Apizza

If you know, you know; New Haven, Connecticut has the best pizza in the country. But it’s something off the radar for anyone not from the tri-state area. Here in Colorado, the standard reaction to the mention of New Haven pizza is a look of bewilderment. I even get these looks from New Yorkers. Unfortunately, New Haven pizza has yet to cross the threshold of regional pizza favorite and widespread national recognition.

The reasons for this are obvious. In 43 states of America, “pizza is pizza”. The appetite for something as unique and delicious as New Haven pizza is just not there. Nobody to my knowledge has attempted to spread the style nationally, so there is simply no exposure. New Haven is not a large city like New York, Chicago, or Detroit, cities with infinitely more popular albeit inferior pizza styles. When you break it all down, New Haven pizza may be the best kept secret in American cuisine.

The good news it that the secret is slowly getting out. In the last 10 years or so, New Haven pizza has gained some popularity in select areas. You can find decent New Haven-style pies in Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, and likely others. The internet has helped spread the word immensely, particularly Barstool Sports and Dave Portnoy. To all Barstool fans, of the more than 500 he has tried across the country, Dave’s #1 spot is Sally’s Apizza in New Haven. To those unfamiliar with Mr. Portnoy, he is the self-anointed, pseudo “pizza king” of the country.

So what makes New Haven pizza so good? In a word, flavor. Every component of a New Haven pizza is carefully crafted. The dough is refrigerated overnight to add flavor. The sauce is slowly simmered for sixty minutes. The mozzarella, or mootz, is of the skim milk variety, which keeps the pizza from becoming too oily. A little dusting of cornmeal on the baking surface adds subtle flavor. The pizza is hand-stretched, not hand-tossed, prepared quickly, cooked in about five minutes, and served immediately. It does not come with excessive toppings.

Factor in that this pizza is a direct descendant of Neapolitan pizza, with ovens approaching 100 years old still cooking pies, and a concentration of amazing pizza restaurants in a city of under 200,000 people, and it’s not surprising why New Haven is the unofficial pizza capital of the country. This is the birthplace of char. This is where the white clam pie was conceived. This is the home of the mashed potato bacon pie. This is coal-fired, cold dough fermentation, 750°F brick oven, chewy and crunchy greatness. It doesn’t get any better.