Pizzeria Beddia

Yummy, yummy, yummy I've got love in my tummy, and a fire in the hole.  On our latest quest across the city for the best pizza, Pizzeria Beddia has taken the lead. According to the rankings it scored nearly perfect marks in all categories (in case you've forgotten: crust, toppings, cheese, sauce, overall).  It is the smallest of joints. Tucked away just east of Johnny Brenda's on Girard, you'd pass by it a dozen times until someone pointed it out.

The interior is minimalist and squeaky clean. Not what you would normally expect from your neighborhood pizza place. There is only one oven and just two employees. There is no phone. There is barely a website. They are only open Wednesday to Saturday.  They serve only whole pies. There are two tables, but no chairs. Beddia makes Tacconelli's look accommodating.

The pies are made one at a time. By hand. With incredible, locally sourced ingredients and with an attention to detail that makes the wait worthwhile. With just one guy cooking and one small oven,  Beddia is not built for speed. Be prepared to kill 30 mins or up to 1-1/2 hours waiting for your pizza, based on the backlog. Walk next door to JB's and grab a pint or two. But dare not ruin your appetite.  

The night we stopped in, the wait was no more than 30 minutes and we were able to get our own table. We really hit the jackpot. There are horror stories on Yelp about people waiting hours. These same people said it was the best pizza they've ever had, but wouldn't bother coming back. Tourists.

They only had three pies on the menu - plain, cream & roasted corn, and arrabbiata. They are all reasonably priced around the $20 mark, considering what you get. The classic plain gives you the option of adding a variety of toppings. Per pizza challenge rules, we went old school with just the tomato, mozzarella, old gold & olive oil to get a sense of their standard. We also tried the angry arrabbiata with a layer of tobasco peppers under the cheese, and pickled peppers on top.  They are not kidding about the angry.

This is the best crust I've had. This is better than pies we had in Italy. It is at once crispy and toothy. It abounds with subtle flavor and perfect burnt blisters. It is sturdy enough to hold up to the toppings but still presents that great chew. The simple toppings are elusively deceptive. The key is the quality here - incredibly fresh mozzarella, deeply rich tomato sauce, the old gold aged cheese for a nutty contrast to the luscious, nearly sweet mozzarella, and that drizzle of zippy extra virgin olive oil giving you a nice kick in the back of the throat.

The closest thing I could compare this to is John's Pizzeria in NY. Nothing else like this in Philly - at least that I've found yet. Tacconelli's crust is similar, but so much more garlicky. This is an exercise in flavor restraint, letting them combine into a whole that is vastly greater than the sum of its parts. After the first bite, there was a noticeable hush over the group - we knew we had something special in front of us.

The angry arrabbiata  with its peppers under and over the cheese is not for children or those adverse to a bit of heat. It is angry my friend - like an old man trying to return soup at a deli.  It's a nice slow burn though - nothing smacking your taste buds around. You can still pick up all the delicate flavors of that crust, cheese & tomato. Your nose will be running a bit after two slices though.  Be prepared with kleenex.

With little to no fan fair, Pizzeria Beddia is putting out the best pizza in the city. Talking with the chef, it doesn't seem like he is in this for notoriety or even profit. He just honestly loves pizza that much. He is an artist back there, working his creative magic with sauce and dough. We haven't finished our challenge by a long shot yet, but I don't see much of a chance of this pizza being beat out. So make the effort, put your name in for a pie, wait your turn, stand and eat. You may not think of pizza the same way again.

Food Baby Rating:  Triplets! 

Pizzeria Beddia

115 East Girard (at Frankford Ave.)

Philadelphia, PA 19125

http://pizzeriabeddia.wordpress.com/

Pizza Challenge Round 2- Marra's

The oldest of the old school. Marra's has been slinging pies and plates of spaghetti and meatballs since the 20's. This place is red gravy legit, prominently peacocking on Passyunk. The service can be somewhat chaotic. Ladies who probably danced on American Bandstand when it was still in Philly do their best to keep up with the tables and the random string of commands being shouted over a loudspeaker. For some reason there's a flat screen in the main dining room tuned to college basketball.  The booths are tighter than jeggings on J-Lo and leave barely enough room for four people and their assorted cups & plates. 

What they lack in ambiance they make up for in pizza. All the pies we had were good. Bubbling hot out of the brick oven with great toppings and sauce. It's an unexpectedly good departure from the standard plates of chicken parm and fettuccini al fredo that you see on most of the other tables. This is a neighborhood place that has catered to generations of families in South Philly. Why mess with winning recipe?  Give the people what they want.

A note here before I start talking pizza. We didn't try any appetizers or pasta dishes. And none of us had ever been here before. The Yelp reviews are not particularly glowing for Marra's - most advise to stick with the pizza. Don't walk in here expecting Vetri style Italian. This place is about as unpretentious as it gets, and there's something to be said for that.

The pizzas come out pretty quick - no more than 10-15 minutes wait.  And they won't be spaced out. You'll get each one as it's ready to come out of the oven. Our favorite was the Parmigiana with thick cut slices of fried eggplant, sprinkles of parmesan and gobs of fresh ricotta, seasoned with fresh herbs for a beautifully speckled look. There is something magical about that mix of eggplant and ricotta. You feel like you could be whisked off on the Hogwarts Express before dessert.

The Alla Bianca featured some absolutely delicious Italian fennel sausage that lends a great tooth and sweetness to counteract the bitter and garlicky broccoli rabe & sundried tomatoes.  Marra's swaps out the standard mozzarella for sharp provolone and get's this pie humming.  Honestly one of the best toppings mixes I've had - a great suggestion from out waitress.

The margherita was tasty, with hunks of fresh mozzarella, whole basil leaves and maybe just a bit too much sauce.  The cheese was good, but not so amazing as to leave you pining for more. If you're only going to have cheese and sauce, it better be top notch stuff. It also could have used another minute or two in the oven to melt.  Of the three we ordered, this would get picked last for kickball. 

I have to say the sauce was a big step up from Zavino. Not nearly as sweet and with a better depth of flavor.  You can taste the fresh tomatoes that they started with.  Toppings were great on the first two pies, with some room for improvement on the mozzarella.

The crust was the only real negative I can speak to. It was more than sturdy enough to hold up to the heavy toppings, but the outer ring ends up being tough as venison jerky.  You could lose a crown trying to chew through that. This might be a symptom of the heavy hand used for the toppings themselves.  They give you an overly generous portion, which is appreciated, but they have to make the crust so thick to compensate that it loses any chance of being light and airy.

Overall I was pretty happy with dinner. Three pies and two carafes of wine only cost us $90 for the table, with tip.  Definitely worth a trip on the Broad Street line to check this old school Italian joint. Leave the pastas though, take the pizza.

Food Baby Rating: Only Child

Marra's

1734 East Passyunk Ave

Philadelphia, PA 19148

215-463-9249

http://marrasone.com/

Garces Trading

It's been too long, my friend. In the midst of a Neapolitan pizza revolution in Philly, I'd forgotten the companionship and comfort of that most deepest of dishes, Chicago style. Luckily for us, we don't have to catch a flight to Midway to get a taste of Gino's East or Lou Malnati's (though I can verify that the price of the ticket is well worth it). We can get something almost as good as the original right on Locust Street. 

With his Windy City roots, Chef Garces is baking up an incredibly close rendition of the Chicago legend at Garces Trading Co.  I offer the following words of advice: This will not be a quick meal. This will not be a light meal. You will not be able to finish the whole thing - unless you've got several hungry friends.  The pizza will take about an hour to cook, so bring plenty of wine to keep your whistle wet. In the meantime, there are plenty of amazing appetizers to keep you busy.

When you first walk in, you're greeted by the meat counter and the olive oil tasting bar. Don't be shy about helping yourself to some samples of the various oils & vinegars. You can take home a bottle of anything you like. The "house" olive oil served with their fresh bread is better than you're going to see on most tables in this city. A pinch of salt sprinkled ever so lightly over the oil sends your taste buds over the top like dough boys on the Somme. You could simply nosh on this till the pizza comes.  

But man cannot live on bread & olive oil alone. Well, you probably could but there is so much other good stuff to try. Do get yourself a cheese plate. You can order as many cheese as you like for $7 a piece, but the cheaper option is to go with chef's selection - $15 for 3.  We had a great Valdeon, which is a Spanish cheese that is pungent and bluer than Louis C. K.; a soft cow, goat & sheep's milk combo called Rocchetta that was out of this world; and a Tomme Crayeuse that was firmer and tasted a bit like smoked gouda. 

Complimentary Iberico ham for the FoodBaby? Thank you very much. Imported directly from Spain, I started getting flashbacks to Madrid and bar hopping through late night tapas joints. This is the real thing. Literally melting in your mouth with the most luscious, nutty flavor imaginable. This is why I get out of bed in the morning.  

A surprisingly good smoked trout appetizer with apples and fennel escabeche. I say surprisingly because even the wifey liked it - and she's not usually a trout fan. The smoke is not overwhelming, and the skin has a great crispiness to it. Slivers of charred fennel, marinated in vinegar, and slices of granny smith add a tart counterpoint to the delicious fish.

  

Ah, the main event. The deep dish. A proper thick, baked crust that holds it's vertical integrity. Thank god they cut it for you or you'd never be able to get a piece out. The side angle shot lends some cred to the magnitude of this thing. I also love the image of the cheese oozing out the side, seeking relief from the weight of the toppings above. If you plan on having more than two slices, you better wear your eating pants.  Give your pizza a few minutes to cool, and the slices should hold their form.  It's knife and fork time from here on out.

You've got a good selection of toppings to choose from - artichokes, peppers, bacon, chorizo & sausage can all be had. We went with spinach and mushroom and were not disappointed. The tomato "sauce" has an amazing depth of flavor to it - understandable since it's described on the menu as a confit made from San Marzanos. It's thick and chunky, not smooth or runny in the least bit. What seems like pounds of mozzarella and gruyere lurk at the bottom, on top of that perfect crunchy yet somehow still soft and chewy crust. Like viewing rock striations at a geological dig, each forkfull is a near perfect cross-section of pizza mountain.  

There is of course an entire menu of other options at Garces Trading - none of which will take an hour to make. And just about everything on the menu is worth coming in for. The deep dish is pretty stellar though, and worth your investment of time and $30. They serve wine now, but still let you BYO or utilize the in-house wine store to pick up something last minute. The cheese and meat counters are rivaled only by DiBruno's for their quality and selection. Take your time and sample some parma ham, truffled olive oil, or some funky French cheeses.  You really can't go wrong here.

Food Baby Rating:  Triplets!

Garces Trading Co.

1111 Locust Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-574-1099

http://www.garcestradingcompany.com/

Pizza Challenge Round 1: Zavino

We embark yet again, this time on a new quest.  To find the very best pizza that our fair city has to offer.  We're looking for that perfect pie.  A crust that's at once chewy and crunchy, with just the right amount of heat blisters, that can stand up to a few toppings and not sag in the middle like Kirstie Alley -  a blank canvas on which to paint a masterpiece. The sauce should be sweet but not sugary, with a nice tang to act as a backdrop for all the vivid toppings brushstrokes. The cheese should be mozzarella, hand pulled and never shredded - like a happy little cloud floating ethereally through a crimson sunset. Toppings should be bold and  confident, but never distracting from the overall piece. 

The ratings scale will be similar to the Burger Challenge with a ranking of 1 to 5 in each of five categories: Crust, Cheese, Sauce, Toppings and Overall.  We'll order a "plain" pizza from each location and also one (or more) with toppings. This second pie should be the house specialty - whatever is recommended as the best they have to offer.  And here we go...

Round 1 brings us to Zavino at 13th & Sansom in easily the busiest and most happening neighborhood in the city.  They don't take reservations, so you're going to have to wait if you come on a Friday night. If there is no room at the bar, they will however take your phone number and text you when your table is ready. And there is no shortage of places to wait it out on 13th street these days.

It's a tight space at this corner, with a bar & counter seating running the length where you can watch the art being made. You're going to get friendly with your neighbors and you're going to be dodging servers often. In the summer the outside tables are always full. It's all part of the allure though. There's a reason so many people want to eat here. Full restaurants are always a good sign.

The appetizers are one of the best parts of the menu with a great selection of salumi, cheeses, roasted veggies, and hand made pastas. You could get by just on the appetizer section and leave with a smile on your face. We are here for pizza though - the apps will have to wait. 

margherita

As the challenge rules clearly state, we needed to start with an obligatory margherita to establish a level playing field for all the contenders. The crust was great - just a perfect amount of chew, a few nice scorch marks and blisters and no middle sag to speak of. Cheese was good, but the sauce was too sweet.  Maybe a little extra sugar thrown in with those crushed tomatoes?  Shame, really. It totally distracted me from what should have been a great pizza.

the stache

My favorite was definitely The Stache.  Start off with a whole wheat crust, top with pistachio pesto, mozzarella, parmesan, and baby arugula dressed with lemon vinaigrette. Wow. I've had pistachio on pizza before but not in pesto form. There is a lovely lusciousness in the rich yet crunchy sauce, and it picks up a great char from the 850° oven. The peppery arugula and tartness of the vinaigrette cuts right through the pesto. Even the whole wheat crust was good - which is a rare thing I think. It always sounds like a good idea, but ends up tasting something closer to cardboard.  We asked the server what our specialty pie should be and she automatically said Stache. It's their best pie.  

truffle

The Truffle - with baby spinach, truffle oil, and a barely cooked egg with all that yokey goodness strewn across the pizza. They let you break the yoke and spread it around, so it's even more fun. The subtle hints of truffle are enough to let you know it's there but not overpowering. So many times you get a pizza that just tastes like one big truffle (#first world problems). This is an amazing pie. The perfect combination of super savory ingredients. It is decadence on dough.

Zavino is also getting in on the Italian beer train and offering a few large format bottles that are really interesting and worth a try. Give the Collesi Ambrata a go - it's an amber ale that is just slightly hoppy with some notes of dried apricots and dates.  It also helped that one of the challenge team members happens to work at Moore Brothers in Delaware. Any mention of this to a manager and we usually get some sort of hookup. This time it yielded a bottle of Italian stout that was like a smokier version of Murphy's Irish. I didn't even know stout was brewed anywhere close to the Mediterrenean.  Lucky for us it's one of a few new bottles that the restaurant is trying out for the spring/summer season.  I don't recall the name, but you can ask at the bar. 

Overall this was a hell of a start to the Pizza Challenge. Zavino's oven is humming as it churns out near perfect pies at a dizzying clip.  The artists in the kitchen are churning out pieces worthy of Raphael (not the Ninja Turtle). And they are keeping it interesting with new specialty pies every week or so. Everything is really high quality and the service is tight. There's a reason this place is always busy.

Food Baby Rating:  Triplets!

Zavino

112 South 13th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-732-2400

http://www.zavino.com

Pizza Bar

Good lunch on Sunday from a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Pizza Bar has opened it's doors and oven to the Piazza crowds. It's tucked in just behind King's Oak, facing inwards towards the square. The space is sparse - basically an oven, stand-up coolers, a counter and some stools. True, we've already got pizza in NoLibs, but you can never have too much and this is a slightly different beast. Trios & Rustica make a great pie, but it's done in a traditional style oven with just radiant heat. Pizza Bar is using a gas fired, old school Italian version that can get you closer to that perfect crust. The resulting product is closer to Zavino or Stella.

pepperoni

The menu boasts 11 different pies, six red and five white, and the promise of four different type available for slices. So far I've tried the pepperoni, truffle and asparago. The pepperoni is an abruzzi style, hand sliced and imported from Italy. It's slightly spicy but left the pie too oily and turned into a bit of a mess half way through the slice. Truffle was decent with a mix of roasted mushrooms, but I could barely taste the truffle oil and the fried egg was nowhere in sight. Asparago was the best of the three with shaved bits of green asparagus tips interspersed with hunks of goat cheese and just crispy speck. I didn't see a fried egg on this one either, as promised on the menu. The highlight of all the pizzas was the crust. Crispy but still with a good chew and nice blister marks, it's the sign of a solid product. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the other pies for take-out. You can't judge just on pre-made slices.

asparago

According to the manager they are currently only doing delivery to the apartments in the Piazza & Liberties Walk, but expanding with scooters/cars in the coming weeks. For now, it's a good spot for a quick slice and a beer. They've got a decent collection of craft cans/bottles to go along with the pizza.

mushroom / truffle

The big draw is that they are open till 2:30 on Fridays & Saturdays. This is sure to guarantee them some late night BroLibs fallout business from the surrounding bars. On a personal level, I'll at last be able to complete the 2nd street trifecta of Dapper Dog, Jerk Chicken & Pizza. Take that, South Street Taco. That's right - I just created a thing. Can't wait for summer.

Food Baby Rating:  Only Child

Pizza Bar

1001 N 2nd St 

Next to Kings Oak in the Piazza at Schmidts

215.923.3332
www.pizzabarphilly.com

New York, NY

Now that I've learned how to "check in" on Facebook, you might have noticed that we spent the weekend in NY enjoying the holiday lights, seeing a show and eating lots of great food. Kind of hard not to eat well in NY, as long as you avoid any restaurant within 10 blocks of Times Square. We stayed with my brother-in-law on the upper east side (66th & 3rd) which has a ton of good local spots and easy access to the subway to explore the rest of the city.  I apologize for the lack of pictures. I wasn't thinking of blogging until the bus ride home and I started recapping all the great places we went.

Boltbus ride from Philly and a late dinner Friday night at The Smith in Midtown. A huge space by Manhattan standards, well lit and stylish. A good restaurant with a decent bar, and not the other way around; they do mostly steaks, chops and seafood. We had some great shishito peppers that were a flashback to Spain. Nicely blistered and just a little sweet. Mac & Cheese was great - crunchy little crust on top and served in it's own little skillet with a good béchamel as the cheesy base. My chicken pot pie was enough to feed 3. Needed some salt to amp up the flavor a bit, but the pastry top was flaky and buttery. So good on a cold windy night.

Brunch with some cousins the next morning at Extra Virgin, down in the Village. Almost no wait on a Saturday at noon (apparently unheard of in NY) and wonderful food. The truffled mushroom turkey burger was probably the best I've ever had. They serve it with a little side of porcini aioli that really brings out a depth of flavor and lusciousness in the burger. My only complaint about the place would be the $10 bloody mary's. They served them in tom collins glasses (should always be in a pint glass). The mix was watery and not spicy in the least. Basically tomato juice & vodka. Made me miss the good ones at N. 3rd & Standard Tap. Worth coming here just for the food though.

Craft beers for $5 in Manhattan?  Impossible you say?  Well you would be completely wrong. The Pony Bar serves only crafts on draught and has a live updating screen of what beers are being poured and what's up next. Basically the NY version of Kraftwork. The menu didn't look like anything special so we just stuck to the beers.  For $5 a beer though, I might never drink anywhere else here again.

I've always wanted to have that NY pizza moment. That slice that explains what all the fuss is about. The reason that foodie tours come here. Well, I finally had my moment. John's Pizzeria on 64th street was incredible. Kind of a no frills place with some booths and a decent list of beers you can get by the pitcher. The pizza that they pull out of their ancient ovens is just about the best I've ever had. They serve only whole pies - no slices,  it's definitely a sit down experience. There's lots of good pies in Philly (Stella, Tacconelli's, Zavino) but this seemed to be on a whole different plane of existence. The chewy crust with just a few blisters. The deeply flavored sauce. Pepperoni that does a little dance on your tongue. Mozzarella that tastes like it was stretched just minutes before going on. I ate my slices. Did my little happy wiggle in the booth. And tried to savor that moment.  Mmmm.  I get it now.

Can't come here and not get bagels right?  Sunday brunch/hangover helper with some more cousins at Ess-A-Bagel on 51st & 3rd. This place looks like they opened up in the 70's and never touched a thing since (the website confirms my suspicion). The bagels are pretty stellar though. The line is generally stretched along the counter and back to the door. They do not pride themselves on efficiency. Getting two bagel sandwiches made took about 10 minutes, plus another five to pay for them. The food is worth the wait though and nothing rights the ship like carbalicous bagels. I've told my wife before that good bagels are one of the best things she's brought into my life. Up until I met her I only knew frozen Lenders and Dunkin Donuts. For shame. What I've been missing out on.

It's great having family to stay with in Manhattan. Hotels are insanely expensive and having someone there that knows the good places is clutch. A quick 2 hour bus ride and we can play food tourist for a weekend - one of my favorite activities. Still need to get a Papaya Dog on one of these trips and maybe a trip to Brooklyn next time to check out the scene there. So much food and so little time to eat. 

-Food Baby

The Smith - Midtown

956 Second Avenue, New York, NY

(212) 644-2700

www.thesmithnyc.com

Extra Virgin - Greenwich Village

259 W 4th St, New York, NY

(212) 691-9359

www.extravirginrestaurant.com

Pony Bar - Upper East Side

1444 1st Avenue New York, NY

www.ues.theponybar.com

John's Pizzeria - Upper East Side

408 East 64th Street, New York, NY

(212) 935-2895

http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com

Ess-a-Bagel - Midtown East

831 3rd Avenue, New York, NY

(212) 980-1010

www.ess-a-bagel.com