Philadelphia Pizza Craze Part Two: Square and Thick Crust Pies

The thing about pizza is that it can warm you up on a chilly winter night, fill your tummy after a long summer day at the beach, and everything in between. It's the perfect food for any time of year and you can't go wrong at many of Philly's pizza spots, new and old.

This post, the second in our quick series on Philadelphia's latest pizza craze, shares four square and thicker crust pies that we think are among the best in Philly. As we mentioned last post, we take with a grain of salt any discussion about the single "best" pie - especially when so many of today's hot new pizza joints are cooking with a similar style (like the ultra-thin Neapolitan pies that are all the rage).

To help you sample several of the "best" pizza in Philly - new and old - here are a few more pizzas we think you should try next. 

Salciccia from Square Pie with sausage, peppers, onions, mozzarella and red sauce. Brought to us by Gene Giuffi, the owner of Cochon BYOB, find these new square pies in the old Blue Belly BBQ corner in Queen Village. Giuffi taps his Brooklyn roots to make these thick crust, Sicilian-style pies, adding his own flair with meat toppings reminiscent of pork-focused Cochon just across the street. It's nice to see someone focusing on any other style than Neapolitan and they do a great job with a really thick crust.

The Salcicca from Square Pie Phily

Philadelphia Pizza Craze Part One: Are Neapolitan Pies the Best Pizza in Philly?

Philadelphia's pizza craze has reached bubble territory with the likes of Capofitto, Square Pie and Brigantessa all opening in the last few weeks, and Pizzeria Vetri, Bufad and several others not too long before them. It's as if the pizza gods are trying to make up for years of limited options by ensuring a quality place is on every city block.

We're big fans of the bubble like anyone else, but as pizza simpletons we take with a grain of salt the constant in-your-face debate about the best pie. It's easy to tell when pizza is bad. But as one of the greatest foods on Earth, pizza inadvertently imposes a real challenge in separating the "best" from 2nd, 3rd and even 4th best - especially when so many of today's popular pies are similar in style (ultra-thin Neapolitan being all the rage right now). 

To help you sample some of the "best" pizza in Philly - new and old - our next two blog posts will share eight great thin and thick crust pizzas.

Let's start with some of our favorite thin crust pies, in no particular order:

Nomad's Margarita pizza. Now with two locations and a food truck, Nomad's Neapolitan-style pizza is never more than a few steps away. And it's super light so you can polish off this whole sucker by yourself. Many say it's the "best" and most authentic Neapolitan in Philly but you should decide that for yourself.

Nomad's Margarita Pizza

Four Ideas for a Quick Center City Lunch (and One Bonus Donut)

Desperate to get out of the office some days or anxious to start holiday shopping over the weekend? Here are a few ideas for lunch in Center City to fill you up with something quick.

Sushi Burritos

When Hai Street Kitchen opened this past spring, Philly was hard core buzzing about the crazy new "sushi burrito" place. I thought, ummm isn't that an awful lot of raw fish at once? I'm here to clear up that Hai Street a) does not exactly serve gigantic sushi rolls but that is what they look like, b) isn't the same at High Street on Market - can't tell you how many people have confused them - and c) is a good little spot to swing in for lunch.

Make your own nori (seaweed) wrap, rice bowl or salad bowl, or choose a signature item. Among the fresh, all-natural ingredients are yellowfin tuna and tataki salmon, but you can also opt for shrimp tempura, chicken, steak or pork and then add in all sorts of Japanese sauces, veggies and crunchy stuff like roasted peanuts or fried shallots. We tried the three Signature wraps seen below. Didn't quite live up to all the initial hype but  the Hai Street Chicken and The Crunch were good enough that I'd order them again. Each is $8-10, similar in price to your average Center City sandwich. Worth a stop in to try something new and a lot lighter on the stomach than a traditional burrito.

Signature wraps: The Crunch (shrimp tempura, spicy mayo, romaine, cucumber, mango and asparagus); Slammin' Salmon (tataki salmon, spicy gochujang sauce, romaine, cucumber, mango, red onion); and Chicken Katsu (lightly fried chicken, black pepper teriyaki sauce, red onion, red cabbage, green papaya salad)

Boneless Ribs and Tacos at RTM

If you're closer to Reading Terminal Market, two spots we tried lately are The Rib Stand and the newly refurbished 12th Street Cantina.

Run by the Pennsylvania Dutch, The Rib Stand is all the way in the northwest corner at RTM and only open Wednesday-Saturday. Grab a rack of ribs or the boneless rib sandwich you see here with a side of macaroni n' cheese. For a simple, well-stuffed and juicy bite you can't go wrong with the Rib Stand sandwich. Skip adding cheese when they ask, you don't need it.

For those in the mood for Mexican, you can make just about any taco, burrito, enchilada or tostada you want at 12th Street Cantina. But I wouldn't say it's the spot for for taco purists. While delicious, fresh and enormous, my steak and shredded beef tacos were more like the Americanized version. I guess that also depends on what I choose to put on top... also grab plenty of napkins because they can get messy!

Left: boneless rib sandwich and macaroni & cheese from the Rib Stand. Above: Giant steak and ground beef tacos from 12th Street Cantina. Both are in Reading Terminal Market.

 

Falafel Pita

A mere $7 gets you one of the best falafel sandwiches in Philadelphia from Mama's Vegetarian on 20th Street between Market and Chestnut.

The Middle Eastern shop stuffs their pitas with creamy hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and five soft falafel balls. Ask for the spicy sauce and call it day. Those looking for a lighter lunch can order the small version for $4, one of the better deals around.


Last but not least, don't forget to pick up a perfect pumpkin spiced latte doughnut from Federal Donuts on your way back to the office or home while they're still on the fall menu. They are just as fantastic as you'd expect. Fruit not included. 

 

La Viola: Where You End Up with More Pasta After the Bill Arrives

I went to La Viola recently to try one pasta and instead ate three. Here's how.

A year ago my father called me about a pasta so delicious that he thought about ordering another.

While he went against his gluttonous instincts, I did not, but only because he accidentally told me the wrong thing earlier that night - the orrechiette alla romano instead of the fusilli estiva.

Newest obsession: Fusilli estiva at La Viola

By the time he discovered the error and texted me an emphatic and expletive-ridden correction, I had finished an espresso and was about to pay the bill. (The hostess actually came to take the bill twice!) But the fusilli was the sole reason we came to La Viola, so I had no choice but to order a second entree. It also didn't hurt that the average orrechiete made me wish for a more memorable pasta.

The homemade fusilli with cannellini beans, sausage and white onions in an olive oil sauce is one of the best pasta dishes we've had on the Nana Test. I could have ordered a fourth dish to go, ha!

How did the rest of the meal fare in The Nana Test?