menu options and great reviews from the likes of the New York Times we were there for pizza (see the pizza menu). We started with (2), The Bianco and Santo, we also Shared a Margherita with a local friendly family at the communal table and then moved on to the end game with the Tartufi and Plain with Soppressata. These are all beautiful  pizzas, the last two pizzas  made using an excellent shredded mozzarella, not the homemade fresh mozzarella.

The Bianco and Santo pizzas came out first with a wonderful soft and large crust rim “pizza bone”, almost chewy, bread like crust (check out Arturo’s amazing breads) that was tasty and delightful, a signature of Arturo’s. The Bianco pizza was our least favorite of the night, holding little interest and no distinctive qualities or  flavors. The Santo pizza with sausage, onion and roasted chili oil was an excellent, well balanced and “kick it up a notch” lively pie.

The Margherita pie, (billed as “our favorite pizza”), which we were lucky enough to share with the friendly family sitting at our communal table was uneventful and came off fairly ordinary. It was also uneven and a bit doughy as if cooked too hot so the dough never had a chance to fully cook.  For confirmation, I asked an older couple at the table next to us, also having the Margherita and they agreed “it was ok but not great” and the fresh basil was the most distinctive flavor on the pie.

Round (3) and we were now into the Tartufi and Plain/Soppressata pies. This is where we were hooked. These were both fantastic pies, The Tartufi has a special, excellent and additive flavor with explosive taste from the sausage, mushrooms and truffle oil.  The Plain pie with Soppressata was a beautifully aromatic well-balanced pie with deep flavor and a slightly salty overtone likely due to the great tasting Soppressata. Both of these pies are made with the shredded mozzarella which was delicious.

Overall, The Jersey Pizza Guys would highly recommend and eat at Arturo’s again, (the bread alone is worth the trip) we are especially looking forward to trying their other food which gets marvelous reviews. The atmosphere and service lent a dining experience that bordered on festive and certainly will leave you with a full stomach and a full smile. Arturo’s also has a sister operation “Razza Pizza Artigianale” http://www.razzanj.com on Grove St. in Jersey City and its now on our hit list of new places to explore.

By Joe Skms

Score: 83

http://pizzaporta.com/

Porta in Asbury Park at 911 Kingsley St. (also now in Jersey City)  is coming up on its 5^th anniversary. In the past Porta had received some very nice praises from the likes of the NY Times, Star Ledger,  jerseybites.com etc.

I decided to spend several days over the last month at Porta, eating Pizza and talking with other patrons. During that time I witnessed some nice food being served, sadly I didn’t eat any since I only had the Pizza.

As all the past Porta reviews will point out, this is a fun, lively and hip place (a bit loud at times) in a “cool” revitalized warehouse a  block from the ocean with two beautiful wood fired authentic Neopolitan pizza ovens that add a special feel to the atmosphere. (Watch the video of ovens in action)

With all that, we (me and the diners around me) all agree, “These Pizzas were not worthy of the calories” or in my case the carbs. The slightly sweet San Marzano tomatoes, fresh made mozzarella, ricotta cheeses and all those other great locally sourced ingredients, can and should add up, but not here, and not at this moment do they make for a good Pizza.

Check these photos taken over a several trips over the last month. Porta’s Pizza can visually show an air of beauty, but take a closer look.

Starting, The Margarita pizza was under-cooked, uneven and as a few others (eating on their own) at the bar next to me would say “My pizza was nondescript, not interesting and just not that good”. This group was still looking for the cheese which was randomly dispersed leaving much of each slice to be just wet, doughy and inconsistent at best.

On another day (Sat. lunch) I ordered the 14 1/2 Pizza. This is a great looking pie and this time the crust was much improved and well cooked, actual time from order to 1^st bite was under 8 min. This pizza included a tasty, albeit oily, hot soppressata which covered a nice portion of the pie, beautiful and certainly the tastiest pie I had during my multiple trips, but not sure why anyone would need the added extra virgin olive oil on top of the soppressata?

As much as I enjoy having a variation of taste that a good a slice provides from tip to pizza-bone “crust rim”,  this was too unbalanced. The fresh ingredients, mozzarella, ricotta, chiles, oregano  were random and at one point I was found myself scraping the tomato and cheese off the crust so I could appreciate those qualities which were destroyed by the moist and near soggy dough.

Something must be amiss?

So, going back this week and hoping “3rd times a charm” and ordering a Meatball pie in hopes of finding the answer, I was taken back again. (and only partially by the hipster wine glass). Siting with my new friend “Fran” we tried but couldn’t get past the abundant salt, doughy bread texture of the crust and at best average meatballs. Fran and her partner also had the Cream Creema pie and both say it was delicious but also doughy in texture.

Porta continues to be a Asbury Park hot spot that many (as I have witnessed) enjoy. I’m hopeful this is just a lapsing moment and all will be righted soon. We certainly need more places at the Jersey Shore like Porta was or “can be again”. We certainly don’t need another tourist spot, kids hang-out or another go-to average birthday party place.

We are all looking forward to seeing the real potential of the future Asbury Park as it grows and as it grows we are rooting that so should Porta.

The line in action

This months cover

Seems like a silly question “How did we all get so food obsessed?”coming from a magazine designed for the food obsessed.

Since I’ve been food obsessed my entire life, I’m just glad to have others to talk to about it.

Maybe the question should have been, Has everyone else become food obsessed?

Thanks bon appetit for sharing.

Joe Skms

By: Joe Skms

Score: 88

http://www.DonAntonioPizza.com

Don Antonio by Starita, located at 309 W 50^th St. in midtown Manhattan (Hell’s Kitchen) and also in Naples, Italy, is operated by two of the cities renowned master pizzaiolos, Roberto Caporuscio and Antonio Starita. Opening Don Antonio’s in 2012 seems to be a match made in Pizza heaven.

Over the last few years the glowing reviews from multiple trusted sources (ranging from The Village Voice to New York magazine…..) put this on my must try list and have put Don Antonio’s well into the top 20 rated pizza’s in NYC.

Today with family in tow we ventured in and ordered several pies. The signature pizza here is Antonio’s,  Montanara Starita so we ordered (2), The Specialty and the Genovese, we also ordered the Burrata Roberto and sat next to a family from Bronxville (tables are so tight we might as well have sat with them) who ordered the Margherita.   (ck the menu for the list of ingredients for the pizzas).

With a lively fun atmosphere, wonderful service and the aroma in the air from the beautiful “imported from Napoli” 1^st class wood pizza oven you would expect not much could be disappointing. (See video of the oven in action)

If you have a fancy for quality Italian bread, rich, doughy with a smokey wood and earthy taste then the Montanara Starita served on wood boards could be your go-to pizza. As interesting and tasty as the pizza is we couldn’t get past the fact that this seemed as if we were eating an exceptional Italian bread more then a pizza.(It’s possible that’s what Roberto and Antonio wanted?).

The Burrata Roberto pizza was made with exceptional homemade cheese and wonderful tasting olive oil, this pizza was served on an attractive glass plate. The plate had a slight pitch toward the center causing the cream from the cheese and the oils to migrate toward the center making the center of the pizza wet and mushy (albeit great tasting) just not a great texture.

Our new Bronxville friends wanted to send back the Margherita pie since it arrived under-cooked. Instead they just ordered another asking it to be more well done, This time although better it was still reviewed by our new friends (adults and children alike) not to be worth a 2^nd trip. Grandma from Bronxville wanted to make sure we knew that this is grandpa’s favorite pie, pillowy, soft and flavorful.

So another adventure in my pizza world and as in most cases the day was enjoyable, we shared pizza with family, a few new friends and we were able to take home a few slices (the packed and stacked with pizza box was classic) for the rest of the family to try and enjoy.

By: Joe Skms

Score 88

http://doughboyswoodfired.com/

Doughboys “Authentic Wood Fired Pizza” is the new venture (about a year in) by Bruno Negro located at 507 Main St. in Belmar in the original Evelyn’s seafood restaurant building.

Bruno’s pizza philosophy is giving his customers choices, lots of choices including Wood fired, Brick oven, Thin crust, Thick crust and with any topping imaginable, with any combination of the above you can dream up.

Doughboy’s has a solid Italian/Sicilian heritage, a very friendly staff and a large kitchen with a brick pizza oven, but the star of the show is The Wood Stone oven proudly placed out front (see the oven in action video). Bruno makes a exceptional dough, he uses a recipe that’s unique and perfectly suited for the wood fired oven and it’s a stand out. Pizza Guys, Joe Skms and Johnny C were working on that crust like it was fine Italian bread.(watch the video clip of Johnny C showing off the official Jersey Pizza Guys  “crust press”).

Bruno also makes a nice homemade mozzarella that’s perfectly suited for his pies, fresh, low moisture and great tasting, making the Margherita pie a big hit. The Pizza Guys tasted several variations of Doughboys pies along with several toppings, (See photo of Johnny C working with utensils).

When it came down to it the toppings just seem to overpower and mask what Doughboys does best, which is Simple, Fresh, Wood fired delicious Pizza. Jersey Pizza Guys will be back to enjoy more of what Doughboys has to offer but we certainly recommend the Wood Fired Margherita pizza.

In the next few months, Doughboys will be opening a new location on Rt 33 in the Howell/Farmingdale area with a set up that should rival the Chipotle’s “pick your own, anyway you like it” formula with a wide variety of quick, fresh and tasty “pizzas”.  Bruno will also be installing a unique rotating pizza oven that looks awesome, be assured The Jersey Pizza Guys will be there to check it.

Just don’t forget to order your pie with Bruno’s fresh mozzarella.

Marco’s Pizza Delivers 6,000 Gallons of Water to Flint

Toledo-based Marco’s Pizza, fastest growing pizza chain in the United States, donated 6,000 gallons of water Wednesday to the people of Flint, Michigan.

By: Joe Skms

Score 91

http://www.federicison10th.com

Federici’s Family Restaurant of Freehold, renowned for their great super thin crust pizza has opened a Federici’s Restaurant and Pizza on 10^th Ave (the old Vesuvio’s location) in Belmar. Now about 2 years in and the beautiful BLODGETT pizza ovens are starting to infuse a wonderful seasoned flavor into the pies.

Sitting down with 3^rd generation owner Michael Federici, meeting members of his family and extended family who are involved in running the restaurant, getting a feel for Mike’s passion and engaging personality make us want to root for the success of this place. A book could easily be written about the history of the Federici family dating back to the 1920’s, the role the family played in the development of downtown Freehold and how the tradition of Family and Food now in the 4^th generation continue today.

So for lovers of great super thin crust high quality pizza this could easily become your go-to home at the Jersey Shore. The Pizzas here are extremely consistent due to the skill and time tested methods and in part to the pizza dough roller process and the Blodgett Conveyor ovens.

The regular plain pie was so tasty, thin (practically… cracker thin) and light that Johnny C was eyeing up the pie and devouring slices before I had a chance to take my photos (see photos of Johnny C in action),  or maybe he was just crazy hungry due to the late Friday lunch.

We also ordered a ½ eggplant / ½ pepperoni.  We both enjoyed the crust even more on this pie, for some reason it was just slightly, maybe a hair thicker giving a bit more body, substance and character to the crust. Although the pepperoni slices were enjoyable these were oily, only to be made by the incredible eggplant pie. As described by George the manager the breaded eggplant is layered on the lightly sauced dough and the great tasting mozz is then spread out on top creating an infusion that both Pizza Guys agree was an awesome standout.

Federici’s in Freehold has spawned numerous pizzaioli who are making great pies and operating Pizzarias around the state so you may have had pizza similar, the original Federici’s in Freehold continues to receive accolades ever year as a top 25 best in the state and also has a liquor license, Johnny C says the pizza in Belmar may actually be better? The Jury is out on that but certainly we enjoyed this pizza and would love to hear what others have to say.

Plain large pie

1/2 pepperoni/1/2 eggplant

slice of eggplant pie

Johnny checking out the pepperoni

Enjoy

Enjoy more

Pizza Guys with Michael Federici

Mike and Johnny with the Blodgett convener ovens

Blodgett ovens

Pizza roller

Pizza Guys having lunch

Michael showing Johnny the ovens