Angelos Coal fired NYC

[JConk007]

So I caught the Christmas show at Radio City today . Fabulous by the way!
and a few block away we checked out a top 10 nyc pizzeria Angelos
Jury is still out here on this on. We ordered a family style salad and 2 pies. 1 plain cheese and 1  1/2 pepp. and 1/2 sauasage.
Was nor overly impressed with either slightly bland I washoping for the slightly charred bursting with flavor....
It was ok but my local grandmas pie blows that away and yes I think I am spoiled with the Caputo and San Marzanos because I thought the sauce and cheese were bland. I checked out the oven and pizza station and they use full slices of Mozz. and the dough looked dry 1 guy was pre strech and oven other was fishing and dressing. Only my opinion here. Overall I would give it a 7 of 10? It was a nice addition to a great  day. About 2 hrs. later Walking back to the car we past Rays and I made the turn in to grab a slice, and was yanked from the doorway by the boss. I did get a peak at a vast variety of the true NY slice. Oh well Ill get em next time.
Heres the place.

John

[JConk007]

Oh and our reason for the visit 
they do look good dont they?

[Mad_Ernie]

John:

Thanks for posting.  They do indeed look very yummy!

I am not big Neopolitan afficionado, but from the pizzas of that genre that I have sampled, I find them to often be less flavorful than the American counterparts.  From what I've found in examining true Neopolitan pie, the ingredients are simple.  There are not much, if any, herbs or spices added to any of the ingredients.  Hence, the sauce tends to just be tomatoes (no oregano, garlic, onion, etc.) and the only thing that might impart some flavor are the toppings.  Similarly, a true Neopolitian crust from what I've been able to discern is simply flour, yeast, water, and salt.  No sugar, no oils/fats, no dairy, period.  From that angle, I find our American taste buds have craved something that is beyond what the Neopolitan pizza has to offer.  Of course, other regions of Italy may have added spices to their versions  of pizza, and so as with everything else in America, we have a melting pot of what is called pizza.

That all being said, I would still chow down on couple slices of those pies.

[jeff v]

John:

Thanks for posting.  They do indeed look very yummy!

I am not big Neopolitan afficionado, but from the pizzas of that genre that I have sampled, I find them to often be less flavorful than the American counterparts.  From what I've found in examining true Neopolitan pie, the ingredients are simple.  There are not much, if any, herbs or spices added to any of the ingredients.  Hence, the sauce tends to just be tomatoes (no oregano, garlic, onion, etc.) and the only thing that might impart some flavor are the toppings.  Similarly, a true Neopolitian crust from what I've been able to discern is simply flour, yeast, water, and salt.  No sugar, no oils/fats, no dairy, period.  From that angle, I find our American taste buds have craved something that is beyond what the Neopolitan pizza has to offer.  Of course, other regions of Italy may have added spices to their versions  of pizza, and so as with everything else in America, we have a melting pot of what is called pizza.

That all being said, I would still chow down on couple slices of those pies.

Not to take this thread way of track but since I'm American I'll chime in... That's a pretty large generalization you made. The best bread I've had in my life had 4 ingredients. Some of the best, most flavorful pizza I've had was a Neapolitan Margherita, or Bianca.

I would say that not only using the best ingredients, but knowing how to use them can turn liittle into much (tastewise). That's the art of simplicity. The longer I cook the more I find this to be true, and that definitely includes pizza. I'm remebering how I used to "doctor" my jarred spaghetti sauce for example.  I wouldn't touch it now, but then it tasted great to me.

Obviously there are different strokes for different folks, and that's a good thing.

Jeff

[JConk007]

Guys I am a bit confused ?
I am not saying it was bad or anything of the sort. Just not popping with flavor. I am not an afficianoto on any type of pizza. Just a guy slinging pies for self use. (abuse ) Heck I m not even sure what kind / style of pizza this is ? just stating my opinion? Not that much flavor. My wood fired oven neapolitan with my 4 ingredient dough, to me, ( and 4 people that were with me) just taste better. Simple, yes but more flavor wether its the cheese, sauce,  dough,or toppings, and I did chow down on a couple of those babies! I was just sharing a pizza experience with all. Thats all, maybe I am not getting it? I see your point M E and it has been mentioned on the forum that our buds are expecting that NY style, and my buds have tasted way too many.  Many people feel the neopolitan is simple, and not that great and dont understand the whole concept, I know took me a while to adapt, but I think I got it now.  I will stick to pizza posts from here in.
Thanks guys
John

[Mad_Ernie]

I am not saying it was bad or anything of the sort. Just not popping with flavor.

That's how I took it.  I like Neapolitan pizzas, too, but have not had much experience in eating pizzas of that style (or at least, good ones).  All I was trying to say (perhaps ineptly) was in my limited experience the ones I had encountered were similar to what you described. 

[jimd]

It is a small world. I was at the Radio City show as well on Sunday evening. It is truly a wonder---great for kids, but we enjoyed it just as much.

Ate lunch at Patsy's on E. 60th. Should have taken some pics. Pizza was about a 6 on a scale of 1-10. Although billed as "coal oven", the crust lacked any smokey char or other evidence of high heat. The sauce was very good--nice and bright, and the mozz pretty good as well. The crust (most important, of course) was bland. I kept eating thinking I would eventually catch-on the Crust's subtleties, but it was not there.

Jim

[Sarahcat]

My favorite in Manhattan is Lombardi's Pizza at 22 Spring Street near Greenwich Village.  It is coal-fired (800ºF) pizza and they cook the sausage and all the other toppings in 4 to 5 minutes.  There is a significant char to the crust and Lombardi's is anything but bland.  They also roast sweet peppers in the big oven and they are available as a side item.  The original was pizza was created by an Italian immigrant, Gennaro Lombardi at his small grocery store at the turn of the 20th century.  I've never been disappointed at Lombardi's.

Perhaps Angelo's didn't pay their coal bill.