Pizza Marumo - Ebisu - Tokyo Japan

 

https://pizza-marumo.com/

I have returned to Japan after a 5 year hiatus (not self imposed), and I've got lots of things planned (with a splash of work here and there....jk) but one activity that I'm anticipating the most is going to Pizza Marumo, ranked #14 pizza place in the world.  It's in Tokyo, Ebisu to be exact, very near to Shibuya, my favorite part of the city.

It's Neapolitan in style, but it's not exact, the main distinction being that it's a little less "soupy" on the top, which is much preferred.  You can actually pick up a slice and eat it, and yes they do slice them all, another distinction from the classic Neapolitan.

Yuki Motokura is the chef, owner, and master of this restaurant.  Yuki previously worked at Savoy, the long time famous Tokyo pizza spot, where he honed his talents, crafting them so that he'd be ready when he opened his own spot.  He's been here almost 2 years now and getting a lot of attention fast for his amazing pies.

First, as always, let's have a beer......

And here's the oven.  Wood fired (obviously).  

Yuki-san said it's about 500 Celsius on the deck (about 932 Fahrenheit).

And now a little snack.  Focaccia with Mentaiko cream on top, which is a spicy cod roe (egg) sauce.

The Mentaiko cream was a bit salty (by design) which balanced really well with the fluffy/crispy bread, which was baked in the wood fired oven.

And here she is:

Cauliflower roasted in the oven as well.  This was awesome, really deep charred flavor, but the cauliflower taste was bold and came through quite well.  A great start to the meal.

Let's GOOO!

Apologies to the guy picking his nose in the background, 

I didn't notice during the filming and I'm not going to NOT use it.  So, again, sorry.....

Starting with the Margherita.  Amazing.  Crispy and fluffy at the same time, perfectly topped (aka, not too much "stuff") sauce was delicious, tangy and bright but not trying to be the star of the show, a balanced and beautiful pie.

Molto bene

Yes, he makes every one, ensuring every detail is perfect.

Next up, the cream based Umami pizza.

This one had a lot going on, but not too much (but right on the edge of too much).  Visually stunning and very well balanced and deep flavor.  Very earthy.

On to the Red Hot Chili.  Visually, this one had DANGER written all over it, but surprisingly it wasn't nuclear hot.  There was spice for sure, but you could really taste the chili flavor, all elements distinct, but big.  Quite a contrast from the Umami, a good progression of pies so far (you're welcome).

The master at work

And the finale, lamb and cheese, with an added touch of house made Nduja.  

We didn't intend to order 4 pizzas for 3 people, but I kept seeing this one removed from the oven and head out to the dining room, and it looked and smelled incredible, and it tasted as good as it smelled.

Just wow

I don't think I'm alone in saying that, often times, the actual experience of the "big hype" places pales in comparison with the expectations.  Generally it's disappointing.

Not Pizza Marumo, and not Chef Yuki-san. 

This is some of the best pizza I've ever had, and I've had some of the best 

(Una Pizza Napoletana, Lucali, Bianchi, Di Fara, Best, Apizza Scholls, Frank Pepe, on and on).  

Pizza Marumo has deservedly and most certainly earned a seat at the table with the big boys.

Thank you for such a great meal, being so warm and inviting and engaging Yuki-san, I hope to see you again soon.

For now, sayonara.

DVA

Brick by Brick, Wood Fired Pizza - Granbury Texas USA

 

https://www.brickbybricktx.com/

Low and behold, almost directly across the street from my hotel in Granbury Texas, a wood fired pizza spot pops up out of nowhere.  😮

What's the chance of that?!?

And what's the chance of it being good (forget about great, I'd take not terrible and be happy about it).

Let's check it out shall we?

Wood fired for sure.

B-B-B started during Covid as a food truck, mobile wood fired pizza.

Born from the passion of this guy, Curtis, the owner.

The oven is from Italy, from what Curtis told me, and looks fully legit.

The rest of the truck is outfitted with a standard pizza kitchen, and of course I talked my way in.

They've been doing this about 4 years, and in this location just a few months.

Currently the truck is parked along side the building where there is a dining room and kitchen that produces all of the other offerings (burgers, salads, sides, etc...).  

The dream/hope is to expand the building to add an oven, and then get the truck back on the road, but again, he's only been here a few months, let's not rush it.

Yesssss, this looks nice, and I'm getting hungry, let's go.

Before we actually try-the-pie, a little detour is in order.

On the menu, in the Italian Fare section 😨 is the Italian classic, fried ravioli......

You know we're gonna try that.

LFG!!!!

I'm not sure how "Italian" this is, but if looks are any indication, this might be good.

Ohhhh Madonna!

Crispy and crunchy, gooey and stretchy, and really delicious.

I got both the marinara and the ranch, and I didn't have a favorite, both tasted great and 

worked really well.

Nice start BBB.  (I could totally be a hand model....)

2 pies:

APizza, their take on a New Haven style, sauce and 3 cheeses.

Vana White, their white pie with a garlic sauce and mozz, and some other items, and then 

add pepperoni.

Ah-Beetz

My first reaction was "uh oh",  the crust looks dry AF.  

But oh my my, look what we have.

Light and fluffy, and crispy on the outside.  Not a hard crunch of a crisp, but a light crispy coating, very deceiving from how it looked.

Nice topping to crust ratio also, an even hand is at work in the kitchen.  Crispy bottom, YUMMM.

Vana White did me right as well.

The larger format pepperoni was great and the "sauce" was super cheesy/garlicy.  Same great crunch and fluff as the APizza.

There's no floppin' in Granbury.

I also talked to a few folks having dinner and half didn't even get the pizza, they were having either a burger or fried catfish. (affectionately listed on the menu in the "Lake Grub" section, love it).

If you're ever anywhere near this place, you have to check it out, it's a winner and

 I can't wait to go back,  Great job Curtis, see you again soon.

DVA

I Love Frankie's - Worcester Mass - USA

 

https://worcestersbestpizza.com/

When your web address is "Worcesters Best Pizza dot com", we know that you're not messing around.

Harken back to the Boston Pizza Festival and you'll recall the King of Pie's, Mr. Frankie.  

Well, we finally made it to his spot, Worcester's finest.

His iconic logo below is actually a reproduction of a photo of his daughter picking up

 a slice and taking a bite.  

Hells yeah.  You know how much I love that.

Massive FUBAR on my part coming....

(for those international readers, FUBAR = F**ked Up Beyond All Repair)

We planned to stop at Frankie's on our way back to the Cape from the family Bungalow which is located in the Catskills of New York State (just down the way from the location of the original Woodstock, but that's another story (Pop-Pop and Ammy, among other family members, actually attended, super cool)).

But, I digress (doing that a lot these days).  So the plan was to stop in on our way "home", 4 hours driving down, 2 more to go.  But, little did I know, and failed to inquire about, 

Frankie's is a take-out only joint!  

And, it's 95 outside, and me with a full car of hungry kiddos and wife, so we can't just chill on the sidewalk or go to a park.

And, also, the pizza photo below makes the pie look a bit of a mess (sorry Frankie, but I was doin my best).

This is a grandma with half cheese and half pepperoni.

By separating a specific slice, it looks a bit more presentable.

(yes, I pulled over under a tree by the street and jumped out to devour 3 slices, which were still too hot for the kids to eat, sorry guys, daddy needs some food).

95 degrees, super humid, no flop.  YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Amaze-balls

Yummy to the next level.

We got a second pie and it was equally as great.  This one was a round Hawaiian.

Let's not hate on the topping choice, please?  I fully agree that pineapple has NO PLACE being on a pizza, total sacrilege to put this on a pie.  

But I also know that with canadian bacon it tastes great, so suck it!

Frankie hooked us up with both pies, a salad, 2 cookies, and some sodas.  Thanks Frankie!!!

The king of Worcester and someone I'm proud to have met and can't wait to see again (which might not be until Fall when it's a bit cooler and easier to enjoy    :-O )

Thanks Frankie, you and your staff are truly awesome.

Best pizza in Worcester?

Best pizza in Mass?

Best pizza ever?

Man, I can't deny it.

If you're NOT puttin' some Frankie's pie in your hole, then whatta ya doin'?

DVA

Pizza Barbone - Hyannis Mass - USA

 

https://www.pizzabarbone.com/

A short 2-ish block walk away from Pop-Pop's Cape house resides what is touted as "wood-fired pizza".

And, from first glance it appears to be just that......  but is it???

They certainly have a legit Marra Forni oven, but this one in- act is primarily heated by gas, with a middle pedestal that can house a burning log or 2.  But, the heat is 100% coming from gas.

No hate on the gas, at all.  Pizza's like heat, but they don't care about where it comes from .  Yes, the heat from a wood fired oven tends to be drier than from gas, and coal is even drier than that.  Is that always good?  It all depends on the type of dough (not all dough is created equally).

But, I digress....

Gas or wood this place is 100% legit.

We sat at the pizza bar so that we could enjoy the show.

And we weren't the only ones enjoying themselves...

Vanta (his name) is totally killing it tonight.

As can see from the photos above, they are cranking out the pies, and they have a lot of cooks in the kitchen, but they seem to be "doing the dance" quite well.

Assembly line, thank you Henry Ford

Thanks Salt Bae

The oven is not only gas and wood, but the deck rotates as well.  The theory being that it will cook all pizzas evenly.  I'm not sure that I'm a fan of this as all of the Pizzaiolo's that I watch would pick every pie up when it neared completion and give it a little extra attention near the gas outlet.  However, what ended up happening is the pies are undercooked because they need to get them out before they pass by the front, and only when they pass the front, otherwise they'll need to make another rotation as the rear of the oven is inaccessible.  Most pies that I observed were (slightly) undercooked.

A shame because it would take them (the pies) to the next level if they could just stay in the oven  another 10-15 seconds.

Seeing this, I ordered ours a bit over done, please.  And it worked out fairly well.

Nice fold kid

Yumm, crispy on the outside and chewy and soft on the inside.

I would certainly declare this the best Neapolitan style pizza in Hyannis.

Kid friendly, great salads (sorry for no photo), yummy pies, decent wines (not for Luigi though...)

Grab someone's pie and put it in your mouth.

DVA