THE pizza that makes Piece stand apart

Hello all,

My wife and I just discovered this list yesterday (though we've been familiar with CH for a couple years).

We were unaware of the existence TAC, but after reading about it this morning, we are going tonight (after the NCAA selection show).

I ran across a mention of Piece in a NYC pizza thread, but my search suggests that many of you may not know about THE pizza that makes Piece special, worthwhile and truely New Haven.

As great lovers of fresh microbrewed beer, we went to Piece immediately upon its opening. If you like micro beer, they make some excellent award winning beers (especially their darker and seasonaly beers). As someone born and partially raisec just outside of New Haven, CT I was wonderfully suprised to discover their head pizza chef is a young guy from New Haven and estatic to see THE pizza that I've never seen outside of New Haven, CT:

Clam and Bacon with white sauce.

Its like clam chowder on pizza. In fact, thanks to a year of us pestering the chef and our servers to add potato to the possible ingredients, you can now get the full blown chowder pizza of clam, potato and bacon.
They don't add seasoning to the potato so it can dull the other flavors a bit, so if you add potato get, add garlic as well.

Overall, Piece has some problems with consistency. Somtimes the crust is more charred and chewy (a good thing) and sometimes its too crisp. Also, they seem to fluctuate in the amount of cheese and toppings you get. As a general rule we find the Large size tends to be more sparsely topped than the medium. You really want a little clam and bacon in every bite, so that matters alot to the quality.

Despite these flaws, the clam and bacon white sauce pizza is a must try unless you hate clams or don't eat meat. Every person we've brought there started out by being highly skeptical about such a combo, but every one experienced a full fledge conversion once tasting it.

You know, on CH I used to say decent things about Piece, but always tempered by the inconsistency problem. I once had a very forthright server who helped open the place explain why the product varied so wildly. One of the Piece partners, son or nephew of one of the New Haven place's owners (can't remember which, but an old post might show) used to actually make the dough and the pies for some time after Piece opened. When he was there, Piece was great. When he was not, it was bad, the server agreed. I have no idea what has happened since, whether the New Haven guy is still around or whether he taught someone how to make pizza. Sounds to me like you enjoy it, so I'll need to give it another shot.

Early on I had an event there, and it was awfully good. Even my old man, a pizza expert who spent approximately 25 years traveling to college towns and big TV markets, eating pizza in every one, proclaimed Piece great pizza.

But it has been over a year since I visited. The din, the long waits, the hit-or-miss pie, and the unforgivable decision to drop broccoli rabe from the toppings list made me loath to return.

I go less often lately, since I've started making my own clam and bacon pizza. So, I can't vouch that the consistency problems are fixed, but my last visit about 2 months ago was maybe the best pizza I have had there.

Piece doesn't top my list as far as standard pizza, but I almost never veer from the clam and bacon with white sauce there and I don't know of anywhere else to get it but my kitchen.

Griffin wrote:the clam and bacon with white sauce

Welcome to LTHforum!

Isn't that style of pizza referred to as the 'White Pizza' in the northeast? Do you mind sharing how your make your dressing/topping for this pizza? I am aware of it though I have never had it.

Thanks!

Cathy2 wrote:

Griffin wrote:the clam and bacon with white sauce

Welcome to LTHforum!

Isn't that style of pizza referred to as the 'White Pizza' in the northeast? Do you mind sharing how your make your dressing/topping for this pizza? I am aware of it though I have never had it.

Thanks!

Not quite. White pizza on the East Coast is pizza without the "red", ie tomato, element. A pizza with just cheese - usually mozzarella with dollops of ricotta, and sometimes broccoli added is what I always found called white pizza. An open-faced calzone, kind of. As far as I know (Mr. New Haven will correct me if I'm wrong here) the clam pizza of Frank Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven has no bacon, just cheese, clams, garlic, and oil. Though bacon wouldn't be too bad, I'm sure, especially with those crusts holding up the whole production. I agree- Piece can be a little inconsistent, and their dining room leaves a lot to be desired (not the least of which is the clientele - "hipsters serving yuppies" was my friend's short but apt assessment of the place) but the pizza is more often than not really, really good - aroma, texture, and ingredients all of a high quality.

Reb

hungryrabbi wrote:I agree- Piece can be a little inconsistent,
<snip>
but the pizza is more often than not really, really good - aroma, texture, and ingredients all of a high quality.

Reb

Reb,

Count me among the fans of Pieces White Pizza, though I have not gone often enough to experience swings of inconsistency.

Speaking of pizza, I had an excellent slice of sheet pan style at Masi when I picked up the Antonious arranged, and we now find made, or at the very least assisted, corn bread. Simply ricotta cheese, tomato sauce and, well, that's it. Nice flavor, simple, uncluttered, I could eat it for lunch every day for a week and not grow weary of the taste.



Enjoy,
Gary

I was fortunate to stop off at Pepe's in New Haven a few months ago. The clam and garlic pizza is just clams, garlic and olive oil. There is no cheese. There is, of course, the fantastic crust. It's been a while since I had a pizza at Piece, but to my recollection, the style is similar, but the crust is not nearly as good. I remember seeing my son's blackened hands from the charred bottoms after he'd eaten a few slices of Pepe's. One other great thing about Pepe's is they serve pizza and absolutely nothing else except drinks. The menu consists of about 10 toppings. No pasta, no appetizers, no Hawaiin pizzas, no nothing. The kitchen consists of about 4 or 5 guys doing nothing by making pizza and cooking it just right in their ancient oven. It is this specialization and sharp focus, I think, that contributes to such a consistently great product.

This is, I suppose for the LTH record, as these words have been written many times before.

Let me preface this by disclosing that I have just never been a big fan of Piece's pizza. On the several times I have tried to give it another chance, I have still not been impressed.

Now, as to it connections to New Haven. A long time ago, Gwiv and I had lunch there and had a detailed conversation with an individual who worked there. He told us that yes, there is a family--read cousin--connection between Pepe's and Piece, but he also pretty much admitted that the pizza was not much like Pepe's in New Haven. For one thing, he talked about the difference in the types of ingredients available to the pizza-makers there vs. here. For another, and way more important thing, there is the whole oven thing. He told us that a "real" coal oven is quite large, or at least large compared to the size of the space. Essentially, it was a question of capital, there was no way that Piece could build a coal oven that could support the necessary size of clientele, or the size of the coal oven would not support enough clientele to make Piece a viable place. Pepe's can thrive because their oven was built long ago.

So, it seems to me, that Piece may be inspired by New Haven, but it hardly duplcates New Haven pizza.

Rob

Well, yeah, the super-hot coal oven I'm sure makes a big difference. But even within its own limits, Piece varies from one of the best to pretty bad.

Vital Information wrote:
So, it seems to me, that Piece may be inspired by New Haven, but it hardly duplcates New Haven pizza.

Rob

Well, let's be fair. No one, including the innumerable NYC joints, replicates Pepe's and their charred crust. (and you can't get Birch Beer most places either). My first 11 years of life included Pepe's as a staple, and I've never had a better crust anywhere.

Note that I did not make the direct Pepe's comparison, only to New Haven style generally, and most specifically just to the concept a clam and bacon white pizza. Pepe's has had a major impact on pizza throughout the New Haven, all positive but none a true replication of Pepe's for the reasons you cite. There is a place not far from Pepe's called Bru RM. that is the more direct ancestor of Piece. This place opened 15 years ago and brews their own beer and makes quite good pizza, including a clam and bacon white pizza, and their crust is the very thin and oblong shape you'll find at Piece.

The guy we spoke with at Piece over a year ago was supposedly from NH, clearly was familiar with Pepe's and other NH places and worked at a pizza joint there, possibly this Bru RM, I can't remember. Piece's white is just olive oil, garlic, and maybe parmesean, so its quite similar to NH white in that regard. They put Mozzarella on it, but so does Bru Rm and certainly many people get Bacon and cheese on their white clam at Pepe's , as attested to by the local fanatic comments. [http://pizzatherapy.com/pepe's_quotes.htm]

Like I said, Piece has consistency problems, but if you don't make your own pizza and have never tried a clam and bacon white, they are definitely worth a try. Not to mention their own excellent beers (especially seasonals) and about 10 generally wisely chosen taps of other good beers. Get there before 8, especially on weekends to avoid to avoid the "to hip for themselves" crowds.

My version is simply olive oil (Kalamata from TJ's), a little clam juice, fresh garlic, oregano, fresh parmesean, chopped and whole canned clams, a little mozzarella and precooked bacon.
Low grade proscuitto or left over smoked ham works quite well too, but I like the crisp texture of the bacon. If the pizza comes out of the oven looking dry, I drizzle some more clam juice on it while its cooling off a bit.

BTW: Pepe's uses fresh clams, b/c in CT that's what one must do.
However, the dry intense heat of the oven tends to somewhat reduce the huge difference between fresh and canned clams that otherwise exists (at least in texture).

On a final note:
My father who ate Pepe's for about 45 years and now resides in the Wastelands of Reno, quite enjoyed Piece and considers my clam and bacon to be my only notable accomplishment
His present to me is always a little cash that he demands I spend at Piece so he can live vicariously.

Just a heads-up for those so inclined that one of the recipes on Friday afternoon's episode of Food 911 will include clam pizza. I've never had it -- I get a little nervous just seeing the two words so close together -- but if anyone wants to check out his recipe for "authenticity," whatever that is, you can read it here. (That's the full-page print version, no graphics to clutter the window.)

Was at Piece last night and turns out they were filming Check Please!

Tomato/Basil/Ricotta red pizza was fantastic as was the hefeweizen, anniversary ESB and the IPA.

Jamie

Piece has also opened "Piece Out" next door for carryout orders -- and they now deliver.

gleam wrote:Piece has also opened "Piece Out" next door for carryout orders -- and they now deliver.

I do have to say that I think in my limited experience, the pizza to go from Piece is nothing like what you get in the restaurant. I think it is mainly due to the pizza box.

When you order a Large in the restaurant, it it the size of a sheet pan. When you get it to go, it is in a square box smaller than a sheet pan. Seems like the same amount of dough is used for each, making the to go crust much thicker.

Now I have not ordered any other sizes to see if this varies nor have I had a large sample of to go pizzas from there to see if this is always the case; so perhaps my conclusion is in error.

Jamie

I actually enjoy Piece quite a bit. While the pizza can be variable from pie to pie, on the average, it's one of my favorite pizzas in the city. Their beers are quite good as well, with a personal favorite being the Dysfunction Ale.

It doesn't have the simple ambiance (nor refined quality of ingredients) as the Neapolitan benchmarks around town do, but then again, it caters to a different crowd and has a much livelier, bar-like atmosphere, if that's what you're interested in.

I met the owner once through a mutual friend and he seems to have a genuine passion for the quality of his product and the experience that comes along with it. Given the huge size of the place, I think it's pretty impressive how well he succeeds. I'll be curious to see how big an effect Check Please has, given that it's already a pretty well known spot in the city and far from a hidden gem that only locals in the neighborhood know.

Jamieson22 wrote:I do have to say that I think in my limited experience, the pizza to go from Piece is nothing like what you get in the restaurant. I think it is mainly due to the pizza box.

I get it to go all the time. I have alwars recieved an oblong shaped pizza, just as when I order in the restaurant. So, I have to disagree withyou there. As an aside - I have only had delivery onece, I usually do pick up- because I get it so much faster.

What I have seen however, is that the to-go pizza's are not cooked through all that well. That is to say, in my experience, the to-go pizza tends to be "soupy" or runny in the middle. Because I have come to expect this I usually preset my oven and drop it in there for about 5-10 minutes. and then its purrr-fect (and still faster then waiting for delivery)

I very much enjoy getting the cheese-pizza and their mixed green salad. After dressing the salad I use it to dress each individual slice of the pizza one at a time - careful to keep the fruit and nuts off- and eat the hot pizza with cold dressed mixed greens red onions and blu-cheese on top.....mmmmm thats so good. Thats I why I order to go, people look at me weird at the restaurant when I do this....

Yes, Piece can be quite inconsistent....but even at it's worst, it's still pretty good. And altough it certainly cannot approach Pepe's Apizza in New Haven (mainly beacause you just can't replicate the clams freshness here), the white clam I had two weeks ago was just unreal.

Would really like to see Coalfire take a stab at this!

lola wrote:I...eat the hot pizza with cold dressed mixed greens red onions and blu-cheese on top.....mmmmm thats so good. Thats I why I order to go, people look at me weird at the restaurant when I do this....

Ya know, that actually sounds pretty good. I will have to share your secret food shame.

Jamieson22 wrote:

gleam wrote:Piece has also opened "Piece Out" next door for carryout orders -- and they now deliver.

I do have to say that I think in my limited experience, the pizza to go from Piece is nothing like what you get in the restaurant. I think it is mainly due to the pizza box.

When you order a Large in the restaurant, it it the size of a sheet pan. When you get it to go, it is in a square box smaller than a sheet pan. Seems like the same amount of dough is used for each, making the to go crust much thicker.

Now I have not ordered any other sizes to see if this varies nor have I had a large sample of to go pizzas from there to see if this is always the case; so perhaps my conclusion is in error.

Jamie

I can second this. Reading this thread yesterday inspired me (well actually my wife) to walk over and pick up a pizza from Piece. It came as a round pizza in a square pizza box. The toppings were great, but the crust (and really, it's all about the crust for me) was nothing like dine-in Piece pizza. It was way too thick. So thick that I couldn't eat the outer half of each slice. Very disappointing. I'll reserve future Piece experiences to dine-in only.

MJ

Headed out on a mini pizza crawl with My Bride and a friend. Just got done with Vito & Nick's Pizza on da southside and we were ready for something completely different.

Dropped them off at the door and got lucky finding an unrestricted and free parking spot on a side street about a block away.

By the time I got back they had been seated in the center of the room at the high tables. The music and crowd was a touch loud and I preferred a low table so we moved to the northwest corner where the live band for the Saturday night karaoke sets up.



Wait staff on the ball we had our order in and a round of Golden Arm (German-style Kolsch Bier) on the table. Since this was our second stop we opted for a small, plain ...

Plain = Traditional New Haven Pizza = A generous amount of red sauce topped with garlic, extra Parmesan and olive oil (This pizza does not have mozzarella)

... topped with pepperoni, onions and mushrooms.

The pizza was delivered in about 10 minutes! I seem to remember that have the ovens cranked up to about 800º or something.



The small is a round pizza where the medium and large are rectangular with rounded corners.

Wow! A freshness to rival Bert's and the strong note of garlic made us all smile.



While the crust was strongly browned in areas the toppings were by no means overcooked. Not raw but nicely cooked. Soft and not crunchy. The cheese was a bit on the light side so I doctored it up a bit.

Even with the browning of the crust it was still a bit 'floppy' and lent itself well to folding.



Very good! Even though we had just eaten an hour or so ago we managed to do some major damage and only had one piece left.

Rumor has it that the restaurant is owned by a former member of Cheap Trick and there were several guitars on display.



My friend who mentioned that Vito & Nick's Pizza was perfect for his Irish Dad's soft palate this pizza was right up his Italian Mom's alley.

My first time having New Haven Style Pizza and we all agreed a return visit would be welcome.

I really like Piece because their pizza's a fairly unique product in Chicagoland, and their brews, by Jonathan Cutler, are simply stellar.

Panther, iirc, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick is one of the owners. This was mentioned when Piece was featured on Check, Please!

=R=

A White Pie at Pepe's is indeed olive oil, garlic, Parmesan, and herbs. This originated, in part, to Frank Pepe's allergy to both tomatoes and cheese. The reason to order a white pie there is the presence of *fresh* clams. If they are not fresh, the pie isn't made. No canned clams are used. While I love this pie dearly, it looses pretty much everything when the clams are in a can. I won't say I won't order this version but it is more to feed the memory of the real thing than the actual taste.

Stagger wrote:A White Pie at Pepe's is indeed olive oil, garlic, Parmesan, and herbs. This originated, in part, to Frank Pepe's allergy to both tomatoes and cheese. The reason to order a white pie there is the presence of *fresh* clams. If they are not fresh, the pie isn't made. No canned clams are used. While I love this pie dearly, it looses pretty much everything when the clams are in a can. I won't say I won't order this version but it is more to feed the memory of the real thing than the actual taste.

Never had this at Piece but I can see where canned clams -- in any rendition -- would greatly diminish the final product.

I really enjoy their red sauce pizzas. The dough is crispy on the outside but not overly thin and, as such, has a nice chew. I like the tomato element, as well as the cheese and the toppings. I think that quality and ratios are both really nice.

=R=

I visited Piece on Monday with a couple of friends and I walked away impressed. $3 PBR's and a Medium pizza that is freaking huge. We had sausage, green pepper, and onion and it was great. I had them make it well-done which worked perfectly. You could pick up one of the last slices and the center of the pizza stood strong, it didn't fall apart into a mess. They even brought the pizza out to me before it was sliced to make sure it was cooked enough! The crust is what really sealed the deal. It was chewy and crunchy at the same time.

I am always hesitant of getting sausage on pizza. It tends to be small balls of tough 'meat' with little to no flavor. I prefer crumbled pieces of actual Italian sausage and the sausage at Piece was delicious. There were no small pieces of questionable substance that was nearly inedible.

I was impressed with this place. I think a medium pizza was $13 + toppings. That's a fantastic price considering the size and quality of this. My buddy and I are big, 24 year olds who can usually take down a pizza on our own. There was plenty for both of us and his sister, crazy.

I look forward to returning!

Drinking PBR at a brewery?

We haven't been to Piece yet, but it's on our list of things to try soon. Regarding the inconsistency that some have mentioned, I'd like to ask those who've been to Piece more than once, can this be avoided by (a) going on a less crowded weeknight, and/or ordering one of the more commonly ordered pizza types?

I have been to Piece more times than I can count since they opened. I honestly have never really had a bad experience there. Well, the ridiculous crowds can certainly dampen an experience, but you can't blame them for that. To help combat this, I'd recommend going early on a weeknight, but I'd expect the pizza will be good anytime you go.

Oh, and scientific study has proven that bacon and banana pepper topped red pizza at Piece is the best thing you can order there (outside of the beer)

An individual-sized sausage and anchovy red pizza with a couple Dysfunctionales makes a fantastic lunch, but I will admit that the bike ride back downtown takes somewhat longer than the ride there.

Lykorian wrote:Drinking PBR at a brewery?

Times are tough .

In my own defense, my friend tried three different homebrews and the face he made after each one just said it all. He wound up with a PBR too .

dak125 wrote:

Lykorian wrote:Drinking PBR at a brewery?

Times are tough .

In my own defense, my friend tried three different homebrews and the face he made after each one just said it all. He wound up with a PBR too .

I actually like a PBR sometimes..

it could have been worse, you could have been drinking Miller Lite, or water(one in the same)..