I Love Pizza! And "Pizza Porn" is Definitely a Thing...
Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and love of pizza. I love pizza, I pay my taxes, and I'm hoping to put off death a while longer... I'll know I'm in Heaven when I see all the pizza and although the temperature is perfect to cook pizzas in the other place, if you end up there I'm pretty sure it's, "No pizza for you!" And that's why I'm behaving myself. Imagine spending eternity without pizza? I can't. I could go without a lot of things, but not pizza!
When I was a kid there were a few different places my parents took me for pizza. We went to the Red Wing Diner in Walpole, Denneno's in Stoughton, and Town Spa in Stoughton, still solid choices 50+ years later. When Papa Gino's first opened at Cobb's Corner (Stoughton) it immediately became my go-to. They tossed the dough, which was fun to watch, and the pies were huge. I was 12 at the time (1968) and eating an incredible amount of pizza was important to me then. I liked big slices and thin crust with a thick, soft, chewy edge. Basically, New York-style pizza that was pliable enough to be folded in half to eat.
When I was 13 we moved to New London, Connecticut and there we found Pequot Pizza, a small family-owned pizza shop on Pequot Ave., directly across from the Thames River and just minutes from our house. If you went to Mitchell College back then, you probably ate there a lot. They made single-serve (10") Greek pizzas and they were incredible, so were their "hot oven grinders". They brushed their pizza crust with high-quality extra virgin olive oil before adding the sauce and cheese and it was like pure crack to me. I became a hopeless addict. They used a big curved knife to slice their pizzas and there was always a nice crunch when they did it. I started wanting pizza every day and I did my best to have it at least three times a week. My mother said I had to eat from other food groups too… Dammit!
Town Spa has been making great pizza for 65 years! Perfect Lace!
When we moved back to Massachusetts in '72, I began eating at the same four places again, Denneno's, Town Spa, Red Wing, and Papa Gino's. I never limited myself to only one style of pizza though, I liked 'em all, but recently I started craving only "South Shore-style bar pizza". I joined the "South Shore Bar Pizza Social Club" on Facebook which the administrators boast is a page "devoted to our love of South Shore-style bar pizza, a working-class tradition in the pubs, taverns, and dive bars". And for a different perspective, I joined the "New Jersey Pizza Joints" page as well. (New Jersey was rated the #1 state in the U.S. for pizza by Food & Wine Magazine, Connecticut #2, and NY #3) Apparently, they never tasted South Shore-style bar pizza?
Upside-Down Pizza (Sicilian Pan Pizza) at Nino's Coal Fired Pizza in Brick Township, NJ. Pizza Porn? Absolutely!
I get a huge dose of pizza porn in my daily newsfeed and it's only made me want pizza even more, and more specifically, South Shore-style bar pizza. Fortunately, there are plenty of great South Shore-style bar pizza joints close by. Lynwood (Randolph), Crisp (Walpole) "bar pizza without the bar", Poopsie's (Pembroke), O'Toole's and Venus Cafe (Whitman), Ultimate (South Easton), Big D's (Canton), Smitty's Pub (Taunton), J's Flying Pizza (Bridgewater), Buddy's Union Villa (North Easton), Cape Cod Cafe and Home Cafe (Brockton), Liberty Grille (Hingham), Johnny Kono's Bar & Grill (Weymouth) famous for their 10" Dive Bar Pizza, Town Spa (Stoughton), Stoney's Pub and Pizza (Middleboro), Bar Pizza & Salad Co. (Mansfield), and the list goes on and on. There is no shortage of incredible bar pizza joints in Massachusetts. And it's so South Shore to say, "Let's pahk the cah and go grab some bah pizza!"
Dave pulled this one out of the oven at Pizza Tyme & it was done exactly the way I like it!
Some pizza aficionados hit the road and try 'em all and I fully intend to do the same, but for the time being I'm staying close and what better place to go locally for me than Pizza Tyme in Norton. It's not a bar or pub, it's very unique; a small pizza joint the serves up South Shore-style bah pizza, subs, wraps, and good plated food too. There are a few tables inside but most loyalists call and do takeout. Monday, I was craving a bah pizza and I decided it was Pizza Tyme! I ordered a hamburg, onion, and green pepper with "laced edges". You have to ask for the laced edges and I made sure I did. For those who have never had laced edges, it's not burnt crust! It's the perfect crisp and very tasty. Laced edges are the result of the tomato sauce and cheddar cheese caramelizing against the edges of the 10″ pizza pan when cooked at 500 degrees or more, creating that signature black “lace” around the pizza. It's delicious!
Hamburg, onion, and green pepper with laced edges from Pizza Tyme in Norton…
Pizza Tyme is in the conversation, it's legit South Shore-style bah pizza right down to the two plates and the paper bag their pizzas come in, my preferred method of delivery. I had some friends from Maine here pre-Covid and I got seven pizzas from Pizza Tyme and those guys said it was the best pizza they ever had. My hamburg, onion, and green pepper pizza on Monday was incredible! For me, it was made with the right amounts of sauce and cheese, with no skimping on toppings which went right to the edge, and the laced edges were off the charts! It was cooked to perfection with no flop and the toppings didn't slide off. It was delicious!
I'm not a South Shore-style bah pizza snob either, I thoroughly enjoy New York-style, Chicago-style deep dish, Rhode Island tomato pie, Neopolitan, Sicilian, Greek, Detroit, it's all good for this pizza slut. I'm definitely not a big fan of chain pizza, but there are some good ones out there that offer great deals. I always enjoyed going to Faneuil Hall (Boston) and going to Regina Pizzeria (14 locations including Fenway Park) and getting a slice of their delicious brick oven pizza. But, I prefer the smaller, independently owned places that boast a family recipe and serve up South Shore-style bah pizza!
A great-looking Roni bar pie from arguably the GOAT, Lynwood Cafe in Randolph, where they've been at it since 1949! (Nice laced edges!)
Being from Massachusetts I find very few foods more comforting than South Shore-style bah pizza. It's a simple pleasure that's not expensive. During football season we'll get several different pizzas, set 'em on the dining room table, and share. It's a great way to try different toppings.
A great example of a South Shore-style Bar Pizza at Johnny Kono's Bar & Grill in Weymouth. And, there's a cold one waiting right behind it…
We ate our fair share of frozen "Pandemic Pizza" over the last year, frozen stuff that pales in comparison to the fresh stuff and I've decided to try making bah pizza myself. I'll never stop going out for bah pizza, but I want to experience eating one I made myself before I kick the 10" pizza pan…
I put an order in at Bay State Restaurant Products in Brockton for three of their famous 10" Bobby Owens pizza pans, which are necessary if you want to make authentic South Shore-style bah pizza. The pans are so popular they're on backorder and I'm waiting for the call that they're in. I almost caved and bought another brand on Amazon, but then I thought how disloyal I would be to the South Shore-style bah pizza community and so I'm sticking with local tradition and waiting for the call from Bay State…
A fine-looking South Shore-style bar pie from Home Cafe in Brockton!
The nice thing about pizza is, it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, an in-between meal snack, and a midnight snack! It's the most versatile food on the planet! You don't have to twist my arm…
Let me know in the comments what your favorite type of pizza is, your favorite place to get it, and after reading this blog, if you were suddenly craving pizza?
"Remember, there are no bad pizzas, only better ones!"