I am a pizza guy. I love pizza. I have had a deep rooted love affair with
pizza since I was a small (but round) child. Cypress Hills was the Brooklyn
neighborhood where I grew up and there were 6 pizza parlors. At Jack's Pizza
on Fulton Street off Pine Street, you could get 2 slices and a small coke
for 80 cents. That left 20 cents for an Italian ice or some zeppole. This
made for an awesome lunch for a Catholic school kid in the 1970’s. Pizza is
a comfort food for me. At Ernesto’s on Hemlock Street and Ridgewood Ave the
Sicilian slice was doughy and moist. If you wanted a crispy crust you
ordered a corner slice. If you wanted that thick doughy goodness you asked
for a middle slice. I believe Ernesto's son was Masimo.
That is where it all began, my love affair with pizza. At one point in
eighth grade my mother Rita gave me $4.00 for a haircut. I took the money
and did my own “taste test” of three of six Pizzerias. It was the search for
the perfect Sicilian slice. I took my buddy Gaspar and we had a Sicilian and
a small coke at three places and Ernesto’s won. Gaspar and I went back to
his folks place and he cut my hair with sewing shears in an attempt to
conceal the conspiracy. When I arrived back home at dark-thirty Rita did her
usual inspection of my choppy haircut. Ragged and uneven it did not pass
muster. I told mom that Leo the Barber was having a bad day. I said "Ma I
think he was drinking." That did not fly, and Rita was not happy.
Fast forward to current day and thousands of pies and slices later I
consider myself a good judge of good pizza. One weekday night (in 2016] we
took a ride to Richmond to check out
Anthony’s on the Hill.
Anthony’s on the Hill is a fantastic neighborhood place in the Church Hill
section of Richmond. Chris and Kathleen have become fast friends of Richmond
since Chris has been attending VCU. Kathleen’s friend works at Anthony’s on
the Hill for lunch. The family had been there before without me and I wanted
to experience the place myself. There was a horrible accident of I-95 and we
were stuck in traffic for an hour. Anthony’s was closing but they stayed
open late for us. And I am glad they did.
I could talk about the ambiance, the charm, or the cool location on a
neighborhood block in Church Hill surrounded by great historic multi-family
homes. But this is about the pizza.
We ordered three large pies and HSBCP ordered a large Greek Salad, which
was huge, appealing and enough for everyone to have a taste.
-
“Three Meat” – Sausage, Pepperoni & razor thin slices of Prosciutto. The Prosciutto curled up from the extreme heat of the oven and became crisp and awesomely delicious. The oils from the sausage and pepperoni added that meaty goodness to the cheese and dough as it cooked.
-
“The Greek” – Kalamata Olives- Feta-Pepperoncini - Red Onion and Mozzarella. Awesome combination! I love Feta and this pie had plenty of it. The olives added a salty earthy flavor while the red onion in contrast provided some sweetness. The pepperoncini offered a great finish flavor with a little spice.
-
“Anthonys’ Special” – Fresh Tomato-Black Olives-Capers and Fresh Basil. Truly a Special Pie! A classic Margherita with a twist. The addition of black olives and capers offered a mouth feel that was savory and salty in relation to the sweet sauce. A chiffonade of fresh Basil closed the deal.
The sauce is house made and you can tell the love and experience that goes
into making it. Sweet and flavorful, the component of the marinara brought
this pizza to the next level.
The super star of this place however is the dough. Freshly prepared daily,
the dough is obviously a labor of love for Michael the owner. I watched as
he hand tossed the dough and created these memorable pies and checked their
doneness throughout the cooking process. He rotated and checked the bottom
of each pie and moved them around in the oven to verify the crust was just
right. As I observed I realized Michael was a true
“Pie Whisperer”. His intense scrutiny made me believe that Michael made each pie a
personal statement whether it was the first pie of the day, or in our case
the last pie of the night. Our pizza came to the table baked to perfection
with random caramelized bubbles of dough and cheese formed from the hot
spots in the oven. The yeasty flavor and crispness reminded me of New Haven
Style pizza but with a heartier slightly thicker crust. Michael and I spoke
briefly and he mentioned his family was from New York. I thought to myself
“aren’t all great pie men from New York?”
It was a great night! And I got to watch a true passionate professional at
work.
When in Richmond take some time and make your way the Anthony’s on the
Hill. You will be happy you did!
Unfortunatley this place has closed. He has whipered off into a well deserved retirement.
No comments:
Post a Comment