Pizza Suggestions? - Greater Boston

Regional Dining Discussions Boston, New England
21

I’ll take up MC Slim JB’s anti-apostrophe flag…it is simply “Babbo.” :wink:

There was extensive chatter about Babbo on “that other site” but that was just before the changeover to the new site, thus the absence of much content about Babbo here. It’s a pain to cross-reference to the other site, but it’s impossible to dispute the rich history held in the archives over there. All the more reason to build up HO.

While I liked the pizza (last visit was last summer), there was way too much tip droop for my taste. B could overlook it. We want to go back in the near future, with a visit to the ICA with our 18-month spring onion so I’ll hopefully add a new data point soon. I wonder if they still have the pelaverga which prompted us to buy a case from Dave’s Fresh Pasta. Delicious stuff.

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I apologize for my apostrophe-fart. But, let us be honest, there are apostrophes everywhere these days! And I fell for it. Shame on me!

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23

back in the day, i worked at biba, which was routinely called biba’s and many customers ordered a “millah’s” for beer. (translation: miller.)

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They got another one in Newton now.

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Hoytoynoodle, don’t know how I missed this. Biba still looms large for me. I miss the red hand railing every time I hike the stairs at Bistro du Midi, and even the pickled wood (and slippery) floors. A dinner at Biba with a colleague from Oxford led to a foodie adventure - involving Montreal - that is still unfolding, 20 years later. Never did understand the provenance of the name - was it really “back in Boston again”?

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26

Attempted Stone L’Oven in Newton , one of a small chain, with outposts in Brewster and Canton.

Cute place with, maybe , five or six 4-tops, bar with, probably 6-8 seats , wood floors , etc.
You know the place.
This is where it gets odd.
The night we were there , mother with two children , table next, table of two parents and two pre-teen boys by the door. And my wife and I. 9 Total.
Four front of the house people, bartender and five in the kitchen.
You order at the register and they bring it to your table. I have seen competent waitresses handle a place this BY THEMSELVES. Not judging but staff outlay HAS to exceed intake for a weekday night.

After carefully explaining that we wanted a pizza here and one to go, later, along with two Italian subs to go , later. A request I have given several times at Fiorella’s in Newton , where they fire the pizza and make the sandwiches as you are wrapping up your dinner so it is hot as you leave. Never a problem.

Not five minutes later, another server, ( not the one who got our beers OR the one who took our order at the register arrives with two Italian subs completely awash in lettuce , and sets them down on the table.

" We need these to go later"

Confused look. I realize at this point they are firing both our pizzas and one will sit for the half an hour cooling and the subs in their clamshell containers, not even wrapped, with a half a pound of lettuce on each one, will slowly die.

Which it turns out is okay, because between the stingy meat distribution and the underdressed sandwich in general it would be difficult to make a weaker sandwich.

Pizza? The fig and Prosciutto, Fair. Too sweet and a touch underdone. The Buffalo Chicken, better but still underseasoned, but by the time we got to it had been cooked more than an hour before. The best pizza I saw was the plain that the mother and two children at the next table were consuming.

Pleasant place? Yes
Underwhelming? Absolutely

Max and Leo’s in Newton corner , not 10 minutes away, blows this pizza out of the water.
Not even close.

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27

was thinking of posting my recent Area Four visit to the “Usual Suspects” thread, but then I remembered that there was this pizza discussion that likely needs a bump. Went to Area Four in Kendall a couple of weeks back and it was great–for starters we got the charred greens which were delicious, and a really nicely made salad. I think sometimes that it’s undervalued just how hard it is to make a good salad, and this one was fantastic. For mains we got both a small margherita and a small mushroom and fontina, and both were really crispy and full of flavor. I know that uni’s original post here says they may be inconsistent and I have no reason to doubt that, but at least on the night that I went everything was spot on great.

Anything else new in the Boston pizza realm? I may go scouting tomorrow in the Everett/Malden/Chelsea area for a bakery lunch square, will report back if I find anything of value.

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28

Amen to that and I wonder why that is??

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I imagine that it’s probably just because it’s seemingly such a basic thing that involves no cooking, so it’s totally underappreciated just how much time and effort goes into a really good one.

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30

Damn tru dat.

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So far best pizza place in Boston for us. The new location is also nice and has a more relaxed feeling

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32

Max and Leo’s is the best I’ve had anywhere around here in many, many moons.

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33

this thread bump (thanks, @mirage! still need to try Max and Leo’s, my brother is a big fan) reminded me that I finally went to Ciao Pizza in Chelsea a couple weeks back, and never wrote about it. I’d rate it pretty highly, though I still think I like Area 4 better. Got a margherita and a funghi— former was fine, good thin crust and a sauce with some depth. The latter was better, though–I’m largely no fan of truffle oil (aka that fake stuff that has nothing to do with truffles) but it was unobtrusive here and the homemade ricotta and woodsy mushrooms tasted great.

People were super nice here, too. We got an OK salad and moved it over to the railing when the pizzas came given the small tables, and inevitably the wind blew it off whereupon it crashed onto the floor of the patio. D’oh. After telling the server they should really NOT make us a new salad since it was our fault, they still sent out three bonus cannoli at the end which were quite good. I’m still not sure why they rewarded us for breaking one of their bowls, but it speaks highly of their service orientation. Looking forward to their new market space.

Also: if one really wanted a carb and cheese Chelsea crawl, it’s about a block to Sabor Especial for pupusas and just a couple over for a pizza bagel at Katz’s.

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34

This isn’t really a rec, but since this is the pizza thread I thought a quick review belonged here. After eating ice cream at Christina’s yesterday, decided to test out a slice at the All Star Pizza Bar because it was there. Cheese slice is good sized and runs you $3.50. And it’s not bad, really, just…not too exciting. Texture was fine, the sauce is OK, but overall the slice lacked some pizazz in the flavor department. Average.

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I’m probably going to update a couple threads with Revere stops soon since we went out that way today (though don’t try going to Thmor Da, they are closed through 10/4 as we sadly found out), so here I’ll mention that we went to rainy Revere Beach this afternoon and got slices at Bianchi’s to eat. I’m a really big fan of the pizza here–the sauce has a tart and tangy nature and the crust is the crispy NY style sort that really does it for me.

Ate it under the awning while the surf pounded and the skies roiled, being eyeballed by the sky rats all the while. That’s a nice slice.

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36

Cuts right to the heart of the Revere experience. Sheer poetry!

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37

here’s another one that could either go here or the Usual Suspects thread, but I’m picking here because I always like this thread up top where people might chime in with recent pie faves. Was up Winter Hill way this afternoon and decided to get a quick lunch with a Sicilian slice at the classic Leone’s Sub & Pizza. And was I in luck–when I asked for one the counter guy had two left and he slid them both on a plate for me for an impromptu twofer. Two bucks! Took them home and reheated in a hot oven and they were right solid. I like Leone’s Sicilian because it isn’t too too thick or bready, the bottom crust has some snap and they lay on the cheese and cook it until it browns.

A nice cheap lunch.

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38

hijacking uni’s thread again for a quick report on another old school spot I went to this afternoon. Had a chance to be up in Lynn & so took the opportunity to hit up Monte’s (established 1946). Place looks like it was renovated in the 70’s, classic dark Italian restaurant decor with drop ceiling.

Pizza is good, really thin with a crust that borders on crackerlike at the edges. Lots of cheese (and maybe some of it was cheddar?), judicious amounts of sauce that has a bit of sweetness and tastes sharp. A little greasy but, y’know, good bar pie grease. We felt like anchovies, so we got 'em and they were your standard canned anchovies. Fit the mood.

Pies are small but are $8.25. Toppings are cheap–they have a weird system where one topping is $9.30, two toppings is $ 10.30 and three toppings is $11.20. after that toppings are $1.25 apiece? don’t ask me how they worked that all out. in any event, it’s inexpensive and classic and well worth a try if you ever find yourself in the City of Sin.

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39

I was wondering about the parking here passing-_thru? I grew up in Chelsea and it’s been many moons since I’ve been back, that area is quite densely populated. Thanks for the review!

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I think you mean at Ciao Pizza in Chelsea? I went on a Saturday , and it wasn’t too hard to find street parking around the corner. I imagine during the week when the courthouse is open that it’s somewhat harder.