Penney's Pizza: The Radiation Must Be Messing With People's Taste Buds

Penney's Pizza, run out of a house on Ridge Pike in Royersford. I have heard massive amounts of great reviews, and since I was finally back in my home town, I decided it was a good idea to order it when I got the chance. 

Small White Pizza

Plain

Well as you can tell, these look a little funny...
Plain:
Cheese first, then a slather of sauce. The sauce was overly sweet and there was way too much of it. Like tomato soup with a nice douse of sugar. The cheese was rubbery and flavorless. Maybe they put the sauce on top to hide the sad excuse they would call "cheese". The crust was also tasteless, neither crunchy nor doughy or chewy. It had the consistency of a microwaved pretzel.
They used corn meal to dust the bottom of the dough which neither helped nor hurt the texture, my taste buds were annoyed.
Price: $12.00 for a large

White:
 This was a little more successful. They put ricotta cheese on first then mozzarella with a sprinkle of herbs. Perhaps a bit too much ricotta, after 1 slice I felt a sort of heaviness only a packet of laxatives and some prune juice could get rid of.
Price: $8.00 for a small

Corn Meal up Skirt

Verdict: One thing that struck me as odd was the fact the the pizzas fell apart.This could only happen from under cooking. I don't really understand why people of Limerick PA go crazy over this stuff, perhaps its the nuclear radiation? The place is always packed with cars picking up pizzas, I just don't get it. Maybe New York has spoiled me, but no way in hell would I ever get these again

Penney's Pizza

68 W Ridge Pike

Limerick PA 19468

Keste: Best Pizza of My Life ( in America that is...)

Neapolitan Pizza places are popping up around the city faster than you can say bedbugs! But my go-to "lets impress the family" pizza will always be Keste. On a lazy afternoon, I headed to the West Village to grab a delicious bite with a friend for lunch.

Funghi

This was made with fresh mozzeralla, basil, tomatoes and of course, mushrooms. The sauce tasted like someone just crushed fresh tomato's over it. It was light, delicate and just the right amount. Every component of the pizza was perfect, but the one thing about this place that puts the other pizza places to shame is their dough. It is spectacularly chewy, airy, and perfectly charred. A little bite of heaven. For carb-ophobic freaks out there: To not eat the crust is a complete and utter sin! I was watching some skinny bitch at the table next to me cut off all her crust. I had the urge to pick it off her plate and eat it all for myself. ( Wow, that sounded really fat).

Price: $ 14.00

Verdict: If you are in New York, living, planning, or even teleporting here. You  must stop and try the pizza! On the weekday's they serve sandwiches made from the dough and gluten free pizza's on Monday and Tuesdays!

Keste

271 Bleeker Street

New York, NY 10014

http://kestepizzeria.com/

Dominos: Not as Gross as I Thought

Dominos. Sadly the only option around PA at times. Their pizza's are pretty  sad so I decided to try something new. Something carbo-licious. The Bread Pasta Bowl....

Custom Made Bread Pasta Bowl

I got this made with penne, marinara sauce, feta cheese, spinach, chicken, and mushrooms.The pasta was al dente, but as you can see, all of the veggies are under cooked. Like eating a salad with pasta thrown on top (or is it the other way around?) The chicken was very overcooked and rubbery and I almost choked on it because it was so freaking dry. The only good part? The bread! seasoned with spices, herbs and lots-o-garlic powder. Mmm-mmm.

Price: $8.00

Verdict: Don't try to make this healthy AND delicious like I attempted, just go for the fattest version ( the Alfredo one) and hope that all the cheese will drown out this soulless meal. Or, just get their wings, because I am always satisfied with those.

Dominos

Infesting you neighborhood and everywhere

John's of Bleeker Street: Meh....at Least You Can Profess Your Love

  

John's of Bleeker, the last stop at Scott's Pizza Tour that I attended last year. Being so stuffed from eating all the pizza before I got a chance to eat this one, I forgot what this pizza tasted like. So what is a girl to do? Go back to get some more of course!

 Kind of stuffy inside, not enough windows and random flies attacking everywhere!

 I went with Buddy,  when I went to the bathroom, I came back to find this new "art" on the table...(insert "AWWWW" here)

 We decided to get a 16 inch half a plain and half a white.. are you drooling now? Well you should!

 Plain

This was a sturdy slice, not too thin, not too thick, the bottom had a great crispy crunch to it. The sauce was slightly sweet and a little too much on the light side. It was "the standard" slice. It actually tasted better once it got cool and after a nice drizzle of garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.

White Pizza

Again, the standard white pizza, it would have been nice to see a couple of dollops of ricotta cheese and basil, but after the shower of garlic and more pepper flakes, it was a-okay. 

The upskirt

Price: $15.00

Verdict: Would I go traveling over half an hour for this pizza? Hell no. Did it satisfy the craving for pizza? Yep. The service was a bit rocky however, I had to stalk a waiter down in order to get service, though it wasn't even busy. Joe's or John's, the West Village is full of good places to eat!

John's of Bleeker Street

278 Bleeker St

New York, NY 10014

http://www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/

Adrienne's Pizza Bar: There is Potential Here

So it's a little embarrassing to admit that I have only been to the Financial District once in my time living in New York (and it was only to shop at Century 21....the biggest headache disguised as a department store ever... but thats another story) Anyway, I decided to visit Adrienne's Pizza Bar with the intention of finally visiting South Street Seaport afterwards.

The little alley way to the restaurant...this reminds me of Italy's little hidden streets...*sigh*

I met up with Melissa, and both opted for the indoor seating since it was so hot out. Clearly others didn't feel the same

Complimentary Bread

I don't know if it was the fact that I was very hungry, or if they put magic in this bread, but it was ADDICTING. It came piping hot, utterly soft and fluffy. It came with olive oil and vinegar ( no that is not a olive).

Price: Free

Pizza Toscana

This was a 10 inch white pizza with prosciutto, potato, scallions, and basil.  The slice was sturdy enough that you didn't have to fold it in half to eat. The components sadly,  weren't cooked correctly. Let's start with the potato: first of all it was cold (??) and to top it off it was unnecessarily oily. The proscuitto was over cooked, I felt like I was eating bacon. They should have put it on top after the the pie came out of the oven so it could keep its buttery soft texture. The scallions and basil were lovely, I wouldn't have minded if they made a pizza with just scallions!  Overall, the pizza was satisfying, but nothing to have an orgasm over.

Price: $16.00

Lobster Ravioli

This was came with 5 pieces and topped with tomato basil sauce. Holy shit... do you see the giant chunk of lobster meat on my ravioli?! There were at least 3 pieces this big (score!) The center was also stuffed with bits of lobster meat and ricotta cheese. The sauce was light, fresh and delicious. The only gripe I have was that they didn't offer freshly grated Parmesan cheese to top it off : ( 

Price: $18.00

Verdict: This place was pretty good, fast service and in a nice area, however I wouldn't go out of your way to eat here. It's just a nice option in the touristy area of South Street Seaport.

Adrienne's Pizza Bar

54 Stone Street
New York, NY 10004-2617

www.adriennespizzabar.com

Brunch: The Co. mpany of Friends and Burnt Pizza

A couple of weeks ago, Melissa, Nikoma, and I met up of a Saturday brunch at Co. Pizza as breakfast ... what could be better?? ( I also want to apologize in advance for th iphone pictures, I didn't have the camera with me that day..)

Sleek modern atmosphere

Rosa

Since Nikoma is a vegan, he ordered one of the only things on the entire menu with no cheese or meat. This was made with crushed tomato, oregano, chili, garlic and a healthy drizzle of olive oil. The crust came out more burnt than I would have liked, and it almost ruined the taste of the pie. Other than that, it was also quite spicy! A nice alternative to coffee if you are trying to wake up. This was also a hardier pie, I could fold a slice in half without it flopping all around like melting jello. The tomatoes were the stars of the show and had the kind of fragrance that transferred the smell straight onto your palette. A nice tasty appetizer, would I order it again? Perhaps if I wanted lighter fare on a super hot day.

Price: $9.00

Margherita

Once again, the crust was charred more then I would have liked. I also wished they would have added the basil on after taking it out of the oven, for the basil took the same fate as the crust. I did enjoy that the mozzarella seemed to meld into the tomato sauce instead of sliding around as if it were on ice skates like other Neapolitan pizza restaurants.

Price: $13.00

Popeye

Basically a salad on top of a pizza. In a good way. I love spinach, obviously for those of you who dislike spinach, don't get this pie. The spinach leaves were not those wimpy baby craps you find in most salads, but actually full fledged adult spinach greens. Underneath revealed pecorino, gruyère, mozzarella, with black pepper, and garlic. Though to be honest, I couldn't really taste the other flavors without having to eat most of the spinach before taking a bite of the actual pizza. This was my favorite pie out of the three. 

Price: $17.00

Verdict: Well, after thinking it over, this place is definitely the priciest out of all the Neapolitan style pizza places I have been...($17.00 for a 10 inch pie with spinach?!?! )The crusts, and dough were also the least impressive,they had a tough texture without much flavor on their own.  I would not recommend this place for visitors or tourists.... but it was a nice experience with friends while I was there.

Co.

230 9th Avenue

New York, NY 10001

www.co-pane.com

Dinner: Dock Street Pub

One of the great things about dating a guy in a band, is that you sometimes get to go to new places you would normally not think twice about. Dock Street Pub is a microbrewery and pizza restaurant located in the out skirts of Philadelphia. We always come here whenever Buddy's band ( the National Rifle) plays a show at the Danger Danger Gallery (a DIY music and art venue). I love it when they play there because I will always be guaranteed a night of great food, and an even greater, wild show. Before they had to play, the whole band including some friends went to grab some drinks and food at the pub.

Ample seating outside, but unsurprising, all the tables were taken because of the beautiful weather we have been having

The list of microbrews on tap 

The Royal Bohemian 

The name came from the way they brewed the beer, traditionally as a pilsner in the style from Bohemia. This had a nutty, light and refreshing taste. Flavorful enough for beer snobs, but still drinkable for people who like brews on the "lighter" side.

Price: $4.50

The Bubbly Wit

This was aged in an apple wood barrel for 4 months. It was extra dry, and had a faint after taste of apple cider. I had to pace myself, and sip slowly since it was 8% alcohol by volume!

Price: $4.50

    Caprese Salad

My friend Kim ordered this one and added artichokes to her salad. I had a taste, and it was so refreshing! Everything from the basil, to the mozzarella, to the tomatos were so fresh. The tomatoes and basil leaves looked like they were on steroids! The only thing I wished for was a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette to give it the extra kick.

Price: $7.95

Apple Smoked Ham Calzone

This was filled with ricotta, mozzeralla cheese and wrapped in pizza dough. I didn't have any, but it looked amazingly delicous!

Price: $8.25

The Margherita

These pizzas are a little different then the Neapolitan style I am used to in New York. Instead of the classic tomato sauce, they used the whole peeled and canned tomato chunks. They were also more generous with the sprinkling of basil and mozzarella (which I very much loved) . The dough itself was on the thick side, but with a skinnier crust, and was chewy and hardy. Though it was a hardwood fired oven, there was minimial char, but cooked threw and threw. I really enjoyed this pie, it was a "meater" version of the delicate margherita. The tomatoes were delicous, soft, and juicy without making the rest of the pie watery. Overall I would recommend to traditional pizza lovers.

Price: $7.95

The Brie 

I apologize now for the messy still shot, people are ANIMALS and I had to quick grab a slice before it was all gone! This was my favorite slice of the night, composed of sliced pears, toasted walnuts, brie, and rosemary. I loved the nuttiness that the walnuts gave, which complimented the sweet pear and creamy brie beautifully. They found a wonderful flavor balance in this pie.

Price: $8.95

The Fig Jam

This was made with fig jam, gorgonzola, applewood smoked bacon, and fresh rosemary. A stronger flavor than the brie, the bacon added a great smokey flavor that went well with the sweetness of the jam. Again, the flavors balanced each other out wonderfully.

Price: $8.75

The Underskirt- See? What did I tell you.. minimal char!

Clockwise: Buddy (drummer), Me, Kim, Hugh (guitarist/singer), Lynna (keyboards/singer), Geoff (photographer), Anthony, and Rob ( guitarist/singer of Born Pilot). 

We were full and ready for a night of fun!

Verdict: This is a really fun and spacious place to come with friends, and unsurprisingly, very packed on a Friday night. Though it is in the middle of nowhere Philadelphia, it is worth the drive. Overall I felt that while their dough and crust weren't the best, they make up for it in their superb ingredients, and beautiful flavor balances in their pies. I can't wait to come back!

Dock Street Pub

701 South 50th Street

West Philadelphia, PA 19143

Burning off those pizza calories later that night at the show!

*Photo by Geoff Hall www.facebook.com/geoffreyhall