Pittsburgh Pizza (York, Lebanon, Washington: hotel, house, live)

[tb321]

So a couple weeks ago I was in NY City for the first time and made it a point to go to Lombardi's, the first pizza place in the US.I had to wait a half hour to get in and since I fancy myself a pizza connoisseor I couldn't wait to try it.It was very good but...I think Mineo's is better.Am I not the connoisseor I think I am?

[Hopes]

I had a NY style pizza in NYC last summer.

Not sure of the name of the place because it was delivered to our hotel, but it was by far the best pizza I have ever eaten.

There were fresh whole basil leaves on it. Nothing in Pittsburgh compares.

[tb321]

Yes that's how Lombardi's was and as I said it was very good but something was lacking in the tomato sauce.Too simple for me personally.

[greg42]

Pizza is all in what you like, despite many partisans who might like to say otherwise. I think most of us can agree that chain pizzas and perhaps a fair number of others are uniformly mediocre. But beyond that, there are many variations in styles that can all be good. I say keep trying different ones!

Pizza places to try in this area if you haven't:

Dinette (East Liberty, upper level of EastSide development near Border's): Small changing menu done well, local ingredients, modern minimalist space. Expensive if you heed the "for one" part of the pizza, but if you get some other things like salads or such it's probably enough to have one pizza for two. Dinette

Il Pizzaiolo (Mt Lebanon, Washington Rd): You have to go to Naples (Italy, not Florida) to get more authentic. In fact, I'd be willing to bet you could find places in Naples that are LESS authentic.

Harry's (McMurray): New Haven style. I haven't been here (or New Haven) and don't understand it, but I'm told that's what it is. Harry's Pizza

Azzeria (Wexford or Banksville Rd): Unusual, thin crust, a little crispier, hard to describe but interesting. Azzeria, Inc.

Vincent's (Forest Hills): I haven't been here either, but it always comes up. If you like Mineos best so far you probably already don't like Vincent's or haven't been there.

There are others to try too; read the PG links below. I'm intrigued by Frank's in Ambridge, but it's just far away enough from the house that I can't figure out if it'll still be good. They don't have any seating. Will just have to give in and try it, in summer when it'll stay warmer, or we can sit in a nearby park or something.

I haven't had Mineo's in years, so I'm not really sure if it's not memorable. I mean, it's not memorable enough for me to remember it or crave it after something like 15 years, but there aren't too many things that are.

I think we may have a previous thread on Pizza, and here's a couple of PG articles from a year and a half ago:

A quest for the best pizza in the Pittsburgh area (editor picks)

The Ultimate Slice: It's the readers' turn to weigh in on their favorite pizza (reader picks)

Note I don't think Dinette had opened yet when those articles were written. Surely would have made one or both lists.

[Hopes]

I crave the old version of Alioto's Pizza from the 1970s. Man, that pizza was good! The pepperoni was UNDER the cheese!

After the owner sold the shop, the recipe was changed a billion times and the pizza became only average.

But to this day, I still CRAVE the original version! It was that good!

Or I was simply young and rarely had pizza that it just seemed good to me! I doubt that since Momma Lucia's pizza still tastes the same after all these years.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by tb321

So a couple weeks ago I was in NY City for the first time and made it a point to go to Lombardi's, the first pizza place in the US.I had to wait a half hour to get in and since I fancy myself a pizza connoisseor I couldn't wait to try it.It was very good but...I think Mineo's is better.Am I not the connoisseor I think I am?

Just keep in mind it might not have been the original Lombardi's, etc. Many other pizza places spring up trying to capitalize on the original, etc. Maybe you went to the original though, but never know.

[hempfield mania]

I am partial to Luciano's in White Oak.

[groar]

i'm way into new haven pizza (being from connecticut) so i trekked through rush hour traffic to try harry's, but i didn't see it.

to me, the big thing about new haven pizza is fact that they make it in a coal or wood-fired brick oven and it gets a little burnt. it also comes without cheese (well, with parmesan cheese only) by default. mozzarella cheese is considered a topping. i like this cause my husband and i are vegan and new haven pizza is designed to be good without cheese, unlike many pizzas. harry's doesn't satisfy any of these conditions. i'm not sure what is supposed to make it new haven pizza, honestly. it was fine, but nothing special.

they also got their recipe from a place in west hartford, ct, which is a whole other region of ct from new haven. and new haven pizza is as much about the method as it is about the recipe.

i really want to try il pizzaiola; it sounds great.

[johnnytang24]

Some people prefer McDonalds to Per Se, but the majority of people who are in the food business will agree the best pizza is in New York or Chicago (yuck).

[johnnytang24]

Oh, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with having an opinion that differs from the norm.