In Trenton you now have 3 De Lorenzo's locations to choose from (there's a new one in Robbinsville), but the oldest are the 2 in Chambersburg: the Hamilton Ave one and the Hudson St. spot. These places serve 2 things: pizza and soda (or water). No sandwiches, no salads, no garlic knots, no wings…you get the idea. This is truly a church of pizza. We went to the Hamilton Ave spot, as it's very easy to find and open on Wednesdays and has a bathroom, should we need it after a hard day's work (and the pizza is nearly identical to the Hudson St. location). As "adult sodas" are allowed here, my friend had one of those and we waited for our half-sausage-half-plain pie to arrive. Well, everyone and their mother has reviewed this pizza, with the perfect crust texture and flavor, real Italian sausage chunks, chunky tomatos with a minimum of spices and quality cheese…all perfectly proportioned. My friend Sean's review of the pizza was simple and appropriate: That's a good pie. If someone says it once, you don't think much of it, but he said it several times, sometimes changing "good" to "great" or adding a "real" before "good." That should be all you really need to hear.
If you want De Lorenzo's, do a little research and look up the 3 locations I listed. I will say I like Hudson St. best for the experience of eating in a row-home that was converted into a pizzeria 63 years ago. If you go on a weekend evening, bring a cooler with some adult beverages in it. There will be a line out the door, and you will have to stand in it for a while. The cool thing is there's a cop on premises at all times, and he never has an issue with people enjoying a bottle (or 2) of suds outside while waiting. Just don't get TOO rowdy!
It's funny... I always categorized Maruca's as sort of an aquired taste since they mix something other than mozzarella (cheddar? muenster? domestic provolone?) in with their cheese. It's good though, but since I don't get to Seaside Heights enough to try all the current pizza joints, I can't say with any certainty which establishment makes the best today, but Maruca's is most likely the best of the surviving places that were around "back in the day" and so I still make it a point to go there.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, when I spent entire summers in Seaside, and when there wasn't a bad slice on the whole boardwalk, I had my favorites. Maruca's was in the top four or five.
I remember liking Danny Roger's Pizza. They were from Philly and I knew the owners well so they always "fixed me up" and the pizza was good.
Mac's was another favorite. They tended to be cheaper than the "going rate" for a slice which was important when you were blowing your money in the arcades, on the rides, or at the wheels.
If I had to pick one all-time favorite, it would be tough, but I'd probably go with Poor Pete's Pizza. The people who worked there were from Jersey City if I recall correctly, and what they served was extremely consistent, slice after slice being top drawer. They gave the customer a huge slice which featured all you needed for pizza purists like me: good crust, lightly seasoned tomato, and mozzarella. They always seemed to be busy too, which left out the need for reheating slices, too often a taste killer in my book.
I'm surely leaving out a few good places, but I could be here all day since Seaside had more than its fair share of good pizza.