Pittsburgh Pizza Update 4-28: Andrew W.K. Pizza Party, Pizza Festival, and a Pizza Taglio Writeup

Welcome to week of Pizza Walk With Me’s Pittsburgh Pizza Update! That’s a heck of a title! Because the pizza scene is flourishing in Pittsburgh, a title with gravitas is more than necessary. 

Before we begin I really want to thank the folks over at /r/Pittsburgh! I posted my pizza update there (and I’ll continue to post them there!) which resulted in over 200 comments and some great discussions. While most people just listed a number of great pizza places, there was one point I wanted to dwell on for a moment. 

Sybertron writes:

I think some of it is the morbid overrating of some very popular places. Leading to “Lets get Mineos! It is the best Pizza in town!”
And then the out of towner tries it, is rightfully “that’s the best?” and then disdains all pizza here by default.

And this is something I’ve experienced more often than I care to admit. I’ve had pals in from all sorts of cities. Invevitably, when they land they say, “Hey Dan, you have a pizza blog, how about we get some great pizza?” Then, like a chump, I babble on and on about how the Pittsburgh pizza foundation is thick and rich with history and oozing with greatness. Then we go to Mineo’s and they nearly choke on the cheese and grease and they leave non-plussed, never to visit again.

There’s an epidemic in Pittsburgh where we are swelling with pride that we hyperbolize a lot of our traditions. To outsiders it makes us look crazy and delusional. 

In the future, as a Pittsburgh pizza ambassador, try taking a visitor to a new pizza place that’s pushing the pizza envelope. Not a pizza place that hasn’t changed in forty years.  If you want to impress people you don’t show them that old antique pizza you have, you show them that you’re on the cutting edge and capable of evolving the pizza craft.

Pittsburgh Pizza News!

Pizza Taglio Write Up

I visited Pizza Taglio in East Liberty and was inspired to write about my experience. It was magical and I think you all need to go there immediately and do not leave until you’re filled to the brim. 

It combines artisan with comfort in a unique way—it’ll reward the adventurous and satisfy the careful.

The Steel City PizzaFest Puts on a Pittsburgh Pizza Festival

On May 9th, in Arsenal Park in Lawrenceville, Second Shift Crafters and The Steel City PizzaFest are partnering to put on a music/pizza festival called “Spring it On!”. According to the press release, this is the first free music and pizza festival—not that I know of any music and pizza festivals that cost money.

It sounds like the place to be as there will be a Ms. PizzaBurgh competition, dough throwers, and a people’s choice for best pizza. You’ll be able to vote and sample pizza from the following vendors:

Spak Bros, Pizza Parma, Calente, Angelo’s, Grazziano’s, Pessaro’s, Hambones, and Cattivo.

The dark horse in this list is Cattivo. I’ve had the pizza there many times and I’m confident it’ll blow you away.  

Leading this initiative is none other is Michael Devine, aka DJ Zombo. Pretty rad. There’s more information about the pizza festival right here!

Andrew W.K Throwing a Pizza-Party Concert

image

Andrew W.K. (who is a huge Spak Brothers fan and has sent them a number of certificates for being awesome) is performing at the Roboto Project in Lawrenceville on June 7th,  where he will also be throwing a pizza party. 

Andrew W.K. is not shy about his opinions on pizza or parties, unfortunately the show is sold out. Maybe you can wait out back and eat some of the crusts that Andrew W.K. didn’t eat? Which is crazy to type, because he is definitely eating every inch of pizza. 

Just read his advice column where he counsels a young, pizza-addled individual.

Please Cheer for Pizza Dan at the Pittsburgh Marathon

image

I’ll be running the half-marathon this Sunday! This is my bib from 2013 where I ran the entire marathon. I was quite tired, but the one thing that kept me going was the entire city cheering “Come on Pizza Dan!” 

Make a difference this weekend - get out of your house and cheer on some runners. 

Here’s a Dog Holding a Slice of Pizza


image


Alright! That’s a wrap for this week’s Pittsburgh Pizza Update. I’m working on some interviews, videos, and more which I’ll sprinkle into the website in the coming days. A company in Chicago sent me some pizzas to review, so you can expect that soon. If you like what you read tell your friend! Tell your favorite message board! Tell a pizza shop! Or sign up for my pizza newsletter!

Pizza Taglio: Bringing Roman Style Pizza to Pittsburgh

Tony is the guy that brought his pizza to Espresso a Mano. It was a caffeinated testing ground to see if Pittsburgh was ready for an evolution in the pizza species. 

He’d deliver the pizzas around noon. Then, the pillowy soft pizza, that was perfect for bravely dipping into espresso or resting your weary head, would vanish. Look at that thing!

image

The patrons couldn’t resist it. Tony took it as a sign to open a pizza shop in East Liberty. And that’s how we get to Pizza Taglio.

image

Now this is a pizza place. It’s a long area, simple and open so Tony can greet every single person as he makes pizza. Tony is stationed in the middle of the restaurant surrounded by stacks of dough, ingredients within an arms reach and ovens to his back. 

If there was a pizza purgatory where you were sentenced to make pizzas for eternity, I imagine it would looks like this. For Tony this is heaven.  At least, I’m assuming Tony, who quit his life as a lawyer to make pizzas full-time, would consider this heaven. 

image

This was my view all night. I took a seat nearest to Tony so I could keep a close eye on him. I wanted to study this guy who dared bring an evolution of pizza to Pittsburgh. And in return he yelled pizza facts at me all night.

I’m reading the menu when he shouts over the glass “I finally found a cheese for the margherita pizza that I like.” Two things here before we move on.

1. I wasn’t aware Tony was on this journey. Why not just use buffalo mozzarella from Italy like everyone else?

2. That is his ice breaker? He must kill at parties because who doesn’t love to talk about exotic cheeses.

Tony continued,“Yeah, you’ll never guess the country.”

“Hmmm…not Italy?”

“Colombia!! Can you believe it? They ship the buffaloes over there and raise them in Colombia. It’s incredible!”

Tony was incredibly excited. I think he actually couldn’t stop talking about this cheese. He was thrilled beyond belief and had to tell someone. I doubt I’m the first to hear about Tony’s secret Colombian-Buffalo Cheese. 

But that’s the passion and attention to detail Tony brings to his craft. Every pizza, every topping, every piece of flour has a story.  There’s only eight pizzas on the menu and each one is carefully constructed. You can pay for extras, but why would you? That’d be like paying an artist to draw over the hair on the Mona Lisa with a half-empty highlighter that happened to be sitting in the gallery.

I chose the Greenpointer. This pizza is inspired by a pizza place in Brooklyn and, I think, built for those that crazy artistry paired with comfort. This pizza is covered in honey and soppresota.

image

I ordered the Greenpointer and Tony shouted over the glass if I wanted it round or square - what a question! 

I asked Tony what he thought and he paused, then said, “Round would be great.” But I must have subconsciously reacted, or Tony saw something on my face that only a lawyer would be trained to see. 

He stammered, his hands flopping dough back and forth into a pie, “Well the square would be great, too. It would work with the sauce and the cheese. Either way, I guess you could do it either way.”

I went with round. Did it make a huge difference? Did he serve me an illegal pizza? I was puzzled, but incredibly delighted.

Halfway through my Greenpointer Tony brought out a square cauliflower pizza. Before the plate could touch the table, Tony started to confess to me. He confessed how the dough is going to rise longer. And how he didn’t get a chance to check the bubble structure. I told him I’d be more than happy to check the bubble structure and that the pizza looked amazing. Should I have told him I wasn’t wearing a pizza wire?

So here’s the cauliflower pizza.

image

Check out that bubble structure!

This cauliflower pizza was oddly decadent. There was nothing sweet on it, but it was creamy and savory and a blast to eat. Each bite unleashed a hint of smokiness, like it was cooked atop some hickory wood chips. It had an after taste of summer camp, like you were eating a creamy, slightly charred marshmallow that your summer crush roasted for you. 

Delightful and comforting.

But here’s a kicker. On the table before me I had what most people would consider two pizzas. They have a lot in common (cheese, sauce, bread), yet these two beings could not taste anymore different. Side-by-side they seemed alien. Like one was the missing link from pizza history and the other a modern, nimble, evolution of pizza.

Bouncing between the two pizzas was like skipping back and forth between planets or traveling across time. They in no way had a single flavor in common yet they share similar DNA. 

It’s simply pizza wizardry. That’s the only explanation.

image


I’m about to leave when he looks up and asks me if I’ll try his pizza carbonara. I’m meeting my fiancé up the street, I’m already incredibly late. “You have to try it,” he says. It sounds like Willie Wonka convincing Charlie to get inside his glass elevator. 

Do I turn down the opportunity for a pizza with an egg cracked on it? Or do I…well no, there is no alternative. When Tony offers you pizza you always say yes. It’s basically a pizza commandment.  

image

Here’s the end result of the pizza carbonara. It’s a white pizzas with a wiggly egg in the middle. It sits there like a king sitting on its throne, surrounded by its kingdom of cooked meats and cheese.

Tony cracked the egg on top of the pizza immediately after it came out of the oven. “The egg will be cooked enough in about 15 seconds.”

And by the time he brought it to my table it looked like your normal sunny-side up egg. 

The pizza was breakfast. The kind of breakfast you make on a sleepy Saturday morning, complete with bacon and eggs. 

At this point I was bursting with pizza. 

image

Then Tony brought out a cannoli. 

“So does this cannoli have a backstory too?” I asked.

Tony had retreated behind the glass and tossed some pizza, thinking. He said “Well, I’m Sicilian. I had to have something like that on my menu.”


Pizza Taglio is something special. Tony is a force to be reckoned with—he finds inspiration for pizza, ingredients, and recipes in the deepest darkest depths of the world. What he’s doing is turning experiences into pizza, like it’s a prized form of alchemy. 

When you visit Pizza Taglio in East Liberty, you’ll walk away with a unique pizza memory. Be daring and try a pizza slightly outside your comfort zone. It could be the closest thing to knowing what another dimension taste like.  

For Tony, his next adventure is taking him to the heart of Cuba. I’m not sure what he’ll find there, but I know it’ll be great. Could it be a specially seasoned pork? Or pizza wrapped up like cigars? 

Hopefully we’ll find out soon. 

Pittsburgh Pizza Update - 4/23 - Be a Pizza Hipster

Hey! You’re reading the second week of the Pittsburgh Pizza Update! This is great news because it means Pittsburgh is bursting with pizza news. The Pittsburgh Pizza scene is rising faster than dough overloaded with yeast and set in a humid, warm room. 

I think we owe a lot of this growth to the recent changes in Pittsburgh and influx of adventurous young people. I don’t know the best way to describe it, but Tony from Pizza Taglio does. He believes the reason we have such  an insurgence in great pizzerias is due to the idea of “the hipster.” Which is in no way derogatory here. It’s a way to say people care about trying new things.

Which is why Tony can serve a pizza drizzled with honey, or a square pizza fused with cauliflower. Or why Bread & Salt can open up blocks back from Liberty Ave—Pittsburgh folks are seeking out new experiences which means these rad new places can thrive. 

Just thinking about it gets me really hyped up. Let’s get to some updates.



One of Many “Best Pizza in Pittsburgh” Discussions

I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff. And I found a Pittsburgh Podcast called “Is That Your Kid?” where they discuss pizza. I don’t think they always discuss pizza (or it’d be called “Is That Your Pizza?”), but in this episode the cast eats and argues about Fiori’s, Pizza Milano, Bet’s, Slice on Broadway and Giovanni’s. 

You can listen to that here. Being able to hear these discussions is important. It’s such a hot topic and there is no right answer, but being able to discuss the pros and cons for something as “simple” and “basic” as pizza helps you appreciate pizza on a whole other level. You’ll begin to notice the crust in unusual ways. And the cheese will seem different. And soon you’ll understand that sometimes it’s not about the quantity of pizza, but love and passion poured into each and every slice.


Portable Pizza Sure is All the Rage


This summer the concrete seas of Pittsburgh may be without our precious Pizza Boat, but it looks like there will be other portable pizzas around town.

Urban Pie is the newest addition to the fleet. They may be setting sail this May and they’re available for all your events that are in desperate needs of a pizza oven (which are all events).

Will they hit some choppy seas? Either way, it’s awesome to have more mobile pizza in the city. I’ll keep an eye on Urban Pie and update the site with any updates.


Slice on Broadway Recognized by the Pittsburgh City Council


Last week, Slice on Broadway was given their own day in Pittsburgh. For now on, every April 14 will be “Slice on Broadway Day” in Pittsburgh. And they deserve this and every award they receive. I spoke with Rico a few months back and he cares so deeply for his community. Plus, his pizza is out of this world.

Here’s a video I put together on Slice on Broadway.

Some Pizza Photos


I visited Pizza Taglio and Carhop’s pizza last week. Expect a full write-up later this week. In the mean time, here’s some photos to tide you over.

image
image
image
image
image

Alright! That’s the second Pittsburgh Pizza Update. I’m working on some interviews, videos, and more which I’ll sprinkle into the website in the coming days. If you like what you read tell your friend! Tell your favorite message board! Tell a pizza shop! Or sign up for my pizza newsletter!

Pittsburgh Pizza Update 4/14/15

Woah hey!

Listen, I think we’re ready for a regular pizza column here in Pittsburgh. What’s crazy is that such a weekly column could even be possible. As Pittsburgh continues to appear on random top 10 lists that circulate around my Facebook feed, Pizza is still one of the most important advancements in this city. And quietly, there have been major shifts in the Pittsburgh pizza landscape. Which is amazing. Now when you have visitors coming into Pittsburgh and they say “Hey, pal, let’s get some good pizza” you’ll have options outside of Mineo’s. 

In classic Pittsburgh fashion, we have pizza makers that started their journey in Brooklyn, NY that have returned to Pittsburgh to make a difference. A real difference.

We have pizza makers that have traveled to Italy and know actual real-life pizzaiolos. We have restaurant owners and creators that are friendly enough to rub elbows and throw down in pizza competitions that rival the WWE in their histrionic storylines. 

Of course, it can’t be all good news. You can’t have progress without a few casualties in the pizza arena. And yes, unfortunately Pizza Cono had to shut down and move on. I tried to support them and spread their cone-shaped gospel, but sometimes the public just isn’t interested in stark change. It’s unsettling on one level and unorthodox on another. Being surrounded by Pittsburgh pizza institutions probably didn’t help. 

Which leads us to your Pittsburgh Pizza Update

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Pizza Update

Once a week I’ll write some updates about the pizza happenings in Pittsburgh. I’ve talked with folks who think this isn’t possible. They think there isn’t enough pizza news happening. And ya know, I sincerely doubt that. Because pizza melted its way into this country’s core fabric. 

And, if Pittsburgh runs out of events I can always hit up scottspizzatours, because if he’s not counting his pizza boxes he’s judging some underground pizza competition in Brazil which is equally fascinating. 

Let’s talk pizza.


Pizza al Taglio is Cutting its Way into Pittsburgh

Pizza al Taglio originated in Rome and is typically sold by the gram. It’s square and cooked in a tray. It’s not the Sicilian pizza you get from any other pizza shop. No, it’s much better. Pizza al Taglio is often made from a cold-fermented dough, meaning the pizza you eat is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Something like this.

image

That’s a fine looking pizza mattress. 

Pizza al Taglio is considered takeaway pizza, or something you grab on your way to your next appointment. “Taglio” actually means “to cut” in Italian, so it is literally just a cut of pizza. If you’re reading this and in a hurry, rest assured that you have time to swoop into one of the two pizza shops in Pittsburgh that serve Pizza al Taglio and still make whatever appointment you have next on your agenda. 

If you’re in East Liberty you can visit Pizza Taglio. Tony runs the shop down there and if you’ve ever had the pizza at Espresso a Mano, you’ve had Tony’s pizza. His shop opened a short while ago and he’s actually running out of pizza. That’s the best sentence I’ve ever typed. 

image

Here’s Tony showing off his pizza at Espresso a Mano. Also, Matt (who runs Espresso a Mano) told me that Tony is still hoping to supply Espresso a Mano with pizza on Saturdays. 

If you’re in Bloomfield you can pop into Bread & Salt. They’re deep into Pearl Street and worth seeking out. I haven’t had their pizza yet, but I’ve popped in and had some of their baked goods. If their pizza is half as good as the rosemary, basil cookie I had then we’re in great hands.

I have an interview with Tony I’m currently editing together, so look forward to that in the next few days.

Back from the Dead - Pizza Boat Sails Again

What a twist, right? Pizza Boat, some of the best pizza in Pittsburgh, has found a permanent home on Slice Island. If you have your pizza map in front of you you’ll know that Slice Island is inside the Spirit Lodge, a new event hall / bar / space in Lawrenceville, close to 51st street. 

image

While I always admired the nomadic spirit of Pizza Boat, I’m glad they’ve found a permanent home. But is it permanent? Who knows with these folks. They start a beef with a new adversary every week, so it’s only a matter of time before they’re back in pizza purgatory. God bless em!


Alright! That’s the first Pittsburgh Pizza Update. I’m working on some interviews, videos, and more which I’ll sprinkle into the website in the coming days. If you like what you read tell your friend! Tell your favorite message board! Tell a pizza shop! Or sign up for my pizza newsletter!