Quote:
Originally Posted by LWJ
I have an opinion. First. I REALLY like my pizza. Last March, Mrs. LWJ and I did a trip through Naples and stayed there for 5 days. I ate pizza at least 4 (probably 6+) times in Naples. Two were at the "best and most highest rated" pizza joints in Naples. So, they probably didn't suck. I did end up having a far superior pie on a day when I was starving and randomly stopped into some restaurant in Naples. It had great ratings but wasn't one of the big names in town.
Use the above data as a benchmark from which I evaluate pizza.
I have been to Ken's. We went with some foody friends who raved about it. It was crowded. It was loud. There may have been a line. It wasn't 5 Euro like Naples but rather $20++ per pie. And...the toppings were REALLY spectacular. The crust? It reminded me of Naples. And, the crust DIDN'T blow my mind.
Here is where my bias on pizza will come in. In my opinion. Pizza is 95% about the crust. You want to get that flour to have a little carbonized darkness to it. This is the flavor that I think is so special.
And the toppings? They are simply dressing on a killer crust.
Well, I may have overstated my case a bit. Really awesome basil can be a big deal. A thin layer of tomato sauce with that something that you can't put a name on but is sort of culinary crack? Also a big deal.
And I haven't been back to Ken's. I actually enjoy my homemade pizza more. Are the toppings better? Not even close. But the crust is exactly how I like it.
So Sean. If you come to Portland, look me up. I will take you out to Ken's and we can discuss the finer points of pizza. You seem to be a big fan as well. But please don't come here for this. It isn't nearly as good as some reviewer wants you to think.
And on the subject, may wife took our family to the Restaurant of the Year a few months back. It was a Mexican joint. Not nearly the best Mexican joint around. I can show you a handful that are better.
Summary: Use your taste buds. Reviews are made to sell media.
Humorous side note: Way back a decade or two ago, I went to Manhattan. I was intrigued by Ray's Original and Famous Rays and similar pizza joints claiming to be the first pizza in New York. (spoiler, they weren't). But I did eat at over 15 of them. Some were acceptable. Some, not so much.
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This is why I posted, thank you LWJ for the exhaustive and thoughtful details on your experience and so much more.
We are of the exact same mind, crust makes the pizza in the same way bread makes the sandwich, which is why I'm starting my journey down the schiacciata road this week when my Kitchen Aid comes in. Once that's done I can turn my attention to pizza dough. If you are up for it, I will send you a container and overnight label for a slice or two of your pizza sometime down the road. I know exactly what you mean about "my pizza" and that's the road I'll be going down.
When I was a wee tot, most Sundays were spent at my off the boat great grandparents for huge Sunday dinners where every single thing, from pasta to sausages and everything in between was made from scratch, picked out of the 1 acre garden with eels and crabs procured at the fishmonger that day. And that included the absolutely best Sicilian pizza I've ever had and can still remember the combination of savory and floral notes that made the crust unique, sauce bright and sweet, cheese full of flavor. She never wrote anything down so it's lost to the ages.
That's what I'm going for, just to my own taste.