The Ketchup Theory

Hey guys sorry I've been missing for a while. A lot of exciting things happening.

First and foremost, I like to thank everyone for viewing this blog, I will be in the process of doing re-reviews of these places and being more up to date (also with a new website). I will also cover ground on the Staten Island pizza scene by being a contributor of the slice.seriouseats.com blog. Staten Island pizza is scarce on there.

Also I am starting production of my documentary The Ketchup Theory. It's about three pizza makers in the city and what they believe about the recent food laws being passed. Also with hypotheticals such as what would happen if pizza was banned in NYC. I like to thank Scott from Scott Pizza Tours for helping me out by shooting his tour and the Slice Out Hunger event.

The new website will launch middle of October and it will have a small trailer for my film, as well as new entries so keep a lookout for that. Also E-MAIL ME tell me which places to go to and what you though of it.

mike.lopezrodriguez@gmail.com

keep on reading! thanks!

Bario's Pizza- New Springville, Staten Island

Due to the closing of SoHo Pizza Factory a few months ago there have been no solution for great pizza in this area in Staten Island. Gino's VilleMonte, Mr Pizza Pasta House and D'Oro all make pretty subpar pizza. If you want great pizza you'll have to go as far as Forest Ave and South Ave.

Bario's is in the $1 slice craze. While it's not the best dollar spent, it is a value among the other spots on the island. You can get a sicilian, Grandma and Regular slice for a dollar +tax. So I guess it's not truly $1 pizza but $1.10. However, if you get an individual it's a womping $7. Now I am not complaining. I get pizza fresh, but that is not a good slice, price ratio.

I think they should slow down on making the house pies because they have that old crusty look to it before you order it. I am a fan of Fresh Pizza, along with any enthusiast out there, so when I don't see a fresh pie I either walk out or order an individual. I feel like if I order a slice I won't be able to properly review it. So I ordered a personal pie with an extra cup of sauce.

The pizza was a bit of a step forward, considering I don't go here to often. The times I do I get sick from the pizza being undercooked. This time the pizza had a nice crisp to it, but there was something missing.

The pizza itself has no flavor to it, to is very bland and it doesn't give that extra kick of flavor. I solutioned it with black pepper to make it stand out a bit. Also there is NOT ENOUGH SAUCE. The cheese was overpowering the pie and it made me feel like I was eating cheesy bread. With the sauce and pepper added  it made a pretty tolerable pie! My stomach didn't hate me, which it usually does when I come here, and I had a decent experience.

If you're looking for dollar pizza in Staten Island this is the spot. It has an option to get individual pies which where you can't find anywhere else to properly taste it. While there overall score is a six in my book I come here when I either crave it (on a rare occasion) or if I want a fresher fix of pizza.

My List

Here is my list of my top places to go to in NYC.

This will be a top 50 list and will be updated whenever new places wow me, I will give you the first 20

1. Di Faras Pizza- Midwood
2. Pizzeria Giove
3. Angela's Pizza
4. Forcella
5. Don Antonio
6. Artichoke Basille
7. Giovanni's Trattoria
8. Kestè
9. Rizzo's Fine Pizza
10. Pizzarte
11. Donatella
12. L&B Spumoni Gardens
13. Nonna's Pizza
14. Kingdom Cafe
15. Lombardi's
16. Patsy's
17. Grimaldi's
18. Denino's
19. Pizza Box
20. Pizza by Cer'tè

This is my list of the places That are currently in the listing of my top spots. There are honorable mentions that I will be adding. 900 Degrees was once on this list as number 9 (R.I.P)

Angela's Pizza- Woodhaven, Queens

This is where it all began. I was eight years old. Innocent. Oblivious. I stumbled upon this place with my dad after moving into the area. I was greeted by Tony, one of the brothers who made the pizza that will be known to be THE FIRST REAL PIZZA I EVER HAD. Now don't get me wrong, I had "pizza" before, and if by pizza you mean cheese off of pizza and just have bread and sauce (Whoever knew that will actually be the Marinara slice that I hate so much).

Well I didn't automatically start eating a slice with cheese, I was testing out the boundaries, tasting whatever mix it had. As a child I didn't know, I was blind, tasteless.

This will read more like a story than a blog entry, because face it, THIS FAMILY STARTED IT ALL.

I was about nine when I ate my first slice with cheese. Back then I didn't know. After that day I knew the difference that there is a thing called good pizza and bad pizza. Good pizza is what Angela's was. Nice doughy texture with homemade sauce and shredded mozzarella.

Years pass as I came here EVERY SINGLE DAY. Tony knew me as the kid with the poofy hair. I would come there when it rained, before it closed, as soon as they opened, whenever I craved a slice. Fast forward a few years later and tragedy struck. Mama Angela passed away, they were closed for a bit to mourn.

After reopening and remodeling Joe started making the pies. Same great flavor as ever before. I seen him on my last visit double baking the pies (that is making the pie with minimum cheese and sauce and after baked for a bit inserts it again).

I told him he started it all, his family created a monster. He was very happy to hear I still come here (at least during the holidays) from staten island and eat his food. 12 years and it's still outstanding. This is what I love about family businesses.

This is number three on my list of all time favorite pizzas. Only my second spot where the pizza men knew me by name. This is the fixture of my childhood what I came to love. What made me do what I do. I love doing it. I love eating pizza. This is Passion. It's not some addiction you can laugh at and say don't you eat anything else? I will forever be in debt to this family.

Forcella- Lower East Side, New York City

"La Pizza Napoletana non ha inventori non ha padri ne padroni, ma è il frutto del genio del popolo napoletano"

This quote is from Antonia Pace the president of the AVPN.
This became instantly my favorite quote because it relates to all of pizza. In english the translation is.

"The Neapolitan Pizza has no inventors, no fathers, neither any owner, but it is the result of the geniality of Napoli's People"
Genuine this place is.

The head pizza man Giulio Adriani is the creator of fried pizza in NYC. He won 4 world champions and is the head instructor of the VPN. Giulio's pizza is very unique and has two kinds. One is the regular pizza that goes straight into the oven and the other is the pizza fritte, where he dips the dough in sunflower oil and then he lightly bakes it.

He has three locations in NYC. One in Williamsburg and two in the Lower East Side. The third one is a new installation called La Montanara which only specializes in fried pizza.

I ordered three things: Pizzele Di Nonna, Margherita Extra and La Montanara.

The Pizzele Di Nonna was pretty amazing. After being disappointed they didn't have the Mozzarella En Corozza anymore I ordered this.It's deep fried pizza with sauce and parmesan cheese on it. Think of a Zeppole sprinkled with sauce instead of sugar. It packs a flavor in your mouth and what's come to see when you look at fried pizza







This is the Margherita Extra. It has both Buffalo and Fresh Mozzarella. You can really taste the distinction between the two cheeses and it melted in my mouth. The San Marzano sauce gives it that extra zing and what I come to love in Neapolitan Pies. This instantly became my favorite pie on the menu.

I kinda dug in too early and forgot to snap the La Montanara. The dough was deep fried then baked. It has fresh mozzarella and San Marzano sauce.

Overall the food was outstanding. Had a little trouble in understanding the waiter when I wanted the tap water not the bottled. I had the opportunity to talk to Giulio and praised him on his work with the three places. This will be a fixture in one of my favorite spots and will be number 4 on my all-time favorites list!

Monster Pizza- Closure

I am very happy to announce that Monster Pizza has finally closed. I took the pleasure to post my older entries so you can get a feel of what I am talking about. Monster Pizza was in a parody in my script that I'm writing, as well as some other skits.

It went downhill from what I heard when the people who ran the place were very rude. The family that stuck around were very intimidating.

I am very obnoxious when it comes to my pizza. It needs to be a certain why that Monster Pizza NEVER had. If anyone who knows me personally will see if I am a regular at a place I will be very loyal, however the bad places WILL be bashed and shit talked.

What made Monster Pizza bad was their sauce. Their sauce like I have explained on the older entry tasted like Preggo and Ketchup mixed.

Why settle for Monster Pizza when you can have

THE PIZZA BOX
KESTE
LA ROMA
DONATELLA'S
JOHN'S ORIGINAL
LOMBARDI'S
FORCELLA

Who are also within that general area.

Here are some other pictures of my happy findings.

Rossopomodoro (Eataly)- Flat Iron District, New York City

(This was an older post from my tumblr)

After my little mishap with Monster Pizza I was in much need of some good pizza. After finding out that Donnatella’s was closed, I ventured deeper into 23rd street to Eataly. Eataly’s masterminds are no other than Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Oscar Farinetti.

After a 15 minute wait (originally told 30-45 minutes but received bar seats) I was well underway to get my beautiful Neapolitan pie that I have been craving all morning. Now let me tell you this…they have a wood-burning brick oven that is designed to have heat travel a great distance inside the oven to perfectly char the pies and have that rich doughy charred flavor.

I have always loved Neapolitan pies because most use San Marzano tomatoes in their sauce to get the it nice and sweet and have that light texture. They also use Buffalo Mozzarella to have that nice creamy cheese melt in your mouth.

Neapolitan pies are all about the sweet. With having sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil and either using Fresh Mozzarella or Buffalo it achieves that flavor. Rossopomodoro has no contest in making the finest pies because everything is imported from Italy. That’s what makes it so great.

Overall this is the perfect spot for a starter in Neapolitan pies. At $15 a pie you cannot go wrong. I highly suggest you go with a small group because like all restaurants it can result in a longer wait for your party. 

Monster Pizza- West Village, New York City

(This entry is an older entry from my tumblr)

So over the weekend I had tried quite a few places. Originally on the 4th I was going to have my very first slice of The Pizza Box after review of how their slices looked when i walked in. Their pies were a little big for me so I walked a block to Monster Pizza.

Now Monster Pizza was a lil tricky to take a look at. I depended on their wood-burning oven to give me good results of their pies. Their pies are thin and flakey and was okay on the sauce to cheese ratio. However, all I had was disappointment…

For starters though, here’s the good…
1. They have a pretty good inch/price ratio for $9 a pie you get a 9 inch pizza which isn’t bad to feed one person

2. Their cheese wasn’t bad at all, they use fresh mozzarella for all their pies.

Now here’s when the fun kicks in…The sauce tastes like something you’ll find equivalent to ketchup and preggo sauce (mixed). It was very bitter and lacked the sweetness you’ll find in your standard pizza sauce. After about six slices i got sick of it and couldn’t eat it anymore. The sauce was too scattered around all over the place and there was even a section where there wasn’t any sauce at all (which was the better slice). It lacked the flavor i had expected ever at a place with a wood-burning brick oven. Each slice was very inconsistent and I found it equivalent to the mockery at Nonna’s restaurant in Little Italy (not to be confused with the fantastic pies in Staten island). I was very disappointed and I kinda wanted my money back (wish I didn’t eat most of it). Normally I never leave leftovers.

By The Way: I got food poisoning after eating this junk. My stomach was hurting directly after this crap and I had to run to a better place to leave me fulfilled for the fireworks display on the West Side.

Giovanni's Trattoria- Eltingville, Staten Island

(This was an older entry on my tumblr)


This is by far one of my favorite spots on the Island. They make authentic wood-burning brick oven pizza that makes you want to have more and more. This place has a more of a restaurant feel so it’s a little awkward dining here alone, but nevertheless it makes one of the best pies on the island.

This place is actually known for their baby calzones which is made with mozzarella and sauce rather your standard ricotta or ham. The bread that they give you fresh on the table is actually made with the pizza dough with sea salt and olive oil (I get about two baskets, it’s wonderfully made). Also, their staff is always so nice and on point which makes a great atmosphere for any family.

Giovanni’s has an assortment of pies ranging from the standard Margarita pie to the Margarita alla Giovanni which is made with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto,  and arugula. In my order I got the 18 inch Margarita pie which is about $17. Their 18 inch isn’t the standard round pie, it’s called a Palam which is a more roman style pizza. Their pizza is truly amazing, the dough is perfectly charred with the right amount of mozzarella and sauce and basil. The sauce is very sweet and light and not overpowering. My biggest gripe of this however is it’s NOT ENOUGH PIZZA. Yes. I can go for more. I haven’t tackled their 29 inch yet but the pizza is too outstanding. 

Friday nights on a holiday season are usually the busiest, but once you have a bite of any of their food (calzones, pizza, pastas) you won’t ever regret it. Like I stated before it’s a little awkward coming here alone because it has a more of a restaurant feel rather than a more casual place but it’s worth it to bring a friend.

Goodfella's- Dongan Hills, Staten Island

(This was an older entry on my tumblr)

 I took the trip to Goodfellas on Hylan Blvd in Dongan Hills. It’s a nice small pizza place that prizes itself in its fair share of awards. Their pizzas were even part of the International Pizza Expo.

When I first came here (OH SO LONG AGO) I finally tried the Mozzarella en Corrozza and I fell in love with it ever since.

Goodfellas uses a Wood Burning Brick Oven to make their pies.

I could’ve sworn from the first time I came here I thought it was Neapolitan Pizza (with the nice bubbly crust and soft texture) but I guess my vision of it was so long ago.

I ordered the Mozzarella en Corrozza (as usual with any place that has that appetizer) and a Regular Pie, as well as a Smoking Goodfellas (for the sake of writing this review I will only write about the Regular Pie I had).

The Regular Pie is topped with Fresh Mozzarella, what I believe is Plum Tomato Sauce (please correct me if I’m wrong), Basil and Pecorino Romano Cheese.

Texture wise the pie was great, it was nice and charred and has that perfect taste that you would expect from a wood-burning oven (that is not Monster Pizza).

However, there was a little bit too much sauce for me for a pie that uses Fresh Mozzarella. I felt that the sauce over powered the pie for me that I actually took some of it off on my last slice.

The quality of everything else was perfect and the owner is super nice. Before we were served we went on to talk about cameras and his ambition to take pictures of a full garden of flowers.

Service was also amazing. Second on my list of a good spot is service. That means keep checking up on the party, making them feel at home, and serve everyone with a smile. Overall everything was perfect, I will have to revisit the pie with shredded mozzarella to see if distribution of the sauce was more even.

Pizzeria Giove- New Dorp, Staten Island

Now let me tell you about this relatively new place in New Dorp called Pizzeria Giove! They opened their doors on February 2011 and serve beautiful thin pies. I been a regular here since June and the Giove Brothers are nothing short of accommodating.

I been around long enough that they call me by first name after reviewing them under my Tumblr blog. They have a dual oven system where the first part is all wood burning and the bottom part is reminiscent to a gas oven. The main man, Giorgio Giove was featured on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" where he beat Bobby Flay with his Variopinta pie with Stracciatella, Pancetta, Zucchini and a garlic and herb infused cheese.

Pizzeria Giove has a nice atmosphere and televisions that for the most part playing the food network getting you hungry while you wait for their pies.

After having a conversation about pizza and different styles Giorgio hates coal oven places that made the bigger guys ("Lombardi's" and "Grimaldi's") so popular, as well as the puffy neapolitan pies such as "Pizzarte" and "Forcella". He does love one thing however, his regulars and competition.

I'm really big on calzones, I can say I love them. After seeing no calzones on Giove's menu I went crazy. I asked Giorgio why it's not on the menu, he simply said "Cheese doesn't melt well enough". I challenged him...I went to both Donatella's and Pizzarte to try their calzones, and little did I know, It melted in a wood burning oven! (Coal on the other hand was not!). I showed Giorgio the pictures and he caved in.

Now I will be talking about two items: The baked calzone and the Margherita.

We'll start with the calzone! The Calzone was beyond perfect. It had a nice charred taste that left me for wanting more. The Brothers just used Mozzarella and their San Marzano tomato sauce to give it that zing. Cheese was melted well enough (I guess not to Giorgio's standard) and the texture was nice. This got a solid 9 out of my scale. I am sad to say though IT IS NOT ON THE MENU.

The Margherita is one of my favorites on Staten Island. It has a thin crust along with fresh mozzarella, san marzano sauce and basil. Now please if you come here DO NOT GET THE PLAIN CHEESE PIE. If you want the plain cheese pie go to Brothers on Forest Ave. These guys are known for their specialty pies  and Margherita. The plain cheese pie was way to greasy and had a weird texture to it (but that's okay cause Giorgio DISLIKES making it and he advises his customers to get the Margherita.

And just for fun after discussing Forcella, Giorgio made a Pizze Frite!! Which is basically fried pizza! Not on the menu as well.










Now Pizzeria Giove is my number one spot on Staten Island and second on my overall list under Di Fara's. They have everything I look for in a local pizza spot, an amazing staff and beyond amazing food. Over the course from my first visit in June to now I seen this place get busier. I'm proud I am a regular here. Don't skimp out on the paninis and the specialty pies. Who knows about the calzone, if you request it he will maybe finally put it on the menu!!!

What do you know about pizza?

Hey guys! Mike here.

I ran a blog for about a year on a tumblr. I decided to broaden my audience more and create a blogger (not only that I forgot all the information posted on it). I also hope that this will be a more organized way in doing things by linking the places and their menu (something I couldn't do on tumblr). This will not only just chronicle pizza, but also films that I seen and camera equipment that I own (it will mostly be on pizza though).

I started getting into the pizza scene well into my very early childhood. There was a problem though and that is I TOOK THE CHEESE OUT OF MY SLICE. I don't know why I did it. I was a kid. Once I hit 12 and walked into Angela's Pizzeria on Fulton Street in Woodhaven, Queens I knew that habit wouldn't last long. The official launch of this blog will be April 1st, 2012. I will try my best to update twice every week (depending on how many visits I do).

A little about myself:
I am studying Film Production and Creative Writing in the College of Staten Island. I had my first real slice of pizza (with all toppings intact) when I was about 12 at Angela's Pizzeria. I am in the process of writing a script detailing my adventures in the pizza world. It will be done by May 2012. Principle photography won't happen until Winter 2012/Spring 2013 though.

I am based off the Staten Island area (so Staten Islanders you won't be forgotten when it comes to your pizza scene I promise).