Pie-by-Pie: Osteria (Philadelphia, PA)

The Gluttoness — October 28, 2009

Chef Marc Vetri, who had been the 2005 recipient of the James Beard Award for ‘Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic’ with his eponymous restaurant Vetri in Philadelphia, followed his success by partnering with Jeff Benjamin and Jeff Michaud to open Osteria (view), which quickly received its own recognition: 2008 nomination for the James Beard Award for ‘Best New Restaurant.’

We sampled the menu’s breadth, from a bountiful Antipasti with beets and Brussels sprouts, to a phenomenal Stewed Rabbit Casalinga with pancetta-speckled polenta. But it was ‘Le Pizze’ that stood out, and not just to me, Alan Richman’s roundup of America’s 25 Best Pizzas for GQ Magazine put Osteria at #22. The variety of pies dictated the following Pie-by-Pie, and forced us to forgo a Margherita for more complex creations. All pizzas were served piping hot with crisp bottoms, charcoaled edges and aptly seasoned crusts that were exceptional whether topped with tomato sauce or octopus.

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AlwaysTraveling: Pizza Capital of the World (Old Forge, PA)

GutterGourmet — September 29, 2009

Arcaro & Genell’s “tray” ($12.50) with, in thirds from front: chopped clams, hot peppers and plain cheese (toppings $0.25/cut, 1-11 cuts).

Restaurant: Pizza Capital of the World
Address: Old Forge, Pennsylvania, 18518 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A-
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Red and White ‘cuts’ from Revello’s, Arcaro & Genell, and Ghigiarelli.

 
 

We’ve all butted heads over which city deserves the moniker Pizza Capital of the World. Most (including me) would objectively say New York City. Others would look to the mother country’s famed city, Napoli. Those who like to invoke Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut (either Sally’s or Pepe’s) shouldn’t be considered insane. I’ll even tolerate the Chicago Deep Dish fringe weighing in and the Alice Waters/Wolfgang Puck/California Pizza contingent. So it was with a mild feeling of terror that I discovered a place which can only be properly described by the late, great Rod Serling, the creator and host of The Twilight Zone: cue theme music Doo Doo Doo Doo, Doo Doo Doo Doo.

“You’re traveling through another dimension — a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. There’s a signpost up ahead: your next stop: Old Forge, Pennsylvania, population 8,798, established 1899.

[cue Len Berman echo machine] Pizza Capital of the WOORRLLDDD!!!!”

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