Munchmobile Slideshow
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Check out the Star Ledger’s article here.
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Donna’s Munchmobile Rankings
My Both Sides Of the Table posts with Ali will give you more of a review, so check back here in the next day or so for those. You can also read the Munchmobile’s blog soon for a more detailed explanation behind my rankings (assuming they post it. I was kind of a last minute add-on). But here they are with a very short intro to why my #1 is #1.
5. Brother’s
4. Pizzatown USA
3. Sciortino’s
2. Caffe Capri
1. Santillo’s
Let’s just say, I don’t drive very much, but I will learn how to drive to Santillo’s.
As we made our rounds, none of what we tried quickly jumped to “best” on any of our lists. No one was stumping for “their favorite” with any convincing gusto. Either we were realizing our expectations were far too high or we were really off the mark on what we thought would quickly be winner. I mean, pizza could easily be declared “the” state food and we had only eaten at four places, so what were we thinking? It couldn’t be that easy… right?
And the problem wasn’t that any of the pizza was bad. In fact, nowhere did I feel the cheese or gravy were sub-par (although Pizzatown’s slice was so floppy it was nearly impossible to eat). But even while some were truly distinctive, none could be described as “bring your whole family - now!”
Then we went to the fifth place on our agenda which had already previously been declared #1 by the Star Ledger: Santillo’s in Elizabeth which was inside a house, its entrance on the side, down an alley. Inside there was just a tiny counter - no seats, no tables, nowhere for all of us to even stand. But, as Pete correctly opined, “You can’t eat ambiance.”
With one bite I knew this was the pizza I think I had been looking for. And to top it off, we ate it in the middle of an alley, hovering around the box like we were strangers to this thing called pizza, grease dripping down our hands because we couldn’t dare wait for paper plates. And this after being filled to capacity with pizza.
I’m not sure what “did it” for everyone else, but for me it was like all the positive points of the previous pies (”this one has yummy sauce”, “this one has the best crust”, etc.), were finally melded together into one truly flavorful pizza. The kind that makes you go on a 7-hour road trip until you find it. I mean, let’s face it - most people want their pizza delivered, they don’t go pick it up unless it’s truly special. A pizza you can’t forget.
Of course, I did half-wonder if knowing it had already been ranked #1 subconsciously made us enjoy it more than if we hadn’t known. But the warmth of the owner and the pride he took in his old-fashioned, seemingly-mile-long brick oven, made me think only happy thoughts as I sat cross-legged in his driveway, devouring his creation.
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Pizza Munch Overload
First, I have to say thank you to Pete Genovese, Kelly Heyboer, and to the Star Ledger for a great day. It was a lot of fun meeting the other bloggers. I feel like Ali and I, the newbies of the group, learned a great deal from them (sometimes more than we wanted! haha). I also have to say if you ever have the chance to go on the Munchmobile, go! go! go!
This glorious specimen is from Santillo’s in Elizabeth.
So, as you know by now, Ali and I were part of a special “all blogger” Munchmobile excursion. The food for the day was pizza. The goal was to find the best. Up until the middle of our adventure, I was beginning to think there was no such thing, and this surprised me.
It’s not like I’m a hard-to-please, extreme-connoisseur-food-extraordinaire or anything, with standards the normal pizza-eater doesn’t consider. While I can truly appreciate people who look to the “history” and “tools of the trade” used by the pizza maker, I tend to take a different route. As someone who grew up among Italian Americans (including my own family), who ate pizza every Thursday after dancing school (sometimes still wearing our “tarantella” white leotards and green-sequined skirts**), or on Fridays after the youth bowling leagues, the things that have defined a “best” pizza to me/us have always been more subtle, less “quantifiable”. I never before had to think about what made pizza delicious to me. So, I’m glad this trip challenged me to do so in ways I hadn’t before.
So, I guess my personal standards include a thick layer of sauce with a bold, fresh tomato flavor, a thin crust that isn’t too crispy — I like it to have enough chew while being a sturdy stage for the toppings. Too crispy and you’re eating a giant cracker, too soft and it’ll flop until your toppings are MIA. I’m not as picky about the cheese - although I do tend to favor fresh mozzarella. Also, I think I look for an authentic approach from the makers - the more old school, the more I appreciate it, and the more passionate the makers seem to be.
We didn’t really know what to expect from the day. One of the rules of the Munchmobile is you’re not supposed to know where you’re going. We learned the towns as we went, but usually didn’t know which pizzeria. We made a total of five stops (in this order):
1. Red Bank — Brother’s
2. South Amboy — Sciortino’s
3. Clifton (on the border with Elmwood Park) — Pizzatown USA
4. East Rutherford — Caffe Capri
5. Elizabeth — Santillo’s
Want to know which came in #1? Me too! Check back here Friday through Monday for mine and Ali’s rankings, as well as”Both Sides”-style reviews from us on each place in its own right. You’ll also need to buy tomorrow (Saturday)’s Star Ledger for photos by Mia Song, and a column by Kelly Heyboer (who live-blogged during the trip). I expect to see more posted on the Munchmobile’s own blog as well.
And definitely make sure you check out the upcoming/already-up posts and pics from our fellow bloggers:
Liz George from Baristanet.com
John from redbankgreen.com
Perry from hoboken411.com (who unofficially declared all pizza in Hoboken bad - unless you’re eating it drunk. So, sorry, John Busco, we did not get to try Giovanni’s, which hoboken411 specifically said is only good cold, after a night of untamed drinking.)
Jason from OffTheBroiler
And as sick as I am right now of pizza, I’m looking forward to our hypothetical follow-up trip when we go eat/review long-standing pizzerias. Is there such a thing as a “best pizza in Jersey”? If so, will we find it?
If you have recommendations, favorites, etc., post them in the comments below!
**Obviously I am describing the little girls in my family. The old Italian men never wore such things or went to dancing school. As far as I know.
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Munching The Day Away
I have to make this quick because boyfriend just whipped up some Shop-Rite brand macaroni and cheese and is expecting me to partake in my sixth vegetable-free meal of the day.
That’s right. One day. Six bloggers (I know most of you hate that term. I apologize). Two reporters. And five pizza places. I was on the Munchmobile all day, becoming the envy of my entire family and the proud owner of a fancy, powder blue, Munchmobile T-shirt. (And although I do appreciate it, I would have preferred my very own polyurethane hot dog to attach to the top of my car. I love attention).
We were testing out the best pizza places in New Jersey. I don’t know that we actually found any of the best places – but most were decent and the experience was a unique one.
I won’t try to steal the thunder from Kelly Heyboer at the Ledger by posting all of the long cumbersome details of our journey and announcing the clear winner from our excursion. But I’m going to give all of you who aspire to one day become munchers a little bit of advice:
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GOJ Editors Munching Along
Associate editor Nicole here, holding down the fort. Our faithful co-editors-in-chief Ali and Donna just checked in from their Munchmobile road trip. They finished up at Brothers Pizza in Red Bank, and are just sitting down to eat in South Amboy. Bless their little foodie hearts, they’re still hungry and going strong. Check back soon for their wrap-up of the Big Dog’s quest for the best pizza in the state.
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GOJ on the Munchmobile
Hey all,
Today, Ali and I will be on an all-too important quest as guests aboard the Star Ledger’s Munchmobile. Together with fellow food bloggers and the paper’s Peter Genovese (author of New Jersey Curiosities), we will be searching for the best pizza in the state.
Never heard of the munchmobile? Then click this. Check that page for updates as we eat our way around the state, and we’ll have some of our own stories here later.
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