Delorenzos Tomato Pies - Robbinsville, NJ

It's been a while since I have gone on my Delorenzos Tomato Pies rant, and if I would have to guess, I probably only write about them 25% of the time that we actually go to visit their Hudson Street, Trenton or Route 33 in Robbinsville locations. Tonight, we happened to visit their Robbinsville location as it was a little more convenient for the errands that we were running. As usual, we started off with the awesome antipasti, consisting of roasted red peppers, artichokes, stuffed peppers, fresh mozzarella cheese, prosciutto, salami, dates, and black olive. This is such a good appetizer, and always hits the spot as we are waiting for a pie. Two pies came out, one for Zelda with sweet peppers, and one with sausage and sweet peppers for me. For the record, one pie will easily satisfy the both of us, however, how can you not love leftover Delorenzos the following day? The crust on both pies was nice and crispy, and cooked perfectly. I think that the ovens have gotten better and better with time, and the seasoning in these ovens makes them come out just as good as their pies at the Hudson Street location. nice dark bubbles of air filled crust made their presence known on both pies, and that is never a bad thing. The sauce is nice and chunky, spooned onto the pie, and absolutely perfect. The things I would do to get this recipe for my own pies at home! It is so good! The cheese is always perfect and bubbly, and just the right amount sprinkled across the pies, before being topped with a bit of oil. As always, the ingredients were good and fresh, from the flavorful red and green sweet peppers, to Trenton's finest sausage. These ingredients could not pair any better together, and are just a joy. As always, the pies were worth the wait, and Sammy Amico and his staff did a great job. Sammy has put his heart and soul into this new location, and it has really paid off. We could not be any happier to see him succeed in such a tough economy, but when you do pies the way they do, how can they not succeed. What is there to say other than yet another perfect visit? Kudos to the team! Wine tonight was a 2004 Lillian Syrah, so be sure to read about that below! Cheers! -F. Scott De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies 2350 US Highway 33 Robbinsville, NJ 08691 Phone: (609)341-8480 http://www.delorenzostomatopies.com/

Conte's Pizza - Princeton, NJ

So after hearing about Conte's Pizza in Princeton for the last year and a half or so from friends, as well as reading about Conte's on a thread on Chowhound for "Best Pizza in N.J.," tonight was the night that we finally gave it a whirl.

As Conte's website states, "During the snow season, we recommend that you call ahead to confirm that we are open." That I did, and was told that the kitchen was open until 8:30PM sharp.

So we arrived at Conte's around 7:45PM, and there was parking out front, which kind of surprised me given the mystique of this establishment. Regardless, we walked in, and grabbed two seats at the bar.

If it is ambiance that you are looking for, then I suggest looking elsewhere. Like Delorenzo's on both Hudson Street and Hamilton Avenue in Trenton, you are going for the pie, not for the ambiance and decor. It's all about the experience. In all honesty, this place could easily be converted into an Elk's or VFW lodge with no modifications other than changing the name on the sign, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

We ordered a couple of Bass Ale's as the magnums of vino behind the bar didn't look all that interesting, but after ordering our beers, we did notice that they do have a full bar. Not a bad thing at all, and good to know for the next time we visit.

We ordered our pie, and waited for the Olympics to come on one of the 3 large flat screens hanging on the wall behind the bar. We opted for a large pie, half plain, and half sausage. About 20 minutes later, the pie came out piping hot, and looked really nice.

After hearing all the hype about how Conte's has a better pie than Delorenzo's, the first thing I noticed was the simple fact that the crust didn't even compare, and was much thicker than that of Delorenzo's. To me, this is not a tomato pie, and more in the style of a true pizza than Delorenzo's. The next thing I noticed was the sausage, with the nice fennel seeds in the sausage that looked ridiculously tasty. Finally, I noticed all of the cheese on the pie, which was quite a bit more than you get on a tomato pie in Trenton. This is not a bad thing in the least.

.

After giving the pie a minute or so to cool, I cut into my first piece, and noticed that the crust didn't have the crunch to it that a tomato pie has, which proves the fact that this is more of a pizza, than a tomato pie. Maybe some of you will disagree, as many people have said on the different boards when talking about Conte's. Call me crazy, but this is a thin crust pizza, not tomato pie. Even the Conte's website calls it "thin crust," so now that that is established, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

.

For a pizza, this had a nice flavor. The crust was good and airy, and the sauce has nice Italian spices to it. The sausage was good, but definitely not as tasty as my favorite sausage from City Beef in Trenton. The cheese was also good, and piled on, and overall, it was a good pie. All in, 2 Bass Ale's and a large pie with sausage on one half came to just over $25. Not bad.

.

Now, would I go out of my way for this pizza? Probably not. But I would definitely go back there in the future. It didn't knock my socks off or blow my hair back, but it was a good pizza for what it was. The flavors were nice, and it was just an all around good pie. But that being said, Delorenzo's on Hudson Street or on Route 33 in Robbinsville still has my heart for the best pie in New Jersey. Cheers! -F. Scott

. Conte's Pizza

339 Witherspoon Street

Princeton, NJ 08540

Phone: (609)921-8041

http://contespizzaandbar.com/