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Brian Lehrer: We'll wrap up today with a call-in for our pizza-loving listeners referred to by The New York Times as the hero of COVID, pizza turned out to be the one thing that nearly everyone wanted and could afford and felt pretty safe touching to our faces with. David Landsel at foodandwine.com caused a stir recently when he ranked the top 10 states for pizza in the US. Did you catch the article? For those of you who missed it, the headline is "New York did not come in first, New Jersey did," then Connecticut, New York came in third.

We decided this is an occasion for a tri-state pizza smackdown. New Jersey pizza lovers, explain to your friends in New York why your state is better for pizza. 646-435-7280. Connecticut, you too. You don't have to travel around the country and see little places in Montana and New Mexico to know they don't say, "New Haven-style pizza." They don't say, Hoboken-style pizza." No, they say, "New York-style pizza," but New York came in third. Garden Staters and Nutmeggers, enlighten your New York neighbors about the best pizza place in your neighborhood that nobody from Manhattan ever heard of. 646-435-7280, 646-435-7280.

New Yorkers, defend your pizza honor. Who made your best pandemics slice? 646-435-7280, 646-435-7280. To be a little serious about this, I say smackdown, but really this could be just a chance to let people know, as we all have friends and family all around the region, where might we catch our next great slice as we move about the tri-state area, whichever state you're in. Everybody else, take notes on the other two states. 646-435-7280, 646-435-7280. We'll take your calls right after this.

Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Our tri-state pizza smackdown after New York was listed third. Connecticut was listed second, and New Jersey was listed first in this Food & Wine review of the best pizza in the 50 states of the United States. Todd in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, you're on WNYC. Hi, Todd.

Todd: Hey, how are you?

Brian Lehrer: Good. What do you got down in Point Pleasant, along the shore?

Todd: Yes, so I heard the results of that survey. I got to say I lived in New York City. I've lived at the Jersey shore, spent at least a decade in both places. Although it's pretty close, I got to say Jersey takes down the prize, and it's a legitimate survey. There's a place called Pat's pizza that it's just phenomenal, thin crusts, made quickly and just perfect every time. The other one that you really can't deny is at the boardwalk. There's a place called Jenkinson's, that, even though it's 90 degrees out, for some reason the pizza still is incredible.

Brian Lehrer: Do you know the article mentions Rosie's in Point Pleasant? They singled that one out.

Todd: No, I don't. I don't know Rosie's, which surprises me.

Brian Lehrer: That's another one. They also mentioned Manco & Manco, a boardwalk staple in Ocean City and elsewhere around the state, Razza and Bread & Salt, both in Jersey City and Patsy's in Patterson. Those are some of the highlighted pizza places in New Jersey that made it the number one state for pizza in Food & Wine. To just highlight one of those places that you just mentioned and tell me what makes the pizza great there.

Todd: It's Pat's pizza. It's really a very consistent, then crust every time. Toppings are always fresh, and just for decades it's been the go-to around here, and top it off, their cheese steaks are second to none.

Brian Lehrer: Todd, thank you very much. How about Paul in Armonk in Westchester, not the place you think as the pizza capital of the world. Hi, Paul. You're on WNYC.

Paul: Hi, Brian. Thanks for taking the call. I'm actually living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I just wanted to note a place called Leo's pizza. It's located on Havemeyer Street, Williamsburg.

Brian Lehrer: What makes Leo's pizza great?

Paul: One thing I know about it is that it's 11 was only sourdough, not like your typical New York-style pizza, but amazing.

Brian Lehrer: Paul, thank you very much. Screeners, let's clear a couple of lines so that we can get a Connecticut call. We have to get at least one Connecticut caller in. We don't have telling you all the behind-the-scenes dirt folks. We don't have that many lines. You New Yorkers and New Jerseyans have flooded the lines to defend your pizza honor. We're going to clear a couple of lines. Don't be embarrassed, or don't be insulted. We're not biased against you. We want to make sure Connecticut gets a little bit of a say here, but in the meantime, we're going to go to Paul who's calling about a place in Hoboken. Paul, you're on WNYC. Hi there.

Paul: Hey. How are you today?

Brian Lehrer: Good. What do you got?

Paul: Benny Totino's Washington Street Hoboken, although I have to second the Manco & Manco's. I can say that Hoboken water, there's something to the crust. I know we talk about New York bagels, special order of the world, and maybe that's the reason why Manco & Manco is so good. I have no idea where they get the water from Ocean City, but Benny's not only is it a huge slice and it's the usual great cheese and sauce, but the crust has a chilliness that you can't really find anywhere else.

Brian Lehrer: Paul, thank you very much. Sounds mouthwatering. By the way, for Connecticut pizza places in the article, among Connecticut pizza places in the article, one of them that's mentioned that I know is really a destination outing for a lot of people, even from New York, is Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. A lot of you know Frank Pepe, there's also Sally's Apizza, and also they single out fresh seafood pizzas in Connecticut, like the white pie top with freshly shucked little neck clams from Zuppardi's, though I'm not sure what city or town that's in.

Those are a few of the places that get name-checked in Connecticut anyway. Wow, you Jerseyans are really showing up. Alex in Jersey City, you're on WNYC. Hi, Alex.

Alex: Hey, Brian. Look, I just wanted to say, we all love a good slice of pizza. I was born in New York. I grew up in Jersey. I don't really notice much of a border in many ways. I live in downtown Jersey City, where The New York Times a couple of years ago cited Razza as the best pizza in New York City. That was around 2015 or 2016. There's a really great article about it. I would just say with all the Brooklyn nights moving to Jersey City, of course, we're going to have good pizza.

We're a fluid, metropolitan area, whether we're Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, we're all kind of New York-ish. We don't really need to rub it in each other's face. We all just have the best pizza in the country. Whether it's Luigi's out across the street from Pride Institute in Brooklyn, where I worked for years, which is a fantastic slice, or the priest in the church I grew up in, he was born and raised in Bay Ridge, just under the Verrazano bridge, old Greek neighborhood.

He used to fill up his old Cadillac with all the kids from my neighborhood and we would literally drive up from Jersey into Brooklyn and go to this place called Pizza Wagon on 86th and fifth. Whether you're in Jersey City, or Brooklyn, or Manhattan, or even in Point Pleasant, you know you're never far from a righteous slice. I'll just say that.

Brian Lehrer: That is right. A very righteous call, if maybe a little too serious, because we could still have some fun with it. Even though Alex is exactly right that we are a regional culture, series of cultures all linked together. Of course, we're going to find good pizza all over the region, like the pizza that James seats in Wilton, Connecticut. James, you're on WNYC. Hi.

James: Hey, Brian. How are you?

Brian Lehrer: Good. What's your pizza place?

James: It's called [unintelligible 00:09:45] pizza. I'm from Wilton Connecticut. I'm about 30 years old. I've been eating this pizza my entire life. My family has been eating it. It was like the go-to place on Friday night. I just love it, like the combination of the sauce and the cheese and the bread. I don't know. It's an establishment in my small, rural New England town in Fairfield County. I would always bring friends up from the city and we'd get one pizza. This was pretty good. I just got a shout-out [unintelligible 00:10:11] pizza. Also on a side note, there's Caesar Salad. Very tiny. It's unique. That's also delicious.

Brian Lehrer: I love that combination myself. A slice of the Caesar Salad. James, thank you very much. Mike in Hartford, you're on WNYC. Hi, Mike. What's your pizza place?

Mike: Hey, Brian. How are you? I live in Hartford. The pizza place I go to is called Aladdin Halal. It's Mediterranean food actually, but they do very good pizza in Hartford. Actually I'm from New York originally. I'm actually a transplant to Connecticut. I'd also shout out my hometown pizza place in Hampton Bays, New York, it's Uncle Joe's pizza. I've been going there for 35 years. They make the best pizza. As a former New Yorker transplanted to Connecticut, I think it's really gross attempt at cultural appropriation. I do not, I'm not in favor of Connecticut. They're encouraging pizza, pizza, [unintelligible 00:11:11], I guess, definitely diehard New York pizza.

Brian Lehrer: Mike, thank you very much. Fabiana, on the Lower East Side. It's only fair after picking apart all the trials and travails of your local park in our previous segment that we at least get a pizza recommendation from the Lower East Side. Hi, Fabiana.

Fabiana: Hi, Brian. Huge fan of the show. I can't believe New York came in third when we have the best pizza in the world at Scarr's Pizza.

Brian Lehrer: Talk about Scarr's Pizza. What makes it great?

Fabiana: Oh. Scarr's Pizza is so good. First of all, he's from New York. He grew up here. He knows what makes a good pizza a good pizza. He makes his own flour and the sauce is always fresh and he doesn't talk much about it. It's just a great place. The Margherita is my favorite, but then he's also really famous for Sicilian, which is amazing. It's fluffy, and to be honest, I've had it for breakfast for two days in a row. He'd kill me if he heard me, but I've been having it for leftovers, and it's so good this morning.

Brian Lehrer: Cold. I hope, cold.

Fabiana: No, I reheated it.

Brian Lehrer: I'm kidding. That's the young single man's breakfast called pizza. One more, we're going to give New Jersey the last word, but Mark in Caldwell. You got to do it in 20 seconds.

Mark: You got it. It's the water that makes the pizza great in New Jersey and New York. Connecticut stinks. A shout-out to Ralph's Pizzeria in Nutley, the finest Margherita, and Star pizza, the finest anything in Orange.

Brian Lehrer: Ending on an aggressive note, but I'm sure with another fine slice, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut listeners, thank you for calling out on this little tri-state pizza smackdown. The headline in the latest foodandwine.com 50 state pizza review. New Jersey first, Connecticut second. New York, a lowly third, but then the other 47 states.

 

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