Pizza Review – Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora (Buffalo), NY

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Pizza Review - Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora (Buffalo), NY
 
Review #44 of 49 pizzas purchased and reviewed in 2024, #164 of 169 overall!
 
In the past, I've disparaged "Best Pizza Lists" as mostly AI generated excrement; compilation extracts of Google or Yelp data.  Rarely has the article's "author" eaten at their listed pizzerias but still has the gall to use their real name as the "author" on an AI generated article! 
 
In the few cases where the author actually visits the pizzeria, they are typically food and entertainment writers (read: not critics) for the local newspapers who fear not getting another free meal if they were to provide a truly critique!
 
But, there is one list that seems legit for me, and that's 50 Top Pizza (Guide to the Best Pizzerias in the world (50toppizza.it).  They produce a World's Best list and regional lists including 50 Top Pizza – 50 Top Pizza USA 2024.
 
I have now been to 4 on the USA 50 Top and USA "Excellent" List.  Of those 4, I have rated 3 as GREAT!  So, given that only 10% of the pizzas that I eat are GREAT, it seems that 50 Top is a pretty reliable list!
 
The 2024 Top 50 USA list just recently included a new pizzeria not too far from our NY home, Pizzeria Florian (pizzeria-florian.com) in East Aurora, NY just south of Buffalo.  Pizzeria Florian is the 2nd pizzeria of Chefs Jay Langfelder and Amanda Jones.  Their initial pizzeria, Jay's (see 9/23/23 blog post) is also on the Top 50 List.
 
So, we had to go when I our way to Ohio for a YSU football game, but let's not cut bait...PIZZERIA FLORIAN WAS GREAT!

Date	9/4/24
Pizzeria	Pizzeria Florian
City/Neighborhood	Buffalo, NY / East Aurora
Website	Pizzeria Florian (pizzeria-florian.com)
About Us	Pizzeria Florian (pizzeria-florian.com)
Style	Cross between Neapolitan, New York, and New Haven
Ambiance	Great old building on Main Street in East Aurora, NY, a tony suburb south of Buffalo near Orchard Park where the Bills play.  Inviting exterior and warm interior made for a nice start to our meal!

Beverage Pairing

Red Wine served in a short glass!  Just like I how I grew up, and how all wine should be served!  Stemmed wine goblets are bougie, unnecessary, and easily broken!

Rating Criteria
Shape	Round
Dough/Crust	Tickness - Thin   Cook - not a classic Neapolitan bake!  I had a little bit of NY Style and New Haven Style in the bake.  Although thin, crispy like a New Haven, and it still had a pleasingly soft chew like a NY.   Flavor - OH MY, MY.  Whereas the bake was not classic Neapolitan, the dough had Neapolitan style flavors on steroids!    It had a yeasty, nearly vinegary, slightly sour flavor profile - Really Zippy! (I've not used that word to describe others' dough before).  It was very similar to my sourdough bread.    But the leavening was right on because it was not only flavorful, it had a nice rise at the cornicione.   Unlike most other pizzas, the dough/crust was not simply a no flavor medium to hold sauce and cheese, Pizzeria Florian's dough/crust was at least 33.3% of their pizza's flavor!  AS IT SHOULD BE!
Cornicione	Crispy, Spongy/airy, Chewy - OUTSTANDING
Special Notes	I was so blown away by the crust, I mentioned it to Jay in passing as he hustled through the restaurant.   I must've sounded intelligent when it comes to dough, because although Jay was washing dishes that night because his washer called in sick, he stopped and sat next to us and chatted for 5 minutes or more!   It was an incredible, and fun, conversation.  Jay took interest in this blog and wanted to know about my favorites.  I said Mercurio's in Pittsburgh (8/31/22 blog post) and Fabrica in Tampa (12/4/23 blog post), but I think he was a little disappointed that said his other pizzeria, Jay's was Good (but not Great).   He openly disclosed parts of his recipe and seemed especially proud of his 72 hour dough fermentation process.  Although, he didn't disclose his recipe, I told him that I saw his sacks of flours stacked near the restroom, and that I was surprised by the King Arthur Special Patent (see here) and Caputo Pink (see here) which are typically high gluten pastry flours.   In contrast to his original pizzeria, Jay's, which has a wood fired Neapolitan oven, I wondered why he was using a gas oven at a relatively low 660F at Pizzeria Florian.  660F provides a low and slow bake more typical of NY Style.  By that time, I had probably used too much of his time, so I was left wanting to know that answer.    I can only guess that gas, low temp ovens are easier to insure and also provide additional creativity (like using pastry flours) beyond simply copying Jay's.  I plan to ask again next time!

Toppings	A Margherita so only dough, sauce, cheese, and basil.  The simplest are the best.
Sauce	Tangy, Savory, on the thin side but not watery, rich but not thick.   Very Tasty
Special Notes	Once again, Jay proudly mentioned that he uses Bianco di Napoli Blue cans (see here) organic, pre crushed tomato and only adds a slight amount of salt.    This would explain the extra richness and lower water content of the sauce since the process of making Blue extracts much of the water during crushing.   I mentioned that I'd also viewed those cans near the restroom.  Knowing that Bianco di Napoli is US grown and not a "true" San Marzano and was pre-crushed, I was surprised.  But again, part of Pizzeria Florian is not to be a "true" Neapolitan although with Neapolitan roots.   I guess that I can get behind that since I'm not a "true" Neapolitan, although, I'm a Nebaletan with DEEP roots!
Cheese	Cheese Type - Fresh, in-house Mozzedell!  But it had an extra special addition of slightly sharp version of Grana Padano.   Cheese Distribution - splotchy but melted over to most, slightly greasy, stringy   The combination of freshness with the sharpness was a fresh flavor profile and OUTSTANDING!  The addition of the Grana Padano really makes the cheeze ZING!
Cheese to Sauce Ratio	Sauce - A little to Medium   Cheese - Medium   Nearly perfect balance between the cheese and sauce both in tastes and in amounts and not so much as to hide the taste of the outstanding dough/crust!

Value

Quite expensive at $26 for a 14" Margherita which is about $19 for a 12" Neapolitan equivalent.  Right now, as my readers know, I think a reasonable price for a 12" in 2024 is $13 or less

Overall Rating	MANNAGIA!  IT WAS GREAT!   Although I frequently complain about the overprice of mediocre pizza, sometimes the tastes and textures of a certain pizza is just so fabulous, the price becomes irrelevant.   Pizzeria Florian is one of few that fit this.
Would I Go Back?	In a New York (that's East Aurora, NY) Minute!