We had a good time with our pizza episode. A few noticeable differences from what we’ve done the last few months. This show was incredibly colorful. Obviously, variety in pizza toppings will do that. Beyond that, we enjoyed putting this one together because of the variety in the locations we chose. We like to step away from Savannah/Hilton Head as often as we can. This was a perfect opportunity to do so. All of that said, here is a quick review of Eat It and Like It with Jesse Blanco – Pizza.
Local Pie – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina – Local Pie is a brand new pizza concept on the island. The idea is to source as much as they can locally in making some very good wood-oven pizza. The part that we did not get into on television is that they have created a beautiful space with largely recycled materials. Almost everything you see in the restaurant was reclaimed from somewhere else. The large communal table in the middle of the room is a beautiful piece of work that looks like wood and metal, but it’s actually made of concrete. The pizza boxes are “green” and they won’t carry anything in bottles. Beer or Wine. Everything will be on tap in an effort to cut down on waste. Admirable qualities from a nice looking pizza spot. Oh, and the pizza is very good as well.
Varasano’s Pizza – Atlanta, Georgia – This was a real treat. Jeff Varasano is a very nice guy who takes his pizza seriously. The more he told me his story, the more I realized there was really no way I could fit all of this great information into a television show. That happens quite a bit when I interview someone. We can never fit it all in. But this was different. For starters there was my pop quiz on pizza. When I told Jeff that I had family in New York City and lived there for a bit, immediately the conversation turned to pizza spots in the city. We mentioned this place and that place. When I told him my favorite was Patsy’s he asked “Yeah, Patsy’s, but which one?”. It was at that point I dropped an “East Harlem. The original” on him. If you’ve never heard of Patsy’s Pizzeria in New York, it is legendary. I actually spent quite a bit of time running in and out of there when I lived in New York. Owners would slide us neighborhood kids a slice every now and again. I will never forget the newspaper clipping framed on the wall inside of Patsy’s telling the story of how Frank Sinatra would regularly send for Patsy’s pizza to be flown out to him in Palm Springs. The title of the article was “Pie in the Sky”. Knowing and loving Patsy’s bought me street cred with Jeff. The conversation continued from there.
Jeff spent a few years after he moved to Atlanta in search of the perfect pizza. His journey is a lesson to anyone trying to do it at home, really. Oven temperature was critical. He tells me he learned “oven cleaning” mode was just a higher temperature on your average household appliance, so he went for it. Flour, dough, salts, toppings, cheeses. All of it was a necessary detail in building the big picture. He talked to pizza makers in Atlanta, pizza makers in New York and anywhere and everywhere in between. One of my favorite parts of the story was him telling an Atlanta pizza maker that his product just wasn’t up to snuff. He then invited the gentleman over to his home to show him how it was done. That takes chutzpah, but then again, Jeff is from New York.
We tried eight different pizzas. There were some that I thought were fabulous that Jeff dismissed. “Needs a little more salt in that bite” and he’d make another. It was a true pizza tasting. Everything from vegetarian style pies, to delicate meats. As I said on TV, I would absolutely put this in the top five pizzas I have ever had. Loved them.
The part of the story I was sideswiped by had to do with his notoriety as a “Rubik’s Cube” Champion. Remember those? They were all the rage about 40 years ago. Society was obsessed. If you came here looking for Jeff’s back story on the cube after seeing it on television, then you know what those things were all about. There was a cube sitting in the kitchen so I asked him about it. Not having any idea what his background was. Well, it turns out Jeff was a Rubik’s Cube Champion solver. He handed me the puzzle and said “mix it up well”. He looked at it for about fifteen seconds, then started a stopwatch. About a minute later it was fully solved. Are we old enough to remember the 1970’s TV show “That’s Incredible” with John Davidson, Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby? It was a big time show back in the day. Jeff was there solving Rubik’s once upon a time. Yes, he was and is that good. Still need to see more? Go to You Tube and search “Jeff Varasano” and “Rubik’s Cube” and you will see all you need to know.
Hardware Pizza – Lyons, Georgia – Hardware Pizza was a fabulous surprise. John Mark Lane’s story actually starts across the street at a restaurant called “Elements”. Elements is very, VERY popular in the area and is actually very good. It’s fine dining. Nothing low budget about it. Frankly, not exactly the kind of place you’d expect to find in Lyons. But it is there. John Mark moved to the area from Charlotte to be the chef at Elements. He admits to me he had some reservations about whether or not fine dining like that would fly in the area, but he went for it. Seven years and lots of success later, he decided to go out on his own. He gave a few different concepts some thought but ultimately settled on high end pizzas.
John Mark’s following as a guy who knows a bit about food has certainly helped him start fast. The day we were there, the lunch crowd was significant. John Mark tells me there are people that eat at his spot every single day. Doesn’t surprise me at all. Besides pizza, there are a number of salads as well. Beer and wine and even some gelato for the kids. The space is an old hardware store. Beautifully redone. A real treat if you find yourself out that way. Ask for the T-Rex. Not on the menu, but absolutely delicious.
The Florence – Savannah, Georgia – I’ve been beating the drum about the pizza at The Florence since they opened. For my money, the best pizza in the city. What makes it so? Attention to detail from everything from the dough, the ingredients and the process. That process takes skill so we decided to show you. You don’t just slap these things together and make great pizza. Executive Chef Kyle Jacovino spent three months in Italy before coming to Savannah going through Italian cuisine boot camp. Part of that training was pizza, pizza and more pizza. Talk to him about the art of a pizza and he will no doubt fill your notebook. From differences in America versus Italy to the delicate nature of the dough and the mixture of cheeses to keep the pies from getting too soggy. He takes this stuff seriously. If you haven’t tried them, you need to.
There’s a TON of great pizza out there. Have any you like outside of the usual suspects? Let me hear about it at jesse@eatitandlikeit.com.
