Happy Birthday, Pepe’s

85 years ago during the third week of June, Frank Pepe, who had been working as a baker selling tomato pies from a cart at New Haven’s Wooster Street Market, opened Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana at 157 Wooster Street. To celebrate the anniversary, the family threw a party on the first day of summer at the original location, now known as The Spot, next door to today's Pepe's. A variety of pizzas were made for the occasion, including fresh tomato pie. Francis Rosselli, Pepe’s grandson, pictured at the lower right, pointed out that the coal-fired oven in which these pizzas were made is the one Frank Pepe started with 85 years ago. (Francis, by the way, took the picture of the burning coals, bravely risking lens-melt!)

Louis’ Lunch Wins First Place in Chowdown Countdown

Travel Channel just aired an intriguing series entitled 101 Tastiest Places to Chowdown, which counted down the finest Roadfood spots (reviewed and unreviewed) around the country. Not surprisingly, 14 of the Top 20 places have previously been reviewed by Roadfood, including Buffalo’s Anchor Bar, Boston’s Durgin-Park, and Kansas City’s Arthur Bryant’s, among others. But the humble Louis’ Lunch in New Haven won the coveted top spot as the birthplace of the hamburger, and we took this opportunity to revisit one of our favorite Elm City haunts for lunch. The place was packed with a large group of Chinese students on an Explorica tour of the city. While waiting for our “cheese works” (that’s a burger with Cheese Whiz, sliced tomato, and grilled onions on white toast), a grandfather and grandson plopped down next to us. “I’m 93 years old,” the old-timer explained, while his grandson recalled not too long ago when the burgers were $2.50 (now $5). The pattie was smaller than on previous visits, but it was incredibly juicy, down to the last morsel. T-shirts with the infamous “No Ketchup” logo are also available.

Mini cheeseburgers in VA and NJ

On my return trip from the Carolinas, I stopped in Winchester, Virginia to sample the mini cheeseburgers from Snow White Grill at 159 North Loudoun Street downtown. Meeting a short line of people just inside the door, I quickly realized that this small burger stand is the mirror image of New Haven’s Yankee Doodle (R.I.P.), with just enough room inside for eleven counter stools. I watched, salivating, as the cook gently crowned each burger on the griddle with its top bun, steaming the bread as it soaked up the meat’s juices. Grilled onions and cool pickles completed the sliders (above), which promptly disappeared after a few bites. Admittedly, my newfound mini burger obsession was fueled by a long lunch with the Roadfood.com Team a week before in New Jersey, and between hot dog shops was a trip to the famous White Manna in Hackensack. I shared a plate of mini cheeseburgers with grilled onions on potato buns (below), which were much more filling as compared to the white-bread buns from Snow White. Both restaurants demand return visits for further research!

A Little More on Yonkers Pepe’s

We’ve been following the news of Pepe’s Pizzeria’s (Roadfood.com review of the original store in New Haven, CT; photo above of a white clam pizza) planned expansion into New York next year.  Last we heard, they were opening a branch in Yonkers in spring 2009.  We now have the address: 1955 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers NY.  The timeline: spring or early summer next year.  We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

Summertime’s Final Chapter: New Haven Apizza

As New England struggles to hang onto the last vestiges of summer, it’s time to wrap up the Summertime Eats in CT series with an answer to a question from Roadfooder extraordinaire Bruce Bilmes. He asked me earlier this summer what my ranking was of New Haven’s Big Three apizza. I didn’t give him an absolute answer at the time because I felt that I should revisit each one and decide anew. I based my opinions on three criteria: (1) wait time, both for seating and for the food order; (2) quality of the apizza; and (3) the service experience.

1^st place: Modern (wait, 5; food, 5; service, 5)

2^nd place: Frank Pepe’s (wait, 4; food, 5; service, 4)

3^rd place: Sally’s (wait, 3; food, 4; service, 4)

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Summertime Eats in CT, Chapter 28

Since Connecticut is considered the “buckle” in the Northeast's Pizza Belt, truly great pies are never too far away. Home to Eastern Connecticut State University, the town of Willimantic caters as much to its student population as it does to its year-round residents. Formerly the Plum Tomato, Fred's Brick Oven Cafe not only has spectacular wood-fired pizza, but they also offer oven-baked sandwiches. Popular choices include the Scottie Too Hottie (Buffalo chicken, tomato, onion, spinach, and gorgonzola), the Sweet Dibble (battered eggplant, homemade pesto, onion, red sauce, roasted garlic, and provolone), and many others, all available on their own freshly baked Fred Bread. Pizza is the spotlight, though, and a close-up of this beauty (above) reveals a fantastic combination of meatballs, hot cherry peppers, and caramelized onions. Notice the edge crust that's been charred by the burning logs in the heart of the brick oven, reminiscent of the coal-fired ovens of New Haven. To top it off, Fred's offers the full selection of Hosmer Mountain sodas, bottled in town for generations.

Summertime Eats in CT, Chapter 25

Sushi is always a treat, though we tend to crave it more during the warmer months. New Haven certainly has its share of high-end sushi bars, such as Miya's on Howe St., Miso on Orange St., and Kudeta on Temple St. But the unassuming Sushi Palace at 1473 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden offers excellent all-you-can-eat sushi. Fill out the checklist at your table with any combination of sushi, sashimi, maki, or special hand rolls, prepared lightning-quick from one of four sushi chefs behind the bar. You can also order appetizers, soups, salads, teriyaki dishes, tempura, and dessert, and the choices are vast. Amy & I started with seaweed salad, gyozas, and edamame before our mammoth sushi entrée arrived. We reveled over the yellowtail, spicy tuna, BBQ eel, tempura shrimp roll, tobiko, and salmon—all of this for $15.95/person. What an incredible deal for a fraction of the bill from any fancy Elm City sushi bar! We agree with Sushi Palace's sole motto: “Order all you want, but eat all you order.”

Summertime Eats in CT, Chapter 23

With three very successful Thali Indian restaurants operating in New Haven, Ridgefield, and New Canaan, head chef Prasad Chirnomula decided to branch out for something new: he opened a second store in the Elm City, next to the Yale Bookstore at 65 Broadway. There's one twist: Thali Too is completely vegetarian. Catering to students with quick, filling meals for under $10, Chirnomula has created Yale's newest hotspot. On a breezy summer evening, I tagged along with a group of friends and enjoyed a smorgasbord of aromatic dishes, cool lassis, and eye-popping presentations that belied their low prices. Merely ordering an appetizer was an education in a type of Indian cuisine not available in most Indian restaurants stateside. We began by sharing chat (Bombay and Delhi street vendor-style snacks), in particular the Raj Katchori Sumak (pictured above: crisp wheat and semolina puff, filled with pomegranate and covered with sweet yogurt and purple onions). Chef Prasad told me later that this dish is a specialty of Rajasthan and that Thali Too may be the only restaurant serving this dish on this side of the globe! More...

Summertime Eats in CT, Chapter 22

No visit to Wooster Street—New Haven’s Little Italy district—is complete without dessert from Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop at 139 Wooster. Patrons of Frank Pepe’s and Sally’s usually wander down the street to get in yet another line: the queue for Libby’s Italian ice. A dozen flavors are available, and the purists stick with traditional lemon ice. On my first visit of the summer, the lemon was divinely tart, deftly sweet, and refreshingly light, but I wanted to branch out on my next trip with another fruit flavor. After a dinner of Pepe’s apizza, I chose watermelon (above left) while my friend Molly picked raspberry, both small sizes in a paper squeeze cup. The ice melted like snow on our tongues, smacking of fresh fruit that only summer can produce. But frozen confections are only half of Libby’s, as the shop is filled with Italian cookies, Florentine lace, lobster-tails, tiramisu, and these chocolate-dipped cannolis (below), the shells of which still remained crunchy under the weight of their mascarpone filling.

Summertime Eats in CT, Chapter 21

Just a few years ago, New Haven had no noodle houses, and now there are three downtown, all no more than a block from Yale. Nestled atop the space that once housed Yalie’s Pizza, York St. Noodle House at 166 York Street sits above all competitors in the Elm City. Five dollars gets you a steaming bowl of noodle soup that will keep your hunger satisfied all day. Renée, Adam, and I arrived just before noon to a virtually empty dining room, and thirty minutes later, there was a line snaking out the door. Adam & I ordered the Vegetable Dumpling Noodle Soup ($5.00), which was served in a large bowl with a hole and a groove for holding chopsticks. Each bowl featured three plump veggie dumplings floating in a clear broth with sprouts, thin rice noodles, cabbage, and green onions. Renée chose Wok Noodles with chicken ($5.50), stir-fried with broccoli, kale, and cabbage. York St. Noodle House also has an extensive bubble tea list, so I picked a Green Apple Bubble Tea smoothie ($2.75), which was wonderfully slushy, refreshingly tart, and chock full of black tapioca beads at the bottom of the glass. It’s no wonder that I often walk past customers sipping these drinks on the streetside patio in the afternoons. York St. Noodle House has rib-sticking and inexpensive food, fast service, and seemingly all the business that they can handle. More...