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My two cents as a former Jersey/NYC resident, pizza in North Carolina can never be like the pizza in NYC. I could walk down Broadway and grab a slice (for sometimes as little as 99 cents) from one of the many Pizzerias and it'd probably be on par or better than the best "NY Style pizza" places in NC.
That being said, Randy's is okay. A slice of Pizza in Brier Creek is not bad either. Tony's Pizza near Carmax off of Glenwood in North Raleigh is not terrible either.
But the logic isn't there to support what you're saying. A very high percentage of the pizza places in the Triangle are owned and operated by the exact same people who sell those slices on Broadway (and really, never on the main avenues but usually on the cross streets). They use the same exact recipe, the same ingredients and pretty much the same equipment to bake everything; how can it not be the same finished product? And please, no arguments about the water, there's almost none in a slice of pizza.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonorio
Huh. I drop in Randy's once in a while to see what the appeal is, and it's always wretched.
But Barbeque. I've tried that at a couple of places and to me it just seems like oatmeal, except made from meat.
Wretched? Every time? How do you feel about Papa John's or Domino's?
But the logic isn't there to support what you're saying. A very high percentage of the pizza places in the Triangle are owned and operated by the exact same people who sell those slices on Broadway (and really, never on the main avenues but usually on the cross streets). They use the same exact recipe, the same ingredients and pretty much the same equipment to bake everything; how can it not be the same finished product? And please, no arguments about the water, there's almost none in a slice of pizza.
Wretched? Every time? How do you feel about Papa John's or Domino's?
I don't think water has anything to do with it personally but some folks think it's the water. Can't imagine that being the difference.
I don't think water has anything to do with it personally but some folks think it's the water. Can't imagine that being the difference.
I have heard that some people feel atmosphere is a part of good BBQ, I have heard the same said for deli. I wonder if it is the same for pizza for some people - that even if it is made the same it will not taste the same without the same atmosphere. Not sure..
But the logic isn't there to support what you're saying. A very high percentage of the pizza places in the Triangle are owned and operated by the exact same people who sell those slices on Broadway (and really, never on the main avenues but usually on the cross streets). They use the same exact recipe, the same ingredients and pretty much the same equipment to bake everything; how can it not be the same finished product? And please, no arguments about the water, there's almost none in a slice of pizza.
Wretched? Every time? How do you feel about Papa John's or Domino's?
I am not back in NC yet, so take my opinion with a grain of garlic salt or a dash of red pepper flakes. I fully endorse the concept that in general the best pizza is here in NJ/NY. But it's not the exclusive domain of good pizza. There's certainly some lousy pizza places up here too. Plenty of them! My office in fact is surrounded by them. I think it has more to do with the difference in population density than anything else. Without trying too hard, I can list over 20 pizza joints within a 2-3 miles of my house in northern NJ. And this only includes the independent pizza places. (I refuse to count pizza hut, dominos, papa johns or anything like that. They're just downright horrible.) Of those 20, I have 2-3 favorites, but there are also several that I will never go back to because the pizza is mediocre at best. If the guy who runs the mediocre shop moves to NC, he will serve mediocre pizza. If one of my favorites were to move down there, he'd continue to make great pie. I have family in Richmond, they're lucky and they have a really good place nearby her home. Is it better then my favorite local place up here, no. Is it better than the mediocre places up here, heck yea. They could move their shop up here and still do great business.The pizza shop per square mile density in the Triangle cannot compare. So sure, it's a little harder to find.
Sometimes it comes down to the individual making the pizza. My go-to pizza place opened a year or so ago and is a 2 block walk from my house. It's excellent, not the best, but you can't beat the convenience. About 2 months ago the guy who made the pizzas Wed through Saturday left. The new guy has been getting better but disappointing. This is not an ownership change, he is just an individual employee. He does not make the dough, he does not choose the suppliers. So even though it's the same dough, the same cheese, the same sauce, the same pepperoni, it's not the same pizza. The new guy is steadily improving, so I think it will work out, but I was very close to switching my pizza loyalty. The place we used to go to for years was kind of the same. There was one guy who made amazing pizza. But if it was a Sunday-Tuesday and we craved pizza, we went to a different place. The other guy was terrible. There was nothing more disappointing than going to pick up the pizza on a Friday night and finding out the good guy was on vacation. Eventually the good guy left and opened his own place. Unfortunately, it was too far away. And by too far, I mean he moved 7 miles away. Due to the pizza density factor, I have no reason to travel that far.
Once we move, I will miss the convenience of tripping over pizza places where ever I go. I will be bummed that I might have to travel farther to find that elusive great pie. But the end of the day, it's just pizza.
Michealengo's at Carolina Beach is the only NC pizza that I've found that can hold a candle to any of the pizza joints on Center Street in West Roxbury MA. It has something to do with the differences in water between the north and the South.
Randy's on Miami is pretty decent.
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