Tale of the Pie: Vinnie's Pizza

A lot of people think that running a pizza blog is all glory because it means that you get to eat pizza all the time. And true, it is nice. This being said, there is a great deal of curse that comes along with that blessing.

For instance, trying new pies is a bit overrated. Don't you think I would rather just go to the incredibly reliable Charlie's Pizzeria every time I want pizza. I'd get delicious and abundant sauce! Melty, fresh cheese! A thick, foldable, ideally textured crust. Spicy, tangy pepperoni! It would be great! But no, the object of this blog is to search for the "perfect pie." That means, we can't just go to Charlie's every time. If there is something better out there, we want to find it. The quest has brought us many culinary rewards. And it has brought us many disappointments.

That brings me to Vinnie's Pizza in Oaks. We saw it one day when we were driving down into Phoenixville. Seemed like a place we should try. Situated in a slightly isolated spot on Egypt Road, it had a very nice little outdoor eating area. While we were not able to take advantage of that on this cold early spring evening, we were able to find a seat in their somewhat small dining area with tables bedecked with homey plastic picnic-style table clothes.

Looking Back at 2011: The Ten Best Pizzas We Ate

10. Paradise Pizza
This place might want to think about delivering. If they did, I'm sure we would be eating it a lot more often than we do.

9. Tacconelli's Pizzeria
These guys make a terrific pie for sure. But it is simply impossible to avoid knocking off points for their pretentious "reserve your dough" bullshizz and service that often acts like they are doing you a favor by taking your order.

8. Perrotto's Pizza
We only ordered this pie so we could write jokes about how they share a space with The Valley Forge Beef & Ale, a sort of last bastion for reprobates that still allows smoking within its walls. We expected the pizza to taste like a carton of Marlboro's, in other words. It is actually legit. Just walk in the back entrance if you don't want to smell like a smoke stack on the way out.

7. Mack & Manco Pizza Too
The Jersey Shore (region, not show) staple knows a good sauce-to-mozzarella ratio when they see it. The fact that you can down a slice under the summer sun while listening to the seagulls squawk? That helps too. Providing the birds don't organize a sudden divebomb in search of nourishment.

6. Marzano's Pizza and Steaks
How good was this pizza? We drove out to Exton only to realize that the place had no seats. No matter. We sat at a counter and ate the whole pie with a toddler balancing tenuously in our laps. Well worth it.

5. Olce Pizza Grille
We braved a thunderstorm to head out to this Skippack spot that's nestled into an area that looks like a collection of country stores. The pizza was flavorful, foldable, and expertly prepared. Served by one of the friendliest waitresses in the history of the food service industry.

4. Mack's Pizza
To think: We were blowing out of Wildwood after a wonderful family vacation when we decided on a lark to delay our departure and grab a pie at this Boardwalk standout. Always a wonderful idea. The slices were huge, greasy, saucy, and oozing with cheese. Everything you want in a Jersey shore slice.

3. Pepperoncini Restaurant & Bar
On a rare date night, the wife and I decided to go to this place in Conshohocken. We only went because we had some sort of coupon. Being that it was slightly fancy inside, I didn't even know they served pizza. They did. We bought it. And didn't regret the choice.

2. Rubirosa
An absolutely splendid version of New York pizza! Second-best sauce I had all year. Tomatoes tasted like they were just plucked off the vine. Thing was so good Saucy Jr. sat still for longer than he has in the last six months. That is about three minutes and 22 seconds, but still.

1. Charlie's Pizzeria
This place does not look like it is going to make you the best pizza you will taste all year. It's hot as hell in there. Ambience is equivalent to your average truck stop bathroom. There are fridges lining the walls and most of the space is taken up with Miller Lite, Coors Light, MGD 40s, Budweiser, etc. One would think a place selling beer for people with no taste would offer up a pie with the same qualities. Um...no. This pie was astounding. A tremendous tomato sauce is applied in abundant amounts whether you are ordering the red-top or the conventional. The cheese tastes spectacular with just the right amount of ooze. A complexly textured crust serves as the perfect base. If you should choose to get a topping (and you should), the pepperoni is spicy and distinct, supplying the customer with a taste that contrasts wonderfully with the other main ingredients. Let's be honest: The folks behind the counter? Yeah, they look like some serious characters. But when it comes to making pizza, they might as well be celebrity chefs.
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The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

Tale of the Pie: Bravo Pizza

I'm starting to worry about the people who ran Philadelphia Magazine's pizza issue.

After a terrific recommendation in East Norriton's Charlie's Pizzeria, the magazine has now pointed us in the direction of two straight duds. If you haven't read our review of Franzone's in Bridgeport, catch it here. As for Bravo Pizza of Paoli, we tried it out on Friday. It was the essence of average. Maybe even a little less than.

I should have known we were in trouble from the start. I never had that moment when you are like, "Wow, this smells incredible." As I think about it, I never even registered a scent. The only thing I could concentrate on was how their big screen was showing some CNN story about the Tea Party at a loud volume when there was a Phillies game playing at the same time. F*c kis up with that? Was I about to order pizza from a Michele Bachman-voting looney tune? However, not wanting to judge them on their viewing habits, we ordered pizza anyway. We got a large plain pizza and a medium Chicken Parmesan pie for four people and a baby.

Tale of the Pie: Charlie's Pizzeria

As mentioned in our post on Philly Mag's Best Pizza issue, we're visiting all of the local spots recommended in the article. First up was Charlie's Pizzeria in East Norriton.

Because it's about 15 minutes from our house, we planned on eating in, so the pie didn't get cold during the ride home. But before we even got in the door, we thought we might be changing those plans. There are a few tables in the back, but it didn't seem like the spot for a nice Friday night out with our 18-month-old. Plus, once I did get inside, I realized that the temperature was hot enough that they could have been cooking the pizzas right on the counter.