Frank Pepe's

157 Wooster Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 865-5762
Website

New Haven is well regarded as one of the best pizza cities in America. I had never been there, so my first stop (and only stop of this trip) was to Pepe's. Frank Pepe is the original, and so I had to give it a try.

The ovens are one of the main claims to fame at this place, besides originating the thin crust pizza. Coal fired brick oven, they run at 650 °F. Notice the crazy long pizza peels, which are used to jostle your pie into position. They hang from the overhead J hook to make life a little easier for the pizza makers.

They serve a salad, and pizzas. Plus, draft beer, which was a major bonus.

Although I was mighty tempted by the white clam pie, my thoughtful server said if it was my first time, I should try the original tomato pie with pepperoni and the fresh tomato pie while it was in season. As I wanted to taste the sauce, I obliged.

The original comes topped with crushed Italian tomatoes, olive oil, grated cheese, mozzarella, and I added pepperoni.

The pizza had a perfectly charred crust, with medium thickness pepperoni cups that curled under the extreme heat. The cheese was well browned, and expertly spread across the pie. Zesty tomatoes kept everything from being too rich, and provided a tangy contrast.

The crust was where Pepe's staked their claim. The perfect amount of char, and crispy bottom made this stand out. Thin and well done, this is how pizza should be.

The fresh tomato pie comes with fresh local "native" tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh garlic, and basil. This pie packed a garlicky punch, and was my favorite of the two. It was fresh, light, and the crust stayed even crunchier.

I got there just before lunch on a holiday weekend's Sunday and I still had to wait ten minutes. From what I have heard, the line wraps around the corner regularly. Plan accordingly.

And be prepared to wait even further once you're seated; you won't regret it.

Carlino's Market

128 W Market Street
West Chester, PA 19382
(610) 696-3788
Website

Carlino's started as a DiBruno's-style shop in Ardmore, but has since branched out to West Chester. The West Chester iteration is much larger, though just as claustrophobic as the original. They offer a wide variety of pre-made Italian food, as well as cheeses, meats, coffee drinks, and two sandwich counters.

When you look at the layout below, it seems like there is plenty of space. But when you are actually there, the mere presence of five people in the below area causes chaos. In my half hour of shopping and eating, I was in the way, or annoyed at someone in the way at least a dozen times. One of the issues is the islands displaying additional goods for sale scattered around the store. It broke up the flow of traffic, and led to bottlenecks at every turn.

There is no question they offer quality goods, the cured meats alone could occupy me for hours. Plus they offer illustrations by Hawk Krall himself, one of my favorite local artists/food experts. See illustrations below.

One of the best things they offer is the tomato pie. It is thick, chewy, has great acidity from the tomatoes, and is just simple perfection. I am a big fan. It was the best thing I ate on this trip by far.

The "Ultimate Italian" was not so ultimate. It came on a decent roll, though it was no Liscio's, and held prosciutto, mortadella, Calabrese hot salami, hot capicola, rosemary ham,and aged sharp provolone. While the meat was definitely all high quality, the cheese was lost, and it was pretty dry overall. In a different geographic location, this would be a fantastic hoagie. Around here, it was good, not great.

The bread left a LOT to be desired...

The mortadella had beautiful pistachios studding it, and the hot salami was a nice touch. The cohesive package was just nothing special.

The beef meatballs "Sicilian Style" held fried eggplant, ricotta, and grated locatelli. This was the most disappointing of the bunch. The meatballs were under-seasoned, the locatelli was sparse, the eggplant soggy, and the bread fell apart in the three minutes from receiving to eating. Would not recommend this one.

I felt there should have been more salt and a bit of spice to really make this sandwich worthwhile. In addition, the bread was not hearty enough to contain the ingredients without ripping.

It was like they got their rolls backwards here: the Italian was dense and stiff, almost stale and the meatballs were in a spongy, seeded roll. So maybe if they were swapped, I'd be writing with a different opinion. But alas, my one experience at Carlino's will likely remain my only.