Behind the Scenes: The Making of the...

Here's a documentary on the Making of the 2009 Slicey Award...


well, sort of...

2009 Slicey Awards Ceremony...

Pizza Month '09 is done, but who will win the coveted Slicey Awards?

We'll all find out at the Awards Ceremony. Here are the categories...

• BEST OVERALL EXPERIENCE
• BEST NEW DISCOVERY
• BEST PIZZA EXPERIENCE
• BEST TASTING SLICE
• BEST IN SHOW
  

What "show?" you may ask...
In addition to the pizza place awards, 11 short pizza videos of Pizza Month will be screened. Each has been edited by someone other than me (I edited the other 20). Each audience member will be given a ballot on which he will vote for his favorite all-around selection of the screen videos. Here is a list of the editors that will be showing pizza day videos.

• SHAWN AMARO
  
• ALEX MARINO
• ANDREW TUCCI
• TONY CARNEVALE
  
• HANNAH CHASE
  
• NATHANIEL RINK
  
• KEVIN HINES
  
• LOUIE PEARLMAN
  
• ROBIN ROTHMAN
  
• ERIK TANOUYE (reigning champion)
  
• SHAWN WICKENS
  

Free high quality pizza will be served!

Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009

Time: 7:30pm - 9:00pm

Location: Parkside Lounge

Street: 317 E. Houston St.

City/Town: New York, NY

RSVP to here so I can make sure there's enough free pizza for everyone!

DAY 31, Pizza Month 2009 - Keste (W. Village)

DAY 31: OCTOBER 31st, 2009

LOCATION: Keste (271 Bleecker St, NYC)

ORDER: 1 slice of Margherita, 2 slice of Keste, 1 slice of Margherita du Bufala, 1 slice of Pizza Del Re

GUEST(S): David Bluvband, Ruby Marez, Whitney Meers

REVIEW:
Keste is the Best-ay! Keste, when translated from Italian means "this is it" and, well, how appropriate. Naples pizza at it's finest.

Take, for instance, the Margherita. Hand-crafted wood-fired crust loaded with the perfect amount of San Marzano tomato sauce and topped with melted fresh mozzarella, a pinch of basil, and shimmering with a light drizzle of olive oil. Bellissimo. The only thing better than looking at it was eating it. Normally I don't advocate eating works of art but that's the artist's intent.

The artist name is Roberto Caporuscio. He''s not only the artist but he's also the president... of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (APN) "whose mission is to protect and preserve the Neapolitan pizza tradition" (from Keste's website). Needless to say, Keste is APN certified.

Roberto's mastery of the art of pizza making was further verified with my slice of Pizza Del Re. It isn't easy for me to fall in love with a tomato sauce-less pie but just one bite of the Pizza Del Re sent my heart aflutter. Typically I lean towards savory over sweet but the truffle oil combined with the prosciutto delivers just the perfect combination of both that I hope it's on the menu in heaven's pizzeria. Come to think of it, if heaven just opens up a Keste, there would be a lot less sinning in this world.

Keste is another name of a pizza on the menu. So, I ordered it. Loaded with rich tomato sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto di parma, arugula, gran cru, and extra olive oil - it will fill you up and put a smile on your face.



Not to take anything away from the top quality ingredients, but what truly sets a Keste pizza apart is the mastery of the Naples style crust. Hand mixed, kneeded, and sculpted before topped and tossed into the imported Italian bell-shaped wood-fired oven, the dough is under close watch as it undergoes the metamorphosis into the soft, chewy crust. The 800'F oven heat may delicately singe the outer edge but nothing more, under such brilliant scrutiny.

I will be back as soon as I can. So will anyone who ever visits Keste so beat the rush and get over there. It's only a matter of time before it's common New York knowledge that Keste is the Best-ay!

MISC.:
1. Dave Bluvband also celebrated Pizza Month by eating pizza every day. He also did a recording after the pizza with Whitney, Ruby and I which is available here. Hope he had as much as I did this month!

2. I was gonna be late for pizza so quickly through together my costume....Dr. Mardi Gras. One item from the closet (lab coat) and one item from the desk (Mardi Gras beads). Happy Halloween.

3. I had the pleasure of meeting Roberto. He's one of the owners of Keste and gave me a tour of the joint.


4. Another pizza month comes to an end. Time for the off-season (Nov-Sep). Thanks for following my quest for the 31 days of pizza!


VIDEO CLIP:




RATING:
5/5

• VALUE:
  5/5


• AMBIENCE:
  3/3


• TASTE:
  10/10


• SERVICE:
  3/3

21/21= 1.000 x 5 = 5.00

DAY 14, Pizza Month 2009 - Roberta's (Bushwick)

DAY 14: OCTOBER 14th, 2009

LOCATION: Roberta's (261 Moore St. Bushwick, BROOKLYN)

ORDER: 3 slices of a Margherita, 2 slices of a Specken Wolf, 1 slice of a Millenium Falco

GUEST(S): Adrian Rose, Shawn Amaro

REVIEW:
A masterpiece! Travel out to Morgan Avenue on the L train and take a look around. Amongst the graffiti covered warehouses and bent street signs ("BOGART St." bent to read "ART St."), there's a caged-up window, a dirty ATM, and a cursive sign reading "Roberta's."

You have arrived.

Regardless of whether or not you categorize the restaurant and surrounding area as "urban art" or the work of vandals, Roberta's pizza is an undeniable masterpiece.



It could be the red onions and smoked prosciutto on the Specken Wolf that takes you on a magic pizza ride. Couple it with the sausage on the Millenium Falco and you may be doing the Kessel Run in "less than twelve parsecs." But don't let the pun-filled menu distract you (as it has me), the ingredients are among the best. Proof of this lies at the core; the basic Margherita.



Fresh mozzarella (made in-house) melted into a rich tomato sauce and garnished with basil grown in the greenhouse out back seems basic enough. But toss it in an imported Italian wood-fired brick oven and cook it perfection renders the Margherita anything but "basic." Also, at $8 a pie, it's one of the best deals around.

I will be back to Roberta's...with friends. It's one of those places you can introduce your friends to and watch with a smile on your face as the pizza brings one to theirs.

MISC.:
1. The Millennium Falco is no longer on the menu but Adrian Rose loves it so much she mentioned it to the waiter who asked the cook who agreed to resurrect the recipe.
2. Shawn Amaro is editing this video and he mentioned something about an exploding car. i hope he finds a way to use it in the vid.


VIDEO CLIP:

Video edited by Shawn Amaro and winner of Best In Show at the 2009 Slicey Award ceremony



RATING:
5/5

• VALUE:
  5/5


• AMBIENCE:
  3/3


• TASTE:
  10/10


• SERVICE:
  3/3

21/21= 1.0 x 5 = 5.00