Gusto

240 South 22nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 546-7200
Website

Gusto is tucked away on 22nd, and to be honest, I totally forgot about it. I ate there years ago (+/- 8) when I lived in Rittenhouse, and it was good, but not that memorable. It's still about the same. But for the prices and quality of ingredients, Gusto earns a hefty 4 cheesesteak rating. The pictures will show you why.

The buffalo chicken cheesesteak hoagie was pretty decent. It had freshly shredded romaine and sliced tomato over gooey chicken smothered in a tangy, spicy buffalo sauce served on a nice crusty roll.

The bread here would be better suited to hosting a po' boy, but even with that, it made for a good vessel.

They certainly didn't skimp on the blue cheese either. It was nothing life changing, but not bad in a pinch (that area is a tough spot for a decent lunch at times).

I have also recently had the Italian hoagie, and though it was a bit fancy for my liking, it was surprisingly delicious. I attribute this to the quality of ingredients they use in all of their food. Again, you could certainly do worse, given the neighborhood.

Did I mention the pricing??? The above mentioned chicken cheesesteak ran a whopping $8 and the Italian hoagie came in at under $7. I mean, DiBruno's would serve the same for about twice the price.

They use Carangi's rolls and this seeded version won my heart. The freshly sliced and generously applied Italian meats and thick chunks of sharp prov didn't hurt either. I mean, it is a fancier version of my favorite Italian and given the competitive pricing in a ritzy part of town, I think I'll be revisiting Gusto sooner than later.

Well played.

Pizzeria Vetri

1939 Callowhill Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 600-2629
Website

Now, I love a good pizza and I take them in all forms, but when it comes to my absolute favorite kind, I think of the thin, crispy, carbon-spotted crusts that are coming out of Pizzeria Vetri.

I will start off by saying that by no means does Vetri come close to Beddia, but for the price and affordability, I'd say there's some healthy competition here.

It's a small and modern interior with family-style communal seating. There are 2 long tables that seat about 12 each and there are some bar seats right at the oven and then a few tables outside. Pretty basic, cut and dry.

Because it was a lunch for 3, we had to start with an appetizer and order 2 full pies. Now, if one of us wasn't a light eater, we would have gotten the app and 3 pies... First out was the Rotolo - little pizza dough pinwheels of delight with mortadella and ricotta, topped with a freshly cracked pistachio pesto.

Delectable little things. I would probably order this for dessert on my next visit. They were savory but so delicate that I couldn't help but think of them as kin to pull-apart monkey bread or a cinnamon bun, simply for their airy composition. Delicious.

First pie out was the Melanzana with crushed San Marzano tomatoes, thinly sliced eggplant, stracciatella (a variety of soft stretched-curd cheese) and fresh oregano leaves. All of the ingredients were in perfect balance. The pizza crust was tossed super thin but held up to the heavy toppers. This was my favorite of the two.

Next up was the Crudo pie with prosciutto crudo, bufala mozzarella and parmigiano. The prosciutto was draped haphazardly and made it difficult to eat - which is always the case when presented with whole slices - but I get annoyed when the whole slice pulls off with my first bite.

Every bite thereafter was just cheese, olive oil and crust, which is fine if you like plain old white pie. I'm a huge fan of breaking the cured ham into nicely distributed bits so my chewing experience isn't such an annoyance.

All in all, fantastic flavors and a great crust coming out of their oven. Grab a craft brew from their bar and see for yourself.

Clank's Bar and Pizza

326 Market St.
Marcus Hook, PA 19061
(610) 494-9770

Couple of facts about Marcus Hook (thank you Wikipedia): named "Marrites Hoeck" after the Dutch conquered the area in 1655; officially incorporated as a borough in 1892; oil refineries are dominant industry; the lowest point in the state of Pennsylvania is located on the Delaware River in Marcus Hook. Also, it's Delco.

Unless you hit the gas trying to flee Chester before you get shot/robbed/worse, you probably have never been there. There is a light in the dark for residents, however, in the form of Clank's.

Once you get in, you may not be able to find your way back out, due to a combination of beer, overeating and camouflaged door.

Clank's, as you can probably imagine, is old school. Another warning, it is a smoking establishment. This is usually a nonstarter for me – but it wasn't too bad due to some well positioned ventilation apparatus.

This place is as blue-collar as they come. Nothing fancy, nothing healthy, but a rib sticking, hearty meal that will not break the bank. Square pies, chicken wings that resemble turkey legs from the Renaissance Faire in size, and cheap domestics.

The whole wings were much bigger than usual, but luckily they were fried extremely crispy. I am also usually not a fan of whole wings, but these were pretty good. Sauce on the side led to a slop fest of schmaltz, crackling skin, and hot sauce.

The square pies (only kind served there) were huge. Much thicker than a traditional DelCo square pie, I was worried these would stuff me after only two or three slices, but it ended up being lighter than it looked.

The pepperoni added a nice spicy grease, and the crust was comparatively fluffy inside and crunchy outside for how thick it looked. It's amazing that sheet pan pizza is even a thing, and even more amazing that it's pretty damn good.

It probably has something to do with the age-old oil on the pan adding seasoning and increasing the browning characteristics.

As if there was not enough food consumed at this point, the previously forgotten cheesesteak stromboli came out. This thing was almost laughable at how big it was. It was also possibly my favorite item of the trip. The meat was well chopped, the cheese added a nice creaminess, and the portion was fit for a fatso like myself.

My only complaint would probably be that the dough could have used a touch longer in the oven or an egg wash to really give it that golden brown visual. Overall though it was mighty tasty.

I wouldn't say you should leave wherever you are and rush to Clank's this moment, but if you find yourself down that way, you could do much worse than a square pie and a 'boli.

Pica's Restaurant (Pica's Pizza)

7803 W Chester Pike
Upper Darby, PA 19082
(610) 789-7770
Website

Pica's was all over the news recently due to Tina Fey bringing some pizza from her hometown of Upper Darb's to a late night talk show. As it was already one of my favorites, I figured it was high time to cash in on the sudden popularity, far after it was still relevant.

While waiting, it was difficult not to overhear EVERYONE talking about the recent TV appearance. And of course, wherever there is celebrity gossip/bottomless sodas, the Evster from every girl's favorite reality show blog "TV My Wife Watches" will also be found. I am pretty sure he stalked me and happened to show up at the same time, completely independent. Below you will see him right after he ditched his beautiful wife who was waiting for their table, and before he stole some of my pizza. It's a real who's who of DelCo.

They make it a point to say that bread and peppers doesn't come with pizza. It costs an extra $3, and is probably worth it if you are like me and don't care how many calories you eat or don't listen when your doctor tells you that if you don't stop eating so much food you are more likely to die.

The Greek Salad is a big meh, especially at $11.50. Olives, feta, tomatoes, eggs and onions served on mixed greens. I mean, it's not bad, but you aren't here for freaking salad. You know what, just get it. Whatever. God, now I sound like Evster.

The calamari was surprisingly good. It was fried crispy, and had a light breading on it. The marinara was pretty tasty.

Perfect chew on the squid and just the right amount of salt.

Now, for the real reason to go to Pica's. The pizza. Square pie, cheese on bottom, sweet garlicy sauce on top. It's not too thick, but certainly not thin crust. I can eat an unbelievable amount, as it is not heavy at all (relatively speaking). The perfect amount of buttery char makes the dough just right, and the crust has sauce baked into it.

The pepperonis are a large, thin deli style. They drape the entire pizza, like some delicious window treatments.

Look at the golden bottom of the pie. A product of the signature pans they are baked in. Perfection. You can see how airy the dough is and you can almost taste that buttery crispness.

The plain pie is also fantastic. It gets way better when it cools a bit, and the flavors really meld. These are both larges, and they are a pretty decent value for the money. I could have gotten another pie to go, just for a midnight snack.

Did I mention Pica's interior is like the shitty family restaurant you grew up going to in the 1980's-1990's? It's amazing. I love everything about this place. But mostly the ridiculously good pizza.

Pizza Brain

2313 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 291-2965
Website

I was reluctant to review this place at all because I am fundamentally opposed to the idea of hipster pizza. Not just a generalized, younger person, hipster-run place, but a place where they might be wearing My Little Pony pajamas (with footies) while they cook. I hate that shit.

I was invited there for an event, however, and I begrudgingly went and ordered some pizza. See below for what I am talking about.

I DID like the pizza art, I must admit.

Below is Brian "Pizza Brain" Dwyer, who is the mastermind/pizza Nazi behind this whole ordeal.

When I got inside, I was comforted by the fluidity of operations, and the professionalism of the staff. I started coming around.

Luckily I had some cans of Bud heavy (which I shared with the staff), while I waited for my slices. This pizza is THIN. Good sign.

The "Wendy Wedgesworth" boasted mozzarella, sun-dried tomato, arugula, and honey goat cheese. The crust was quite spectacular, and the ingredients were none too shabby. Light and easy to eat, I imagine the veggies go nuts for this stuff.

The "Jane" is the plain slice, though it touts mozzarella, aged provolone, Grana Padano (a less sharp parm-style hard cheese), and fresh basil. This was probably my favorite slice. Simple, with a well seasoned sauce and nutty flavor from the cheese, I could eat this one on the regular.

The "Lucy Waggle" came with mozzarella, Grana Padano, pine nuts, fresh thyme, sweet dates, crisped prosciutto, and arugula. The salty ham was great with the fresh arugula, and the dates added just enough sweetness.

There was a hell of a lot of care put into this place, and the pizza really shows it.

Bottom line, don't let the hipster fool you, they really make some of the best pizza around right here on Frankford.