[StarlaJane]

Pepe's, Modern and Sally's. However, if you go on the weekend for dinner, you may be in for a bit of a wait. When I was young, there was always a line out the door at Pepe's--the wait on Fri. night was usually an hour.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by StarlaJane

When I was young, there was always a line out the door at Pepe's--the wait on Fri. night was usually an hour.

Well I'll be in town Thursday night, maybe the wait won't be too bad. In any event if you're willing to drive form Chicago (a town with a formidable pizza reputation of it's own and I AIN"T talkin' about that stuffed garbage ) for pizza you're willin' to wait a little. I'm eager to try your pizzas, the photos I've seen make me want to eat the paper they're printed on.

I'll tease you guys a little with a photo of a pie from one of my favorite places, Phil's on 35th St in the Bridgeport neighborhood on the South Side, not far west of Sox park. More cheese evidently than you guys use and a somewhat thin crust, crisp on the bottom but still bready and chewy. And cut in squares of course. This guy's sausage is the best.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh92/Irishtom29/003.jpg (broken link)

[tguru]

The hottest, freshest pizza /with the best bread is MODERN! Sally and Pepe have been living off their reputation for God knows how many years? Frankly, I don't know how Pepe ever got its rep. Most, but not all, people I know are also puzzled that Pepe gets such kudos. Even Bar is better than Pepe. And don't get me started on Sally. First, you have to be a masochist to set foot in the place. The ownership seems to have contempt for the customer. Long waits, slow service, interminable arrival times for warm pizza and stevedore's for waiters. Can you say remodel? Bathrooms? On top of that the product has morphed from what it was 5-6 years ago from an uber thin, tasty slice to something resembling a bland Pepe pie.
And to the Reviewer who commented on Modern. It is on STATE STREET and their massive brick oven is NOT COAL FIRED. Good grief! So what should one make of the rest of your comments? Have you ever actually been there?
So Modern. The aforementioned top pizza (served in a timely manner), decent parking, good size hall, real bathrooms, friendly, comely waite staff, and fine beer selection. Enjoy.
And I don't think anybody in New Haven gives a rats a$$ about New York pizza.Too funny. This review was not written by a New Haven resident or Modern owner.

[john_starks]

Originally Posted by uconn99

Modern is the best IMO.

Never been to Sally's, I believe they are only open for dinner?

i think Modern is the best too

Pepe's & Sally's are what most people consider the best (because they've never eaten at Modern )

There's also a place called Bar (it's a club on one side, and a beer room on the other. The beer room serves awesome pies. just as good as the others.

edit: lol, looks like everything's been covered already

[StarlaJane]

The last time I was at Modern, it was awesome. Almost no wait, fast and friendly service and delicious pizza. I actually do prefer Modern, although each place is so distinctive and that one's mood really determines where to go. If you are going to be there for the whole weekend, it might be interesting to try more than one place to see which you prefer.
The nice thing about Sally's and Pepe's is their location in Wooster Square, which lends atmosphere to both, while Modern is over on State St.

[john_starks]

also, if the wait is too long for Pepe's, there's a place in the back of the parking lot called "Spot". just go there. its the exact same pizza as Pepe's. just less comfortable chairs

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by tguru

And to the Reviewer who commented on Modern. It is on STATE STREET and their massive brick oven is NOT COAL FIRED. Good grief! So what should one make of the rest of your comments? Have you ever actually been there?

take it easy there. we're talking about pizza, not debating healthcare reform, for pete's sake.

anyway, i am the poster who mentioned that modern uses a coal-fired oven, so i guess you're referring to me in the above quote. if so, please realize that i am NOT the person who claimed that modern is on wooster street - someone else said that. you can go back through this thread to verify this.

as a matter of fact, i am well aware of modern's location on state street since i have been there many times. i went to college in the area, and for years after graduating, i would make the trip from nyc to new haven every few months just for the pizza at the top three places.

in the future, please make sure you're correctly attributing my alleged errors to me before making assumptions about my background or attacking my credibility - thanks.

now, getting back to the type of oven used at modern apizza:

you may be correct that modern does not use a coal-fired oven. but i have always assumed otherwise because modern's pies consistently boast a nicely charred crust, which is typically only created by coal-fired ovens. gas or electric ovens are not supposed to create that kind of char, while wood-fired ovens typically do not create the combination of char and distinctive flavor that makes coal-fired pies so great.

if in fact modern has been using a non-coal-fired oven all these years, then their pies deserve even more praise than they already receive. it would be pretty remarkable to have used a non-coal-burning oven to produce pies with coal-fired results.

since you seem quite certain about this, i decided to research this matter. and it appears that a number of online food blogs and websites have (perhaps mistakenly) declared that modern uses a coal-fired oven, including some highly respected ones like roadfood and slice.com. here's a sample:

Modern Apizza - New Haven, CT
"A shot of the nicely charred, thin crust - a result of Modern's coal burning oven."

Modern Apizza – New Haven, CT - Stamford Pizza Tour
"Modern Apizza brandishes a big, old, coal-fired brick oven and a street-filling queue that rivals both the oven’s size and age."
"Framed by wretched Red Sox memorabilia, this restaurant offers a quick glimpse of its oversized coal-fired oven at the front counter amongst a thorough spackling of superfluous chowderhead propaganda."
"The problem with this pie was balance: an overpoweringly bad texture, a virtually dry crust, and overportioned cheese that killed the clean subtleties of an otherwise good sauce combined to create an average (a)pizza and proof that a coal-fired oven located in New Haven, CT does not necessarily spit out good pies."

Modern Apizza - Coal Fired Pizza in New Haven, Connecticut (http://ezinearticles.com/?Modern-Apizza---Coal-Fired-Pizza-in-New-Haven,-Connecticut&id=1359892 - broken link)
"Modern Apizza - Coal Fired Pizza in New Haven, Connecticut"

Coal-Oven Pizzerias Nationwide | Slice Pizza Blog
"Coal-Oven Pizzerias Nationwide: Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut"

Modern Apizza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Like the Wooster Street pizzerias, Modern serves New Haven-style thin-crust apizza (closely related to Neapolitan-style Italian pizza) which is baked in an coal-fired brick oven."

on the flip side, i was also able to find the following links, in which the posters claimed that modern does NOT use a coal-fired oven:

I tried Modern Apizza (New Haven) - New England - Chowhound
"Keep in mind that while they use a brick oven, it is fueled by gas, not coal."

Modern Apizza - New Haven, CT
"Yeah, yeah it's gas fired and not coal fired (which is why it's "Modern" pizza, i.e., not old fashioned coal)."

Coal-Oven Pizzerias Nationwide | Slice Pizza Blog
"Modern Apizza is wood oven I believe."

so again, you may be correct about modern's oven not being coal-fired. and if so, then i retract my statement from the earlier post (although i stand by everything else i wrote). but it appears that i'm hardly the only food lover out there who seems to believe this. even my friends who grew up in new haven county and have eaten at modern since they were young have waxed poetic about their alleged coal oven.

seems kind of odd that so many people who have eaten modern's pies would have gotten it wrong, don't you think?

The hottest, freshest pizza /with the best bread is MODERN! Sally and Pepe have been living off their reputation for God knows how many years? Frankly, I don't know how Pepe ever got its rep. Most, but not all, people I know are also puzzled that Pepe gets such kudos. Even Bar is better than Pepe. And don't get me started on Sally. First, you have to be a masochist to set foot in the place. The ownership seems to have contempt for the customer. Long waits, slow service, interminable arrival times for warm pizza and stevedore's for waiters. Can you say remodel? Bathrooms? On top of that the product has morphed from what it was 5-6 years ago from an uber thin, tasty slice to something resembling a bland Pepe pie.

So Modern. The aforementioned top pizza (served in a timely manner), decent parking, good size hall, real bathrooms, friendly, comely waite staff, and fine beer selection. Enjoy.

modern does indeed serve an excellent pie, but your opinion about their pizza is just that - opinion - and far from universally agreed upon. there are many of us who prefer the pies at pepe's (specifically the white clam pie) and sally's (they have the best tomato sauce + mozzarella pie IMO).

and yes, sally's is notorious for giving partial treatment to "insiders" and friends of the owners, but that's been the case forever. i tell everyone who's planning to go to sally's that they need to know what the deal is upfront. personally, i just make sure to line up 45-60 minutes before 5pm so that i'm seated as soon as their doors open. doesn't really bother me since i feel their pies are worth the wait. not to mention, i've waited just as long to get into modern and pepe's, so it really isn't a big deal to me. and for the record, i've never received a "warm" pie at sally's - all of the pies i've ever ordered there have emerged from the oven hot, fresh, and delicious.

also, i couldn't care less about decor or service. some of us are only concerned about the quality of the pie itself. but if you feel otherwise, that's fine. to each his or her own.

And I don't think anybody in New Haven gives a rats a$$ about New York pizza.Too funny.

that's good, because anyone who's eaten at the top new haven pizza restaurants knows that the city's pies can hold their own with the best in the nation. and by the way, people in nyc don't really give a you-know-what about new haven pizza, either.

This review was not written by a New Haven resident or Modern owner.

let's hope not.

[Msands44]

POPHANGOVER » Blog Archive » Pepe’s Pizza in New Haven, CT: Overrated, Overhyped, and Overwhelmingly Awful (http://pophangover.com/?p=523 - broken link)

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Msands44

a very lame web link

Yea that's accurate. LOL

Obviously written by someone who doesn't have a clue about food or real pizza. I guess Dominos would be better for them.

What's the TOS about posting to another blog?

[markhunt]

please delete post