SkyMall Monday: Pizza Pro

by Mike Barish on

Here at SkyMall Monday, we are always looking to make life simpler. The world is such a difficult and challenging place. But thankfully our favorite catalog tells us what our problems are and then solves them. This week, we tackle the impossible feat of serving pizza. Too often we make our own pizzas at home and then can’t slice them. Who has a pizza cutter? Or knives? And how do they expect you to pick up the slice once it’s cut? All the while, your family is dying of malnutrition. Can you live with that on your conscience? Is that tomato sauce or blood on your hands? Put all these questions to rest by inviting the Pizza Pro into you life.

Let’s face it, slicing pizza is next to impossible. Time after time, I have thrown my hands up into the air in exasperation while trying to serve that circular Rubik’s cube of a meal. I mean, what is a man to do? And lifting the slice? Don’t even get me started! Am I supposed to use a spatula? A cake spatula? It’s all just too damn confusing. So you can imagine how much of a relief it is to find a device that is made specifically for pizza. Finally, our long national nightmare is over.

I wasn’t fully convinced until I read the product description:

Slice and serve pizza easily with this new invention. It combines kitchen shears with a wedge-shaped spatula so you can slice and serve with one hand without ever losing toppings…Works for both left- and right-handed people.

Left- and right-handed people can finally cut their pizza like it’s a child’s craft project and serve it to their friends and families while looking like a true professional. Assuming, of course, that professional pizza makers use this device. Which they don’t. But if you make your kids pay you for the dinner, that would make you a professional. And, really, they should pay for their meals. You work hard all day. What do they do? Pick their noses and watch Dora the Explorer? Free-loading bastards!

So, if you want to look like a totally competent adult human being, get the Pizza Pro. I really don’t see any viable alternative.

Undiscovered New York: Who’s Got the Best Slice?

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Pizza. Is there any food more symbolic of New York? Sure, Chicago’s got some pretty awesome deep dish at places like Pizzeria Uno and in California you can easily find a pie with toppings like goat cheese and duck sausage. But no pizza seems to have as great a hold on the American food consciousness as the New York style pie. Say what you will about your own local specialty, but there’s something about that thin, crispy New York crust, the flavorful sauce, some milky mozzarella and a few fresh basil leaves that always gets my mouth watering like nothing else.

Yet in a city as big as New York, finding the best pizza spot is a source of controversy. Ask a hundred New Yorkers where they go to get a great New York slice, and you’re likely to get hundred different answers. Strong opinions are offered. Questions arise. Which Ray’s is really the original Ray’s Pizza? Does Brooklyn have better slices than Manhattan? Is it the New York tap water that makes it so good? Is Grimaldi’s worth the wait?

There’s enough uncertainty out there that visitors might find themselves paralyzed with indecision. Want to know where to find some of the best pizza spots in New York? Click on through below to get our take on New York’s top five spots.
Number 5: Joe’s Pizza
Love it or hate it, but famous Joe’s is a New York pizza institution. Though New Yorkers have long flocked to Joe’s for the no-nonsense slices, the restaurant gained its first taste of national prominence for a cameo in Spiderman 2. Movie star status aside, pretty much everybody from Zagat to New York Magazine agrees this is one of the best spots in NYC for a slice. Personally? While we find the slices to be quite good, we think Joe’s can be inconsistent.

Number 4: Grimaldi’s
Warning – if you want to visit Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, be prepared to wait. Tourists and locals alike have long made the pilgrimage to this holy site of Brooklyn pizza, and I have to admit, the pizza is outstanding. Grimaldi’s fresh ingredients, meticulous attention to detail and “what’s the hurry?” attitude all demonstrate their relentless pursuit of pizza perfection. What really distinguishes Grimaldi’s for some of the other entries on our list is that they don’t do slices – hence the wait. But perhaps that’s just part of the charm? So grab a few friends or bring the crossword puzzle, and you will be rewarded with a first class Brooklyn pie.

Number 3: Di Fara
The brave traveler who makes it all the way out to Di Fara in a remote strip of Brooklyn soon learns why it was worth it – Di Fara owner Domenico De Marco takes his pizza very seriously. If Grimaldi’s is like the luxury store of pizzerias, then Di Fara would be its one-of-a-kind artisan. De Marco’s pizza’s are hand-crafted circles of pure deliciousness, assembled by their master with utmost care. Once you taste the Di Fara pizza’s freshly grown basil (grown in the store), hand-dusted Parmesan and light crispy crust, you’ll understand why you came.

Number 2: Sal & Carmine’s
Although New York guidebooks frequently rave about Joe’s Pizza and Grimaldi’s, there are plenty of lesser known pizzerias which are equally good. In fact if you’re looking for one of New York’s best-kept pizza secrets, head to Sal & Carmine’s unassuming pizzeria around 101st Street on New York’s Upper West Side. Like most quality pizza spots, the atmosphere is nothing to look at – the narrow space is decorated with not much more than a bare brick wall and a few press clippings. You will also be served by two very grumpy old men. But make no mistake, what Sal & Carmine’s lacks in atmosphere, they more than make up in their unique pizza. We are particularly fond of the cheese, which has a uniquely sharp yet subtle “garlicky” flavor, along with that quintessential New York-style crispy crust.

Number 1: Joe & Pat’s
Our number one pizza spot, Joe & Pat’s, is not an easy pizzeria to get to – it’s located in Staten Island. In fact, I wouldn’t even recommend trying to take the subway to get there. But it doesn’t get any better than this when it comes to New York pizza. We can still taste that first bite: crust crispy but not crunchy, the sauce tangy and flavorful, the mozzarella like cheesy ambrosia. Are there easier New York slices to find? Sure. But this one is worth the trip if you’re a die-hard pizza junkie.

So did we mention your favorite New York slice? Think you’re a New York pizza know-it-all? Give us a “piece” of your mind on New York pizza in the comments – and don’t be afraid to be “saucy” about it.

Galley Gossip: Ask a flight attendant – Positano, Italy

by Heather Poole on

While on a flight to Stansted, England, on our way to Venice, the New York based international flight attendant working on my side of the cabin eyed the book, Frommer’s Italy 2008, in my hands as she poured a little cream into my coffee. “Are you going to Italy?”

“We are,” I said, nodding my head at the husband who was asleep beside me. When she placed the cup of coffee on my tray table, I said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So where exactly are you going in Italy?”

“Venice, Positano and Rome. Have you been?”

The flight attendant laughed, “Have I been? Too many times to count!” Click went the break of the cart. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m done with the service.” And like that she was gone, off to the next row where she offered the passengers behind us coffee, tea, cordials and dessert.

Want to know good, yet affordable, places to go, and eat, on your next vacation? Ask a flight attendant. Flight attendants are much like cops in respect to knowing great places to visit. Yet unlike cops, flight attendants aren’t just familiar with one city, they know the ins and outs of many different cities. Don’t believe me? Just ask the flight attendant on your next trip. You’ll see.

Ten minutes later the flight attendant was back at my row, a pen in hand. She placed a piece of paper on my tray table, a customs and immigrations form, and flipped it over. On the back she wrote the word POSITANO, and then began to draw as she said, “I go to Positano two to three times a year. Here’s what you need to do…”

“What?” said the husband who was now leaning over my shoulder.

“Positano,” I said. “She’s giving us the scoop on Positano.”

“My favorite place in the whole world,” said the flight attendant.

What I didn’t know at the time was Positano would soon become my favorite place in the whole world, too. It’s that amazing. That beautiful. And the food…absolutely delish! It’s the kind of place where you can just relax, sitting on your ocean view balcony, and let Italy come to you.

“Now this is the Doma.” She placed her finger on a sketchy looking arch. Then she marked a spot with an X. “Right here is a ceramics store. You’ve got to go here. This is where I bought the most beautiful set of ceramic plates. They’re gorgeous. Brown with red in the center and white around the edge, they’re perfect for the Valentine’s day dinner I host every year at my house.”

‘We’ll have to look for those,” I told the husband, and meant it. I wanted Valentine’s day plates, too!

And look over there – we found them, the beautiful Valentine’s day plates! At the store. Just like she said. But for some reason we didn’t buy them. Now I wish we had. Next time. Trust me, there will be a next time.

Three X’s marked the spots of good places to eat. “This is where you want to get your morning coffee. It’s right on the beach.” A box was drawn. “This is the gas station where you can buy bus tickets that will take you to Ravello and the Amalfi Coast.”

“We’re definitely doing that,” I told the husband.

And we did. Though we did it by scooter, not bus. What an amazing and unforgettable ride.

More X’s and boxes were drawn, as suggestions and recommendations were made. We only had three nights in Positano, so I was starting to wonder if we’d even have time for all of the things she wanted us to do, things we just had to do! Honestly, I think she was just as excited about our trip, if not more so, than we were! And this was our honeymoon trip – five years late.

Our trip to Italy in May was fantastic, and Positano, without a doubt, was the highlight. Heavenly is the only word to describe it. I can’t wait to go back. So if you’re reading this, Miss New York international business class flight attendant, thanks for the advice. And if you, dear reader, are thinking about going to Positano, here are my suggestions to you…

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Is that damn pizza done yet?

by Brett Atkinson on

When I was researching New Zealand’s Hermitage hotel a few weeks back for Lonely Planet, I had no idea of the weird no-brain stuff happening behind its flash doors. Maybe it was the altitude and mountain air – the Hermitage is right beside Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak – but a recent guest had a bit of culinary trouble in her room.

Hotel staff were called when an American guest in her mid 40s complained she couldn’t get her frozen ham and pineapple pizza out of the microwave. Turns out she’d jammed the doughy treat in the lockable room safe, hit a few random numbers she thought stood for 3 minutes on high, and waited for her meaty, cheesy snack to emerge.

Is the appropriate response laughter or sympathy in such a case?

Scary.

Thanks to feeb on Flickr for the pic of a pop tart retrieval process.

Headed to Sao Paulo? Try The Pizza

by Martha Edwards on

Want a taste of traditional Brazilian food, something that you’ll have trouble finding at home? You might be out of luck in Sao Paulo — their signature dish is pizza, according to this article. In fact, July 10th is widely known as ‘Pizza Day’ in Sao Paulo — a day when the citizens of South America’s largest city pay homage to their favourite food by overdosing on cheese and dough and every topping under the sun. But even if you’re not around for the July 10th, Sunday nights are unofficially pizza-night for Paulistanos — local pizza joints are crammed full of pizza lovers young and old.

Pizza came to Sao Paulo along with the influx in Italian immigrants in the early 20th century. But although in the rest of Brazil, ketchup is a common additive to the traditional pizza, ordering a bottle of Heinz with your pie in Sao Paulo is a no-no.

Pizza’s one of those things that seems to be everywhere these days. In fact, the best pizza I ever had (and I’ve had lots) was in Koh Samui, Thailand. As a lover of all things with cheese, I’m kind of excited to try Sao Paulo pizza — sans ketchup though (ick!)