If you ever have the chance to go to Italy, take it. While you are there, order a pizza margherita. A whole pizza just for yourself. Sit outside the restaurant and cut the hot, bubbly pizza into four big slices. Pick up a slice and fold the thin crust over on itself to take a bite. The simplicity of the marinara sauce on the paper thin crust lightly covered in cheese and a single basil leaf is overwhelming delicious. No fancy spices, four cheese combinations or stuffed crust are necessary. Natural, fresh ingredients prepared only moments before eaten. I am not kidding when I say my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.
Maybe I'm crazy, but Rome ruined me. Rome ruined my ability to look at pizza the same. It's hard for me to eat a processed, greasy, delivery pizza without thinking about every bite of the perfect pizza I had in Italy.
So you all hate me now, I get it. I made you jealous (but also gave you an incentive to get your self to Italy, pronto).
Good news is, I have some places for you to enjoy fantastic pizza here in Cleveland. While I still can't say we've mastered the art, a few restaurants have stolen a little piece of my pizza heart.
Dewey's Pizza is part of an Ohio restaurant chain serving with a focus on highlighting each unique location. I visited the Dewey's in the Cedar Lee District. This is a good choice for a thin sliced pizza with fun toppings. The website is worth checking out, you can learn a little bit more about the creation of Dewey's and the menu.
I have had my eye on this Cedar Fairmont restaurant for a few months and finally got to try it out Valentine's Day. Vero Bistro's concept is thin crust pizza cooked for 90 seconds in a 900 degree wood-fired oven. Quality ingredients and handmade dough make for some delicious pizza. I ordered the pancetta pizza and Chris opted for the diavola.
Closely tied with Vero Bistro is Bar Cento. In the warmer months, I love sitting outside. Every restaurant/bar opens their patio and W 25th comes alive.
So far, I've tried the Apple & Proscuitto, Margherita, Marinara, Sunny Side, and Pork Nduja. With locally sourced ingredients and unique combinations of flavors, this pizza is hard to beat. Oh and I know this is a carb loading kind of meal, but the Pommes Frites should not be missed. Honestly the best french fries I have ever had served with four different dipping sauces. OH. MY. GOSH. so good.
Make sure to check out the Happy Hour specials at Bar Cento for those days when the wallet is hurting (aka my entire college career)
 |
| Disclaimer: I did not eat all four of these pizzas at once, although I would like to. |
On the topic of wallets, I am hoping to have a Happy Hour Special post of my own in the next few weeks.
*The post title is a shout-out to my favorite childhood computer game: Zoombinis. If you don't know it, you are definitely missing out on a 90's classic (I feel sorry for you). With a name like Zoombinis: A Logical Journey, what's not to love.
No comments:
Post a Comment