I Left The Cake Out In The Rain

I got down on the first, which was a Monday. I had been vacationing here the month of October for the past few years. The snowbirds had started to migrate, but it was before the crush of season. I rented the house at the end of Wightman Lane. I got a deal from the owner. He was a friend of Zack’s. He was an airline pilot. He came down the first of November. I always left the place well stocked. He told me he got some interesting people coming to his door looking for Rat. Well, if it worked for him, it worked for me.

The lot was covered with tropical foliage. The house had three bedrooms. Across the gulf-side was a large, screened porch. It had a wet bar in one corner and an outdoor dining table in the other. In front of the bar, there was a seating arrangement with two club chairs. The club chairs faced the water which made them perfect for sunset drinking.

After I got settled in, I went over to Zack and Mary’s house. They had sold the restaurant to two of their employees. The circulation in Zack’s legs hadn’t got any better. They had just returned from a trip to California. We had dinner and shared a couple bottles of wine. They told me about where they had gone and what they had seen.

On Wednesday, Mary left to visit her mother in Charlottesville. She would be gone for five days. Zack and I would have some playtime. He was back into his old ways. He was fun again.

We were sitting at the bar of the Mucky Duck on Thursday late in the afternoon. We had been on the water all day. We both were fried but in a good way. Nothing beats being on the water here. We were fishing but we were also catching. We pulled in three good size black groupers and a kingfish. We also caught a slight buzz drinking one or two cold beers. It was five or six, but nobody likes a “counter”.

It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when you’re coming back. You're zipping through that water with a cooler full of fish. The sun is warm on your back and Jimmy Buffett is in your ears. There's a salty coconut aroma in the air. You’re sun tired and the water around you is so blue. If it’s a real good day like today, a couple of dolphins will be surfing your wake. It was sweet.

We tied up at the dock, washed down the boat, and filleted the fish. We gave the fish to Victor the owner of the Duck. His chef cut them into portions and put aside two nice cuts of grouper for our dinner. We were having a beer at the bar. The Duck didn’t sell liquor. They sold only beer and wine. The sun was almost setting.

As we watched it, Zack said, “Rat, we’ve been friends for a long time, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we have, but I know where you are going with this. We’re not going to stop playing gin. Your lack of skill has become the foundation for my retirement.” We only played for a few dollars, but the bragging rights were a gold mine.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m not giving up yet. That streak of yours has got to end soon.”

“Well, if you would like to try and end it right now, I’m game.”

“After we eat, there’s no rush.” He was quiet for a minute then he said, “Can I ask you a question?”

"Sure.”

“Have you ever had a perfect moment? A moment so perfect you can't put it into words.”

“Yes, when I was catching that big grouper today.”

"Yes, that was good moment but not what I mean. I’m talking about a perfect moment, one that breaks your life into two parts, before it happened and after.”

“Don’t ask me something like that. I'm not good at that touchy-feely shit.”

“Yes, I know. Give it a shot,” he said.

“The problem with a moment like that is you don’t realize it happened until it’s over,” I said.

“And you think it will happen again. And it never does,” he said.

“And then you question whether it happened at all.”

“Yeah…. Forget it.”

“I figure... if it’s that perfect a moment and you talk about it, it’s not so special anymore.”

“You’re right.”

He turned away to watch the sun disappear. I could tell something was bothering him, but I didn’t know what. When he turned back, we returned to more serious discussions, which had to do with fishing or politics. I don’t remember.

We played gin later that night. He didn’t break the streak. I didn’t see him again until sunset on Sunday. He was walking on the beach. I called him over to have a drink. He was slow coming up the steps. He sat in one of the club chairs. He stared out at the water. He had a look that concerned me.

“Zack, where have you been? I went over to the house a couple of times. I couldn’t find you.”

He looked at me and said, “I’ve been with Abby.”

I was at the bar. Hearing what he said, I dropped my glass. “You’ve been with Abby?" I hadn’t heard him say that name in twenty years. "Hang on. I’m going to need a drink for this and so are you.” I poured two doubles of single malt scotch then added one large ice cube to each.

“I’ve always wondered where I was going and when I finally got there if she would be there. I wanted her to be there.”

I shook my head and handed him his glass. “Tell me what happened.”

He took a sip and said, “She lives in Atlanta. She flew down. I rented a place at Casa Ybel. We had dinner and talked. We went for a walk on the beach. Things happened. We ended up spending the weekend together.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘together’?”

“We were ‘together’ in every sense of the word.”

“My guess is, Mary doesn’t know about this. She’s got an open mind but not quite that open.”

“No, she doesn’t know.”

“Why did you do it?”

“I left the cake out in the rain.”

“What?”

“Jimmy Webb."

“I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever have that recipe again.”

“Now you’re talking crazy. After what Abby did to you, I thought you let go of her a long time ago.”

“Memories don't go away when the other person goes away."

“No, they don't.” I knew that for a fact.

"I've thought about her for 20 years."

"She dumped you. Forget her."

He stood and walked over to the screen and looked out at the water. “I tried... From the first time I saw her until she walked out was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. How do you forget that?”

“Mary is not going to like this. Women don’t want to hear that another woman makes you happy, especially that kind of happy.”

“I’ve been making Mary unhappy for years.”

“She’s been good for you, Zack.”

“Yes, she has.... I didn’t plan for this to happen. I didn’t know what to do… I missed the feelings…”

“The past is not something you can change. You need to let it go.”

“Yeah.” He looked away for a minute then said, "Did I love her back then?"

“It looked like you loved her. The question you should be asking is, did she love you?”

“She told me she did,” he said.

“People lie, you know.”

“You and I lied a lot. We told a lot of girls we loved them. You knew her. She never told me a lie. Did she ever tell you one?”

“No… She never lied,” I said.

“If the words come too easy, you don’t really mean them. Those words didn’t come easy to her.”

“How in hell did you find her?”

“I sent a letter to her parents. I knew they would get it to her.”

“You kept her parents’ address all these years?”

“It was her old address, her parent's house… We were kids back then."

"You send her one letter, after twenty years, and she agreed to spend the weekend with you? That must have been a hell of a letter."

“No, I’ve been sending letters for a while. I sent the first one four years ago.”

“You’ve been hiding this from Mary for four years?”

"I’ve been hiding stuff from Mary for a lot longer than that.”

I sat down in the chair beside him and looked out at the water. “Zack, you have fucked up. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I do know that when you’re married and you have feelings for someone that's not your wife, you shouldn't be married."

"If you leave Mary, there’s no coming back. She doesn’t work that way."

"I know."

“So, you're going to leave?”

He didn’t say anything for a minute. “I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you see Abby on the side? Mary wouldn’t have to know.”

“She would know. I’m a terrible liar. She would know.”

“Well, you may be a terrible liar, but you’ve kept this from her for four years... or 'a lot longer than that'. Maybe you’re not as bad as you think.”

“Then I would be lying to myself.”

“What did Mary do?”

“Mary has never been happy with me. I don’t fit the mold of her perfect husband. I never will. But to answer your question, she didn’t do anything, I did this all by myself. I always thought all this, all these toys would make me happy. I was wrong.”

"Mary loves you. Why start all over again with Abby?”

“That first night… When I looked into her eyes… There was a look of recognition between us. It was like neither one of us had ever been a stranger to the other... Shit, I can’t explain it. I’ve never been good at words. If I was a college graduate, I'd be good. I’m just a cook.”

“Some cooks see what other cooks don’t. That makes them special. That means something.”

“It does. It means I’m not good with words… Rat… It took less than a minute and we were back there. Like no time had passed at all."

“Damn.” I said as I downed the rest of my drink, got up and poured another. “You want some more?”

“No, I’m going to need a clear head for this. Things never happen the way you think they will.”

“What the hell did you think was going to happen?”

“I thought we broke up because she didn’t love me, but I wasn’t sure. I wanted to meet her, face to face, one more time. Then I would know if things worked out right twenty years ago. Then I could let her go and get on with my life.”

“You're a fucking idiot."

“I know. I didn’t think our feelings could come back... No, I did. There was the letter she wrote after I sent the music."

“The music?”

“Yes.”

I looked over at my old friend. I thought at some point in the last twenty years, in a drunken state, he must have fallen and injured his head. There had been plenty of those drunken states. He had to have amnesia to have forgotten having his guts kicked out twenty years ago. And he must be suffering from Stockholm syndrome to still be in love with the woman who had done it. I was about to have him slapped with the Baker Act when he answered my next question. After that I couldn’t. “Why after twenty years?”

“… She made me laugh… I loved her…. and she always made me laugh.”

“She made you laugh?”

“I was a fool. I thought there were going to be plenty of women like her. I didn’t realize there would only be one. I reached the point where I would have given anything to hear her voice, to smell her hair, to feel her touch, to be with her just one more time. I would have given anything. Haven't you ever...”

He didn’t say another word. He shook his head, set his glass down and walked out the door. A long time ago, I had been a fool too and he knew it.

 

..."And One More For The Road"

There is a legend in the saloon business that Johnny Mercer wrote the words to the barroom ballad "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" at the bar in P.J. Clarke's in New York City, on the back of one of their cocktail napkins. It has been described as the best "getting drunk because your woman left you" songs ever written. P.J. Clarke's is exactly the kind of place you can imagine that happening. It has the right feel. 

Frank Sinatra made a lot of money off that song, as did Harold Arlen who wrote the music and of course, Johnny Mercer who wrote the lyrics. The owners of P.J. Clarke's have made a lot of money off the saloon business, selling food and liquor to their clientele, starting in 1884. 

During the 40 odd years of my food and beverage career, I have spent some time visiting New York City. P.J. Clarke's has always been a favorite haunt. I have always felt comfortable there. My first memories go back to the early 1970's, when I was working at the Golden Pheasant Inn in Buck's County PA. The owners of the Inn had an apartment in New York in the Sutton Place neighborhood in a building next to the Queensborough bridge. 

P.J. Clarke's is about a 6 block (5 minute) walk from the apartment. Back then I used to walk the city. I had learned how to use the subway system and how to hail a cab, but New York is a city you need to walk. Like Paris, walking the streets of New York, you get an understanding and feel for the city. When I say city, I'm talking about Manhattan. There is nothing quite like walking around Manhattan.

I don't think anyone told me about Clarke's or took me there. I think I found it on my own. Of course, that was a long time ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. If someone did, thank you, and I'm sorry I don't remember.

Most of the time, I went to Clarke's for lunch. I would go at 11:30, when they first opened to be sure to get a table. I would go in the 55th Street side entrance, which puts you at the tables at the end of the mahogany bar. To the right is the entrance to the back dining room. These few tables were in the main bar area of the saloon. It was rare that I sat at the bar. I liked this area because you had a table and still could see everything going on. 

Clarke's is the kind of place that from 11:30 when it opened, until 11:59, no one is in the place but employees. At 12:01, it's completely full with 3 and 4 deep at the bar. Mostly with men dressed in expensive suits - bankers, stockbrokers, ad men and lawyer types, drinking and eating. This was 1973, so I'm sure that there were women too, but it's the men that stand out in my memory and the expensive suits.

The servers and bartenders, that I remember, were men too. I know for a fact there were women servers and bartenders, but I only remember the men. They were grumpy old men dressed in white long sleeve shirts, black pants, long black ties, a long white apron, and long in years with 40 to 50 (I had 24). They did not put up with any bullshit. In my early years, some had black sleeve garters. They tended to be gruff but acquired a big smile and friendly nature when they realized you were in the business and going to leave them a good tip. Most were of average height and a bit stocky.

Back then, they had a simple order pad system. There was a small paper pad on each table and at the bar. You wrote what you wanted (1 Guinness, 1 Cheeseburger, rare, 1 French Fries) and then handed the slip to the waiter or bartender. He brought you what you ordered. It was a pre-digital age system. It worked quite well. 

The menu was fairly simple back then as well. It was typical saloon food, i.e. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Steaks, Meatloaf, French Onion Soup, New England Clam Chowder, Caesar Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, Oysters, Cheesecake... They also had a favorite of mine Steak Tartare. Yes, raw beef, with all the correct garnishes - capers, minced shallots, Dijon mustard, minced parsley, gherkins, and of course the raw egg yolk on top. A side of Tabasco was always included to be sure it was spicy enough for you. 

They had another favorite of mine, the "Stoli Martini Up". In the early 1970's Pepsi worked a deal with the Russians to import Stolichnaya vodka into the United States. Clarke's had it and introduced me to it. They served it ice cold and with a twist of lemon. It was delicious. It went well with the Steak Tartare too.

I wasn't the only one to like it either. It was a favorite of Cate Blanchett as well. This was evident in the movie Blue Jasmine.

Up at the front, across from the end of the main bar, was a grill counter which at this time served hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches. If you were short on time, you could step up to the main bar and get the beverage of your choice, then turn around and step over to the grill counter and get something to eat. You had to stand while you ate but for a lot of people this wasn't a problem. They have since taken out the flat top grill and put in an iced seafood raw bar. The counter still has that old comfortable feel.

The main bar, most of the time, was 3 or 4 deep with customers drinking, talking, and engaging their compatriots. After 12:00, all the tables were full and there were people waiting for the lucky ones to get up and leave. This grill counter was a big plus for some, who were short on time. Everyone seemed happy to be at Clarke's no matter how crowded it was. The crowds added to the ambiance of the place. 

A lot of famous people hung out at Clarke's. A lot of unfamous people hung out there too. There were tourist like me, who felt at home here. And there were the locals who lived nearby. They just liked the fact that Clarke's was still there after all the years. 

The building was built in 1868 as a 4 story townhouse. It was constructed in a neighborhood of working class Irish immigrants. The ground floor was converted to a saloon in 1884 by a man named Jennings or Duneen. The early history is a little vague. The upper floors were used as residential apartments. The saloon served the local Irish laborers. It was by no means fancy. 

Patrick "Paddy" Joseph Clarke immigrated from Ireland in 1902 and started working there as a bartender. After 10 years, he had saved enough money to buy the business and renamed it P.J. Clarke's. He and his family lived in one of the apartments above the saloon. He never bought the building itself. He had a long term lease and a benevolent landlord.

This was right before the First World War and the neighborhood was industrial and blue collar. Paddy ran a straight, friendly neighborhood saloon known for keeping a clean bar, decent beer and a warm welcome for his patrons who were mostly laborers, dockhands, delivery drivers and brewery men. It was respectable but lively, a workingman's place without fights. The Third Avenue Elevated Train ran right in front of Clarke's and rattled the glasses on the back bar. The track structure shaded the front of the building but no one cared. Everyone felt at home. 

With the start of Prohibition in 1920 things changed. Clarke's made it through Prohibition by illegally selling bootlegged liquor and bathtub gin that Clarke made in the bathroom upstairs. It was a "Speakeasy". In New York and the rest of the country Clarke's was not alone in this respect, i.e. the "21" Club, the Stork Club, and Chumley's. The neighborhood was starting to change and so was his clientele. Men and women started drinking together. What a novel idea.

During and after the 2nd World War, Clarke's started to attract a more upscale clientele, including some famous people. The most famous nighttime customer was probably Frank Sinatra. He had his own table in the back room, Table 20. The most famous daytime customer was probably Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She sat in that middle area I liked so much, by a window. 

A lot of the crowd included writers, newspapermen, actors, and musicians. CBS had a building nearby so a lot of their staff and newsmen hung out at Clarke's, like Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow and Eric Sevareid. Nat King Cole was a fan of the bacon cheeseburger naming it the "Cadillac of Burgers". It's called that on the menu to this day.

Buddy Holly proposed to Maria Elena Santiago in Clarke's on their first date. Paul McCartney, Peter Falk, Ernest Borgnine, Ethel Merman, Truman Capote were all regulars. Actor Richard Harris would come directly from the airport to Clarke's for his "usual", 6 double shots of vodka. 

The author Charles R. Jackson who wrote "The Lost Weekend" was a regular at Clarke's and several other bars in the area. The bar in the novel is called "Gus's". Jackson's favorite bar was close to Clarke's and was also named Gus's. In the movie Director Billy Wilder liked the look of P.J. Clarke's much better so he made a copy on a Hollywood soundstage. They couldn't shoot in the actual P.J. Clarke's (they tried) because of the lack of control over the sound and lighting. They did shoot some of the exterior scenes in New York City. He obviously knew what he was doing because the movie won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. It also won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. 

I never saw any of these people in P.J. Clarke's or never recognised them if they were there. I did see some people that were famous to me. One day at lunch, I saw singer Dionne Warwick at a nearby table. On another day, Liza Minnelli was sitting at the bar. I saw actor Ben Gazzara at a nearby table a couple of times. I knew him from the "Run For Your Life" television series. I was lucky enough to catch Dustin Hoffman coming out the 55th Street door as I was walking in. He was with a slender much taller woman, I later found out she was his wife and a ballerina. All these folks just added to the mystic and charm of P.J. Clarke's. 

One of the most unusual aspects of P.J. Clarke's is the visual impression you get as you walk south on Third Avenue. A skyscraper, 919 Third Avenue, starts at 56th Street and encompasses the whole block except for the corner of 55th Street where P.J. Clarke's sits. It looks as if this building was built around Clarke's. It was one of the things that attracted me to Clarke's in the first place. I never knew the whole story until much later.

The story is pretty interesting. In the mid 1950's they started tearing down the Third Avenue Elevated Train. It was ugly and had outlived its usefulness. It darkened the avenue, depressed property values directly underneath, and created constant noise. The demolition transformed Third Avenue. Property values rose, the sunlight returned, and much of the avenue was rebuilt. 

The area around Clarke's became prime property for a skyscraper location as real estate developers moved the skyscraper dynasty from the southern part of Manhattan to the north. In 1942 the building had been bought by the Lavezzo family for $19,000. They opened an antique refinishing and furniture repair shop on the upper floors. They became the benevolent landlord for P.J. Clarke's. The Clarke family moved to a nearby apartment and commuted to the saloon. P.J. Clarke died in 1948 but his family continued to run the business.

In the mid 1960's, Tishman Realty and Construction began to assemble all the lots on the east side of Third Avenue from 56th Street to 55th, P.J. Clarke's block. They wanted to build a 47 story office tower. By 1965 Tishman had accumulated all the property on the block from Third Avenue halfway to Second Avenue, except for Clarke's building on the corner. They were a "holdout". The Lavezzo family refused to sell. 

They were offered extravagant amounts of money. Their reasoning was both personal and practical. They didn't want to lose the family property and they didn't want the saloon (their tenant and source of steady income) displaced or demolished. 

After years of negotiations, Tishman and the Lavezzo family came to a compromise. The Lavezzo family would sell the land and the air rights to the property. They would retain the building under a 99-year leaseback. Tishman would preserve the saloon as it stood although for structural and zoning reasons they would have to remove the top 2 floors. This unusual deal allowed Tishman to proceed with building the skyscraper around the saloon rather than over it. 

Clarke's stayed open during the construction. They did close for a few weeks with the removal of the top 2 floors and some added structural reinforcement. The Lavezzo family closed their antique business and became a benevolent landlord. My guess is, Tishman had supplied them with enough cash to make this work for them. 

They built this building around Clarke's and it looks like it. This deal added to the mystic and the history of both buildings. In 2002 ownership of the business changed hands and the new owners did a total gutting of the place, from cellar to roof. They took thousands of digital pictures before and carefully removed everything and put it in storage. At one point there was nothing inside but the brick structure. There was nothing from cellar to the roof, no floors no roof, nothing. They structurally reinforced the building and added all new electrical and plumbing. They brought everything up to code. Then they replaced everything just like it was before, exactly like it was before, including the men's urinals. They wanted the place to last another 100 years. I imagine this place was a real money maker.

The upper floor eventually became Sidecar, an additional dining space. You enter on 55th Street. Named Sidecar for the drink or the passenger compartment attached to the side of a motorcycle? I don't know. It has been used as an private club, additional dining space, and a space for private parties. It is adjacent to the main saloon business downstairs, so the motorcycle connotation makes sense. It makes a nice addition to Clarke's. 

I recently read one of the long-time waitresses, Pat Moore died. She had worked there for 45 years, longer than any other employee. So for sure, they had women working there when I first started enjoying the place. She was famous because she was a former model and dated Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Warren Beatty, and William Shatner. I'm sure there were others. She was quite attractive. She was famous at Clarke's for her fantastic memory in taking orders and the fact she made everyone feel welcome even if you weren't famous. Sad to say I never had the chance to meet her. 

Also famous at Clarke's were the urinals in the men's room. They were huge, white porcelain structures. The room was small and dark wood paneled. The urinals were about 5 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and 18 inches deep. They sort of envelope you. Every time I've been in the men's room throughout all the years, the urinals have had a large block of ice in them. I'm sure when they did the renovation in 2002 they retrofitted them with flushing mechanisms, but you can't tell. They have always had the block of ice when I've been there. Of course I could be mistaken. My memory isn't as good as it used to be.

There is one thing I do remember very well. I once took a long walk around the main part of Manhattan. It was late at night and I was under the influence of a wee bit of alcohol. When I say a long walk, I mean a long walk. I started at the apartment after a night of hitting the bars on 1st Avenue. There were a lot of them, like Maxwell Plum and the original T.G.I. Fridays (the "singles bars" of the era and I was single).

I decided I needed "one more for the road" and walked over to P.J. Clarke's. I had "one" and started walking back to 2nd Avenue on 55th street. When I got to 2nd Avenue, instead of turning left to head back to the apartment, I turned right and started walking. I walked all the way down to Canal Street. Then took a right and walked over to Greenwich Street. I took another right and walked up to Columbus Circle.

This put me right at the southern edge of Central Park which sits on 59th Street. The Queensborough Bridge is also known as the 59th Street Bridge, so I was almost home. This walk was about 10 miles total and took me about 4 hours but I wasn't counting. The sky was just beginning to lighten as I walked (stumbled) into the entrance of the apartment building. 

Why I didn't get mugged or arrested, I can't tell you. I guess that old saying "God looks out for children, fools, and drunks", is true. I know I covered 2 of those categories, if not all 3. I know for sure I wouldn't have made it without that "one more for the road".

Bite Me! Said The Pizza

Just about everyone agrees that they like pizza. Just about everyone agrees pizza is delicious. Just about everyone agrees pizza is perfect at any time of the day or night.  What they don't agree on, is what exactly is pizza. I'm not talking about toppings. I'm talking about the different styles of pizza. 

There is a guy in San Francisco at Tony's Pizza Napoletana, that serves 12 different styles of pizza (13 counting the Gluten-Free) cooked in 7 different kinds of ovens, with 6 different kinds of doughs. He is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. 

Tony Gemignani is the Tony and he has won numerous awards for his pizza making, including being the World Pizza Champion 13 times. He knows a thing or two about pizza. It seems he is trying to please everyone and he has achieved some success at that.

Then there is a guy in New York City who is more of a purist. He makes only one kind of pizza, Neapolitan - style pizza. He is even more of a purist in that he is certified by the Italian "Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana" as serving true Neapolitan Pizza. For this there are strict guidelines for the ingredients that can be used, the dough and its fermentation, shaping, cooking and appearance. There are only 94 current certified members in the United States. 

He is a Tony too, except he goes by Anthony. Anthony Mangieri at Una Pizza Napoletana. He serves one style of pizza, with one oven (wood fired) and with very limited toppings. He has 5 classic pizzas, the Marinara, the Margherita, the Bianca, the Filetti, the Cosacca. He also serves a Weekly Special pizza. He has won lots of awards and is considered by some to make the best pizza in the United States. 

Currently, there are about 75,000 pizza restaurants in the United States, which is a lot. They are divided 56% independent to 44% chain. The chains make more money because of their scale, marketing, consistency, and operational efficiency. People know what they are going to get. The independents typically put out a better product and garner a loyal local following or they are not around very long. 

Pizza restaurants tend to have a better survival rate that other restaurants. They also have a higher profit margin (7%-12%) than other restaurants (3%-5%). They can survive economic downturns better because they are viewed as an affordable comfort food. 

 

The history of pizza is a long one, dating back over 6,000 years. Pizzas are documented in civilizations in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. They were called flatbreads. Ancient Greeks ate "Plakous", a flatbread topped with onions, garlic, and herbs. Ancient Romans ate "Picea", a flatbread topped with cheese, honey, and bay leaves. 

Throughout history flatbreads with toppings have been a food for the poor especially in southern Italy. It spread throughout southern Italy because it was inexpensive, easy to make and delicious. It became popular in Naples in particular because it was a port city and had sailors and traders that brought a diverse number of different toppings to the game. 

In 18th century Naples street vendors sold flatbreads topped with lard, garlic, salt, anchovies, and cheese. The tomato didn't arrive from the Americas to Europe until the 1500's and originally it was thought to be poisonous. It was poisonous when the tomato acid interacted with pewter plates of the wealthy. It wasn't a problem on the ceramic plates of the poor. It didn't become a topping for flatbreads until the 1800's, mostly in the areas around Naples, where a lot of tomatoes were raised. The use of the tomato was the birth of Modern Italian Pizza. 

Another key moment occurred in 1889 with the formation of the Pizza Margherita legend. I say legend because this probably never happened. According to the legend, to honor Queen Margherita of Savoy, pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito created and served to her a pizza with tomatoes (Red), mozzarella (White), and basil (Green) - representing the colors in the Italian flag. I find it hard to believe that a queen is going to be eating what at the time was poor peasant street food, but what do I know. The legend persists and for many this is the only true Neapolitan Pizza. 

Pizza came to the United States with the Italian immigrants in the late 1800's and early 1900's. It remained mostly an Italian immigrant food item and stayed in the Italian communities that sprang up in mainly Northern and Midwestern cities, like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago. In 1905, Gennaro Lombardi opened Lombardi's Pizza in New York City and it is recognized as the first licensed pizzeria in the U.S.

It wasn't until after World War II, that pizza became widespread across the United States. It's rumored that returning G.I.'s having eaten pizza in Italy, brought back a craving for it. I find this hard to believe. There couldn't have been that many G.I.'s in southern Italy during the war and pizza ingredients would have been hard to find in the depressed Italian food markets. Plus all the bombing would have destroyed most of the wood fired ovens. I think the majority of the soldiers were exposed to a lot of different kinds of food which made them more adventurous eaters. Nevertheless, pizzerias spread all over the Northern part of the country, not just in Italian-American neighborhoods. This was due in part to the number of Italian immigrants and the opening of American culinary minds.  

The South had a long history with pork barbeque, fried chicken, cornbread, and biscuits. In the South, there were very few Italian immigrant communities, so pizza popularity would have to wait until the late 1950's with the development of pizza chains and frozen pizza in grocery stores. 

I lived mainly in the South growing up. The only pizza I remember as a child was the ersatz Chef Boyardee boxed pizza. It came with a container of pizza flour mix to which you added water, a can of tomato pizza sauce, and the infamous cheese that didn't require refrigeration. 

I never got exposed to real pizza until I went to East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. I was poor so needed to work while in school. I worked at the Fiddlers Three Restaurant and Taproom as a waiter and bartender. At the Fiddlers, they had pizza. It was cooked in a deck oven, and was about 16 inches across. It came with limited toppings, but it was quite tasty. I got an employee discount, so I would occasionally take a pizza home at the end of my shift. If there was any left over, I would have it for breakfast the next morning. I liked it cold and with cold beer. When I lived in a fraternity house, it was a perfect combination for Saturday or Sunday mornings while watching cartoons on the house television. This was back in the day when there wasn't a television in every room.

In the early days of my food career, there were lots of new and interesting things to try. I don't remember pizza standing out among them. Pizza was definitely one of the things I ate but not one of the things served in the restaurants where I worked other than the Fiddlers Three. 

I do remember this one pizzeria that was in Frenchtown New Jersey when I was working at the Golden Pheasant Inn in Bucks County. It was just over the Delaware River that separates New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We got pizza there on our days off. This particular pizzeria was always packed and with an unusual amount of pregnant women. It seems that it had a reputation for inducing labor for overdue women. I don't know if this was truth or myth but they sold a lot of pizza.

There are countless styles of what people call pizza. There is New York Style, Neapolitan Style, California Style, Southwestern style, Arizona Style, Classic American Pizza, Classic Italian Pizza, Chicago Deep Dish, Chicago Stuffed, Chicago Tavern, New Haven Apizza, Detroit Pizza, Saint Louis Pizza, Sicilian Pizza, Pizza Romana, Grandma Pizza, Colorado Mountain Pie, Quad Cities Pizza, Trenton Tomato Pie, Jersey Shore Pizza, Greek Pizza, Pennsylvania Pizza, Altoona Pizza, Bar Pizza, Cuban Pizza, Coal Fired Pizza, Gluten - Free Pizza, Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Artisan Pizza, and Neo-Neapolitan Pizza. It seems that if it has a bread base and toppings of any sort you can call it pizza.

I don't agree with this, but what do I know? If you are going to eat it and you want to call it pizza, I'm okay with that. You are entitled to your opinion. I'm not judgemental. Just don't expect me to eat it and call it pizza. I was in the hospitality business for a number of years, so I'm aware of what comprises hospitality. I have gone to many people's homes and been served what they call pizza. I might not have agreed with the term but I ate it, not wanting to be rude or hurt someone's feelings. I also like to keep an open mind. 

Of course there are some people who take things to the ridiculous, like the Altoona Pizza. It's cooked in a rectangular pan with a thick crust topped with tomato sauce, salami. a ring of green pepper and sliced american cheese. It is cut into squares the size of the american cheese slice. To me, this is not pizza.  

For me there are only 2 kinds of pizza, Neapolitan - Style and New York - Style. The rest are... I don't know what to call them but I don't call them pizza. If it's cooked in a deep pan and it's not round and it's 4 inches thick, to me that's not pizza. I have eaten some of these concoctions but I wasn't happy about it and I have never been impressed by any of these pizzas. In most cases, to keep an open mind, I try it.

While working in the wine business for Winebow and visiting Campania, Italy, I ate in an Italian pizzeria. It was not like a typical pizzeria in the United States. It was an upscale white tablecloth establishment that served antipasti, pasta, desserts and had a very nice wine list. Pizza was the focus but they were small in size (11 to 12 inch). Each person got their own. They had a minimal amount of toppings. It was more about the crust and the quality of the topping ingredients. They were cooked in a domed wood fired oven at an extremely high temperature (750 to 900 degrees) which made the crust light airy and crisp. It also caused the dough to acquire black dots which are called leopard spots or leoparding. The pizza acquires a slightly smokey flavor. They cook in 60 to 90 seconds. 

Because each person gets their own, these pizzas were served uncut. You eat them with a fork and knife, cutting them yourself. I fell in love with this kind of pizza. It was delicious. 

I saw a smaller version of them being served out of carts in front of some of the take away shops. They were called pizza a portafoglio or wallet pizza. They were folded in half or quarters and wrapped in paper. It is the quintessential street food, originally sold on the streets of Naples to busy people who needed a fast and portable meal. 

The Romans have pizza also and I have talked about the Pizza Bianca I got from the Forno Campo de' Fiori. It was more like a bread than what I consider pizza. It is baked in long rectangular shape and brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. You indicate how much you want and they cut it with a large knife. A variation comes topped with tomato sauce. This is the quintessential Roman street food. The Forno is located off the street that leads to the Vatican. 

In a neighborhood behind the Vatican there is what many say is the best pizzeria in Rome (including Anthony Bourdain). It's name is Bonci Pizzarium and is owned by Gabriele Bonci. Bonci serves pizza al taglio (“by the cut”), a popular style in Rome. It's baked in large rectangular pans. It's sold and priced by weight. There is no menu and no tables or chairs, no seating here. There are 12 - 15 different pizzas on display, as well as suppli which are deep fried rice or pasta balls stuffed with different ingredients. You take a number, wait for your number to be called, and then point to the pizza you want from the display. Indicate the size of the slice you desire, and the staff will cut it, weigh it, and give you a ticket with the price (they use scissors to make the cuts). You then pay for your pizza, and they will heat it for you to take away.

The dough is a high-hydration, long-fermented (72 hours) dough made with high-quality, stone-ground heritage flours. The result is a unique Roman-style pizza crust that is thick, light, and airy, with a distinct crunch.

The toppings are of an endless variety, often with complex, gourmet combinations featuring seasonal and high-quality ingredients. Toppings are spread edge-to-edge. Bonci keeps most toppings to 3. He is often called the Michelangelo of pizza because of his different rather unusual combinations like Mortadella & Pistachio Cream, Foie Gras & Cherries, Porchetta & Salsa Verde, Potato & Mozzarella, Zucchini Blossoms & Anchovies, Gorgonzola & Pear, and Buffalo Mozzarella & Anchovies. It is estimated he goes through 1500 different combinations in the course of a year.

Bonci is rather adamant that "this is not fucking street food". Even though his customers (no tables or chairs) end up standing in the street (some walking) eating his pizza, he doesn't like the lack of respect the term "street food" has attached to it. I can understand that. 

He opened his shop after my last trip to Rome, so I never have had the opportunity to taste it, but in looking at the selections online, I definitely will try it on my next trip to Rome. It might make me change my definition of pizza.

I have some friends who are involved in the pizza business. Joe Archambeau bought a place called Blue Moon Pizza this year. It's part of a small chain of 4 units based in Atlanta plus the 1 unit in Fort Myers that he bought. 

They have a large menu of appetizers, salads, wings, pizza, sandwiches, desserts, cocktails, beer and wine. They have several round sized pizzas going from a personal (12") to an extra large (18"). They also have a square Sicilian Grandma Pizza (16"). Their pizzas are New York Style except for the Grandma, which is rectangular and cut into squares. They cook everything in Canadian made Zesto Deck Ovens. He sells a lot of pizza and beverages. 

Johnny Feagans, my ex-stepson has a concept called Captiva Crust in the collection of restaurants at Tween Waters Resort and Spa on Captiva Island. He is the Executive Chef of the 3 full service restaurants, casual dining concepts (Including Captiva Crust), and the catering services. Captiva Crust serves only one style of pizza and it is a 10" personal pizza that is a cross between Neapolitan - Style and New York Style. You can build your own or they have several signature pizzas. They are cooked in a rather expensive Italian made Volare conveyor oven. It is a popular resort and they serve a lot of pizza. 

When my son-in-law Bill Mahler was in college at FSU in Tallahassee, he worked at Momo's Pizza. Their claim to fame is "Slices As Big As Your Head". They serve different size pizzas but their biggest seller is their "Extra Large", which is made from a 3 pound dough ball and is over 30" across. They sell this mammoth pizza by the slice as well as the whole, hence their slogan. 

Bill says learning to stretch and toss that huge dough ball is an art form. Looking at some of the videos online, I have to agree. Momo's pizzas are New York Style. You can build your own or they have several signature pizzas. They have 3 locations. Their pizzas and beer specials keep them packed with local college students.

25 years later, Bill still tosses a mean pie. He has even invested in an outdoor pizza oven. We get invited over for some of his weekend pizza parties, but he doesn't do the extra large "Slices As Big As Your Head" size. The smaller ones he does are really good.

The only time I had pizza on my menu was a brief period after a 1987 trip to California and a visit to Chez Panisse. The early 1980's is when California Pizza was born. It started with Alice Waters, as did a lot things back then. She had taken trips to Italy where she tasted focaccia and pizza out of wood fired ovens. She came back and wanted the same flavors in the Cafe she was building upstairs at Chez Panisse. She got a local craftsman to build her a wood fired oven. He wasn't Italian but German so he built her a German wood fired bread oven. Not the same thing as a domed Italian wood fired pizza oven but it didn't matter because she was going to make pizzas her own way with fresh local products. This was in 1980. Her flatbreads were a cross between Neapolitan Style and New York Style but small in size. She cooked other things in that wood fired oven too, like pork, lamb, whole fish, vegetables, whole chickens, and fruit tarts.

Wolfgang Puck tasted some of these flatbreads, which is what she called them. He wanted them for Spago, the new restaurant he was opening in Los Angeles in 1982. He hired the same craftsman Alice had used, to build his oven. He also hire Ed LaDou to be his pizza chef. Wolfgang knew a lot about flavors but nothing about pizzas. Ed helped make Spago and Wolfgang famous. He left after a couple years and worked with the folks that started California Pizza Kitchen. The California Pizza or as some called it the Gourmet Pizza was now a food phenomenon. 

When I came back from that trip, I purchased a countertop Bakers Pride Deck Oven. Inside, it had 2 decks so I could bake 2 flatbreads at a time. This was at the Sunshine Cafe and we were small, about 35 seats. It was perfect. I didn't call what I made in that oven a pizza. Instead I called it flatbread, just as Alice did. I didn't have the space or the money to put in a full sized wood fired oven. If I need wood flavor I already had a smoker and a wood fired grill. I would pre-cook the items in the smoker or on the grill and then top them on the flatbread dough before cooking it. It worked great. 

I never really got deeply involved in the dough making process and I should have. We made a small New York Style pizza. I had fun with it and enjoyed the different unusual combinations I came up with. This was right before I left the food world and entered the wine world. Johnny was working with me at the Sunshine Cafe and remembers that Bakers Pride Oven to this day. 

People ask me, "Where do you go for pizza?" If we are in northern Virginia visiting family, I go to Pupatella in Arlington. It's one of the 94 current certified members of the Italian "Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana". They make a great pizza. We usually eat it there because pizza doesn't travel well no matter what style it is. That's not to say I haven't had it to go, because I have. It's best right after it comes out of that wood fired oven. I like things when they are at their best. 

In the San Francisco area, I go to the Cafe at Chez Panisse and a place called A16. I have always been impressed with the simplicity and purity of the flatbread at Chez Panisse. At A16, they serve a Neapolitan style pizza that has a pair of stainless steel scissors under the pizza. That's a nice touch. I don't go to Tony's because his whole operation is a bit too much for me, but I'm sure he makes good pizza. His restaurant is always packed. 

In New York, I've gone to Lombardi's for the history factor. They make a great pizza. Tom Ward, the maitre d' at the Golden Pheasant, was originally from New York and took me to a place in Greenwich Village called John's of Bleecker Street. It was on my first visit to New York and first time on the subway. If i had to get back there using my memory, I probably couldn't do it. That first trip was so fast (everything in New York is fast) with so many turns and so many instructions to get on here and get off here, I can't remember them all. Thank goodness, today we have Google maps. They had an old coal fired oven and classic New York style. I have never gone to Una Pizza Napoletana, but looking at the pizzas he makes, I would definitely give it a try. 

The most popular pizza topping in the United States is pepperoni by a wide margin. It's Italian-American (not Italian) spicy  smoked and dry cured sausage. Pepperoni is followed by sausage, mushrooms, extra cheese, onions, and green pepper. If you asked for a "pepperoni pizza" in Italy you would get one topped with peppers. Pepperoni is the Italian word for peppers. In Italy the most popular topping is the 3 ingredient combination of tomato, mozzarella, and basil on the Pizza Margherita. 

Occasionally, I get asked, "if you could go anywhere in the world for pizza, where would you go?" A lot of famous chefs have expounded on this subject. Nancy Silverton, who was Wolfgang Puck's pastry chef at Spago and has opened her own pizza place, Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, swears by Franco Pepe's pizzeria Pepe In Grani, in Caiazzo Italy, an hour north of Naples. Several chefs have named Pepe as the best in the world.

Others have recommended the $12,000 Louis XIII Pizza created by Italian chef Renato Viola in Salerno, Italy. It is an 8" pizza topped with 3 different kinds of caviar, 7 different kinds of cheese including Buffalo Mozzarella, lobster from Norway, truffles, Murray River pink salt from Australia, and who knows what else (I heard they put edible 24k gold leaf in the crust). This pizza is served with a bottle of Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 1995 and snifters of Rémy Martin Louis XIII Cognac. It is designed for 2 people. Yes, an 8" pizza for 2. You won't be folding this into a Portafoglio and walking down the street with it. This is more than a pizza, Viola and a team come to your house and cook this in your kitchen. They also serve appetizers, dessert and other beverage pairings. 

Viola has come to the United States (Miami) and opened a 21 unit chain of Mister 01 Extraordinary Pizza. They don't have the $12,000 pizza on the menu. Things are a bit more reasonably priced and without all the extravagance. They have plans to take the 21 to 29 by the end of the year and even have plans to build one close to me (5 minute drive). I will definitely be giving it a try. 

Other chefs suggest the pizza multi-course meals from Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles, Marta and Biga Bite in New York or Miami Slice in Miami. To me this is getting away from the true spirit of pizza. 

I don't have a good pizza place close to where I live so I have turned to my own kitchen and talents. I'm a former restaurant cook after all. My home oven can get to 550 degrees and I use a Lodge 15" cast iron pizza pan. They call it a pan but it has no sides so I call it a pizza stone even though it is cast iron. I use a recipe for dough I have adopted from the New York Times, Sam Sifton, and Roberta's Pizza in Brooklyn. I have changed a few of the ingredients and techniques to work in my kitchen. 

I stretch the dough like they do, but I doubled the recipe and let it ferment a little longer. I stretch it out on parchment paper and cook it right on the paper which prevents any sticking issues. I have included the recipe at the end of this post.

To get back to the question, if I could go anywhere in the world for pizza where would I go? I could go to Chicago. Gabriele "this is not fucking street food" Bonci has opened a couple of locations there but no. I would go to the Carroll Gardens neighborhood in Brooklyn and to Lucali. Why? Because Mark Iacono, the owner, is the pizza man who breaks all the rules. Well, except for the most important rule. Make the best pizza you can by learning as much as you can about the process. 

An Italian organization, 50 Top Pizza, lists the top 50 places in the United States for pizza. Lucali is not on that list. If you asked the top pizza chefs in New York (several are on that top 50 list) to list their top 5, Lucali would be on that list, probably at # 1. Lucali opens from 5:00pm to 11:00pm, every day except Tuesday. They take no reservations, are BYOB (bring your own bottle), and only accept cash. When they open, they have a a line that goes around the block. Taylor Swift, Jay-Z & Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, David & Victoria Beckham, Ed Sheeran, and Charlie Puth are among the people who eat there, which accounts for some of the line around the block. They have to stand in line too. Of course they probably have a person that does that for them. 

The key reason for that line is Lucali makes great pizza and calzone. That's all they make. It's a New York style cooked in a wood fired brick oven. Mark Iacona built that oven himself. He cooks his tomato sauce and adds spices and herbs. He has very limited toppings. He serves only one size pizza (18" Lg) but 2 sizes of calzone (Lg & Sm). He constantly tweaks his dough recipe. He is not a trained chef. His background is construction, marble and stone fabrication. 

The Carroll Gardens location used to be Louie's Candy Store. Iacona has lived his whole life in this neighborhood and used to go to this candy store as a kid. When Louie died, his wife closed the store and wanted to leased the location. Mark wanted to preserve something of his neighborhood's character, so he leased it. The name is a combination of "Lu" from the candy store owner and "Cali" from his daughter Kalista.  

During construction, he held a fulltime job and in his off time, he built a pizza restaurant. It took 2 years. Including the brick oven, he did everything himself, no subcontractors, no other craftsmen. The neighborhood people didn't think he would ever finish. 

People call him "The Accidental Pizzaiolo". His interest in pizza came from observing and learning from others, especially iconic Brooklyn pizza makers. One major influence was Domenico "Dom" DeMarco of Di Fara Pizza. 

Why BYOB? Lucali is designed to be a family friendly, neighborhood focused pizza experience. Selling alcohol would shift the vibe toward a bar-like atmosphere, which Iacono wants to avoid. The focus stays on the pizza. Locali lets you bring your own bottle of wine, one per table. This keeps the "less is more" concept of the restaurant, and helps avoid the liability and regulatory issues of selling alcohol. It also keeps the cost low for the diners.  

His pizza is very simple. He rolls his dough out with a wine bottle (breaking rules) before he stretches it. He tops it with a cooked (breaking rules) tomato sauce, adds low moisture mozzarella (breaking rules) and buffalo mozzarella, then bakes it off in the wood fired oven. When it comes out he tops it with fresh basil (lots of fresh basil) and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Less is more.  

To me, this is what pizza is all about. I think I would really like this pizza. I think it would be delicious. This pizza would be perfect at any time of the day or night. The only problem is, Lucali is only open from 5pm to 11pm every day but Tuesday. Of course, I could get a couple to go and keep them in the refrigerator. That way I could have some cold for breakfast. I still do that (cold pizza for breakfast) but without the beer. I've gotten too old for pizza and the beer too. In any case, I would definitely "Bite It". 

  

      

"What the hell do you think Lenona really puts in that pizza?" - Mystic Pizza movie. 

MY PIZZA DOUGH

                                1 1/2 - Cups Warm Water

                                4 - Tsp. Sugar

                                3 - Tsp. Active Dry Yeast

                                3 - Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

                                2 - Tsp. Kosher Salt

                                2 1/4 - Cups AP Flour + Bench

                                2 1/4 - Cups 00 Flour

Combine the 1 1/2 cups warm water (100 - 115 degrees), sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a KitchenAid 6 qt. mixer. Let sit until spongy (4 to 5 minutes). Add 2 Tbsp. oil and then 2 Tsp. salt. Mix with a whisk. Add the 4 1/2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook, mix starting slowly (you don't want flour everywhere). 

Let the mixer run for about 6 minutes, until all the flour has been removed from the sides of the bowl and the dough is smooth and elastic having absorbed all the water. 

Grease the bottom of a large container with the remaining oil. Remove the dough from the mixer and form into a ball. Add the ball to the container making sure all sides get a coating of oil. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until double in size (about 2 hours). 

You can now place the container in the refrigerator and let it bulk ferment for 24 - 48 hours. Or you can sprinkle the countertop with the bench flour, dump the dough ball on the flour using a bit to coat the top so it doesn't stick, and cut it into quarters. Form the pieces into balls and let rest for 15 minutes. 

At this point you can flatten and stretch the dough into 12 inch disks, add your favorite toppings and slide onto a pizza stone in a 525 degree oven that has preheated for an hour (stone and oven).

Or you can place the balls in a floured lidded container and place in the refrigerator for an additional 24 hours of fermentation. When you take it out, let it sit for a couple hours to come to room temperature. 

If you went the route of the 24 to 48 hour bulk fermentation, remove the container and let sit for 2 hours to come to room temperature. You can the proceed as I have described above.

I constantly do variations of the above techniques, because pizza cooks are never satisfied and are always in search of the perfect crust.